Day 1: Nairobi On arrival in Nairobi, transfer to your hotel to relax before your safari experience begins tomorrow. Stay: Southern Sun Mayfair Nairobi.

Day 2: Nairobi to Samburu Drive to Samburu with lunch en route at the Trout Tree Restaurant – a unique dining venue set inside and around a giant fig tree. On reaching Samburu, you’ll have an afternoon game drive to reach your accommodation on the banks of the river, the Samburu Game Lodge, where you can freshen up before dinner. Stay: Samburu Game Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 3: Samburu Head out into the Samburu reserve on morning and afternoon game drives, looking out for this relatively small reserve’s rare species that include the long-necked gerenuk, reticulated giraffe and Grevy’s zebra. Stay: Samburu Game Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 4: Samburu to Aberdare Drive south to the Aberdare Mountain Ranges. Have lunch at the Outspan Hotel, then drive on to the famous Treetops, your spectacular viewing perch for the night and the place where Princess Elizabeth was staying when she ascended to the British throne in 1952. Game is attracted by the waterholes and salt licks around this unique tree lodge. Stay: Treetops. B, L, D.

Day 5: Aberdares to Lake Naivasha Have breakfast at Treetops before driving via Thomson’s Falls – a scenic waterfall on the Uaso Nyiro River – to Lake Nakuru National Park for lunch and a game drive. The park is a haven for bird lovers, with over 400 species of bird, including flamingos (although recent water levels have seen the masses of migratory flamingos that once resided at the lake reduce considerably, so it’s best to check with the park if this is your primary reason for visiting), and also provides habitat for lion, leopard and Rothschild giraffe. It also offers fantastic chances of spotting herds of white rhino. Continue on to Lake Naivasha for the night and the Sopa Lodge, which has resident monkeys, giraffes and hippo inhabiting its 150-acre grasslands! Stay: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 6: Lake Naivasha to Maasai Mara After breakfast, drive to the incredible Maasai Mara, home to the residents of the BBC’s ‘Big Cat Diary’ series and a whole host of other wildlife amongst its rolling plains and open savannah, including elephant, giraffe, hyena, impala, wildebeest and buffalo. Enjoy lunch and a game drive en route to your lodge that dates back to 1962 and sits in the heart of the Mara with sprawling lawns and lovely river stone and cedar wood bungalows. Stay: Keekorok Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 7: Maasai Mara This may be the last day of your safari, but it could be the most thrilling, as the vast Mara plains provide some of the best game viewing in Africa. You’ll head out on morning and afternoon game drives into the heart of the reserve – a fitting end to an exciting safari. There’s also the option today to take a hot-air balloon safari. Stay: Keekorok Lodge. B, L, D.

Day 8: Maasai Mara to Nairobi Depart after breakfast, arriving in Nairobi in time for lunch (own cost). You’ll then be taken to a central hotel for the afternoon where you may like to prebook a day room before your onward journey. B

• Accommodation in superb locations
• Spot rare species in Samburu
• Look out for birdlife and rhino in Lake Nakuru
• Seek out the big cats of the Maasai Mara
• Optional hot-air balloon safari over the Mara.