Birding Kenya
The journey, one day at a time
A freshwater pause
Drive from Nairobi to Lake Naivasha and take an evening boat among hippos, pelicans and fish eagles.
On and around the lake
A relaxed day of boating, birding and an optional walk among giraffe and zebra on Crescent Island.
To the lake of flamingos
Continue by road to Lake Nakuru for an afternoon drive — rhino on the grassland and flamingo strung along the water.
Rhino country
A full morning in the park — one of the surest places in Kenya for both rhino species — before moving on.
North to the Ewaso Nyiro
Continue by road into Samburu's arid north and drive the river line for the special species found only up here.
The northern specials
Full days tracking Samburu's dry-country specials along the doum-palmed river, with strong odds on leopard.
The northern specials
Full days tracking Samburu's dry-country specials along the doum-palmed river, with strong odds on leopard.
Into the Mara
Continue by road into the Maasai Mara and head out on a first game drive as the light softens — plains game, elephant and the first cats on the way to camp.
Full day on the plains
Morning and afternoon drives with a Maasai guide, routed by where the predators are moving, with the long midday hours to rest at camp.
Deeper into the reserve
A full day further afield — river lines, kopjes and open grassland — with a picnic lunch out in the bush.
Fly out
Drive back to Nairobi for your onward flight — or add the coast if you're not ready to leave.
The season changes what you see.
The migration window
The wildebeest are in the Mara and the river crossings are on — the headline months, and the busiest. Book well ahead.
Resident game, green plains
The Big Five never leave. Fewer vehicles, lower rates, newborns in the grass and clean light for photography.
Where this journey goes
Hand-picked camps & lodges
Loldia House
A characterful colonial farmhouse on the lakeshore — gracious, personal, and run by the Governors' family.
Chui Lodge
A secluded stone lodge on a private wildlife sanctuary above the lake, intimate and quietly luxurious.
The Cliff
A bold boutique perched above the park, with glass-walled suites overlooking Nakuru's flamingo-fringed lake.
Ilora Retreats
An intimate, design-led tented retreat in the heart of the Mara, built around quiet luxury and private guiding.
Angama Mara
Glass-fronted suites suspended on the Oloololo Escarpment, with one of the most cinematic views in Africa.
Mara Plains Camp
A tiny, conservation-driven Great Plains camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy — copper, canvas and real exclusivity.
Make it yours.
Add nights, swap a park, extend to the coast — this route is a starting point, not a fixed menu. Tell us how you travel and we'll route the rest.