21 Days Kenya Safari & Beach

Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, where your three-week Kenya adventure begins. After immigration, baggage collection and customs formalities, proceed into the arrivals area, where our representative will be waiting to welcome you. Transfer privately to your Nairobi hotel.

The first day is deliberately kept simple because international flights arrive at different times and long-haul travel can be exhausting. Depending on your arrival schedule, you may have time to enjoy the hotel facilities. Possible activities include:

• Swimming.
• Spa treatment.
• Restaurant dinner.
• Hotel gardens.
• Relaxation.
• Early night.

Your safari representative will brief you about the journey. Topics covered can include:

• Safari route.
• Vehicle.
• Guide.
• Accommodation.
• Park regulations.
• Expected driving times.
• Domestic flights.
• Beach transfer.
• Meals.
• Luggage.
• Optional activities.
• Photography.
• Safety.

If you have specific wildlife interests, inform your guide. A private safari allows the experience to be adjusted around your priorities.

Destination: Nairobi

Activities: Airport pickup, transfer and safari briefing

Accommodation: Nairobi hotel

Meal Plan: According to arrival arrangement

Amboseli National Park

After breakfast, meet your safari driver-guide and begin the journey toward Amboseli National Park. Amboseli lies in southern Kenya close to the Tanzanian border, and the ecosystem is famous for two things above all others: elephants and Mount Kilimanjaro. Although Kilimanjaro itself lies across the border in Tanzania, many of its most iconic wildlife photographs are taken from the Kenyan side.

Arrive at your lodge or tented camp around lunchtime depending on road conditions and departure time. Check in and enjoy lunch. After a short rest, depart on your first game drive, which immediately introduces you to the African savannah. Possible wildlife includes: African elephant, Buffalo, Zebra, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Impala, Grant's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle, Warthog, Spotted hyena, Lion, Cheetah, Hippo.

Amboseli's wetlands provide an interesting contrast to the surrounding dry plains. Water originating from the Kilimanjaro ecosystem helps sustain marshes that attract wildlife even when surrounding landscapes are dry. If the mountain is visible, your guide can look for suitable photographic positions.

Return to your lodge around sunset, then enjoy dinner and your first night inside or near one of Kenya's legendary safari ecosystems.

Destination: Amboseli National Park

Activities: Transfer and afternoon game drive

Accommodation: Safari lodge or tented camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Wake before sunrise. Early morning is particularly important in Amboseli because Mount Kilimanjaro is often clearest before clouds develop around the summit. Visibility is never guaranteed, but several nights in Amboseli increase your opportunities. After tea or coffee, leave the lodge for a sunrise game drive. The morning light can create extraordinary photography, with elephants crossing the plains while Kilimanjaro rises behind them, and zebras and wildebeest moving between feeding areas. Predators may still be active after the night, although sightings cannot be guaranteed.

Amboseli is internationally important for elephant conservation and research, and elephant families have been studied here for generations. Rather than simply stopping for photographs and immediately leaving, spend time watching their behavior. You may observe:

• Mothers protecting calves.
• Young elephants playing.
• Adults feeding.
• Herds walking toward wetlands.
• Bulls traveling alone.
• Elephants bathing.
• Dust bathing.
• Social greetings.

Return to the lodge for breakfast and relaxation. During the hotter middle of the day, enjoy lunch, swim or rest. Later, return to the park and explore wetlands, open plains and acacia areas. Birdlife is excellent, and possible species include: African fish eagle, Crowned crane, Pelicans, Herons, Egrets, Storks, Bustards, Secretary birds, Ostriches, Raptors.

Return to the lodge after sunset.

Destination: Amboseli

Activities: Morning and afternoon game drives

Accommodation: Same safari lodge/camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

A second full day gives you the luxury of slowing down, as you do not need to rush toward another destination. Begin again before sunrise if you want another opportunity to photograph Kilimanjaro. Your guide can adjust the route according to yesterday's sightings. If lions were seen in a particular area, you may return to search for them. If cheetahs were located on the plains, the guide may investigate whether they remain nearby. If elephants were especially active around one of the wetlands, you can return at a different time to observe changing behavior.

The additional day is particularly valuable for photographers. Wildlife photography is highly dependent on:

• Light.
• Animal position.
• Weather.
• Background.
• Behavior.
• Patience.

You cannot control these factors, so time becomes one of the most valuable advantages on safari. Return to camp for lunch or remain in the field with a picnic where appropriate. Complete the afternoon with another game drive and enjoy your final Amboseli sunset.

Destination: Amboseli

Activities: Full-day wildlife exploration

Accommodation: Same lodge/camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Great Rift Valley

After breakfast, leave Amboseli and travel toward the Great Rift Valley. The drive takes you through changing landscapes and eventually toward the freshwater environment of Lake Naivasha. Arrive at your lakeside lodge and enjoy lunch.

Lake Naivasha offers a completely different experience from Amboseli. Instead of open dry plains and elephant herds, the focus shifts toward:

• Water.
• Hippos.
• Birds.
• Lakeside vegetation.
• Relaxation.

Depending on arrival time, enjoy an afternoon boat safari. Boat trips provide opportunities to observe hippos from an appropriate distance and photograph numerous waterbirds, and African fish eagles are particularly impressive. Your boat guide may point out: Fish eagles, Cormorants, Pelicans, Herons, Egrets, Kingfishers, Jacanas, Other waterbirds.

Return to the lodge before evening and enjoy dinner beside the lake.

Destination: Lake Naivasha

Activities: Transfer and optional/featured boat safari

Accommodation: Lakeside lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Today provides a deliberate break between major game-drive destinations. Enjoy a relaxed breakfast, then, depending on the confirmed program, take another boat trip or participate in other activities around the Naivasha area.

The lake is particularly rewarding for birdwatchers, and even visitors who arrive with little interest in birds often become fascinated by the variety. Fish eagles calling above the lake, kingfishers hovering over the water and pelicans moving across the surface create excellent photographic opportunities.

The afternoon can be kept free. After several early safari mornings, a few hours beside the pool or in the lodge gardens can be valuable, and this slower day also makes the overall twenty-one-day itinerary more sustainable and enjoyable.

Destination: Lake Naivasha

Activities: Boat safari, birding, optional excursions and leisure

Accommodation: Same lakeside lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

After breakfast, travel to Lake Nakuru National Park. Although geographically compact compared with the Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru is an important component of the safari because it introduces different wildlife and habitat. The park is especially known for rhino conservation, and both black and white rhinos may be encountered, although sightings cannot be guaranteed. Wildlife can include: White rhino, Black rhino, Buffalo, Rothschild's giraffe, Zebra, Waterbuck, Warthog, Baboon, Lion, Leopard.

Leopards occur in the park but are naturally difficult to find. Birdlife around the lake is also excellent. Flamingos remain associated with Lake Nakuru in the public imagination, but their numbers fluctuate according to changing ecological and water conditions, and other waterbirds may be abundant.

Enjoy a game drive through the park before continuing to your lodge. Later, explore another section during an afternoon drive, then return for dinner.

Destination: Lake Nakuru National Park

Activities: Transfer and game drives

Accommodation: Safari lodge

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Masai Mara National Reserve

Wake early for a final Lake Nakuru game drive and search again for rhinos, giraffes, buffaloes and predators, although sightings cannot be guaranteed. Return for breakfast and depart toward the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of Africa's most celebrated wildlife landscapes. As you approach the Mara, the scenery opens into rolling grasslands. Depending on the route, road conditions and lodge location, arrive during the afternoon.

Check into your lodge or tented camp and, after refreshments, begin your first Masai Mara game drive. The abundance of wildlife can be immediately apparent. Possible sightings include: Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Elephant, Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Topi, Eland, Impala, Gazelles, Spotted hyena, Jackal.

The Masai Mara portion is deliberately allocated several nights, which gives you time to explore without rushing. Return to camp around sunset.

Destination: Masai Mara

Activities: Transfer and afternoon game drive

Accommodation: Safari lodge or tented camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Depart early after tea or coffee. Morning is one of the best times to search for predators: lions may still be active, hyenas may be returning from nighttime activity, cheetahs may be scanning the plains and leopards may move through riverine vegetation before the heat of the day, although no sighting can be guaranteed. The African Big Five are: Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo, Rhino.

The Mara supports four of these very strongly, while black rhinos are present but can be difficult to locate. Because Lake Nakuru was included earlier, your overall itinerary provides stronger rhino opportunities.

Spend the morning exploring, with your private guide concentrating on the animals that interest you most. If you encounter lions with cubs, you may choose to remain with them. If a leopard has been found, you can wait patiently for movement. If a cheetah appears to be hunting, you may follow its behavior from an appropriate distance. Enjoy lunch at camp or take a picnic lunch, continue with afternoon wildlife viewing and return after sunset.

Destination: Masai Mara

Activities: Full-day Big Five game viewing

Accommodation: Same lodge/camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Today focuses heavily on the Mara's famous predators.

Lions

The Masai Mara supports numerous lion prides. Depending on luck, you may see:

• Adult males.
• Females.
• Cubs.
• Feeding.
• Hunting.
• Territorial behavior.
• Pride interactions.
• Resting.

Lions spend large portions of the day resting, so early and late game drives are particularly useful.

Leopards

Leopards are more secretive and often use riverine vegetation and trees. Your guide looks for signs such as:

• Alarm calls.
• Tracks.
• Other vehicles observing something.
• Prey stored in trees.
• Known leopard territories.

Cheetahs

Cheetahs favor open terrain where they can use speed to hunt, and watching a cheetah scan the plains from a termite mound can be an unforgettable experience, although sightings cannot be guaranteed. Spend the day moving according to wildlife information rather than following a rigid route. That flexibility is one of the greatest advantages of a private safari.

Destination: Masai Mara

Activities: Predator-focused safari

Accommodation: Same camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

By now you will have spent several days watching African wildlife, so today is an opportunity to become more selective. Instead of trying to see as many species as possible, concentrate on behavior. For example, you may spend an hour watching elephants interact, remain with a lion pride until the cubs become active, wait while a cheetah watches gazelles or photograph giraffes against a dramatic sky, although none of this can be guaranteed. This slower style of game viewing often produces the strongest safari memories.

Photographers can discuss preferred positioning with the guide. Possible photographic themes include:

• Animal portraits.
• Environmental wildlife photography.
• Predator behavior.
• Birds in flight.
• Sunrise.
• Sunset.
• Silhouettes.
• Dust.
• Storm clouds.
• Herds crossing open plains.

Return to camp during the middle of the day or remain out with a picnic lunch, then continue until evening.

Destination: Masai Mara

Activities: Photography and wildlife behavior safari

Accommodation: Same camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

Your final complete day in the Mara can be one of the most memorable. Travelers visiting when migratory herds are present may concentrate on the Great Wildebeest Migration. Large numbers of wildebeest and zebras may spread across the ecosystem, and their exact location changes according to rainfall and grazing. During suitable periods, your guide may investigate areas around the Mara River.

River Crossings

River crossings are among Africa's most famous wildlife events. However, they are unpredictable. Wildebeest can gather at a crossing point and then refuse to enter the water, move away, cross somewhere else or suddenly begin crossing with almost no warning. No safari operator can ethically guarantee a crossing. Your multiple-night Mara stay gives you better opportunities than a very short visit, but nature remains in control.

Optional Hot-Air Balloon Safari

Alternatively, begin the morning with a hot-air balloon flight. Wake before dawn and transfer to the launch site. After a safety briefing, rise above the Mara around sunrise. From the air, you can appreciate the scale of the landscape. Possible views include:

• Wildlife herds.
• Rivers.
• Acacia trees.
• Savannah.
• Giraffes.
• Elephants.
• Wildebeest.
• Zebra.

Balloon flights are normally optional, subject to weather and cannot be guaranteed. Afterward, rejoin your safari guide and continue game viewing, then return to camp for your final night in the bush.

Destination: Masai Mara

Activities: Migration safari, game drive and optional balloon flight

Accommodation: Same camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, lunch and dinner

From Safari to the Indian Ocean

Today marks one of the most dramatic transitions of the entire holiday. Wake for an optional final early-morning game drive, watch the sunrise over the Mara and enjoy one last opportunity to see lions, elephants, giraffes or other wildlife, although sightings cannot be guaranteed. Return for breakfast, check out and transfer to the airstrip.

Board your scheduled safari flight according to the confirmed routing. Instead of spending a long day driving back across Kenya, flying allows you to transition efficiently from the savannah toward the coast. As the aircraft approaches coastal Kenya, the environment changes dramatically: dry and grassy interiors give way to greener tropical vegetation, and eventually the blue Indian Ocean appears.

Land and transfer to Diani Beach, then check into your beach resort. The change in atmosphere is immediate, with no game-drive schedule, no dusty roads and no early departure tomorrow. Unpack, walk to the beach, enjoy the ocean and spend the evening relaxing at your resort.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Safari flight, beach transfer and relaxation

Accommodation: Beach resort

Meal Plan: According to selected resort arrangement

Diani Beach

Wake naturally rather than to an early safari alarm, and enjoy breakfast overlooking tropical gardens or the Indian Ocean. Your first complete beach day should ideally remain unstructured. After nearly two weeks of travel and safari activities, allow yourself time simply to relax. Diani is famous for its long white-sand beach, so spend the morning:

• Swimming.
• Walking on the beach.
• Relaxing beside the pool.
• Reading.
• Enjoying tropical drinks.
• Resting beneath palm trees.

Have lunch at the resort, then continue relaxing during the afternoon or book a spa treatment. The purpose of the beach extension is not to create another packed sightseeing schedule. It is to give you time to absorb the safari experience and genuinely rest before returning home.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Beach relaxation

Accommodation: Same beach resort

Meal Plan: According to selected package

Enjoy another relaxed morning. The Indian Ocean waters around the Kenyan coast are warm throughout much of the year, although swimming conditions vary with tides, weather and sea conditions, and your resort can provide local guidance. Spend the morning on the beach or beside the swimming pool.

Later, consider a massage or spa treatment. After days of safari vehicle travel, a spa afternoon can be particularly welcome. Couples may choose a joint treatment, honeymooners can request romantic arrangements and families can combine pool time with resort activities. Enjoy dinner at the resort or visit another suitable restaurant depending on your meal plan.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Swimming, spa and leisure

Accommodation: Same resort

Today can be dedicated to the marine environment. Optional excursions may include snorkeling or boat trips to suitable coastal locations. Depending on conditions and the selected excursion, marine life may include:

• Reef fish.
• Corals.
• Sea turtles.
• Dolphins.
• Other marine species.

Wildlife sightings in the ocean are never guaranteed, and marine activities are weather and sea-condition dependent. Travelers should use reputable licensed operators and follow environmental guidelines, avoiding touching coral or marine animals. Return to Diani during the afternoon and spend the remainder of the day relaxing.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Optional marine excursion and beach leisure

Accommodation: Same resort

Today has deliberately been left free, because there is value in having no itinerary. Three-week holidays should include days that are not organized around constant activity. You might:

• Sleep late.
• Enjoy a leisurely breakfast.
• Walk along the beach.
• Swim.
• Read.
• Have a long lunch.
• Take an afternoon nap.
• Watch the ocean.
• Enjoy sunset.

For honeymooners, this can become a private romantic day. Families may spend most of the day at the pool, and photographers can explore coastal landscapes. The day belongs entirely to you.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Free day

Accommodation: Same resort

Travelers wanting more activity can choose from available coastal experiences. Depending on season, operator and local conditions, possibilities may include:

• Kayaking.
• Stand-up paddleboarding.
• Snorkeling.
• Diving.
• Boat excursions.
• Fishing.
• Kitesurfing.
• Sailing.

Activities should always be booked through reputable providers. Travelers who prefer relaxation can simply continue enjoying the resort, as there is no obligation to fill every day with excursions. Return to your resort for dinner.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Optional water sports or relaxation

Accommodation: Same resort

Today can introduce another side of coastal Kenya. Depending on interests, optional excursions can focus on:

• Local culture.
• Coastal history.
• Food.
• Nature.
• Marine conservation.
• Local communities.

The Kenyan coast has a long history shaped by African, Arab, Asian and European connections, and travelers interested in history can use the beach extension to explore beyond the resort environment. Alternatively, keep the day free and return to Diani for another relaxed evening.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Optional coastal excursion

Accommodation: Same resort

Your final full day in Kenya should be enjoyed slowly, with no major transfers and no need to rush. Have breakfast and spend the morning at the beach, take a final swim in the Indian Ocean and enjoy lunch overlooking the water. In the afternoon, you may want to:

• Have a massage.
• Buy souvenirs.
• Walk along the beach.
• Take photographs.
• Relax at the pool.
• Pack gradually.

Couples may request a special dinner. Depending on the resort, arrangements could include:

• Beach dinner.
• Private table.
• Seafood dinner.
• Candlelit setting.

Watch your final sunset on the Kenyan coast. After three weeks of wildlife, landscapes, safari drives and ocean relaxation, enjoy your final night in Kenya.

Destination: Diani Beach

Activities: Final beach day

Accommodation: Same resort

Enjoy your final breakfast and, depending on your flight schedule, spend part of the morning at leisure. Check out and transfer to the appropriate coastal airport, then fly to Nairobi according to your confirmed domestic flight arrangement. On arrival, transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your international departure.

When international departure times require a longer Nairobi connection, arrangements can be made for:

• Day room.
• Restaurant meal.
• Shopping.
• Nairobi excursion.
• Airport hotel.
• Private transfer.

Your 21 Days Kenya Safari & Beach concludes after combining two of Kenya's greatest travel experiences: an extensive African wildlife safari and a tropical Indian Ocean holiday.

Wildlife You Can See on the Safari

The safari portion provides opportunities to encounter an exceptional variety of African wildlife. Potential species include: African elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Black rhino, White rhino, African buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeest, Hippo, Spotted hyena, Black-backed jackal, Warthog, Eland, Topi, Impala, Waterbuck, Thomson's gazelle, Grant's gazelle, Baboon, Vervet monkey.

Wildlife is free-ranging and sightings cannot be guaranteed.