8 Days Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara & Diani Beach Safari

Pick-up from your Nairobi hotel or the airport at 7 am and drive northwest to Lake Nakuru National Park, arriving by mid-morning. Your first game drive is en route to the lodge through the park: Lake Nakuru's alkaline soda lake draws millions of flamingos and a remarkable concentration of waterbirds. Check in for lunch, then an afternoon game drive through the yellow fever acacia woodland where Rothschild giraffes roam and a thriving white and black rhino population can be tracked on foot. Look for buffalo, waterbuck and the lake's famous lion prides.

After an early breakfast, check out of Lake Nakuru and drive south along the Great Rift Valley escarpment to the Maasai Mara, arriving in time for lunch. Rest and settle in before an afternoon game drive from 3 or 4 pm. The Mara's vast open grasslands deliver big cats immediately: cheetahs patrol the open plains, lion prides are visible resting in the shade, and leopards drape themselves in the fig trees along the rivers.

A full day on the Mara plains. Morning and afternoon game drives with a picnic lunch at the Mara River. The Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions: powerful prides dominate the grasslands alongside the highest cheetah densities in Africa and the elusive leopards of the Talek and Mara River forests. In migration season (July–October), watch wildebeest and zebra cross the crocodile-filled Mara River in one of nature's most dramatic spectacles.

Another full day in the Mara ecosystem. Optional: sunrise hot-air balloon flight over the Mara Triangle before a champagne bush breakfast on the open plains. Alternatively, venture into the Mara North Conservancy for a more exclusive, off-road game-drive experience with far fewer vehicles. The conservancy's specialist naturalist guides offer an unmatched depth of wildlife knowledge.

After breakfast, a short game drive en route to the Mara airstrip for your morning flight south to Diani. The flight connects to Nairobi and continues to Ukunda Airstrip in Diani. Your driver meets you on arrival for the short transfer to your beach hotel. Check in, have lunch, and spend the rest of the afternoon with the warm Indian Ocean at your feet.

Three days of complete bliss. Diani's long stretch of white coral sand, lined with swaying casuarina trees and kissed by the warm Indian Ocean, is consistently ranked one of Africa's finest beaches. The resort's beach, pool, spa and cuisine are yours to enjoy entirely at your own pace. Optional excursion: the Wasini Island and Kisite Mpunguti Marine National Park dolphin excursion: snorkelling on pristine coral reefs, dolphin watching, a private boat, and a traditional Swahili seafood lunch at Wasini Island.

Another full day at leisure. Explore the waters: Diani's offshore reef is some of the finest snorkelling in East Africa, with sea turtles, rays and colourful reef fish in warm, clear water. Optional deep-sea fishing excursion. Optional drive north for a guided tour of Mombasa Old Town and the Portuguese-built Fort Jesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

A relaxed final breakfast at the beach. Your driver collects you from the hotel lobby in the afternoon for the transfer to Ukunda Airstrip. Your scheduled flight arrives at Nairobi's JKIA by early evening. Your driver meets you on arrival for transfer to a city restaurant for lunch, then hotel or airport drop-off for your outbound international flight. End of services.