ELMAG SAFARIS
Eight destinations across the Rift Valley, northern and eastern Kenya — the reserves and lakes ELMAG SAFARIS drives regularly from Iten.
Best months and suggested stays are general guidance. Kenya’s rainfall, road conditions and wildlife movement change year to year. Park fees, gate times and final stay lengths are confirmed with your itinerary — contact us and we will check the current position.
Destination 01
A freshwater Rift Valley lake in Baringo County, north of Nakuru, reached on tarmac and a final stretch of graded road. Its shoreline, islands and hot springs make it one of the most scenic stops on a northern Kenya route.
Baringo is known for its birdlife, hippo colonies and crocodiles, with boat trips out to the islands. Game around the lake is lighter than in the big reserves, so most visitors come here for the water, the birds and the scenery.
Destination 02
A shallow soda lake in the Rift Valley and one of Kenya’s best-known national parks, with the escarpment behind it and the town of Nakuru close by.
The park is famous for its flamingo flocks along the shoreline and is also a sanctuary for both black and white rhinoceros, alongside Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo, waterbuck and the resident predators.
Destination 03
A freshwater lake in the Rift Valley, ringed by acacia and farmland, about an hour and a half from Nairobi. It is one of the easiest lakes to combine with a longer safari.
Naivasha is known for hippo, giraffe and abundant birdlife along the shoreline, with boat trips on the lake and walking or cycling on the nearby crescent island and conservancies.
Destination 04
A national park on the edge of Kenya’s capital, where open savanna runs up against the city skyline. It is the most convenient game-viewing stop if you are passing through Nairobi.
The park holds rhino, lion, buffalo, giraffe, zebra and a wide range of antelope and birdlife. Because it is unfenced along the southern boundary, wildlife movement with the Kitengela plains still shapes what you see.
Destination 05
An arid reserve in northern Kenya, split by the Ewaso Ng’iro river, with dry-country scenery that looks nothing like the green highlands further south.
Samburu is home to the Samburu Special Five: Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich and gerenuk. Elephant, lion and leopard are also seen along the river.
Destination 06
Kenya’s most celebrated savanna reserve, in the south-west of the country adjoining Tanzania’s Serengeti. Wide grasslands, the Mara river and the escarpment define the landscape.
The Mara is known for exceptional year-round game viewing — lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant, buffalo and large herds of plains game. The wildebeest migration usually arrives from the Serengeti around July and stays into October, though exact timing varies with rainfall.
Destination 07
A large national park in eastern Kenya, north-east of Mount Kenya, with rivers, riverine forest and open plains. It is quieter than the Mara and Samburu and rewards a longer stay.
Meru is known for elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rare northern antelope such as the lesser kudu, with over 400 recorded bird species. It is also the park where Elsa the lioness was returned to the wild.
Destination 08
A lesser-known national reserve in the Kerio Valley, in Elgeyo Marakwet County, close to where ELMAG SAFARIS is based. It sits off the usual safari circuit, which is exactly why it stays quiet.
Rimoi holds elephant, buffalo, hippo along the Kerio river, crocodile and dense birdlife, with dry-country species on the valley floor.
Where next
We build itineraries around travel time between these destinations. See the safari packages, check when to travel, or send us your dates.
