6 Days New Year Kenya Safari: Northern Plains to the Mara

Fresh Start from Nairobi

Your private guide collects you at JKIA or an agreed Nairobi hotel around 6:30–7:00 a.m. Drive 310–330 km through the central highlands, Nanyuki and Isiolo, normally taking 5½–6½ hours plus refreshments. New Year holiday traffic may extend the schedule, so punctual departure is important. Watch the landscape shift from farms and highlands into Samburu’s drier country. Arrive around 1:00–2:00 p.m. for lunch, premium check-in and a short rest.

First Safari of the Journey

Depart at approximately 3:30 p.m. for a 2½–3-hour drive through acacia scrub, open country and Ewaso Ng’iro river habitat. Potential sightings include elephants, northern species, birds and predators, but no animal is promised for the first day of the year. Return near sunset for dinner and any celebration specifically confirmed by the lodge.

Destination:

SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Elephant Bedroom Camp

  premium luxury 5 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Dawn of a New Adventure

Begin around 6:15 a.m. with tea or coffee and a game drive along the river corridor and surrounding dry-country habitat. Search for Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich while learning about their adaptations. Weather and animal movement determine the actual route and sightings.

Resolution to Slow Down

Return around 9:15 a.m. for breakfast, rest and time to enjoy the lodge. Lunch is served near 1:00 p.m. This midday pause creates a calmer start to the year and avoids the strongest heat.

A Golden Afternoon

Leave again at approximately 3:30 p.m. for another 2½–3-hour drive in a different sector. Enjoy the changing light without chasing a guaranteed checklist. Return by 6:30 p.m. for dinner and a briefing about the cross-country journey to Nakuru.

Destination:

SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Elephant Bedroom Camp

  premium luxury 5 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Last Northern Moments

Join a final 1½–2-hour Samburu drive around 6:15 a.m. before breakfast and check-out near 9:00 a.m. The guide confirms luggage, road conditions and lunch arrangements. Guests who celebrated late should still follow the agreed departure time so the group does not reach Nakuru after unsafe hours.

New-Year Road South

Travel 300–340 km via Isiolo and central Kenya, requiring 5½–7 hours plus lunch and comfort stops. Highland farms, towns, escarpment scenery and changing vegetation keep the transfer visually interesting. Rain or holiday traffic may delay progress. Arrive in the Lake Nakuru area in the late afternoon or early evening, complete premium check-in and enjoy dinner. The schedule deliberately avoids forcing a park drive after the long journey, leaving the key Nakuru experience for the cooler following morning.

Destination:

SAMBURU NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

The lake nakuru flamingo lodge

  luxury 4 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

First-Light Nakuru Drive

After breakfast around 5:45–6:00 a.m., check out and begin a 2½–3-hour game drive at approximately 6:30 a.m. Explore woodland, grassland and accessible lakeshore zones for rhinos, giraffes, buffaloes and birdlife. Flamingo abundance and waterbird distribution depend on lake conditions, so no count is guaranteed.

Toward the Mara Plains

Leave around 9:30–10:00 a.m. and travel 235–270 km through the Rift Valley and Narok. Driving usually takes 5–6½ hours plus lunch and comfort stops. Reach your premium Mara property late afternoon or early evening, depending on road and gate location. Enjoy dinner and any New Year feature confirmed for that date. If the celebration has already occurred earlier in the itinerary, the evening remains a relaxed preparation for the full safari day.

Destination:

LAKE NAKURU NATIONAL PARK

Overnight:

Mara Simba Lodge

  premium luxury 5 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

New Beginnings on the Savannah

Depart at approximately 6:15 a.m. with packed breakfast and lunch. Explore open plains, drainage lines and riverine habitat as the guide searches for wildlife using tracks and recent movement. Possible subjects include big cats, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, antelopes and birds, but every encounter remains unpredictable.

A Meaningful First Adventure

Spend 8–10 hours in the reserve with a picnic lunch around 12:30–1:00 p.m. at an authorised site. Take time to observe behaviour rather than treating the day as a race. Seasonal migration areas may be visited when sensible, although herds and crossings cannot be scheduled.

Sunset on the Journey

Continue in softer afternoon light before returning around 6:00–6:30 p.m. Dinner and your final premium night provide time to reflect on the year’s first major experience.

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Mara Simba Lodge

  premium luxury 5 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

❮ ❯

Final Mara Breakfast

Breakfast begins near 6:30 a.m., followed by check-out at approximately 7:30–8:00 a.m. Confirm gifts, documents and luggage before departure. Wildlife seen while driving toward the gate may offer a final memory, but this is not a separate scheduled game drive.

Return with New Memories

Travel 250–280 km through Narok and the Great Rift Valley, normally taking 5–6½ hours plus lunch and comfort stops. Holiday traffic may delay Nairobi arrival beyond the expected 2:30–5:00 p.m. window. Your guide drops you directly at JKIA, Wilson Airport or the agreed hotel or address. International flights should depart after 8:00 p.m.; a Nairobi night is recommended when January traffic, family needs or airport procedures make a tight connection unwise.
This extra night can also provide a relaxed ending to the celebration.