Lake Naivasha for boats and cycling, then two nights of big-game viewing in the Maasai Mara.
A relaxed four-day escape pairing Lake Naivasha's freshwater lake and cycling at Hell's Gate with two nights in the Maasai Mara. A good first safari for travellers who prefer a short itinerary with real variety.
After an early breakfast you are collected from your Nairobi hotel and drive to Lake Naivasha (about 1.5 to 2 hours). Check in to your lakeside lodge for lunch, then take an afternoon boat ride on the freshwater lake among hippos, fish eagles and pelicans, with time to walk on Crescent Island among grazing giraffe and zebra.
After breakfast, travel from Lake Naivasha to Maasai Mara (about 4 to 5 hours), with a picnic lunch or lunch stop on the way. You arrive at your camp in time for lunch, then head out on your first game drive across the open plains of the Maasai Mara, home to lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and vast herds of zebra and wildebeest. Dinner and a night of lion calls follow.
Leave at first light with a packed breakfast to find big cats on the open plains. Enjoy a bush picnic lunch near the hippo pools, then spend the afternoon tracking lion, cheetah, elephant and buffalo before returning at dusk.
After breakfast, and one last morning game drive if time allows, you drive back to Nairobi (about 5 to 6 hours) with a lunch stop on the way. You are dropped at your hotel or at the airport; an evening flight home is recommended.
