After breakfast, we checked out of Serena Sweetwaters and drove a short distance to the hippo hide inside Ol Pejeta. It was a quiet ending to our first safari experience — no rush, no dramatic sightings, just a slow walk along the riverbank with a local ranger.

The trail followed the Ewaso Nyiro, where a few hippos stood half-submerged, barely moving, as if conserving energy for the rest of the day. The ranger spoke about the river, the animals, and the plants growing along the banks — some familiar, some used locally for medicinal purposes. It felt less like a safari and more like being gently introduced to the land, at walking pace.

From there, we began the drive towards Mount Kenya National Park and Serena Mountain Lodge.

The lodge sits high in the forest, built almost entirely of timber, overlooking a floodlit waterhole and salt lick. It felt dated in places, but not in a way that bothered us. The rooms were small, functional, and warm, and the building itself felt like it belonged to the forest rather than imposed on it.

There isn’t much to do at Mountain Lodge — and that is precisely the point.

Most of our time was spent either on the balcony or at the viewing deck, watching animals come and go at the waterhole below. Buffaloes lingered for long stretches during the day, antelopes arrived cautiously, and occasionally something unexpected would appear quietly at the edge of the light. There were no game drives here, no chasing sightings, only waiting.

That night, sometime around 2am, we stepped out onto the balcony again. The forest was completely still, the air cold, and the waterhole softly illuminated below. We stood there for nearly an hour, wrapped in silence, watching shapes move in and out of view. It was one of the most memorable moments of the trip — not because of what we saw, but because of how little effort it required. The wildlife came to us.

The next morning, after breakfast, we began the long drive south towards Lake Naivasha.

The change in landscape was gradual but unmistakable. Dense forest gave way to open countryside, rolling hills, and cultivated land. The air felt lighter. Near Nyahururu, we stopped briefly at Thomson’s Falls, where the river drops into a deep gorge, mist rising and settling on the surrounding greenery.

By early afternoon, we reached Lake Naivasha.

Set within the Great Rift Valley, the lake felt open and expansive after the enclosure of the forest. A boat ride on the lake offered a different kind of wildlife experience altogether — hippos surfaced lazily near the boat, while birds dominated the scene. Fish eagles, cormorants, darters, jacanas — not individually counted, just noticed, present everywhere.

We stayed at Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge, where animals wandered freely across the lawns. Zebras grazed near the rooms, ibis moved about unhurriedly, and the evenings were spent walking the grounds rather than going anywhere in particular.

Naivasha felt like a pause in the journey — not a highlight, not a spectacle, but a necessary slowing down before what lay ahead. After forest and water, quiet nights and open skies, we were ready for the vastness of the Mara.