Kenya is a magnificent country to explore. It is mainly visited because of the incredible variety of wildlife. The Big Five are relatively easy to find, and many more beautiful animals can be observed. I travelled by car and driver and did some volunteer work. I will have different itineraries, which I also did myself, and an amazing combined one. The routes may start and end in different cities (Mombasa and Nairobi). To see the itineraries, check them out:

Classic 11 day itinerary

This itinerary is the most standard trip through the country and gives you a lot of wildlife and a relaxed end. Besides the classic route, stay a day extra in Nairobi. 

Day 1: Nairobi - Lake Nakuru

When arriving in Nairobi, head straight to Lake Nakuru National Park by a 3.5-hour drive. In the last part, enjoy a game drive to your accommodation. After lunch, have a game drive to find rhinos, flamingoes, buffaloes, baboons, and many other cool wildlife. After the drive, have a relaxed evening in your accommodation. 

Day 2: Lake Nakuru - Masai Mara

Have a game drive on route out of the park and head to Masai Mara for a 5-hour drive. When arriving at Masai Mara, have a game drive en route as well. Relax in the evening and talk about the amazing wildlife you have already spotted. Also, enjoy the lesse- known animals like storks, antilopes, and reptiles.

Day 3: Masai Mara

You have the option to do a (very pricy) air balloon tour, which is amazing, but going by car will give you amazing sightings of wildlife. The great migration of zebras, wildebeests, and gazelles attracts many predators, which are relatively easily spotted in this park. There are many hyenas, cheetahs, leopards, lions, and more, and it is not uncommon to see them all in a day. For the rest, you can spot many classic safari animals, except the rhino, which is very tough.

Day 4: Masai Mara - Nairobi

Have a morning game drive and try to find as many animals as possible. After lunch, drive to Nairobi in 5.5 hours. In Nairobi, head to the restaurant The Carnivore to try local meat and have a very cool time. Afterwards, try to find some local music, guided by a local.

Day 5: Nairobi

Start your day by visiting Nairobi National Park to see wildlife like giraffes, buffaloes, and lions, with the skyscrapers of the capital in sight. The park is an easy-going national park. Afterwards, head to the National Museum of Kenya to learn more about the country. Have a relaxed evening, so you can get up early in the morning.

Day 6: Nairobi - Amboseli

Get up early to drive for 3.5 hours to Amboseli National Park and have lunch at your accommodation. Afterwards, have a game drive to find elephants and buffaloes standing half-way in the water. Find the many wildlife species in this great area.

Day 7: Amboseli 

Get up early to spot as many animals as possible, and in the morning you will have the best chance to see the mighty Kilimanjaro at its best, as the clouds are not yet present. Enjoy the beautiful swamp areas with their many wildlife. 

Day 8: Amboseli - Tsavo East

Head to Tsavo East by a 4-hour drive and enjoy the beauty of the national park. Always enjoy the drive between the parks, where you can see the normal life of Kenya. When in Tsavo East, find many cool antilopes and herbivores during a game drive after lunch. Find the red elephants and enjoy a lovely evening.

Day 9: Tsavo East - Mombasa

Try to find as many animals as possible during the last game drive. After the game drive, head to Mombasa for 4 hours and enjoy the beach and a relaxed time at a swimming pool. Have dinner and see if there are some any things to do around.

Day 10: Mombasa

Have a beach day to enjoy the white sand, blue sea, and yellow sun. If you want to see some marine life, try to arrange a diving or snorkeling trip from your accommodation. Otherwise, buy a cocktail and talk about all the things you have seen these days.

Day 11: Mombasa - Home

Depending on your flight, try to relax for as long as possible. Otherwise, head home and enjoy the memories you made on the trip.

1 week out of the box North itinerary

This itinerary shows a different part of Kenya, and you will head up north to see less-visited national parks, which a relief to other parts of the country.

Day 1: Nairobi - Meru National Park

Have a travelling day when arriving and head to Meru National Park in 7 hours. If you still have time,  make a game drive for as long as possible to find many animals. You will be surprised at how much wildlife you can find, even in this short time. We saw in an hour elephants, zebras, warthogs, wildebeests, many antilopes, and birds. 

Day 2: Meru National Park

Enjoy a full day in this beautiful park to find wildlife. We found many herbivores throughout the day in the national park. There are many antilopes, like impala, waterbucks, kudus, dikdiks, and more. Besides, there are giraffes, warthogs, elephants, buffaloes, and even white rhinos, which are all pretty easily spotted. Do not miss the river, where crocodiles and hippos are present. When lucky you can also find mongooses and secretary birds. 

Day 3: Meru - Samburu/Buffalo Springs

Head further to Samburu or Buffalo Springs (neighbors and similar wildlife) by a 3.5-hour drive and have an en route game drive before lunch. After lunch, have a game drive to find the Samburu Five (reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra (see picture below), oryx, Somali ostrich, and gerenuk). After the drive, enjoy dinner and a gin & tonic to talk about your experiences. 

Day 4: Samburu/Buffalo Springs

First, enjoy a morning game drive after breakfast to find leopards, lions, elephants, crocodiles, and the Samburu Five. Chances are pretty good, as these national reserves are full of wildlife. This is one of the best places in Kenya to spot leopards. After lunch, have a relaxing time, and then have another game drive before ending the day.

Day 5: Samburu/Buffalo Springs - Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Start your day with a morning game drive in Samburu/Buffalo Springs. A 3-hour drive to Ol Pejeta Conservancy  is the thing you do after a swim (during the en route game drive out of Buffalo Springs) in the park. In the conservancy, see the point of the equator and head for lunch. After lunch, do a game drive in Ol Pejeta and see the chimpanzee sanctuary.

Day 6: Ol Pejeta Conservancy

Enjoy a morning game drive in the park, and try to find as many rhinos and other wildlife as possible. Ol Pejeta has a very high density of wildlife. Big cats can be spotted, but there are better locations to find them. Rhinos are plentiful and counted every day by rangers for conservation purposes. After lunch, go on another game drive and visit the 2 last remaining northern white rhinos in the world and learn about them. 

Day 7: Ol Pejeta - Nairobi - home 

Drive back to Nairobi in 4.5 hours and go back home or enjoy a visit to The Carnivore or the National Museum of Kenya. 

3 week itinerary

This 3-week itinerary is the first 2 itineraries combined with a different route and some additions. You will start in Mombasa and end in Nairobi. Now you will see the most of this nation.

Day 1 & 2: Mombasa 

Enjoy 2 beach days in Mombasa before your trip through nature. Have a swim, make a dive, or just relax on the beach.  

Day 3: Mombasa - Tsavo West

Drive early for 5 hours to Tsavo West and have a first experience with Kenyan wildlife. Try to find the Big Five, although rhino is very rough. I have not been here, so I cannot say that much. I heard that spotting honey badgers is relatively easy (but still difficult).

Day 4: Tsavo West - Tsavo East

Drive a couple of hours by an en route game drive to Tsavo East to find animals adapted to dry environments and the orange elephants. The red sand is fantastic, and the different species of antelope make it to a special reserve. 

Day 5: Tsavo East - Amboseli

Day 6: Amboseli

Day 7: Amboseli - Nairobi

Day 8: Nairobi, national park and National Museum of Kenya

Day 9: Nairobi - Meru

Day 10: Meru

Day 11: Meru - Samburu/Buffalo Springs

Day 12: Samburu/Buffalo Springs

Day 13: Samburu/Buffalo Springs

Day 14: Samburu/Buffalo Springs - Ol Pejeta

Day 15: Ol Pejeta

Day 16: Ol Pejeta - Aberdare

Drive 3 hours to Aberdare National Park to be in a very scenic environment and find the big five (although very difficult). I have not been here, but I heard that you can find some wildlife, which is almost nowhere else, like the bongo and colobus monkeys.

Day 17: Aberdare -Lake Nakuru

Drive 4 hours to Lake Nakuru, with a stop for hippos at Lake Naivasha, and find flamingoes, rhinos, Rottschild's giraffes, baboons, zebras, and pelicans in a fantastic lake. The tracks are small, but there is enough wildlife to find many species in a short time.

Day 18: Lake Nakuru - Masai Mara

Day 19 & 20: Masai Mara

Day 21: Masai Mara - Nairobi

Extra 2 weeks: Naibosho

This 2 weeks can be added after every itinerary (after Masai Mara or Nairobi). You can do this for up to 12 weeks with African Impact. You will be in a great conservancy next to Masai Mara. You will help to conserve species (mostly big cats) and remove invasive plant species. You can count wildlife and find many animals. This is a very nice ending to your trip.

Add to the itinerary

• Mount Kenya
• Lamu island

For the rest, this itinerary covers most of the country, especially its fantastic wildlife. The north is too dangerous to go, so these are the highlights. If you want to know more about this beautiful country, check out: