The Ultimate 10 Days in Kenya Itinerary 2024

Your ultimate 10 days in Kenya itinerary.

Kenya is remarkable, from the volcanoes of the rift to the deserts of the north and the turquoise ocean in the east. You could spend a year in Kenya and hardly scratch the surface of this historic and beautiful country. This suggested 10 days in Kenya Itinerary gives you enough time to hit the city, visit the world-famous Maasai Mara, check out the hippos in Lake Naivasha, spy Kilimanjaro from Tsavo, and spend some time at the coast.   

if you aren’t interested in the blurb on places to visit in Kenya, then scroll down to find my itinerary recommendations.

This 10 day Kenya itinerary assumes you are travelling independently. If you prefer guided tours, use a local tour guide. This way, the money goes back into the economy and to the local people. Get Your Guide offers good local tours. I’ve added a link widget below.

Kenya Itinerary 10 days – Nairobi 

Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, a hustling, gritty, chaotic city. A city experiencing a meteoric boom, literally and figuratively. Building sites litter the landscape, and towers rise across Nairobi as it struggles to keep up with the influx of people seeking work. Nairobi’s success brings rich and poor from all continents to add to the melee. 

What was a one-horse town of red-roofed shacks is now home to 4 million people. Garish mansions sit side by side with acres of shanty town huts. Diners at Nairobi’s 5-star restaurants are waited on by staff, sometimes earning little more than a dollar a day. Nairobi is an oxymoron of rich and poor, ugly and beautiful, fast and slow.

Most tourists don’t linger in Nairobi. It is not a beautiful city, but within its 700 sq kilometres are untouched gems. The most famous is the Nairobi National Park. The National Park is the only game park world that is located within a city. From the airport, you could be viewing a lion kill within 20 minutes. 

The park is exceptional: rolling savannah with lion, rhino and cheetah, riverine valleys hosting leopards, and rivers packed with crocodiles. There are all the Big 5 here, except for elephants. Read my blog on the Nairobi National Park to find out more.

Whilst the park is the biggest and most well-known of Nairobi’s unexpected pleasures, it is not the only one. This blog on 29 things to do in Nairobi will give you all the insider tips. For up close and personal animal encounters, then a visit to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and the Giraffe Sanctuary is essential. In both these charitable institutions, you have the opportunity to meet and learn about the rescued and orphaned inhabitants.  

Where to Stay In Nairobi

Read these blogs 12 best 5 Star Hotels In Nairobi and Best Nairobi Hotels – Where to Stay in Kenya for info on where to stay in Nairobi, my tops picks are below.

$$$ Hemingways – Karen 5* luxury hotel – one of the best small luxury hotels in the work with fine dining and a tranquil atmosphere.e

$$$ Sarova Stanley – CBD 5-star hotel

$$$ Radisson Blu Hotel – City Centre International 5-star hotel Nairobi

$$$ Karen Gables – Cape Dutch style boutique hotel with home comforts and a gorgeous garden and pool to while away the time.

$$ The Residences at Karen Country Club

Further Reading on Nairobi

• The 12 Best Nairobi Hotels – Where to Stay in Kenya
• The Best Guide to Karura Forest Nairobi
• Kids Nairobi : 34 Ways To Smash Those Fun Days Out
• 8 of the best rooftop bars in Nairobi
• 15 Best day trips from Nairobi

Lake Naivasha – Kenya 10 Day Itinerary 

Nairobi sits atop the Great Rift Valley, a huge scar which features towering cliffs, gorges, volcanoes, sulphurous lakes and the lake town of Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is a freshwater lake in the rift that is occupied by huge honking hippo families. Its placid shores are visited by giraffe, zebra, hyena, bush pig and various buck. It’s a tranquil place of complete calm and beauty. Spend time by the lake listening to the call of the fish eagle, spot an otter crossing the water or take a boat ride to get close to one of man’s number one killers.

Crescent Island, appropriately named for its moon-shaped peninsular that juts into the lake, is actually the rim edge of a sunken volcano. It is a tiny but perfect game park and one of the few places in Kenya where you can walk with animals. The park is open to the mainland, but for the most it is predator-free. Watch out for the odd hyena or buffalo.

Where to Stay in Naivasha

$$$ Hippo Point is a 5-star hotel on the shores of Lake Oloiden. Read my blog about Hippo Point.

Naivasha Kongoni Lakefront Getaway – Large Naivasha resort with pool and restaurant

Honeymoon Hut Naivasha – North of Naivasha on the way to Gilgil, this wooden hut is the epitome of romance.

The Watch Tower – Located inside Sanctuary Farm a private wildlife retreat

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, Naivasha, Kenya – Naivasha resort with pool and restaurant

The Ultimate 10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – The Maasai Mara 

Of the many parks in Kenya, none are more well known that the Maasai Mara. It isn’t the most spectacular, although it is undeniably good looking. It isn’t the easiest to reach, although it’s just a 4-hour drive or an hour’s flight from Nairobi. No, the reason that most people put the Maasai Mara on their 10 day Kenya itinerary is because of the sheer quantity of animals. The Mara is famed for the Great Migration, where millions of wildebeest, zebra and buck travel from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Mara. The number of animals attracts huge numbers of predators; lions, leopards, cheetah, crocodiles and hyena all feast like it’s Christmas. Nowhere on earth is there such a violent frenzy of gluttonous killing. Or such a good opportunity to see the BIG 5 in action.

Even outside the migration season, the Mara is an excellent choice for your Kenya itinerary. The wildebeest may travel back to Tanzania but fatly content most of the predators stay put. You have better chances of seeing rhino at Ol Pejeta, elephants at Amboseli and crocs in Turkana but in the Mara, you will see everything and in abundance. 

Where to Stay in the Maasai Mara

Diani Beach – Kenya Itinerary 10 days 

Kenya itineraries are synonymous with safari, but what you might not know is that Kenya’s dazzling coastline is among the best in the world. Coral reefs with big game diving, white sand beaches, palm-fringed shores and its bathwater-warm ocean line the entire coast. Add ancient Swahili ruins, port side towns selling, kangas, dhow sculptures and silver jewellery, and the laid back vibe that pervades the entire country and you have beachside bliss. 

Where to stay in Diani Beach

I wrote a blog on the best places to stay in Diani Beach.

My tops picks are:

• $$$ Swahili Beach
• $$$ Sands at Nomads
• $$$ Southern Palms Resort Diani
• $$ Kenyaways – kitesurfing hotel

Further Reading on Diani beach

Ali Barbour Cave Restaurant Diani

Kenyaways Diani Beach-a kitesurfing & Beach Hotel

Best Diani Beach Hotels: Where To Stay In Diani beach, Kenya

27 Things To Do In Diani Beach

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Tsavo National Park 

They say the best view of Kilimanjaro is from Kenya.In Tsavo National Park the iconic snow-capped, flat top of Africa’s highest mountain stands apart in startling contrast to the red soil and desert landscape of Tsavo. Another game park, but a completely different experience from the Maasai Mara. Tsavo is Kenya’s largest park, covering over 13,700 km sq, and is characterised by its volcanic landscapes, ancient baobabs and blackened lava flows. A sometimes desolate environment which surprises with volcano fed springs, densely populated watering holes and the Galana river which runs through the park, a lifeblood of water and shaded vegetation. A fitting finale to a Kenya 10 day itinerary.

Where to Stay in Tsavo National park

• $$$ Finch Hattons Luxury Tented Camp – renown for its outstanding luxury
• $$ Serena Kilaguni Camp – sits on top of a watering hole, great mid-range all-inclusive hotel
• $ Ndovu Camp. While not technically within Tsavo National Park, it sits in a great adjacent conservancy

Further Reading for Tsavo and Mombasa

How to find the Best Hotel in Mombasa

12 Amazing Places to visit in Mombasa

Discover Tsavo West National Park – there’s more to a safari than lions.

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10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 1: Nairobi

Two days to explore Nairobi.

Visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and meet the orphaned elephants, from tiny-month-old babies to great lumbering teenagers. Learn about their plight and the amazing work that the elephant orphanage does. Every elephant has a keeper that lives with them day and night, even sleeping in their stable. 

Orphaned elephants experience a sense of loss similar to humans and need 24-hour love and attention when they lose their families. The keepers at DSWT act as parents, and the relationships they have with the elephants are incredible to witness. If you adopt an elephant before you visit, you can have a more interactive experience with the elephants. Visit the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for more information.  

Then stop at the Giraffe Centre, another charitable institution which works to support the endangered Rothschild Giraffe. 

These giraffes live in the secure sanctuary but have learned to stop by the Giraffe Centre for the treats the tourists hand out. They are wild giraffes but are used to humans, so you can hand-feed them. Afterwards, take a tour of the centre to learn about the work that the Giraffe Centre does. 

Eagle-eyed visitors will also spot the infamous Giraffe Manor towards the back of the Giraffe Sanctuary.

Stop for lunch at Utamaduni Craft Centre, where you can also shop for authentic Kenyan and African crafts.

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 2: Nairobi 

Visit Nairobi National Park for a safari. Allow yourself a minimum of 4 hours to drive around the park. Have lunch at the KWS clubhouse or the fabulous Emakoko restaurant and do a second safari in the afternoon. 

Take sundowners on the terrace at the incredible Hemingway Hotel

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 3: Naivasha  

Drive to Naivasha – approximately a 90-minute trip from Nairobi.

Have lunch at Camp Carnellys and then take a boat tour to get up close and personal with the hippos. Finish off with a walking safari on Crescent Island or a bike ride around Hell’s Gate National Park.

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 4: Maasai Mara 

Two days for the Maasai Mara

Drive to the Maasai Mara (4-hour drive).  

Lunch at your camp or hotel and then take an afternoon/evening game drive, the best time to view the predators who hunt at night. Don’t forget sundowners, a Kenyan must do.

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 5: Maasai Mara

Spend the day in the infamous Maasai Mara and visit the Mara Triangle. This is where crossings take place during migration, and even off-season hosts a huge concentration of game. One of the most spectacular areas of the park, due to its remoteness, it sees fewer visitors than other areas.

10 Day in Kenya Itinerary – Day 6: Diani Beach

Three days for Diani Beach

Morning game drive in the Mara before heading to the landing strip for a flight to Diani Beach.

Spend the evening with sundowners on the Indian Ocean

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 7: Diani Beach

Relax on the beach, go scuba diving or kite surfing

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 8: Diani Beach

Relax on the beach, go on a dolphin cruise or take a trip on a traditional Dhow

10 Days in Kenya Itinerary – Day 9: Tsavo National Park

Head to Mombasa, Kenya’s second city. Shop for antiques and Swahili treasures in the old town and visit the 14th century Fort Jesus.

Take an evening train to Voi, where you will stay overnight in Tsavo National Park.

Kenya Itinerary Day 10: Tsavo – Nairobi

Safari in Tsavo National Park is the largest park in Kenya. It has all the Big 5 and amazing views of Kilimanjaro. 

Evening SGR train back to Nairobi.

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Visiting Kenya

Everything you need to know for visiting Kenya on a 10 day Kenya itinerary is within this blog.

The information section has a detailed Travel Resources page to help you find your way around. Perhaps the most important for first-time visitors to Kenya is the Essential things to know before travelling to Kenya.

You can also check out health and safety, a safari packing list, rough costs for safaris, tours and guides even a cost of living article.

Visas for Kenya

All foreigners are required to obtain a visa before entry. Whilst this can be done on arrival, it is far easier to apply online.

Visit http://evisa.go.ke/single-entry-visa.html. It costs 50USD and is valid for 3 months with an option to renew for another 3 months. 

Further Reading on itineraries in Kenya

https://theexpatmummy.com/why-choose-a-self-drive-safari-kenya-2022/

https://theexpatmummy.com/animal-migration-africa-all-you-need-know/

https://theexpatmummy.com/45-unmissable-kenya-tourist-attractions/

https://theexpatmummy.com/21-incredible-family-friendly-resorts-in-kenya/

https://theexpatmummy.com/kenya-travel-guidelines-before-you-travel/

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