Kenya itinerary, day by day

From the Masai Mara and the great migration to the flamingos of Lake Nakuru, then down to the beaches of Diani: the map, what is worth booking, everything that costs nothing, and where to sleep at three budgets.

🗓️ 3, 7 or 14 days📍 4 stops☀️ Best time: July to October and January to February

Nairobi · Photo Wladimir Kühne / Pexels

Route map (numbers = order of the stops).

Kenya in 3 days

2 stops · 11 things to do · flights

1Nairobi

Day 1

A capital with a national park on its southern edge, where lions and rhinos live with office towers on the horizon. The elephant orphanage and the giraffe centre are on the same side of town.

🎟️ Worth booking

Nairobi National Park (a city safari)Half day · from €40
Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, where you can watch a giraffe with the city skyline behind it.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The elephant orphanage and the Giraffe CentreMorning · from €25
Orphaned baby elephants at their late-morning feed with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, then feeding Rothschild's giraffes eye to eye from a raised platform.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Maasai Market · Karen Blixen's house (from outside) · Westlands

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wildebeest Camp (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Eka Hotel (€90 a night) · Luxury: Hemingways Nairobi (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Pili Restaurant GTC MALL ↗ ★ 4.9 · 2308 reviews
CRAVE KENYA - KILIMANI ↗ ★ 4.8 · 2115 reviews
Glow Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.8 · 173 reviews
Cultiva Farm Kenya ↗ ★ 4.7 · 2380 reviews · €€€
The View ↗ ★ 4.7 · 956 reviews · €€€

Photo Mukula Igavinchi / Pexels

✈️ Bush flight · 45 min · to the Mara

2Masai Mara

Days 2-3

The Kenyan end of the Serengeti plains, grassland dotted with acacias and rich in big cats. From July to October the wildebeest migration crosses the Mara river.

🎟️ Worth booking

Full-day 4x4 safariFull day · from €120
A whole day on the plains of the Mara, with a picnic in the bush and the best chance of seeing lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Visit to a Maasai village1h30 · from €25
An hour with a Maasai family: their houses, their cattle, the jumping dance, and plenty of beadwork for sale at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The great migration (July to October) · Lions and cheetahs · Sunrise over the savannah · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Aruba Mara Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Mara Serena Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Angama Mara (€600 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Fairmont Mara Safari Club ↗ ★ 4.7 · 777 reviews
Oldarpoi Mara Camp ↗ ★ 4.4 · 210 reviews
AA Lodge Masai Mara ↗ ★ 3.9 · 467 reviews

Photo John Mburu / Pexels

Kenya in 7 days

4 stops · 22 things to do · flight & 4×4

1Nairobi

Day 1

A capital with a national park on its southern edge, where lions and rhinos live with office towers on the horizon. The elephant orphanage and the giraffe centre are on the same side of town.

🎟️ Worth booking

Nairobi National Park (a city safari)Half day · from €40
Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, where you can watch a giraffe with the city skyline behind it.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The elephant orphanage and the Giraffe CentreMorning · from €25
Orphaned baby elephants at their late-morning feed with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, then feeding Rothschild's giraffes eye to eye from a raised platform.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Maasai Market · Karen Blixen's house (from outside) · Westlands

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wildebeest Camp (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Eka Hotel (€90 a night) · Luxury: Hemingways Nairobi (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Mukula Igavinchi / Pexels

✈️ Bush flight · 45 min · to the Mara

2Masai Mara

Days 2-4

The Kenyan end of the Serengeti plains, grassland dotted with acacias and rich in big cats. From July to October the wildebeest migration crosses the Mara river.

🎟️ Worth booking

Full-day 4x4 safariFull day · from €120
A whole day on the plains of the Mara, with a picnic in the bush and the best chance of seeing lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Visit to a Maasai village1h30 · from €25
An hour with a Maasai family: their houses, their cattle, the jumping dance, and plenty of beadwork for sale at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The great migration (July to October) · Lions and cheetahs · Sunrise over the savannah · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Aruba Mara Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Mara Serena Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Angama Mara (€600 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Fairmont Mara Safari Club ↗ ★ 4.7 · 777 reviews
Oldarpoi Mara Camp ↗ ★ 4.4 · 210 reviews
AA Lodge Masai Mara ↗ ★ 3.9 · 467 reviews

Photo John Mburu / Pexels

🚗 4×4 · 4h · 230 km

3Lake Nakuru

Day 5

A soda lake on the floor of the Rift Valley, fenced as a sanctuary for black and white rhinos. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with the water level.

🎟️ Worth booking

Lake Nakuru National Park safariHalf day · from €60
A game drive around the lake, with water birds on the shore and a good chance of rhinos in the grass.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Rhino trackingHalf day · from €40
Time spent looking for both black and white rhinos, two protected species the park was fenced to save.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The flamingos · Baboon Cliff viewpoint · Makalia Falls

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Kunste (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Lake Nakuru Lodge (€150 a night) · Luxury: Sarova Lion Hill (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Kijani Kafe - Bar and Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.5 · 213 reviews · €€
Taidy's Suites - Nakuru ↗ ★ 4.4 · 1441 reviews
Origin Coffee Nakuru ↗ ★ 4.4 · 715 reviews · €€
Fika&Feast by Ashaki ↗ ★ 4.4 · 714 reviews · €€
Bava Restaurant ↗ ★ 4.4 · 283 reviews

Photo Bibhash Banerjee / Pexels

✈️ Flight · 1h · to the coast

4Diani Beach

Days 6-7

A long white beach south of Mombasa, protected by a coral reef. Dhows, the wooden sailing boats of the Swahili coast, still work the water offshore.

🎟️ Worth booking

Snorkelling at Kisite reefFull day · from €55
A day in the Kisite-Mpunguti marine park south of Diani, with clear water, coral, and often dolphins and turtles.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Dhow trip and dolphinsHalf day · from €40
Out under sail on a traditional dhow, looking for the dolphins that feed off this coast.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The white sand beach · Kaya Kinondo sacred forest · Sunsets over the ocean · The turquoise lagoon

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Diani Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Leopard Beach Resort (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Pallet Cafe - The Beach ↗ ★ 4.8 · 550 reviews · €€
Sir William’s Grill Seafood Cafe ↗ ★ 4.7 · 501 reviews · €
Shashin-ka ↗ ★ 4.7 · 466 reviews · €€
Sunnyside Up ↗ ★ 4.7 · 103 reviews
Apero ↗ ★ 4.6 · 595 reviews · €€

Photo Ian Vedette Kafuna / Pexels

Kenya in 14 days

5 stops · 27 things to do · flight & 4×4

1Nairobi

Days 1-2

A capital with a national park on its southern edge, where lions and rhinos live with office towers on the horizon. The elephant orphanage and the giraffe centre are on the same side of town.

🎟️ Worth booking

Nairobi National Park (a city safari)Half day · from €40
Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, where you can watch a giraffe with the city skyline behind it.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The elephant orphanage and the Giraffe CentreMorning · from €25
Orphaned baby elephants at their late-morning feed with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, then feeding Rothschild's giraffes eye to eye from a raised platform.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Maasai Market · Karen Blixen's house (from outside) · Westlands

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wildebeest Camp (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Eka Hotel (€90 a night) · Luxury: Hemingways Nairobi (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Mukula Igavinchi / Pexels

✈️ Bush flight · 45 min · to the Mara

2Masai Mara

Days 3-6

The Kenyan end of the Serengeti plains, grassland dotted with acacias and rich in big cats. From July to October the wildebeest migration crosses the Mara river.

🎟️ Worth booking

Full-day 4x4 safariFull day · from €120
A whole day on the plains of the Mara, with a picnic in the bush and the best chance of seeing lions, leopards and cheetahs.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Visit to a Maasai village1h30 · from €25
An hour with a Maasai family: their houses, their cattle, the jumping dance, and plenty of beadwork for sale at the end.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The great migration (July to October) · Lions and cheetahs · Sunrise over the savannah · The night sky

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Aruba Mara Camp (€80 a night) · Mid-range: Mara Serena Lodge (€220 a night) · Luxury: Angama Mara (€600 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Fairmont Mara Safari Club ↗ ★ 4.7 · 777 reviews
Oldarpoi Mara Camp ↗ ★ 4.4 · 210 reviews
AA Lodge Masai Mara ↗ ★ 3.9 · 467 reviews

Photo John Mburu / Pexels

🚗 4×4 · 4h · 230 km

3Lake Nakuru

Days 7-8

A soda lake on the floor of the Rift Valley, fenced as a sanctuary for black and white rhinos. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with the water level.

🎟️ Worth booking

Lake Nakuru National Park safariHalf day · from €60
A game drive around the lake, with water birds on the shore and a good chance of rhinos in the grass.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Rhino trackingHalf day · from €40
Time spent looking for both black and white rhinos, two protected species the park was fenced to save.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The flamingos · Baboon Cliff viewpoint · Makalia Falls

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Hotel Kunste (€35 a night) · Mid-range: Lake Nakuru Lodge (€150 a night) · Luxury: Sarova Lion Hill (€260 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Bibhash Banerjee / Pexels

✈️ Flight · 1h · to the coast

4Diani Beach

Days 9-13

A long white beach south of Mombasa, protected by a coral reef. Dhows, the wooden sailing boats of the Swahili coast, still work the water offshore.

🎟️ Worth booking

Snorkelling at Kisite reefFull day · from €55
A day in the Kisite-Mpunguti marine park south of Diani, with clear water, coral, and often dolphins and turtles.
Book on GetYourGuide →
Dhow trip and dolphinsHalf day · from €40
Out under sail on a traditional dhow, looking for the dolphins that feed off this coast.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The white sand beach · Kaya Kinondo sacred forest · Sunsets over the ocean · The turquoise lagoon

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Diani Backpackers (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Leopard Beach Resort (€160 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Ian Vedette Kafuna / Pexels

✈️ Flight · 1h · return

5Nairobi

Day 14 · return

A capital with a national park on its southern edge, where lions and rhinos live with office towers on the horizon. The elephant orphanage and the giraffe centre are on the same side of town.

🎟️ Worth booking

Nairobi National Park (a city safari)Half day · from €40
Kenya's first national park, opened in 1946, where you can watch a giraffe with the city skyline behind it.
Book on GetYourGuide →
The elephant orphanage and the Giraffe CentreMorning · from €25
Orphaned baby elephants at their late-morning feed with the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, then feeding Rothschild's giraffes eye to eye from a raised platform.
Book on GetYourGuide →

✦ Free, not to be missed

The Maasai Market · Karen Blixen's house (from outside) · Westlands

🛏️ Where to sleep · Budget: Wildebeest Camp (€30 a night) · Mid-range: Eka Hotel (€90 a night) · Luxury: Hemingways Nairobi (€280 a night)

🍴 Where to eat · top rated

Photo Mukula Igavinchi / Pexels

Hotel prices are per room per night, activity prices per person, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links (Booking, GetYourGuide): we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

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Good to know before you go

🍽️ What to eat

Nyama choma: goat or beef grilled over charcoal, shared at the table and eaten with your hands.
Ugali: a firm maize porridge, the base of most meals, used to scoop up everything else.
Sukuma wiki: collard greens fried with onion and tomato; the name means stretch the week.
Pilau and biryani: spiced rice dishes of the Swahili coast, shaped by centuries of trade with Arabia and India.
Chai: black tea boiled with milk, sugar and spices, drunk all day.

⚠️ What to avoid

Choose a licensed safari operator and follow the ranger's instructions: stay in the vehicle unless told otherwise.
Take malaria tablets for the Mara and the coast, and drink bottled water.
In Nairobi, do not walk after dark: use a taxi or a ride-hailing app.
Agree prices before you set off, and bargain at the markets.

Plan this trip

📒 The free printable Kenya guide→ 🗓️ Best time to visit Kenya, month by month→ 🎟️ What to book before you go→

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