From watching foster elephant calves roll in the red mud of Ithumba to waking up beside hippo pools in the Masai Mara, Kenya delivers raw up-close wildlife encounters at every turn. If you want a balanced overland journey that avoids rushed travel days while packing in East Africa’s best national parks, this day-by-day circuit has you covered.
14-Day Kenya Route at a Glance
| Phase | Destination | Highlight Wildlife / Experience | Travel Time |
| Days 1–2 | Nairobi | Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage visits | Local transfers |
| Days 3–5 | Ithumba (Tsavo East) | Reintegrating orphan elephants & wild herds | 8 hrs from Nairobi |
| Days 6–9 | Masai Mara | Hippos by camp, sunrise predators, Migration | 6 hrs from Nairobi |
| Days 10–12 | Lake Nakuru | Rothschild giraffes, rhinos, tree-climbing lions, leopards | 7 hrs from Mara |
| Days 13–14 | Lake Bogoria & Baringo | Flamingos & Pokot cultural village | 3 hrs from Nakuru |
Day 1–2: Nairobi & The Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
Our trip began with a personal mission: visiting Ngasha and Kandecha, two orphan elephants we sponsor through the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
- Morning (11:00 AM): Attended the public milk-feeding and mud-bath hour to see the younger calves.
- Late Afternoon: Returned for the exclusive foster-parent session to watch the keepers tuck the baby elephants into their stockades for the night.
- Where to Stay: Wildebeest Eco Camp (a tranquil 3-star basecamp in Lang’ata).
Day 3–5: Ithumba (Tsavo East National Park)
Distance: 420 km / ~8 hours drive from Nairobi
From Nairobi, we made the long, dusty journey south to Ithumba in Tsavo East, where older foster elephants transition back into the wild.
- The Experience: Ithumba Camp is booked exclusively for one group at a time. Having the camp and surrounding wilderness to ourselves was special.
- Wildlife Highlight: Watching wild Tsavo bull elephants emerge from the bush to bathe and interact side by side with the orphan calves during their morning bottle feeds.
Day 6–9: Bush Camping in the Masai Mara
Distance: 250 km / ~6 hours drive from Nairobi
After returning to Nairobi for a quick gear check, our guide, Martin Maina (Nairobi Specialist) and camp cook, Sammy, packed the 4WD Land Cruiser with tents, fresh supplies and cold drinks.
- Camp Life: Set up camp directly on the riverbank above an active hippo pool. Evenings were spent around the campfire listening to hippos wallowing below and distant lions roaring.
- Safari Highlights: Four full days tracking the start of the Great Migration, predators on the golden plains and elephant herds at sunrise.
Day 10–12: Lake Nakuru National Park
Distance: 230 km / ~7 hours drive from Masai Mara
Trading tent canvas for solid brick, we moved north to Naishi Guest House inside Lake Nakuru National Park.
- The Basecamp: Featuring a wood-fired hot shower, private bathrooms and a fully equipped timber kitchen for our cook, Naishi provided pure comfort after four days in the bush.
- Wildlife Highlights: Rothschild’s giraffes, close encounters with five white rhinos, jackal pups near the road and two separate leopard sightings.
Day 13–14: Lake Bogoria & Pokot Cultural Visit
Distance: 160 km / ~3 hours drive from Lake Nakuru
With water levels shifting bird populations away from Nakuru, Martin confirmed the flamingos were gathered further north at Lake Bogoria.
Cultural Experience: Drove the rough, dusty tracks out toward Lake Baringo to visit a traditional Pokot tribe village—an authentic look into pastoralist life.
Flamingo Tracking: Camped along the lake’s edge to catch thousands of pink flamingos feeding along the shore in the soft early light.
Our Recommendation: Guided Safari with Martin Maina
A custom safari relies entirely on your guide. Working with Martin Maina from Nairobi Specialist transformed our trip:
- Flexibility: When flamingo movements required last-minute itinerary adjustments, Martin adapted seamlessly without extra stress.
- Fair Pricing: Outstanding value with transparent costs—you pay for expert knowledge, honest service, and a comfortable 4WD vehicle without luxury lodge markups.
🌿 Continue Exploring Africa
Read about our heartwarming experience meeting our foster baby elephant at Nairobi’s Elephant Orphanage and grab our essential first-time Kenya safari tips to help plan your trip.
Where to Next?🐾
🦁 Practical Tips for Visiting Kenya: Guide for First-time Visitors
🐘Meeting Our Foster Babies: Inside Nairobi’s Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage
Wow Ray & Sue. Have really enjoyed your blogs on Kenya. We have been trying to decide on South Africa or Kenya & think you have sold us on Kenya. Have you been to Kruger? The only thing stopping us with Kenya is the security. With images like these we are definitely sold though.
Thanks for your comments John. We are glad we don’t have to make the choice! We were in Kruger years ago & it is an amazing destination too. We love Kenya, everything about it, the wildlife, the people and the food. This isn’t going to help you make your decision, but our opinion is Kenya is just as safe as South Africa.
My sister and I recently spent a month in Nairobi, Maasai Mara and a beach house down near Mombasa. I never felt unsafe for one second. As with anywhere, be sensible. The real danger is along the northern border with Somalia, and the areas you would be going to are far south of that.
Awesome work guys. Love your work. You seem to have so much passion for travel and wildlife. Everything is so detailed your photos and writing. Keep it up!
Thanks for your awesome comment Renee. We certainly have a passion for it and will be continuing!
Beautiful photos Ray and Sue. You are a great couple and both so talented. I feel I have experienced the trip with you.
Thanks Laila. We hope we have inspired you enough to convince you to go camping in the Masai Mara!
Your photos amaze me every time, they are so well captured …..the Pokot tribe women are beautiful to. Do you take pics of the food there ?
Thanks for your comment and compliments Leigh. The Pokot tribe was one of the highlights of the trip. The ladies are beautiful. It is a very rough and dusty drive to reach them but well worth it!
As for the food, we were too caught up in the day’s excitement to be thinking about too many photos, unfortunately. Thanks for mentioning that though as we will be sure to keep that in mind for our next blogs. We can assure you the meals were scrumptious. We are both vegetarians (which isn’t a common diet in Kenya) and the food Sammy cooked was some of the best we ever had. At night we usually had soup, a main meal and fruit for dessert. Lunch was similar and breakfast was eggs cooked however we wanted, toast, pancakes and fruit. You can buy the ingredients yourself and let Sammy know what you want him to cook or you can leave it all in his hands.
If you have any more questions just ask us!
Thank you Ray and Sue — What an amazing journey to Kenya with your photos. They are so beautiful and put a smile on my face recalling my own adventures in Kenya.
The people in Kenya are extremely warm and gracious and a pleasure to talk to. The country is beautiful and there is so much to offer there. If I were to get a work permit, I would move there in a second. I felt like I had come home.
A lot of that feeling came with my (and Ray and Sue’s) driver, Martin Maina. What an absolute gentleman — honest, thoughtful, experienced and a true joy to have spent my time in Kenya with. His wife, Anne, and his daughter Michelle are just as wonderful.
Martin’s prices were incredibly reasonable. He spent a lot of time helping us organize our trip to ensure we made the best use of our time. But still remaining flexible for our last minute changes!
An amazing guide in spotting animals and manoeuvering you into the best locations for amazing photos. He’s knowledgeable about the country, people and animals and can answer any questions you might have.
I can’t rave enough about Martin.
Thank you Ray and Sue! What amazing work you do and your photography puts you right in the action. I hope to meet you one day!
Hi Julie. Thank you for all your comments, we have really enjoyed them. We agree with everything you have said. Kenya is one of the most beautiful destinations in the world.
We owe the success of our trip to Martin. He not only organised everything but he also gave options on less expensive alternatives. Whatever your budget he will come up with the ideal itinerary in the most cost effective way.
He definately is an amazing guide and works hard to ensure his clients needs are met.
It would be lovely to meet you Julie, hopefully on our travels one day!
Thanks so much.
Wow what an amazing place, stunning photo’s and I really love the part about the orphanage, what beautiful people. Elephants are truly a wonder and I could only hope to see them in the wild myself one day. Good job Sue and Ray.
Thanks for your comments Natasha.
Special! It is filled with the excitement of anticipation you two had setting off for such a long awaited trip. You remind me of parents off to visit their kids in boarding school! That you love those baby elephants is very obvious. What a trip! And you deliver it to us with such intuitive RIGHTNESS! We catch the atmosphere as well as the panoramic beauty of it all. Right down to the intimate details of dusty roads and the sumptuous luxury of a hot bath after roughing it. Your scrupulous inclusion of a rough road in no way detracts from excitement of travelling it and I bet you laughed as you bounced over the bumps! There is no downside in travelling with you guys. And as much as you gave accolades to your guides and helpers, I imagine your appreciation of their land and their efforts was a bonus they richly deserved. So well done. I would recommend your blogs to anyone who wants to travel and especially those who can’t. It’s the next best thing!
Hi Gypsy. We are glad we have inspired you to perhaps visit Kenya!
It is an incredible country, the people, the wildlife and the food, everything about it is amazing.Thank you for reading and recommending our blogs!
Wow love these too fantastic.
Hey there
Trip sounds great!
We are beginning to planning for Kenya this November / December Would you please give a direct whattsapp contact for Martín We would like to chat with him directly and see if he can take care of us please