Why add the lakes to a Maasai Mara safari?

Variety in one week. The Mara gives you big cats and open plains; Nakuru adds black and white rhino in a compact, fenced park; Naivasha adds water, hippos and time on foot. Three different Kenyas, linked by two road days.

Can I see the Big Five on Mara & the Lakes?

The route gives you a fair chance, never a promise. Lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo live in the Mara, where rhino are scarce; Nakuru’s fenced park adds black and white rhino. Flamingos are another matter: Kenya Wildlife Service put Nakuru’s January 2025 count at about 500.

When is the best time for Mara & the Lakes?

July to October if the migration matters most: the herds are usually in the Mara then, though crossings keep no timetable. January and February are drier and quieter. The lakes work all year; the long rains peak in April.

How many nights do I need for Mara & the Lakes?

Six to eight. Three or four in the Mara, so one slow morning doesn’t cost you the cats; one or two at Nakuru; and two at Naivasha, with time for the boat, Crescent Island or Hell’s Gate, quoted as extras.

How long is the drive from the Mara to Lake Nakuru?

Five to six hours through Narok, and the first stretch out of the Mara is rough. To skip it, visit the lakes first and fly from Naivasha to the Mara: Safarilink runs that flight January to March, mid-June to October and late December, if four or more board at Naivasha.

Who should choose another journey over Mara & the Lakes?

Choose Into the Wild Mara if the migration is the whole point: more nights in the Mara and no drive to the lakes. Choose Kenya in Two Weeks if you have time for the north and Amboseli too. Choose this one for variety in a single week.

White rhino grazing beside a lake with clear reflection

Safari / Kenya

Mara &
the Lakes

Price on request

A first safari that runs from the Mara’s open plains to the water’s edge.

6–8 nightsSafariMaasai Mara · Nakuru · Naivasha

The journey

First the plains. The Maasai Mara opens wide and golden, the big cats at work in the early light.

Then the road leaves the Mara for the Great Rift, and the country changes. Lake Nakuru is a soda lake where black and white rhino graze the grassland by the shore. Naivasha is fresh water, fringed with fever trees and loud with birds.

Mara & the Lakes suits a first safari: predators and plains, then rhino and open water, all in one week. The trade-off is one long road day. Nakuru’s flamingos are now few, so we plan around the rhino and treat any pink as a bonus.

Plains, then rift, then lake: three sides of Kenya, paced and shaped entirely on your terms.

Moments along the way

Not the same
view twice.

Wildebeest wading and splashing across a river

The herds, in season

From July to October the herds are usually in the Mara. Crossings keep no timetable.

Dawn with the cats

Out before first light, as the lions finish the night’s work.

Rhino country

Black and white rhino graze the grassland by Nakuru, Kenya’s first government-run rhino sanctuary.

Birds at the water’s edge

Pelicans along Nakuru’s shore; flamingos now come in small, unpredictable numbers.

Two Masai giraffes necking among green trees

A walk among giraffe

Walk Crescent Island with a guide among giraffe and zebra; there are no lions or leopards.

The water’s calm

A boat across Naivasha among hippos and fish eagles as the day softens.

Where you’ll stay

Each stay adds to the story.

From an intimate Essential camp in the Mara to a Private Collection lodge above the lakes, each stay is chosen for what it adds to the story. You choose the level, and we hold it all the way through.

Two topi antelope in golden grass at dawn, balloons far behind

MAASAI MARA

Over big-cat country

Flamingo flock silhouetted in glowing orange mist at lake edge

LAKE NAKURU

Between escarpment and shore

NAIVASHA SHORE

A fever-tree garden

Your planner confirms each stay for your dates.

EssentialPrivate Collection

Add to your journey

Make it yours.

Select an idea to carry into your brief. Nothing is added to a booking or priced automatically.

BEFORE YOU ENQUIRE

A route with room to breathe

Here’s how it comes together.

Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Nairobi. One light-aircraft flight, then the road: no scheduled flight runs from the Mara to the lakes. Your proposal confirms exact times.

Preparing the route map…

A sense of the days

The rhythm of the journey.

Typically three or four nights in the Mara, one or two at Nakuru and two at Naivasha. We shape the split around you.

Clear from the beginning

What’s included.

Typically included

Park, reserve and conservancy fees
Expert driver-guide
4x4 safari vehicle
Accommodation at your chosen level
Meals as set by each camp
Light-aircraft flight to the Mara
Road transfers between each stop
Game drives and drinking water

Not included

International flights
Kenya eTA and travel insurance
Premium drinks
Gratuities
Balloon, boat, Crescent Island and Hell’s Gate fees

Every journey is quoted in full, with no surprises.

Good to know

The Mara and the lakes,
in context.

The Maasai Mara, in south-west Kenya, is the northern end of the Mara–Serengeti ecosystem and a stronghold for lion and leopard. East of it, the floor of the Great Rift Valley holds a chain of lakes. Lake Nakuru is an alkaline lake inside a fenced national park, Kenya’s first government-run rhino sanctuary, with black and white rhino. Lake Naivasha is fresh water, with hippos, boat trips and guided walks on Crescent Island. One flight and two road days link them over six to eight nights.

Parks on this journey

Maasai Mara Lake Nakuru Lake Naivasha Hell’s Gate Kenya →

Before you go

Before your Lake Nakuru journey Before your Lake Naivasha journey Before your Hell's Gate journey Before your Kenya journey

Read before you decide:

Hot-air balloon safaris Best time to visit the Maasai Mara Kenya safari cost

Last checked: October 2026.

When to go

Pick your moment.
Not just a month.

A seasonal snapshot for the Mara and the Rift Valley lakes. Your camps and interests matter as much as the calendar.

Typically drierLonger rainsMore variable

Jul / A popular wildlife window

Time out on the plains.

The Mara’s main dry season, and the herds usually arrive in July. It is the busiest time, and the reserve fee doubles from 1 July. The Naivasha–Mara flight runs again from mid-June.

Broad seasonal guidance — not a forecast, availability calendar or migration promise. Picking a month sets it in your plan.

Travel with Nobu

The logistics handled quietly,
so your week stays effortless.

Temporary image: guide and two guests on a hilltop looking over open plains

Licensed Kenyan tour operator

Based in Kenya, arranging journeys across East Africa.

Temporary image: open safari vehicle with zebras on a grass plain

Our own guides and 4x4 fleet

Your guide and vehicle are arranged for the route you choose.

Temporary image: a night game drive with a spotlight illuminating a tree ahead

24-hour on-safari support

Help is a call or message away, day or night.

Temporary image: a couple beside a river at sunset next to a safari vehicle

Financial protection on every journey

Your proposal sets out the agreed arrangements for your journey.

East Africa, your way

A little closer to Kenya

Your way to explore

Look a little deeper

Mara &
the Lakes