4 Days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari from Mombasa

4 Days Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari from Mombasa

If you are based on the Kenyan coast – Mombasa, Diani, or Malindi want a genuine Big Five Kenya safari without giving up a full week of beach time, this is the itinerary built for that exact problem. In four days you fly inland to two of Kenya’s most rewarding wildlife destinations: Lake Nakuru National Park and the Masai Mara National Reserve, then return to the coast for your onward flight home.

Lake Nakuru is a compact, fenced park known for its dense predator population and its alkaline lake, where flocks of pink flamingos gather along the shoreline. From there, the safari continues into the Masai Mara, Kenya’s flagship reserve and the setting for some of the best game viewing on the continent – lions, leopards, cheetahs, and, from July through October, the Great Wildebeest Migration.

This route suits travelers who want maximum wildlife impact on a short timeline: honeymooners adding a safari to a Diani beach week, coastal hotel guests with four spare days, or anyone flying into Mombasa who does not want to backtrack overland to reach the Mara. Because the safari starts and ends in Mombasa, there is no need to build a separate Nairobi stopover into your plans.

Quick Facts

Highlights

• Day 1: Fly from Mombasa to Nairobi, then drive to Lake Nakuru National Park
• Day 2: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve
• Day 3: Full day of game drives in the Masai Mara
• Day 4: Masai Mara to Nairobi, fly back to Mombasa

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Fly from Mombasa to Nairobi to Lake Nakuru National Park

After landing at Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on your flight from Mombasa, your safari driver-guide will meet you and give you a short briefing before you set off for Lake Nakuru National Park. The drive takes you through the Great Rift Valley, with a stop along the way to enjoy the views over the escarpment.

You will arrive at the park in time for lunch. Check in at your lodge, have your meal, and take a short rest before an afternoon game drive through the reserve. Expect to see lions, leopards, and cape buffaloes, along with flocks of pink flamingos gathered along the shores of Lake Nakuru; a soda lake known for the algae that draws the birds in such numbers. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Lake Nakuru Lodge

Meal Plan: Lunch and Dinner

Lake Nakuru lodge

Day 2: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve

After a hearty breakfast, check out and depart Lake Nakuru National Park for the Masai Mara. The drive crosses the floor of the Great Rift Valley and its western escarpment; terrain shaped over millennia by the shifting of the earth’s tectonic plates.

You will arrive in the reserve in time for lunch. In the afternoon, head out for a game drive across the rolling savannah and open plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve, where you can expect sightings of lions, leopards, cheetahs, wildebeests, elands, gazelles, and giraffes, among other species. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Julia’s River Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 3: Masai Mara – Full Day of Game Drives

Spend a full day exploring the Masai Mara National Reserve on game drives. This is your best opportunity to catch the Big Five — lions, leopards, elephants, cape buffaloes, and rhinos — alongside giraffes, zebras, hippos, baboons, wildebeests, warthogs, gazelles, crocodiles, and a rich variety of bird species.

Between July and October, the Masai Mara hosts one of the natural world’s great spectacles: the Great Wildebeest Migration, when more than a million wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles move north from the Serengeti in search of fresh grazing. Along the way, the herds face river crossings on the Mara River, where Nile crocodiles wait in the current.

In the afternoon, you have the option of a visit to a Maasai village, where you can meet community members and learn about local dance and culture. Return to your lodge for dinner and an overnight stay.

Accommodation: Julia’s River Camp

Meal Plan: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Wildebeests in Maasai mara

Day 4: Masai Mara to Nairobi, Fly to Mombasa

Wake early for a cup of coffee before checking out of your lodge. If time allows, stop at a Maasai village for a final cultural visit, with local dance and drama performances, before beginning the drive back to Nairobi. On arrival, you will be dropped at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your onward flight home or to your next destination.

Meal Plan: Breakfast

Rates are quoted on the basis of two people sharing one double room.

What’s Included

• Ground transportation in a customized safari vehicle, with fuel
• Mineral water in the vehicle
• Services of an English-speaking driver-guide
• All park entrance fees
• Accommodation for 3 nights
• Meals on a full-board basis

What’s Not Included

• International airfares and excess baggage charges
• Entry visa fees
• International travel vaccinations and inoculations
• Items of a personal nature such as room service, beverages, communication charges (telephone, fax, internet), and laundry
• Postage, porterage, tips and gratuities for your driver-guide and hotel staff
• Shopping for curios and crafts
• International airport departure taxes
• Optional activities unless specified as included
• Any other service not expressly shown in the itinerary or indicated as included