Super Luxury SafarisSuper Luxury Safaris
5 day itinerary

5 Day Kenya Safari: Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara

Nairobi to Lake Nakuru for rhino and the soda lake, then three nights in the Masai Mara. The road west is a transfer; the Mara is the stay.

From $8,000 per personFinal quote depends on travel dates, lodge choice and group size.

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Route map

From start to finish

Starts in Nairobi and ends in Nairobi.

Start: Nairobi End: Nairobi

Kenya

  1. Start Nairobi (Day 1)
  2. Lake Nakuru (Day 1-2) Land Cruiser
  3. Masai Mara (Day 2-5) Land Cruiser
  4. End Nairobi (Day 5) Land Cruiser

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Digital itinerary

Day by day

Every package has a shareable digital itinerary: overnight notes, the route, and a print-ready PDF view.

  1. Day 1 Nairobi to Lake Nakuru Lake Nakuru
  2. Day 2 Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote
  3. Day 3 Full day in the Masai Mara in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote
  4. Day 4 Masai Mara game drives in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote
  5. Day 5 Masai Mara to Nairobi

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Lodge Safaris Mid-range Safaris

Five days is how you add Lake Nakuru to a Mara stay without inventing a second Amboseli. Nakuru is compact: rhino, a soda lake, Rothschild giraffe. Then you drive west and sleep in the Mara for three nights, which is the difference between a look and a safari.

From August to October we aim Mara drives at the river when the herds are in Kenya. Super Luxury is based in Arusha; a Kenya driver-guide runs this loop. Choose camping, mid-range, luxury or high-end.

Masai Mara grassland after the Rift

Day 1: Nairobi to Lake Nakuru

Flamingos at Lake Nakuru

Nairobi to Lake Nakuru is a Rift Valley road — typically three to four hours, not the Mara haul. You enter for an afternoon among rhino and the soda lake, then you sleep on the rim. Flamingo numbers change with the water. Both rhino species are the honest reason this park exists on a Kenya loop.

A Kenya driver-guide, a private 4×4. Super Luxury remains the Arusha contact.

Overnight at Lake Nakuru.

Day 2: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara

Lion family in the Masai Mara

The Masai Mara is the Kenya side of the same grassland system you may already know from the Serengeti. Cats hold territories here all year. From August to October the herds pile onto the Mara River and the crossings become the story. The rest of the year the marsh, the resident lion and the open grass are enough.

You travel in a private 4×4 with a Kenya driver-guide. Conservancy nights, when we use them, add walking and night drives that the reserve itself does not allow.

Overnight in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote.

Day 3: Full day in the Masai Mara

Lions in the Masai Mara

This is not a corridor. A full Mara day means two drives and a picnic or a lodge lunch, not a loop to a viewpoint. Conservancy nights, when we use them, add walking and a night drive that the reserve itself does not allow.

Your Kenya driver-guide already knows which gate is quiet that week. The Super Luxury Safaris Team remains the Arusha contact after dinner.

Overnight in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote.

Day 4: Masai Mara game drives

Lion in the Masai Mara

Dawn in the Mara is cold, gold, and noisy with birds. We work the river, the marsh or a conservancy gate depending on where the cats hunted overnight. Picnic or lodge lunch, then a second drive when the heat breaks.

You slept in the reserve or the neighbouring conservancy. You will sleep here again. That is the whole difference from a Nairobi day trip.

Overnight in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote.

Day 5: Masai Mara to Nairobi

Leaving the Masai Mara

The road to Nairobi is a transfer. We do not dress it up as a game drive with a late airport drop. Evening long-hauls can work; midday ones cannot.

The package

What is included — and what is not

Two separate lists, so you can see what the itinerary price covers before you request a quote.

Covered

Included in this itinerary

In the package price, for the dates and lodge or camp class on your quote.

  • Kenya national-park and, where the quote uses one, conservancy fees for every reserve named in the day plan.
  • Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a window seat for every guest.
  • Kenya driver-guide and all game drives written in the day plan.
  • Lodge or camp nights as confirmed on your quote.
  • Nairobi hotel or airport collection, and the return drop-off.
  • Bottled water in the vehicle.
  • All meals (full board) at the lodges, camps or hotels named on your itinerary.
  • An evening of live music and traditional dance performances at select camps, arranged for your dates.

You arrange these

Not included

Budget separately, or ask us to add them to your proposal.

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes and visa or eTA fees
  • Alcoholic drinks and any specialty dining not named on your quote
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature, laundry and souvenirs
  • Travel insurance
  • Optional extras such as a hot-air balloon, Maasai village visit or spa, unless added to the quote
  • Kenya electronic travel authorisation (eTA)

When to travel

Season and routing

The Mara holds resident cats all year. August to October we aim drives at the Mara River when the herds are in Kenya. January to March is green and quieter. April and May are heavy rain; we still run the trip if you accept muddy roads. Nakuru’s flamingo numbers change with the lake level. Both rhino species when they are on the rim.

Where you sleep

Choose your stay style

Four ways to travel the same parks. Pick one style for the whole safari, or mix nights — we quote what you actually want. Names below are properties we often confirm. The lodge or camp on your quote is the booking; nothing here is reserved until you approve it.

  1. Camping Safari tents, a cook, the night sounds of the park. The honest, close-to-the-ground way to safari.
  2. Mid-range En-suite lodges and tented camps we use most — a proper bed, a shower, and the game still at the door.
  3. Luxury Pools, full-service dining, the better rooms in the same parks.
  4. High-end Suite camps and private houses when the trip is built around silence and space.

Lake Nakuru

Camping

A park or nearby private campsite, simple and close to the morning rhino drive.

Mid-range

Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge, Mbweha Camp — rim or Soysambu rooms with a soda-lake view.

Luxury

The Cliff, Lake Nakuru Lodge — a quieter evening on the escarpment.

High-end

The Cliff suite rooms, or a Soysambu conservancy house when the quote calls for it.

Masai Mara

Camping

A reserve or conservancy campsite with Super Luxury tents, or a simple tented camp with shared facilities — named on the quote.

Mid-range

Mara Sopa Lodge, Enchoro Wildlife Camp, Keekorok Lodge — reliable rooms, easy access to the reserve gates.

Luxury

Mara Serena Safari Lodge, Ashnil Mara, Mara Intrepids — full-service tented camps near the river or the escarpment.

High-end

Angama Mara, &Beyond Kichwa Tembo, Cottar’s 1920s Camp — suite tents, private vehicles on request. Conservancy fees apply when we sleep outside the national reserve.

Before you book

Practical notes

  • Day 1 is Nairobi to Nakuru, typically three to four hours, then an afternoon in the park.
  • Day 2 is Nakuru then the Mara road (five to six hours). Afternoon Mara drive if you arrive with light.
  • Day 5 is Mara to Nairobi. Do not book an international departure before 21:00 unless the quote uses a Mara flight.

OUR AFFILIATES

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