The Grand Kenya Circuit
The journey, one day at a time
South to Kilimanjaro's foot
Drive from Nairobi to Amboseli beneath Kilimanjaro, then take a first drive as the big-tusked herds move down to the swamps.
A day among the herds
Morning and evening drives for Amboseli's elephants, with the mountain as a backdrop whenever the cloud lifts.
Into Lewa's conservancy
Continue by road to Lewa, a flagship rhino conservancy, and drive its hills for rhino, Grevy's zebra and big cats.
Conservation in motion
Full days across Lewa — rhino tracking, plains game and conservation seen at first hand.
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.
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.
A freshwater pause
Continue by road to Lake Naivasha and take an evening boat among hippos, pelicans and fish eagles.
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.
Dawn from the air
Lift off over the waking plains and land to a bush breakfast, then an afternoon drive once the heat eases.
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
Angama Amboseli
A ten-suite lodge in the Kimana Sanctuary, framed by Kilimanjaro and home to Amboseli's super-tusker elephants.
Tortilis Camp
An elegant eco-camp with classic tents and uninterrupted Kilimanjaro views, on a private conservancy.
Tawi Lodge
A stylish stone-and-thatch lodge on a private conservancy, the mountain a constant backdrop.
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.
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.