This 18-Day Kenya Big Five & Wild Cats Safari Holiday takes you to the best places in Kenya to see the Big Five animals and wild cats. This safari is designed to give you a high chance of seeing lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, and buffalos, as well as other wild cats, in Kenya’s top wildlife parks.
Kenya offers many great safari experiences. On this 18-day trip, you will visit the country’s most famous, largest, and most visited parks to increase your chances of seeing a wide variety of animals and birds.
The best parks to see the Big Five in Kenya include Masai Mara National Reserve, Amboseli National Park, Tsavo East and Tsavo West, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Lewa Conservancy. These animals are called the Big Five because they were once considered the hardest and most dangerous to hunt.
18-Day Kenya Big Five Safari Highlights
- Day 1: Nairobi to Aberdare National Park
- Day 2: Full Day in Aberdare
- Day 3: Aberdare to Lake Nakuru National Park
- Day 4: Full Day in Lake Nakuru
- Day 5: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve
- Days 6, 7 & 8: Explore Masai Mara
- Days 9 & 10: Lake Naivasha & Hell’s Gate
- Day 11: Lake Naivasha to Amboseli National Park
- Days 12 & 13: Explore Amboseli
- Day 14: Amboseli to Tsavo West National Park
- Day 15: Full Day in Tsavo West
- Day 16: Tsavo West to Tsavo East
- Day 17: Full Day in Tsavo East
- Day 18: Drive to Nairobi – End of Safari
Detailed Kenya Big Five Safari Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi to Aberdare National Park
Your driver will pick you up from the airport or your hotel in Nairobi and give you a short briefing. Then drive to Aberdare National Park, arriving in time for lunch. In the afternoon, enjoy a short game drive or a nature walk. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or camp.
Day 2: Full Day in Aberdare
Spend the day exploring Aberdare National Park. After an early game drive, visit the park’s waterfalls. Look out for elephants, black rhinos, leopards, hyenas, baboons, colobus monkeys, buffalos, warthogs, and bush-bucks. Carry a packed lunch and spend the full day in the park. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 3: Aberdare to Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast and a short morning game drive, travel to Lake Nakuru National Park. This park is known for its alkaline lake and birdlife, especially flamingos (though fewer now). Arrive for lunch and enjoy an afternoon game drive. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or camp.
Day 4: Full Day in Lake Nakuru
Today, explore Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is home to a rhino sanctuary, over 450 bird species, and 56 species of mammals. Watch for hippos, waterbucks, giraffes, warthogs, impalas, buffalos, elands, white and black rhinos, and sometimes leopards. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5: Lake Nakuru to Masai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, drive to Masai Mara, one of Africa’s most famous game reserves. This park is part of the greater Serengeti ecosystem and is home to the great wildebeest migration. After lunch, take a short game drive to look for elephants, buffaloes, antelopes, hippos, and crocodiles. Dinner and overnight stay.
Days 6, 7 & 8: Explore Masai Mara
Spend three days exploring Masai Mara with morning, afternoon, and full-day game drives. Look for lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, hyenas, wild dogs, jackals, and many birds. Whether or not it is migration season, the park always has lots of animals to see. Optional activities: hot air balloon ride or Maasai village visit (extra cost). All meals and overnight stays at your lodge or camp.
Days 9 & 10: Lake Naivasha & Hell’s Gate
After Masai Mara, head to Lake Naivasha. Enjoy a boat safari to see hippos, crocodiles, and birds. Visit Crescent Island for a guided nature walk to spot buffalos, giraffes, waterbucks, and zebras. You will also visit Hell’s Gate National Park, where you can walk or ride bikes among animals. Hiking and rock climbing are available on request. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 11: Lake Naivasha to Amboseli National Park
After breakfast, drive to Amboseli National Park, located near Mt. Kilimanjaro. The park is known for its open views and large elephant herds. After lunch, relax at your lodge or camp before dinner and overnight stay.
Days 12 & 13: Explore Amboseli
Enjoy two days of game drives in Amboseli. Morning drives give you the best chance to see elephants walking to the river. Look for lions, cheetahs, leopards, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, gazelles, and wildebeests. Enjoy the view of Mt. Kilimanjaro. You may also visit a local school or village to meet the community. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or camp.
Day 14: Amboseli to Tsavo West National Park
After breakfast, leave Amboseli and drive to Tsavo West, Kenya’s second-largest national park. Arrive for lunch and then go on an afternoon game drive. Look for lions, cheetahs, elephants, zebras, ostriches, and buffalos. Visit Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary to see black rhinos. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 15: Full Day in Tsavo West
Start with a morning game drive to look for big cats and other predators. Return for breakfast, then go on another game drive later in the day. You can carry packed lunch or return to the lodge for lunch and a short rest before heading out again. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 16: Tsavo West to Tsavo East
After breakfast, check out and begin the drive to Tsavo East National Park. Enjoy a game drive on the way out and stop at Mzima Springs for a short nature walk. Arrive in Tsavo East in the afternoon, have lunch, then go for a game drive. Dinner and overnight at your lodge or camp.
Day 17: Full Day in Tsavo East
Spend a full day exploring Tsavo East. This is Kenya’s largest national park, known for red-dust elephants and Tsavo lions. The dry landscape makes it easier to see animals. Look out for lions, leopards, cheetahs, giraffes, buffalos, zebras, and other wildlife. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 18: Drive to Nairobi – End of Safari
After an early breakfast, check out and drive back to Nairobi. Enjoy a final look at the scenery before your driver drops you at the airport for your flight home or at your hotel in Nairobi. Lunch on the way.
End of 18-Day Kenya Big Five and Wild Cats Safari Holiday.
