5 Days Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha Safari: 2027 Itinerary & Prices

Day 1: Nairobi To Lake Naivasha

Leave Nairobi around 8am. No need for the 6:30am starts you would need for Nakuru or the Mara. Naivasha is close.

Sit on the left side of the vehicle. As you descend the Great Rift Valley escarpment, the dramatic viewpoints are on the left. Most drivers stop at the official curio-shop viewpoints, but the best unobstructed views happen through the window about five minutes before the official stop. I have had guests miss this because they were on the wrong side.

Stop at the Mai Mahiu Catholic Church if you are interested. Built by Italian prisoners of war in 1942, seats maybe 12 people. East Africa’s smallest church. Most tours skip it. I started stopping there after my vehicle broke down near Mai Mahiu in 2019. We spent three hours at that church waiting for a spare part. My guests ended up having tea with the local priest. Now I stop every time. It is better than the tourist gift shops, and there is something peaceful about it.

Reach Naivasha by 10am. Check in, lunch, then afternoon boat safari. The hippos are most active in late afternoon when they start thinking about leaving the water to graze. Your boatman will know where the bird colonies are, pelicans, cormorants, fish eagles.

If you want Crescent Island, do it this afternoon. The light is gentler and fewer day-trippers are around.

Day 2: Naivasha To Lake Nakuru

Optional early morning Hell’s Gate visit if you want to cycle. I usually do not recommend it, see above, but some guests insist, and that is fine. Your trip, your call.

Late breakfast otherwise, then drive to Nakuru. About an hour, maybe a bit more depending on traffic through Nakuru town.

Enter through Lanet Gate. The main gate near town gets backed up with school buses and minivans. I have waited 45 minutes there before, which is ridiculous for a park gate. Lanet is quieter.

Afternoon game drive. The southern Nderit loop is good for white rhinos. I can usually find them, though “usually” is not “always” and I have had frustrating afternoons where they just were not where they should have been.

One thing about Baboon Cliff. I once had a guest from Germany who thought the baboons were “cute” and left his window cracked. Three seconds later, a male baboon was sitting in his lap eating his packed lunch. The guy screamed. The baboon screamed. I could not stop laughing, which did not help. We do not go to Baboon Cliff for the monkeys. We go for the view. Keep your windows shut and do not leave anything loose. I have seen them snatch prescription glasses off people’s faces.

If you want the panoramic view without the baboon lottery, ask about the Out of Africa Lookout instead. Or try Lion Hill (not the lodge, the actual hill). It is one of the few places in Nakuru where you can consistently find Rock Hyrax, the elephant’s closest living relative. They are more photogenic than baboons and do not steal your things.

Look for the Rothschild’s giraffe near the Yellowwood Forest. You can identify them by their “white socks”, no markings below the knee. Only a few thousand remain in the wild. Nakuru is one of the few places you will see them.

If flamingos are sparse, and I would say they are sparse more often than not these days, something about the water levels changing, ask about Makalia Falls at the south end. It adds time but it is pretty and you will probably have it to yourself. There is also a public washroom near the Makalia Falls picnic site. Unlike the main gate facilities, it is rarely used by tour buses. Rustic, but useful if you are exploring the southern black rhino sanctuary area.

Day 3: Nakuru To Masai Mara

Take the early morning game drive in Nakuru around 6am. You have maybe two hours before you need to check out, which is not a lot but it is something.

A gate rule that confuses people: Lake Nakuru tickets run on a strict 24-hour cycle from the moment you scan in. If you entered Lanet Gate at 2pm on Day 2, you must clear the exit gate by 2pm today. If you entered at 7am on Day 2, a morning drive that ends at 9:30am today puts you past the limit, and the gate charges another USD 90. Some guides will rush you out to avoid the second day. Others build the extra fee into the package. Ask before you book.

From Nakuru, the drive to the Masai Mara takes about 5 to 6 hours. You run south through Njoro and Mau Narok down to Narok town on tarmac. From Narok, stay on the C12. It is a smooth, paved road all the way to Sekenani Gate. The rough dirt corrugations only begin once you pass through Sekenani into the reserve or branch off along the unpaved track toward Talek. That part we call the African Massage, and after an hour of it your back will not be thanking anyone. Bring a scarf to cover your face. The dust does not care if the windows are up.

Camera tip: That Mara dust is almost electrostatic. It finds its way into lens seals and charging ports. Bring Ziploc bags for your gear.

While you are waiting for your nyama choma in Narok (skip the chain cafes, eat where the guides eat, any place with a charcoal grill out front), check your phone. It is the last place you will get decent signal. Once we hit the Mara, your Safaricom is going to be bahati nasibu, luck of the draw.

There is a town called Ewaso Ngiro before the gate. Last chance for proper toilets. If you see local honey for sale in recycled bottles, dark stuff, almost black, buy it. I do not know what the bees feed on around there but it tastes like smoke and earth. Better than anything in Nairobi.

Reach the Mara around 3pm if everything goes well. Sunset game drive. Your guide will already know the morning’s sightings from radio chatter.

Day 4: Full Day In The Mara

Early departure, 5:45am or so, depends on camp and what is happening.

Gate timing matters: Most Nairobi-based tours enter Sekenani Gate around 9am, the “Nairobi surge.” Push for earlier or later to avoid vehicle crowds at sightings.

Your guide will probably head toward the Mara River for hippo pools and crocodiles. If visiting July to October, there is a chance of wildebeest crossings, though I have sat at crossing points for hours and nothing happened. The Mara does not follow a schedule.

Sekenani vs Talek: Most itineraries focus on Sekenani because that is where most camps are. But Talek has better leopard sightings. The riverine forest there is prime territory. Ask your guide about a long loop toward Talek. It costs more fuel but the wildlife density is often higher.