Great Rift Tours — Kenya, properly

Day By Day

The full ten-day itinerary

A realistic pace — no two-hour park visits squeezed between transfers. Times and order can flex slightly with weather, road conditions, and tides at the coast.

01Fri

Nairobi

Karibu — arrival & orientation

Land at Jomo Kenyatta International, transfer to our Nairobi base, and settle in. Evening welcome dinner with the group and your guide — a first run-through of the route, packing check, and questions answered before anyone's jet-lagged brain has to think too hard.

Day ~24°C · Night ~15°C

NAIROBI

02Sat

Nairobi → Naivasha

A sunrise safari with the skyline behind you

This is the one people don't expect: an early game drive in Nairobi National Park, where lions, giraffe and rhino graze with the city's skyscrapers rising in the background — a view that exists almost nowhere else on Earth. Afterwards we drop off the escarpment into the Rift Valley, arriving at Lake Naivasha in time for an afternoon boat ride among hippos and fish eagles.

Day ~26°C · Night ~14°C

~1.5hr drive after

NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK

03Sun

Naivasha

Hell's Gate on two wheels

One of the only parks in Kenya you can cycle or walk through unescorted among the wildlife — towering red cliffs, a gorge on foot, zebra and giraffe at eye level. Afternoon free at the geothermal spa to soak it off.

Day ~27°C · Night ~14°C

Moderate fitness

HELL'S GATE

04Mon

Nakuru → Bogoria

Flamingos, rhino and hot springs

Morning game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park — rhino sanctuary, tree-climbing lions, and lake edges pink with flamingos when the water level cooperates. Then on to Lake Bogoria, where geysers and hot springs steam right at the shoreline.

Day ~26°C · Night ~14°C

~2hr drive total

NAKURU & BOGORIA

05Tue

Nairobi → Voi, by rail

All aboard — the Madaraka Express south

Back to Nairobi to board the Madaraka Express, Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway — one of the most scenic rail journeys in East Africa. The line runs straight through Tsavo's wilderness on an elevated viaduct, so keep your eyes on the window: elephant, giraffe and zebra are regularly spotted from your seat. We alight at Voi and transfer by road into the Taita Hills for the night.

Day ~29°C · Night ~18°C

~4.5hr by rail to Voi

MADARAKA EXPRESS

06Wed

Tsavo West

Red earth, red-dust elephants

A full day in Tsavo West — Mzima Springs' underwater hide for hippos and crocodiles, volcanic lava fields, and the park's famous red-dust elephants, dyed the colour of the soil they bathe in.

Day ~30°C · Night ~19°C

Full-day game drive

TSAVO WEST

07Thu

Voi → South Coast

Down to the ocean

A shorter road transfer from Voi down to the coast, arriving into Diani/south coast by afternoon — first sight and smell of the ocean after five days inland. An evening free to settle in before Wasini tomorrow.

Day ~31°C · Night ~23°C

~3hr drive

SOUTH COAST

08Fri

Shimoni → Wasini Island

Dhow sail, dolphins, reef

Drive south to Shimoni, then a traditional dhow crossing to Wasini Island. Dolphin watching, snorkelling on the reef, and a full seafood lunch cooked island-style — coconut, tamarind, chilli, straight off the boat.

Day ~31°C · Sea ~27°C

Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin, Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Park near Wasini

WASINI ISLAND

09Sat

Mombasa → Lamu

North to the old town

Short flight up to Lamu — a different Kenya again. No cars on the island; donkeys and dhows do the work. Wander the UNESCO-listed old town, then a sunset dhow cruise along the channel.

Day ~31°C · Night ~24°C

LAMU OLD TOWN

10Sun

Lamu → Departure

Karibu tena — until next time

A slow final morning — Shela beach walk, the market, a last look at those carved Swahili doors — before flying back to Nairobi for onward connections.

Day ~31°C · Night ~24°C

Flight to onward connection

DEPARTURE

Where We're Hoping to Stay

Properties we'd love to use

Places along the route we've personally enjoyed and have our eye on for this trip. None of these are confirmed bookings. Availability for a November group decides the final list — but they give a real sense of the standard we're aiming for.

Nairobi National Park, view toward the city

Ole-Sereni — Nairobi

Sits right on the edge of Nairobi National Park, with the skyline and the savanna both in view. A fitting first and last night.

Chui Lodge — Rift Valley

A small stone-and-acacia lodge above Lake Naivasha, overlooking its own waterhole — our pick for the Naivasha/Hell's Gate nights.

Salt Lick Safari Lodge — Taita Hills

Stilted rooms built around a floodlit waterhole in Tsavo's Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary — genuinely one of our favourite stays in Kenya.

Swahili Beach Resort — South Coast

Right on Diani's white sand, and our tentative base for the south coast leg before Wasini.

Ali Barbour's Cave Restaurant — Diani

Dinner inside a 12,000-year-old coral cave open to the night sky.

Moon Houses — Lamu

Traditional Swahili guesthouses in Lamu's old town, carved doors and all — our first choice for the Lamu nights.

Know Before You Go

The four regions, in more detail

November sits in Kenya's "short rains" — expect warm days, brief afternoon showers rather than all-day washouts, and green landscapes. Figures below are long-term November averages, not forecasts.

Nairobi

Arrival & departure city · ~1,700m elevation

Kenya's capital and our start/end point. Cool evenings by East African standards — pack a light layer for the airport transfer and evening dinner.

Day / night temp24°C / 15°C

Rainy days (Nov)~18–20, mostly short PM showers

City population~4.4M (metro ~4.8M)

Rift Valley

Naivasha · Hell's Gate · Nakuru · Bogoria

The floor of the Great Rift, dotted with soda lakes that shift color with the flamingo populations feeding on them. Mornings are the clearest and best for game viewing.

Day / night temp26–27°C / 14°C

Rain patternShort afternoon showers

Nakuru town population~570,000 (county)

Tsavo West & Taita

Reached by the Madaraka Express · Taita Hills

One of Africa's largest protected ecosystems — famous for red-dust elephants who bathe in the volcanic soil. This trip covers Tsavo West only; Taita Hills offers a cooler, greener break above the plains.

Day / night temp30°C / 18–19°C

Rain patternHot, dusty, late-month storms possible

PopulationSparse — protected wilderness

The Coast

Mombasa · Wasini Island · Lamu

Where I'm from. Humid, tropical, and unmistakably Swahili — coral-stone architecture, carved doors, and food built on coconut, tamarind and fresh catch.

Day / night temp30–31°C / 23–24°C

Sea temperature~27–28°C

Mombasa population~1.2M · Lamu county ~172,000

Your Safety, Handled

What's actually in place

Safety isn't a line in the small print here — it shapes the route, the vehicles and the pace.

KPSGA-certified guides

Every driver-guide is certified by the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association, with years on these specific routes.

Maintained 4x4 vehicles

Pop-top safari vans, seatbelts, first-aid kits and radio contact between vehicle and base at all times.

We've got it covered

Insurance, security, food, accommodation and travel between stops are all handled and built into the trip.

24-hour on-call contact

A dedicated number for the whole trip — not a call centre. Answered by someone who knows exactly where you are that day.

Briefings before every activity

Cycling at Hell's Gate, snorkelling at Wasini, walking near wildlife — each gets a proper safety briefing, no exceptions.

Local, cultural context

Guidance on exploring Lamu's old town, respectful photography, and beach safety specific to each coastal stop.

What You'll Actually Eat

Real food, not buffet-hotel filler

Kenya's food changes as the landscape does — smoky highland grills in the Rift Valley, coconut-and-spice cooking on the coast. These are real dishes from real kitchens along this route.

Nyama choma

The highland classic — slow-grilled goat or beef, eaten with your hands, kachumbari salad on the side. Expect this around Nairobi and the Rift Valley.

Coast pilau

Spiced, slow-cooked rice — a Swahili coast staple, usually served with kachumbari and fried mutton or fish. You'll see this from Mombasa through to Lamu.

Ugali & sukuma wiki

The everyday staple across the highlands and Rift Valley — maize meal alongside braised collard greens, often with a simple stew. Simple, filling, and everywhere.

Plus: Wasini's seafood lunch cooked island-style, mahamri (coconut doughnuts) for breakfast on the coast, and fresh tropical fruit everywhere. Vegetarian and dietary requirements are easy to accommodate — just tell us when you book.

Good To Know

Questions people ask before booking

Kenya moved from visas to an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system in January 2024 — most visitors, including infants, need an approved eTA before departure, applied for online at etakenya.go.ke (currently around USD 30, processed in a few days). Kenyan and East African Community passport holders are generally exempt. Check the official portal for your specific nationality closer to the date, since exemptions do change.

A yellow fever certificate may be required if you're arriving from a country where yellow fever is present — check current guidance for your routing. We'd also recommend a travel health consultation with your GP or a travel clinic a few weeks before departure to discuss malaria prevention and routine vaccinations for the areas we'll visit.

Moderate. The only physically active day is Hell's Gate (cycling or walking through the gorge, a few hours at an easy pace). Everything else is game drives, boat trips and walking around towns — comfortable for most fitness levels.

Layers. Mornings in the Rift Valley and Nairobi can be cool, afternoons warm up fast, and short rains mean a light rain jacket is worth having. On the coast it's hot and humid year-round — light, breathable clothing, plus something modest for Lamu's old town. Sunscreen, insect repellent and a hat for every leg of the trip.

Kenyan shillings are the local currency; cards are widely accepted in cities and coastal resorts, less so in smaller towns and markets. M-Pesa (mobile money) is used everywhere by locals — you don't need it, but don't be surprised to see it. We'll share a cash guide before departure.

Cameras, yes, absolutely — this route is built for them. Drones need a permit from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority and are restricted or banned in most national parks and reserves without one; we'll advise ahead of time if you're planning to bring one.

Kenya, properly — Rift Valley to Coast.

Safety built into the route

Real Kenyan food

Travel in style