10-Day Kenya Safari & Diani Beach | Bush & Beach Holiday

Welcome to Kenya. Your C.A.T.S driver meets you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport — look for your name board in the arrivals hall — and transfers you to your Nairobi hotel. Depending on your arrival time, the afternoon is yours to explore: visit the Giraffe Centre in the leafy suburb of Karen where endangered Rothschild's giraffes eat pellets from your palm, or the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where rescued baby elephants are rehabilitated for release back into the wild. If you arrive in the evening, settle in and rest ahead of an early start tomorrow. Your guide briefs you over dinner on the incredible ten-day journey ahead — six of Kenya's most celebrated parks and reserves, followed by four days of Indian Ocean bliss on Diani Beach.

7:00 AM — Depart Nairobi heading northwest through the fertile central highlands. The road climbs through emerald tea plantations and patchwork farmland before the earth drops away at the Great Rift Valley escarpment — pause at the viewpoint for sweeping vistas of the valley floor shimmering far below, one of Africa's most dramatic geological features. Descend into the valley and arrive at Lake Nakuru National Park by mid-morning. This compact gem is a rhino sanctuary home to both black and white rhinos, and its alkaline lake draws hundreds of flamingos that paint the shoreline in shimmering bands of pink. Begin an extended game drive through the yellow-barked fever tree forest — watch for Rothschild's giraffes browsing the canopy, waterbuck grazing in the clearings, and leopards draped across branches in the dappled shade. Climb to Baboon Cliff for a sweeping panorama of the lake, the flamingo flocks, and the surrounding escarpment stretching to the horizon. The park is also known for its tree-climbing lions, occasionally spotted lounging in the branches of euphorbia trees. Check into your safari lodge as afternoon light turns the lake to liquid gold.

7:30 AM — After breakfast, depart Lake Nakuru heading west towards the Masai Mara. The drive takes roughly five hours through the Rift Valley floor, past the wheat fields of Narok, and into Maasai country where herdsmen wrapped in crimson shukas walk alongside their cattle across the open rangeland. The landscape transforms as you enter the Mara ecosystem — golden grasslands stretching to every horizon, dotted with flat-topped acacia trees and termite mounds used as lookout posts by cheetahs. Arrive by early afternoon and head straight into the reserve for your first game drive. The Masai Mara delivers immediately — herds of wildebeest and zebra blanket the plains in numbers that seem impossible, lions doze in the shade of every other tree, and Thomson's gazelles spring across the savannah in elegant arcs. Your guide reads the bush with expert precision, tracking fresh predator signs through the golden grass. As the sun sinks low, the savannah glows amber and the haunting calls of nightjars fill the cooling air. Check into your safari lodge with the sounds of the African night gathering around you.

A full day in Africa's greatest wildlife arena — every game drive reveals new drama. 6:00 AM — Rise in the cool pre-dawn darkness and head out when predators are most active, the air still fresh and the light soft gold across the plains. Drive to the Mara River where massive Nile crocodiles bask on sandy banks and pods of hippos crowd the muddy pools — during migration season (July–October), this is where the explosive wildebeest river crossings unfold in heart-stopping chaos. Explore the Mara Triangle with its rolling hills and exceptional visibility — spot elephants moving through riverine forest, topi standing sentinel on ridgelines, and hyena dens where playful cubs tumble and wrestle outside their burrows. Return for lunch at your lodge. An optional hot air balloon safari at dawn lifts you silently above the herds for a once-in-a-lifetime bird's-eye perspective of the savannah, followed by a champagne bush breakfast. The afternoon drive explores a different sector — perhaps tracking a leopard through the croton thickets along the Talek River, or watching a cheetah hunt unfold across the open plains in golden hour light that turns the grass to fire.

7:00 AM — After a final early morning game drive in the Mara, bid farewell to the big cats and head east towards Lake Naivasha — approximately five hours' drive back through the Rift Valley. Arrive by early afternoon at this beautiful freshwater lake fringed by papyrus beds and yellow-barked fever trees, with the Mau Escarpment rising behind. Check into your lakeside accommodation and head straight out for a boat safari on the lake. Glide past pods of hippos that surface and snort just metres from your vessel, their eyes and ears breaking the glassy water, while African fish eagles swoop overhead with their piercing, iconic calls. Pelicans, cormorants, malachite kingfishers, and grey herons line the shore — a birdwatcher's paradise. In the late afternoon, step ashore on Crescent Island for a walking safari among giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and waterbuck — one of the few places in Kenya where you walk freely among wild animals without a vehicle, the volcanic island rising from the lake like a scene from another world. Return to your lodge as the sun sets behind the escarpment, painting the lake in shades of copper and rose.

7:00 AM — Depart Lake Naivasha after breakfast for the scenic drive south to Amboseli National Park — approximately five and a half hours via the Nairobi bypass and the Namanga Road towards the Tanzanian border. The route takes you through the highlands, skirting the capital, before heading south across the Athi Plains where the earth turns dry and rust-coloured. As you approach Amboseli, Mount Kilimanjaro begins to dominate the entire southern sky — Africa's highest peak at 5,895 metres, its glaciers gleaming in the afternoon light like a crown of white fire. Arrive by late afternoon and settle into your safari lodge with its spectacular Kilimanjaro panorama. A sunset game drive introduces you to Amboseli's famous elephant herds — some of the largest-tusked in Africa. Family groups of twenty or more move through the swamps fed by Kilimanjaro's underground meltwater, calves tucked between their mothers' legs, their enormous silhouettes backlit against the mountain's purple evening profile. Watch for lions, hyenas, and jackals materialising from the dusk as the first stars appear above the plains.

5:30 AM — Rise before dawn for a final sunrise game drive in Amboseli, catching Kilimanjaro at its clearest before equatorial clouds wrap around the summit by mid-morning. Elephants move across the open plains in the golden early light, their breath visible in the cool air. After breakfast, depart for the Kenyan coast.

**Your Coastal Transfer — Two Great Options:**

**Option A: First Class SGR Madaraka Express** — Drive to Emali Station (~1.5 hours from Amboseli) and board Kenya's modern high-speed train. Settle into air-conditioned first-class comfort with large picture windows as the Madaraka Express glides south through the vast Tsavo wilderness. Spot elephants, giraffes, and perhaps even big cats from your reclining seat as the landscape shifts from dry savannah to lush coastal bush. Arrive at Mombasa Terminus by 2:00 PM, where your C.A.T.S representative meets you for the scenic ~1.5-hour drive south to your Diani Beach hotel.

**Option B: Continue in Your 4×4** — Prefer the open road? Your guide drives you directly to the coast via the Mombasa Highway, arriving at your Diani Beach resort by approximately 3:00 PM.

Either way, the transition is dramatic — dusty red savannah gives way to tropical paradise. White coral sand, turquoise Indian Ocean, swaying coconut palms, and warm salt air welcome you to Kenya's premier beach destination. Kick off your safari boots, walk barefoot along the sand, and let the rhythm of the waves replace the calls of the bush.

Your first full day on Diani Beach — and the tropical pace sets in immediately. Wake to the sound of waves lapping the shore and the chatter of tropical birds in the palm canopy above. The morning is yours: swim in the bathwater-warm Indian Ocean, float over the coral reef on a glass-bottom boat, or walk the endless white sand beach watching hermit crabs scuttle between tide pools. For the adventurous, Diani offers superb snorkelling right off the beach — parrotfish, angelfish, and green sea turtles glide through the crystal-clear warm water just metres from shore. Try kitesurfing along this famously windy stretch of coast, or stand-up paddleboarding across the calm lagoon inside the reef. In the afternoon, visit the Colobus Conservation Centre to see the endangered black-and-white colobus monkeys leaping through the coastal forest canopy — a reminder that Kenya's wildlife extends well beyond the savannah. Enjoy fresh seafood on the beach as the Indian Ocean sunset paints the sky in shades of amber and rose.

Another day of Indian Ocean paradise — with the option of a full-day excursion to Wasini Island and Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park. Drive south to Shimoni, a sleepy fishing village where traditional dhows line the old coral jetty. Board a wooden dhow and sail across the turquoise channel — watch for pods of bottlenose and spinner dolphins surfacing alongside the boat, their dorsal fins slicing the glassy water. At Kisite Marine Park, snorkel above pristine coral gardens alive with tropical fish — butterflyfish, lionfish, blue-spotted rays, and sea urchins in water so clear the reef seems to glow. A Swahili seafood feast on Wasini Island — fresh crab, grilled fish, coconut rice, and samosas — is served under the shade of ancient mangrove trees. Return to Diani by late afternoon with salt on your skin and ocean memories. Alternatively, spend the day relaxing at your resort — Diani's white sand and warm turquoise waters never get old. A sunset dhow cruise along the palm-fringed coast is the perfect way to close the day.

Your final morning on the Kenyan coast. Enjoy a leisurely breakfast with ocean views, perhaps a last barefoot stroll along the sand watching local fishermen prepare their dhows for the morning catch. Depending on your departure time, browse the beach vendors for last-minute souvenirs — Swahili spices, hand-carved soapstone, or colourful kikoy fabrics. Transfer to Ukunda airstrip for your flight to Nairobi, or to Moi International Airport in Mombasa for onward connections. As you leave, look back on ten extraordinary days — from the flamingo shores of Lake Nakuru and the lion-filled Mara, to the hippos of Lake Naivasha and the elephant kingdom beneath Kilimanjaro, to the turquoise bliss of Diani Beach. This is Kenya at its absolute finest.