It is important to spend some time to experience the parks you visit. We usually recommend a minimum of three nights at Masai Mara, two each at Amboseli, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru and Samburu, and one each at Nairobi National Park, Lake Naivasha.

The Masai Mara eco-system.

Masai Mara is the Kenyan part of the Masai-Mara/ Serengeti eco-system which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is the cornerstone of any Kenyan safari itinerary and for good reason. It provides a complete wildlife experience together with great big cat sightings and deserves at least at least 3-5 days. It has all the wildlife commonly found in East Africa except perhaps for rhinos that are rare. There are different topographies ranging from open savanna to rocky scrubland. Since the park is large you could consider splitting up your stay between two properties, one inside the national reserve and the other in an adjoining private conservancy where you can go off-road and with fewer other tourists around. Masai Mara is the Kenyan part of the Masai-Mara/ Serengeti eco-system which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Lake Nakuru National Park.

A park with a large lake and all the wildlife including the big cats but not elephants or cheetahs. Famous for rhinos and water birds like flamingoes. However, in the last three years the water levels have risen substantially and most of the flamingoes have gone to other lakes. However, the park remains a great place to see lions, leopards and rhinos apart from rare species like aardwolf and striped hyena. The flamingos have also started returning.
Lake Nakuru National Park recommends itself for the chance of seeing rhinos of which it has plenty while many of the other parks have few or none left.

Amboseli National Park.

This is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It has all the wildlife and is famous for large herds of elephants. The perennial marshes to the south are fed by underground springs fed by the snows of Kilimanjaro and attract plenty of wildlife in the dry season. Lake Amboseli has plenty of water birds including flamingos.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy.

This conservancy at the base of Mt. Kenya straddles the equator. It’s the place where you stand the best chance of seeing all the big five since rhinos are hard to see in Masai Mara.
Families with children, find the park attractive because of it houses attractions like the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the Endangered Species Boma. It also offers activities like Lion and Wild Dog tracking and access to Baraka the blind rhino who lives in an enclosure.

Samburu National Reserve.

All the usual wildlife plus variants of antelope, zebra, ostrich and giraffe that you don’t see in the other parks because this is the only one north of the equator and these variants do not come to the southern hemisphere .The snow-fed Ewaso Nyiro river flows through the park which is in an arid area and is a magnet for the wildlife.

Nairobi National Park

This is an often-overlooked park, simply because it adjoins Nairobi. And yet it is a full-fledged park albeit without elephants. It has as high a concentration of lions as Masai Mara and many rhinos, both black and white. Your first game drive here can begin within 30 minutes of your arrival at Nairobi.

Lake Naivasha

Lake Naivasha is not a park or reserve. Instead it is a fresh-water lake within the Great Rift Valley at an altitude of about 7,000 ft.  It is very rich in bird-life and offers boat rides to get close to the birds and as well the hippos that live in the lake. Lake Naivasha is a great place from which to do a gorge walk in Hell’s gate National Park or walk up the dormant volcano, Mt.Longonot.
This is a good place in which to spend a night or two as a change from wildlife safaris or to stretch your legs for those looking for some physical activity.