Arrival Day | A Rooftop Welcome

Check into the stay in Nairobi during the afternoon. In the evening, a rooftop welcome gathering and the first toast: the nine days begin. Overnight at Boma Nairobi or Ole Sereni.

Day 1 | Hell's Gate to Lake Nakuru

Breakfast and a casual trip briefing, then off the Kikuyu Escarpment into the Great Rift Valley. Cycle the savannah at Hell's Gate and into Ol Njorowa Gorge. Lunch by Lake Naivasha, then north to Lake Nakuru. Evening game drive: flamingo flats, black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe. Overnight at a lodge on Lake Nakuru.

Day 2 | Nakuru to the Mara

Dawn drive at Lake Nakuru, rhino at first light, then south-west through Narok with a stop at the market as the land opens into big-sky country. Arrive in the Mara for lunch and rest, then a Maasai community visit arranged through personal contacts. Bush sundowner on a hill with a champagne toast at sunset, dinner and the day-two debrief. Overnight at Mara Sopa Lodge or Fig Tree Camp.

Day 3 | A Full Day in the Field

Into the Mara at first light with no fixed route: lion, cheetah, ostrich, wherever the guides read the grass. Afternoon drive pushing for wild dog and leopard, then golden hour on the plains and the day-three debrief. Overnight at a Mara lodge.

Day 4 | Conservation Day

Dawn drive: leopard, wild dog, secretary bird. Morning with the Mara Predator Conservation Program: territory maps, radio-tracking, and the story of the pride you saw at dawn. Picnic lunch at a field site with a reflection passed round. Afternoon drive, then a bush dinner under the stars, the last night in the Mara. Overnight at a Mara lodge.

Day 5 | The Mara to Nairobi

A last dawn drive in the Mara, then pack out and drive to Nairobi, about five hours. Free afternoon: Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen, Kazuri Beads, or rest. Free evening for Nairobi's music scene; Afro House recommended. Overnight at Boma Nairobi or Ole Sereni.

Day 6 | Nairobi to Amboseli

Depart south for Amboseli, about five hours. Afternoon briefing with the Big Life Foundation: the rangers who hold the Kilimanjaro corridor open. Evening drive among the swamp elephant herds with Kilimanjaro behind, then a Maasai beadwork workshop by firelight. Overnight at an Amboseli lodge.

Day 7 | Amboseli to Watamu

First light in Amboseli with an Elephant Trust researcher riding along, then the long road east via the coast road to Watamu. Arrive at Papa Remo; the evening is yours. Overnight at Papa Remo Beach, Watamu.

Day 8 | A Day on the Coast

Optional dawn kayak in Mida Creek. Sea-turtle monitoring with Local Ocean Conservation, then a Swahili cooking class with a local family; eat what you cooked at the final reflection. In the evening, the Papa Remo Saturday-night beach party. Overnight at Papa Remo Beach, Watamu.

Day 9 | A Free Morning, and Farewell

The last morning is not a programme: last swim, last coffee, last look, and the final reflection card at breakfast. Transfers to Malindi Airport, about fifteen minutes away, or onward by arrangement.