21 Days Kenya Grand Safari Samburu, Amboseli, Tsavo, Diani Beach & Maasai Mara

Your driver-guide meets you at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and drives you to your hotel (20 to 60 minutes, depending on traffic). The rest of the day is yours to rest after the flight.

After breakfast, visit the Karen Blixen Museum, the farmhouse of the author of Out of Africa. In the afternoon, a game drive in Nairobi National Park, where black rhino, giraffe, zebra, buffalo and lion roam with the city skyline behind them.

A 3 to 4 hour drive (about 170 km) down into the Great Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park. If time allows, an afternoon game drive looking for white and black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe and the flamingos on the lake shore.

About 4 hours (200 km) north to Ol Pejeta Conservancy near Nanyuki. Depending on arrival time, an introductory game drive or a quiet afternoon at the lodge.

A full day of game drives in Ol Pejeta, East Africa's largest black rhino sanctuary and home to all of the Big Five. A visit to the conservancy's rhino and chimpanzee projects can be added.

A 3 to 4 hour drive (about 170 km) north into the semi-arid country of Samburu National Reserve, home to species you will not see further south: Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Beisa oryx and Somali ostrich.

Game drives along the Ewaso Nyiro river, where elephants come to drink and leopard and lion hunt in the riverine forest. The middle of the day is for resting at the lodge while the animals do the same.

A second full day lets you explore different corners of the reserve without rushing, and gives you a better chance of finding the northern species and the big cats.

An early start for the longest drive of the trip, about 6 to 7 hours (300 to 350 km) south to Lake Naivasha. The afternoon is kept free to rest.

A morning boat trip on Lake Naivasha among hippos and fish eagles, then Hell's Gate National Park, one of the few Kenyan parks where you can walk or cycle among zebra and giraffe, past cliffs and the gorge.

About 6 to 7 hours (330 to 380 km) south to Amboseli National Park, with an afternoon game drive if time permits. On a clear day, Kilimanjaro rises straight behind the herds.

Morning and afternoon game drives across Amboseli's plains and swamps, known for some of the most relaxed and best-studied elephant families in Africa, as well as buffalo, zebra, giraffe and hippo.

A 3 to 4.5 hour drive (150 to 200 km) to Tsavo West National Park, a landscape of volcanic hills and lava flows. A short game drive on arrival if time allows.

Cross to Tsavo East National Park (about 2.5 to 4 hours), known for its red-dust elephants and open plains, with a game drive after check-in if time allows.

A full day of game drives in one of Kenya's largest parks, with a picnic lunch so you can stay out longer. Elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra and buffalo are all regulars.

About 4 to 5.5 hours to Kenya's south coast. Check in at Diani Beach and spend the rest of the day by the Indian Ocean.

A day to rest on one of East Africa's finest beaches. Snorkelling, diving or a dhow trip can be arranged locally, depending on the weather.

Transfer to Ukunda or Mombasa airport for a scheduled light-aircraft flight to the Maasai Mara (some routings connect through Nairobi). Your camp collects you at the airstrip, with an afternoon game drive if the flight lands early enough.

A full day in the Maasai Mara National Reserve with a picnic lunch, looking for lion prides, cheetah, leopard, elephant and the resident herds of wildebeest and zebra.

A last full day of game drives in another part of the reserve. A visit to a Maasai village can be added.

After breakfast, transfer to the airstrip for the flight back to Nairobi and your connection at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. If you land at Wilson Airport we transfer you across, so allow time between flights; a day room or an extra night in Nairobi can be added.