Highlights of Kenya: Amboseli, Nakuru & the Masai Mara

This morning you leave Nairobi and journey south across the plains towards Amboseli National Park, in the far south of Kenya on the Tanzanian border. As you approach, the vast, snow-capped bulk of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, rises ahead across the plains, one of the continent's most iconic sights. You arrive at your lodge or camp in time for lunch, then set out on an afternoon game drive into the park, famous above all for its large, relaxed herds of elephants moving across the open plains and seasonal swamps beneath the mountain. You also look for lion, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and a wealth of birdlife, all framed by Kilimanjaro. As the light softens to gold, the elephants and the mountain are unforgettable. Rest well at your Amboseli camp, deep in this iconic landscape.

Today is devoted to Amboseli, one of the most beautiful and iconic wildlife settings in Africa. You set out on a morning game drive in the cool early light, when Kilimanjaro is often at its clearest, its snows glowing above the plains, and the elephants are active. Amboseli's elephants are among the most studied in the world, and you watch great herds at close range as they cross the plains, bathe and feed in the swamps, and raise their calves. You also seek out lion, cheetah, buffalo, giraffe and countless birds around the wetlands. After a relaxed midday break at your lodge, you head out again for an afternoon and evening drive, perhaps climbing Observation Hill for a sweeping view over the swamps and plains. As the sun sets behind Kilimanjaro, the scene is breathtaking. Rest well at Amboseli.

This morning, after a final look at Amboseli and Kilimanjaro, you begin the scenic journey north, climbing out of the southern plains and crossing the floor of the Great Rift Valley, one of the great geological wonders of the world, with dramatic escarpments and viewpoints along the way. You arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park, set in the Rift Valley floor and ringed by acacia forest, fever trees and escarpments, in time for an afternoon game drive. Nakuru is a rhino sanctuary, one of the best places in Kenya to see both black and white rhino, and a stronghold of the rare Rothschild's giraffe. The soda lake, famous for its birdlife, is at times fringed with pink flamingos and pelicans, and you also look for lion, leopard, buffalo and waterbuck. Rest well beside beautiful Lake Nakuru.

This morning you enjoy a final game drive at Lake Nakuru, looking again for rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, flamingos and the many birds of the lakeshore, before continuing your journey towards the legendary Masai Mara. You travel across the highlands and down into the vast rolling grasslands of the Mara, Kenya's most famous wildlife area and the northern extension of the great Serengeti ecosystem, arriving at your camp in time for lunch. In the afternoon you set out on your first game drive across the golden plains, dotted with acacias and alive with wildlife, seeking out the Mara's powerful lion prides, cheetahs, elephants, buffalo, giraffe and immense herds of plains game. The sense of space and abundance is extraordinary. As the sun sets over the savannah, you return to camp. Rest well in the heart of the legendary Masai Mara.

Today is a full day exploring the legendary Masai Mara, which offers some of the finest big-cat viewing on earth. You set out at dawn, when the plains are cool and the predators are active, seeking out lion prides resting after the night's hunt, cheetahs scanning the grasslands from a termite mound, and elusive leopard in the riverine forest. In season, the plains fill with the vast, restless herds of the Great Migration, and at the Mara and Talek rivers the wildebeest and zebra mass before plunging across in dramatic, crocodile-lined crossings, one of nature's most primal spectacles. You also see elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo and abundant plains game, guided by an expert who reads the savannah brilliantly. You may picnic in the bush and drive until the golden evening light. Rest well in the Masai Mara.

You have another full day in the Masai Mara, with time to explore its varied landscapes and, this morning, an optional dawn balloon safari drifting over the plains as the sun rises, followed by a champagne bush breakfast (optional). On your game drives you continue to seek out big cats, elephants and, in season, the Great Migration, perhaps returning to the rivers for another crossing. Today you also visit a Maasai village (manyatta), warmly and respectfully arranged, meeting families and learning about their timeless pastoral way of life, their cattle, homes and customs, watching the famous jumping dance and seeing intricate beadwork, a genuine window into a living culture. Many of your guides and camp staff are themselves Maasai. As the sun sets over the plains, you savour a final evening on safari. Rest well in the beautiful Masai Mara.

After a final early morning game drive in the Masai Mara, savouring a last look at the golden plains and their wildlife, you return to camp for breakfast and then journey back to Nairobi, arriving in the capital in time for your onward international departure (a light-aircraft flight can be arranged to save time). You leave having experienced the very best of Kenya, the elephants and Kilimanjaro of Amboseli, the flamingos, rhino and Rift Valley beauty of Lake Nakuru, and the big cats, endless plains and, in season, the Great Migration of the legendary Masai Mara, along with the proud Maasai and their timeless culture. The images stay vivid long after you land, the elephants beneath the snows, the pink flamingos, and the lions on the golden plains. Kenya offers spectacular wildlife and beauty in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.