11 Days Kenya Family Safari | Samburu to Amboseli

Depart Nairobi early for the drive north through Nanyuki, crossing the equator into the northern hemisphere, then on through Isiolo into the Samburu landscape. The road covers approximately 325 kilometres and takes five to six hours with stops. Samburu Sopa Lodge sits on elevated ground inside the reserve, its 15 stone cottages arranged in a semicircle facing a waterhole that draws wildlife within view of the lounge and dining terrace. Arrive in time for lunch, then head out in the late afternoon on your first game drive, tracking the Samburu Special Five: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich and gerenuk. Return for sundowners with views over the shrubland and hills beyond.

A full day dedicated to Samburu National Reserve and, time permitting, the neighbouring Buffalo Springs National Reserve across the Ewaso Nyiro River. Morning and afternoon game drives cover the riverine forest and open scrubland where the Special Five concentrate, alongside healthy populations of elephant, lion, leopard and cheetah. Back at the lodge, the waterhole in front of the cottages often produces sightings without leaving the property. An optional guided walk or visit to a nearby Samburu village can be arranged to learn about the pastoralist culture of the region.

An early game drive before breakfast, then depart Samburu for the drive south to Ol Pejeta Conservancy, approximately three hours through Isiolo and Nanyuki with Mount Kenya visible for much of the route. Arrive at Sweetwaters Serena Camp, set around a waterhole in the 110,000-acre conservancy, in time for lunch. Ol Pejeta holds the highest wildlife-to-area ratio of any protected area in Kenya and is one of the few places in the country where all Big Five species are reliably found together. The afternoon game drive focuses on the conservancy’s rhino sanctuary, home to the last two northern white rhinos left on the planet, Najin and Fatu, alongside the largest black rhino population in East Africa. An optional night game drive can be added, a rare option given the conservancy’s private status.

A final morning game drive at Ol Pejeta, with time to visit the conservancy’s chimpanzee sanctuary, before departing south toward Lake Nakuru, approximately two and a half hours through the Central Kenya highlands. Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge sits high on the western escarpment hills of the park, with sweeping terrace views over the lake basin, woodlands and grasslands below. This elevated position is more than scenic, giving a working sense of how the park’s wetland, woodland and savannah habitats connect. The afternoon drive covers the lake shore and its flamingo populations, the park’s black and white rhino sanctuary, and reliable daytime leopard sightings.

An early drive through Lake Nakuru National Park before breakfast, then depart for the Masai Mara. The route runs south through the Mau Escarpment and across the Rift Valley floor, approximately four to five hours depending on road conditions. Arrive at Zebra Plains Valley Camp, positioned in a private conservancy bordering the Masai Mara National Reserve, in time for lunch. The camp’s setting in an open valley puts you directly in the path of resident wildlife, with zebra, giraffe and antelope regularly visible from the tents. Settle in with an afternoon game drive into the surrounding conservancy before dinner and a campfire evening.

A full day inside the Masai Mara National Reserve, entering through the nearest gate for a complete circuit of the reserve’s plains and river systems. Picnic lunch is taken in the bush. The Masai Mara covers 1,510 square kilometres and produces different sightings on every drive, from lion prides resting in riverine shade to cheetah hunting on the open grassland. Guides communicate by radio across vehicles throughout the day. Between July and October, the afternoon can be positioned at the Mara River crossing sites to watch for the Great Wildebeest Migration.

The second full game drive day pushes into the private conservancies bordering Zebra Plains Valley Camp and the Talek River corridor on the reserve’s eastern edge. These conservancies operate under stricter vehicle limits than the national reserve, and permit walking safaris and night drives not allowed inside the Masai Mara itself. Expect large elephant herds, dense buffalo concentrations and excellent predator density. An optional Maasai village visit or hot air balloon safari at dawn can be added on this day; both are best booked at the planning stage.

After breakfast, depart for Lake Naivasha, approximately four to five hours back across the Rift Valley floor. Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort sits on 150 acres of grassland studded with acacia trees directly on the lake shore, home to resident giraffe, waterbuck and both vervet and colobus monkeys, and a nightly stop for hippos leaving the water to graze the lawns after dark. This is a deliberate change of pace after five nights of game drives: the afternoon is open for a Lake Naivasha boat trip past hippo pods and birdlife, a guided walk on Crescent Island among free-roaming zebra and giraffe, or simply time by the pool with the lake in view.

The longest transfer of the itinerary: from Naivasha south past Nairobi and on toward the Tanzanian border region, approximately five to six hours. Amboseli Sopa Lodge sits on 200 acres of private land in the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, roughly twenty minutes from the park’s Kimana Gate, with views of the snow-capped peak from the lodge grounds and gardens that host monkeys, gazelles and the occasional passing leopard. Settle in over lunch, then head into Amboseli National Park for an afternoon game drive across the swamp-fed plains, with Kilimanjaro as a backdrop for photography through the late afternoon light.

A full day exploring Amboseli’s five distinct ecosystems: swamp, savannah, woodland, the dried bed of the former Lake Amboseli, and the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro itself. Morning game drives focus on the permanent swamps, where elephant herds gather to drink and bathe against clear early-morning views of the mountain before cloud typically builds by mid-morning. Amboseli also holds strong populations of lion, cheetah, buffalo and over 400 recorded bird species. An optional Maasai village visit can be arranged for the afternoon, a regular feature at Amboseli Sopa Lodge given its location among Maasai group ranches.

After breakfast and check-out, depart for the drive back to Nairobi. The eleven-day journey closes back where it began, having covered Kenya’s northern deserts, its central rhino conservancies, the Rift Valley lakes, the Masai Mara and the foot of Kilimanjaro entirely by road. We arrange onward airport transfers according to your flight time.