Rift Valley Women Only Safari | 7 Days Naivasha to the Masai Mara

You are met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport by Hellen Asiko, Director and Guest Experience Curator at Afrikan Accent Adventures, for your private transfer to the Sarova Panafric’s Wangari Maathai Wing, Kenya’s first hotel wing reserved solely for female guests. Once settled, take a short walk to plant a seedling in the hotel gardens, a small, symbolic gesture that opens every one of our women’s journeys. The evening closes with a welcome dinner, where Hellen walks you through the days ahead over Kenyan coffee and conversation.

From this morning, your dedicated female driver-guide from Afrikan Accent Adventures takes over for the remainder of your safari. Depart Nairobi in the late morning for the short, scenic drop into the Great Rift Valley, arriving at the Great Rift Valley Lodge in time for lunch. The lodge grounds themselves are unfenced, and it is entirely possible to watch giraffe, zebra and waterbuck grazing the fairways of the golf course from your veranda. In the afternoon, take a boat ride on Lake Naivasha, gliding past pods of hippo and dense flocks of fish eagle, cormorant and kingfisher along the shoreline, before returning to the lodge for relaxation and dinner.

An unhurried morning at Great Rift Valley Lodge, with an optional nature walk across the grounds before checking out. Drive on to Lake Nakuru, arriving at Lion Hill, a lodge set on a forested ridge above the lake itself, in time for lunch. The afternoon is given to a game drive through Lake Nakuru National Park, home to a closely guarded rhino sanctuary, the park’s famous tree-climbing lions, and, in season, dense flocks of flamingo along the shoreline.

A final morning game drive through Lake Nakuru National Park before the road journey south to the Masai Mara, descending through Rift Valley escarpment scenery along the way. Arrive at Mara Elatia, a tented camp inside the game-rich Mara Triangle, in time to settle in before an afternoon game drive across the reserve’s open plains, your guide reading the grassland for lion, elephant and the first signs of resident wildlife.

A full day dedicated to the Masai Mara National Reserve, searching for lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino, with the Great Wildebeest Migration and Mara River crossings adding drama to the plains between July and October. In the afternoon, visit a Maasai women-led enterprise near the reserve, where local women run a craft and conservation initiative supporting their families directly through tourism. Return to camp at dusk for dinner under the stars.

Rise before dawn for a sunrise game drive and bush breakfast, watching the plains wake with the light, with an optional hot air balloon safari available for those wanting to see the Mara from above. The afternoon is left unhurried, whether that means quiet time at camp, a spa treatment, or a short guided nature walk with your guide. As evening falls, gather around the campfire for stories, including your guides’ own journeys into a profession still largely led by men.

After breakfast and check-out, drive back to Nairobi, arriving in time for a farewell lunch at the Carnivore restaurant, where Hellen joins you to reflect on the safari and the memories you’ve shared. Drop-off is at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or a Nairobi address, timed to your onward travel, with your guide staying with you until the very last moment of the journey.