Drive north-west past splendid views of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha and Elementaita to Lake Nakuru National Park. Situated in the heart of the Great Rift Valley, Lake Nakuru National Park is a great location for spotting wildlife, which you will do in an early morning game drive tomorrow. For now, head to a nearby village with your leader. This is a fantastic opportunity to interact with the local folk and get a feel for everyday life here. Enjoy a cooking class and return later in the evening to share the results for dinner.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Lake Nakuru - Village Walk & Cooking Class

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 4 hours.

Your camp, outside the park, is well-situated and has flush toilets and showers. Accommodation upgrades and Wi-Fi are not available.

Wake early for a light breakfast and head into the Lake Nakuru National Park for a game drive in the overland vehicle. Lake Nakuru is home to rhinos, and there will be a good chance of spotting and photographing one of these magnificent beasts. Return to camp for lunch before driving to your camp near Lake Naivasha. One of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha has floating islands of papyrus reeds and a border of flat-topped acacias. It's also home to a healthy population of hippos and a tremendous variety of birds.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Lake Nakuru - Overland Vehicle Game Drive

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 3 hours.

There will be an opportunity to access an ATM and visit a market today to stock up on items for the remainder of the trip. Your campsite tonight is basic, with showers and flush toilets. There are no upgrades available at our campsite this evening. Wi-fi is available at the bar.

Enjoy a free day to choose from a variety of optional activities available around Lake Naivasha. Perhaps venture to Hell's Gate National Park, which boasts beautiful cliffs, gorges, rock towers, volcanoes and a range of geothermal phenomena. Another great choice is to take a boat trip across Lake Naivasha – perhaps the best way to take in the atmosphere of this lush area. If you're looking for something active, why not hire a bike for the day and make some of your own discoveries, venturing beyond the cacti and olive trees.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Add on activities

• Lake Naivasha - Bike hire - USD12
• Lake Naivasha - Boat trip - KES4000
• Lake Naivasha - Game Walk in Crater Lake Game Sanctuary (entrance fee) - USD50
• Lake Naivasha - Hell's Gate NP (Game Drive) - USD65

Special information

The Crater Lake game walk, Hell's Gate National Park and bike hire optional activities will also incur a USD 50 transport fee per vehicle.

The Lake Naivasha crater lake game sanctuary walk will also incur a guide fee of USD 25 per guide.

The bike hire will also require an additional USD 26 fee to enter the National Park plus an additional 250 Kenyan shillings to be permitted to ride the bike within the park.

Depart Lake Naivasha, making a short stop in Narok to do a spot of food shopping. Continue to Loita Hills, home of the Maasai people, stopping for lunch on the way. You’ll be camping at Tepesua Village, which is known for championing Maasai women’s health and education. When you arrive, be welcomed by traditional Maasai warrior song and dance, then your host will explain the details of Maasai warrior training. Take a walk to the community village which was founded to alleviate the poverty of Maasai widows, who traditionally are not allowed to inherit property. The village offers support, safety and economic growth through the ‘Tepesua Widows Income Project’. Spend the evening around a campfire and learn more about their age-old culture and traditions as you share stories with Maasai warriors into the night.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with basic facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Loita Hills - Cultural talk and village visit

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 5 hours.

Hot bucket showers are available in the morning. Wi-fi is not available and only minimal upgrades are on offer at tonight’s bush camp.

Today you’ll travel from Loita Hills to Masai Mara. Most of the road there is tarmacked, but the final 5 km is dusty when dry and muddy when wet. The Masai Mara is the quintessential African experience, with sparse open plains, dramatic skies and some of the world's most tremendous animals. After setting up camp, sit down to some lunch. Then it's time to jump in 4WDs and go for a game drive through the wilderness of the Mara.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Masai Mara - 4x4 Game Drive

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 2 hours.

Your camp tonight does not have Wi-Fi. Room upgrades are possible, subject to availability, and should be paid for in Kenyan Shilling. Please speak to your leader for more information.

Venture into the Masai Mara National Reserve for a full day's game drive in 4WDs. You'll explore this diverse environment and most likely see a multitude of wildlife. An optional balloon ride over the Mara at sunrise is available today. If you have pre-booked this activity, you will be picked up before dawn and driven to the launch site for a safety briefing from your pilot. Then, you will glide through the dawn, sometimes at tree height, to get some amazing photo opportunities. Sometimes you will ascend, getting an overview of the enormity of the plains and of the early morning movements of the teeming herds. After landing, you'll be treated to a bush breakfast, then meet up with the rest of the group while on their game drive.

 Accommodation

• Camping (with facilities) (1 night)

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

 Included activities

• Masai Mara - 4x4 Game Drive

 Add on activities

• Masai Mara National Reserve - Balloon ride (from price) - USD500

Special information

The balloon ride must be booked in advance to secure a place, which you can do through an Intrepid booking agent. If you would rather wait and try to get a better price by booking this locally on the ground you are welcome to, but keep in mind that this is a popular activity and places are limited. If you participate in this activity you will miss the morning half of the included game drive.

Say goodbye to the open expanses of the African bush and return to the bustling metropolis of Nairobi. On arrival, you'll be dropped at a centrally located hotel, and with no accommodation provided for tonight, you are free to leave at any time. If you would like to extend your stay in Nairobi, we’ll happily organise additional accommodation (subject to availability).

 Meals

• Breakfast
• Lunch

Special information

Your travel time today will be approximately 6 hours.

It's important not to book any outgoing international flights for earlier than 6 pm today.