The Mega 18 Days, 17 Nights Best Kenya Safari Tours - Itinerary & Price

Day 8: Transfer to Lake Nakuru National Park & Rest in the Afternoon 

The drive to Nakuru National Park is only four hours, and so there is much you can do with the rest of the day. Day 8 of your 18 days in Kenya will see you check out of Ol Pejeta mid-morning. That will ensure you arrive at Nakuru at around 1 pm.

After settling down, you can tour Nakuru city, do some shopping and then check out the nightlife. Your private tour guide will take you to one of the best nightclubs in Nakuru. Have fun, and for a moment, experience what it’s like to party in Kenya.

But before that, the transfer from Ol Pejeta to Nakuru will see you make two stopovers along the way for sightseeing. These are the Equator Marker in Nanyuki and Thompsons’ Falls in Nyahururu.

Stopover at Equator Marker in Nanyuki – Coriolis Effect 

I am sure you read about the Coriolis Effect if you took Physics in school. You can see this experiment live when standing at the Equator. The setup is simple. A jug with a hole, 2 liters of water, 2 small stickers, and a bowl. 

The first experiment is done 10 feet north of the equator. Water is poured into the jug while a finger blocks the hole. The sticks are floated in the water. Finally, the finger is removed, and the water is allowed to flow into the bowl. You will notice the sticks rotating clockwise.

The same experience is done 10 feet south of the equator, but the sticks rotate anti-clockwise this time. You will get a certificate to show you witnessed this effect once the experiment is completed.

Stopover at Thompsons Fall or Nyahururu Falls 

Thompsons Fall is a 243 feet (74 m) waterfall on river Ewaso Ngíro in Central Rift Valley. It is 3 km from Nyahururu town and is elevated to 7740 feet (2360 m). The first European to discover the fall in 1883 was Joseph Thomson.

You will get the chance to take some great photos before heading to Nakuru.

Day 9: Full-Day Game Drive at Lake Nakuru National Park

Lake Nakuru, one of Rift Valley soda lakes, is home to thousands of pink flamingos that litter the shores of the lake beautifully.  The surrounding park is a rhino sanctuary home to a large population of Eastern black and Southern white endangered rhinos.

It is also home to 4 of the big five, 56 mammal species, pythons, and 450 bird species. We arrange morning and afternoon game drives and visit the famous Makalia Falls.

Lake Nakuru has been identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (2011), International Birding Area (2009), and a RAMSAR Site (1990). 

Day 10: Transfer to Masai Mara & Evening Game Drive at the Reserve

Your 18 days Kenya Adventurous safari tour will take you to Masai Mara National Reserve today. The trip to Maasai Mara from Nakuru takes 5 hours. You will leave in the morning to get there early in the afternoon and stop in Narok town to stretch your legs.

From here, the drive will take you to Masai Mara National Reserve, arriving at around noon. You will check in the chosen Masai Mara hotel, relax for a while, and then head out for an evening game drive.

You will have a first-hand experience of this reserve’s offer until late evening.

Day 11: Full-Day Game Drive at Masai Mara with Packed Lunch

You start the day at the crack of dawn but carry a picnic box since you won’t be back until evening. This full-day game drive will let you see the Mara as it wakes up and animals moving from their ‘sleeping quarters’ to the feeding area.

Masai Mara is an empress who refuses to be ordinary, taking advantage of her beauty and charm to seduce suitors worldwide. This is perhaps one of the many reasons she is Africa’s most famous national park (World Travel Awards, 2013 – 2018).

Game drives through her is a peek into paradise. She gets to dazzle you with her multitudinous wildlife that ranges from the:

• Big 5
• Cheetahs
• Servals
• Hyena
• Bat-eared foxes
• Black-backed and side-striped jackals
• Hippos
• Crocodiles
• Baboons
• Warthogs
• Topis
• Eland
• Thompson’s gazelles
• Grant’s gazelle Impalas
• waterbucks
• Oribi to the reed-buck and zebras
• And a population of over 400 bird species

Your morning game drive soon turns into mid-morning one, noon one, and then afternoon. Before you know it, the evening comes, and it is time to head to the accommodation for a night’s rest.

If you book this trip for Mid-July to Late-September, you will get the chance to drive to the Mara River to witness the great migration. 

Day 12: Hot Air Balloon, Visit a Maasai Village, & Evening Game Drive

One thing an 18-day Kenya safari itinerary should have is a hot air balloon safari at Masai Mara. It is always advisable to check your Masai Mara safari cost includes this experience, which goes for an additional USD 450 Per Person. 

The view from up is majestic and especially during the Wildebeest Migration, and it should be something you should look forward to doing at least once in a lifetime. The ride starts early with preparation from 5.30 am, and then the actual flying of about 90 minutes.  

This experience ends with a champagne breakfast in the jungle, followed by a short game drive to the areas where you saw the animal hiding during the ride.  The day starts with a morning game drive for those not participating in hot-air ballooning.

From the drive, the safari guide will drive slowly out of the national reserve and head to a Maasai Village. The Maa community is known for bravery, upholding its culture, and some challenging jumps that they will gladly teach you. 

A Visit to a Maasai Village 

The women make legendary beadwork that they sell for sustenance, and you may want to participate. Our 18 days Kenya safari itinerary price includes the cost of entering the Maasai village. For a moment, you will experience what it’s like to be a Maasai.

This Kenya culture adventure will end around noon, the perfect time to head back to the camp for lunch and some rest. Later, you will head for an evening game drive from 3 pm to 6 pm. It is the perfect time to catch the sunset.

Day 13: Check-Out, Transfer to Naivasha, & Boat Ride at Lake Naivasha (Wildlife Walking Safari at Crescent Island

You will change the pace on day 13 of your 18 days safari in Kenya by taking a 5-hr drive to Naivasha. You will leave Masai Mara after breakfast and enjoy a game drive as you head out of the park (if you are staying inside). The drive will see you arrive by noon, check into the Naivasha hotel, and take lunch. 

Later, you will visit Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island. Have you watched movies where unsuspecting characters on an island stumble upon another island within an island that is tenfold lovelier than the one they are on? Well, Crescent Island is that other island.

They say Lake Naivasha highlights safari trips to Naivasha, but we beg to differ. Crescent Island takes the crown. The island is every vacationer’s dream come true; splendid sceneries, secure, and highly private. 

And the entry to Crescent Island will be magical since you take a boat across the lake. You will likely start spotting the animals immediately during your boat ride, like waterbucks, hippos, and aquatic birds.

Upon reaching the island, you will proceed to walk among the wild animals, for that is what islanders do. Expect to see waterbucks, giraffes, impalas, wildebeests, gazelles, hippos, and zebras.

You traverse the beauty of this island, naming all bird species you can, and when that becomes a little too tiring, you’ll sit down to relax. After that, walk across the lake for some eye nutrients. 

Spectacular views of the Longonot, Hell’s Gate, Mau Escarpment, and the Aberdares are why you will regret leaving your camera behind. And the best Kenya safari tours for the end will end with a transfer to the hotel for a night’s rest.  

Day 14: Wildlife Horse Safari at Sanctuary Farm and Cycling at Hell’s Gate National Park

Today, you will explore Lake Naivasha from the back of the horse by visiting Sanctuary Farm. The sanctuary is a private attraction carpeted with acacia trees where you can ride a horse among wildlife.

It leads to Lake Naivasha, and there are hundreds of wildlife like hippos, dik-dik, zebras, gazelles, giraffes, and impalas. You also get to spot dozens of birds during the adventure. A 2-hr horseback safari here is enough to get your day started. 

The safari guide will take you to Hell’s Gate National Park for a cycling adventure, which is only 40 minutes away. Hell’s Gate covers an area of 68.25 square km and is situated in the environs of Lake Naivasha, about 90 km from Nairobi, Kenya. 

It offers a rare kind of beauty and splendor, the type that has an indescribable roughness to its edges. A holiday to Hell’s Gate National Park is to die for. You can marvel at the park’s awe-inspiring backdrops, including water-gouged ravines, lofty cliffs, and scrub-filled volcanoes.

Wildlife viewing is yet another thrilling activity, although not the main thing. The park teems with wild animals such as the African buffalo, Thomson’s gazelle, baboons, hartebeest, zebra, antelopes, reedbucks, and over 100 avian species.

The only park in Kenya lets you get off the safari vehicle and walk or ride a bicycle amidst all the animals listed above. The Hell’s Gate Gorge, Central Tower Gorge, Olkaria Geothermal Station, Mervyn Carnelley Raptor Hide, and Fischer’s Tower are all nutrients to the eye. 

Walks along its nature trails and climbing on the towering cliffs are equally uplifting. So, you have several options depending on your preference. You can choose between a bike ride in the park, rock climbing for two hours, and hiking up the trail.