SAFARI

Kenya Classic: Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli

Duration: 7 days
Start Date: 12 Sept 2026
End Date: 19 Sept 2026
From: USD 2,450.00
Add-ons: 5

Overview

Kenya packs an extraordinary amount of Africa into a short drive. This seven day loop out of Nairobi links the three parks that made the country famous, and it does it slowly enough that you are watching animals rather than watching the road. You begin on the floor of the Great Rift Valley at Lake Nakuru, where flamingos work the shallows and both black and white rhino graze the acacia woodland. From there you climb west into the Masai Mara for two full days on the plains, timed so that your long game drive falls on the middle morning, when the big cats are still moving and the light is worth the early start. Between July and October the wildebeest herds are on the Mara River and the crossings are within reach of camp. The return leg is deliberately unlike the first. Lake Naivasha is freshwater and green, with hippo pods offshore and a walking sanctuary on Crescent Island where you can get out of the vehicle and cover ground on foot. The trip closes at Amboseli, whose elephant families are the most studied on the continent and whose backdrop, on a clear morning, is the whole of Kilimanjaro. Departures are capped at twelve travellers in 4x4 pop-top cruisers with a guaranteed window seat for everybody, and the same KPSGA-certified guide stays with the group from arrival to departure. The itinerary is a starting point rather than a fixture: tell us how long you have and what you most want to see, and we will rework it around you.

Trip Details

Comfort Level: MID RANGE
Itinerary: Customisable on request
Airport Transfer: Included

Perfect for

PhotographersFamiliesGroup Tours

Countries visited

Kenya

Day by Day

1
Day 1
Arrive Nairobi, Giraffe Centre and the city's own national park
Your guide meets you in the arrivals hall at Jomo Kenyatta International and drives you into the city. If your flight lands early there is time for an afternoon game drive in Nairobi National Park, the only national park in the world inside a capital city, where black rhino and lion graze against a skyline of office towers.
Later, an hour at the Giraffe Centre in Karen, a breeding programme for the endangered Rothschild's giraffe, where you feed them from a raised deck at head height.
The evening is a trip briefing over dinner: route, timings, what to have in the vehicle, and what the wildlife is doing this week.
Photos from Nairobi National Park
Main destinations
- Nairobi National Park
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Nairobi House
- Giraffe Centre, Karen
Overnight
Nairobi
Meals included
Dinner
2
Day 2
Down the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Nakuru
An early start north west out of Nairobi. The road climbs to the Great Rift Valley viewpoint, where the escarpment drops away and the extinct volcanoes of Longonot and Suswa stand out on the valley floor. We stop for the view and for coffee.
You reach Lake Nakuru National Park in time for lunch and spend the afternoon on a game drive. Nakuru is a fenced rhino sanctuary and one of the most reliable places in Kenya to see both species in a single afternoon, along with Rothschild's giraffe and the tree-climbing lions of the southern woodland.
- Flamingo and pelican flocks on the shoreline
- Black and white rhino in the acacia woodland
- Baboon Cliff for sunset over the lake
Photos from Lake Nakuru National Park
Main destinations
- Lake Nakuru National Park
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Nakuru Lodge
- Great Rift Valley Viewpoint
Overnight
Lake Nakuru
Meals included
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
3
Day 3
West to the Masai Mara and a first afternoon on the plains
You leave Nakuru after breakfast and drive south west through Narok, the last town before the reserve, arriving at camp for lunch.
The afternoon is your first game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve. We work the Talek river frontage, which holds resident lion prides year round and where elephant and buffalo come down to drink in the last two hours of light.
Back at camp for dinner under canvas, with the plains close enough that you fall asleep to them.
Photos from Masai Mara National Reserve
Main destination
- Masai Mara National Reserve
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Mara Camp
Overnight
Masai Mara
Meals included
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
4
Day 4
A full day in the Mara, with an optional balloon at dawn
The whole day is yours in the reserve, with a picnic lunch carried in the vehicle so you never have to break off a sighting to drive back for a meal. This is the day the itinerary is built around.
We are out before first light for the big cats, which are still moving at that hour, and push west toward the Mara River. Between July and October the wildebeest herds mass on the banks and the crossings, when they come, are the single most dramatic thing on this trip.
Optional: a hot air balloon flight at dawn over the plains, landing to a champagne bush breakfast. It has to be booked in advance and is listed under the extras.
Photos from Masai Mara National Reserve
Main destinations
- Masai Mara National Reserve
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Mara Camp
- Mara River
Overnight
Masai Mara
Meals included
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
5
Day 5
A Maasai village, then east to Lake Naivasha
A last morning game drive, then a visit to a Maasai manyatta bordering the reserve. The community runs the visit itself and the fee goes to them directly, so it is a conversation about grazing, livestock and conservancy leases rather than a performance.
You drive north east in the afternoon to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake on the Rift Valley floor and a complete change of scene: fever tree forest, fish eagles and hippo pods a few metres offshore. An evening boat ride takes you out among them.
Photos from Lake Naivasha
Main destination
- Lake Naivasha
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Naivasha Lodge
Overnight
Lake Naivasha
Meals included
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
6
Day 6
Crescent Island on foot, then south to Amboseli
An early walk on Crescent Island, a private sanctuary in the lake with no predators, which is why you are allowed out of the vehicle. Zebra, giraffe, waterbuck and impala graze within a few metres and there is no engine noise at all.
The long drive south then takes you to Amboseli National Park in time for an evening game drive. Amboseli's elephant families are the longest studied population anywhere in Africa, and on a clear evening they cross the marsh with Kilimanjaro filling the sky behind them.
Photos from Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
Main destinations
- Crescent Island Game Sanctuary
- Amboseli National Park
  Overnight stay: Savannah Trails Amboseli Camp
Overnight
Amboseli
Meals included
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
7
Day 7
Kilimanjaro at sunrise, and back to Nairobi
The mountain is clearest in the first hour of light, so we are out early for a final game drive and a climb up Observation Hill, which looks over the whole swamp system and the herds working through it.
Back to camp for a late breakfast, then the drive north to Nairobi, arriving mid afternoon. We drop you at Jomo Kenyatta International for an evening flight, or at a city hotel if you are staying on.
Extending? Diani and the south coast are a forty minute flight away and pair well with this route.
Photos from Observation Hill, Amboseli
Main destinations
- Observation Hill, Amboseli
- Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Overnight
Departure
Meals included
Breakfast

What’s Included

Included

Six nights accommodation on full board, twin share
All park and reserve entry fees for the parks on the itinerary
Private 4x4 pop-top land cruiser with a guaranteed window seat
KPSGA-certified driver guide throughout, English and Swahili speaking
Airport transfers on arrival and departure
Unlimited game drives as set out in the day by day itinerary
Boat ride on Lake Naivasha
Crescent Island walking sanctuary fees
Maasai village visit and community fee
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle throughout
Picnic lunch on the full day in the Masai Mara
Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover for the duration of the safari
All government taxes and levies

Not Included

International and domestic flights
Kenya eTA and any visa fees
Travel and medical insurance, which is a condition of booking
Hot air balloon safari, bookable as an extra
Alcoholic and soft drinks, and any items of a personal nature
Tips for your guide and for lodge staff
Laundry, telephone and wifi charges where not included by the lodge
Anything not expressly listed under what is included

Optional add-ons

Hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara
A dawn flight over the plains with a champagne bush breakfast on landing, plus a flight certificate. About an hour in the air. Must be booked at least seven days ahead.
$495
Private vehicle for the whole safari
Your own 4x4 and guide for the full seven days, so the group sets its own pace and timings. Priced per vehicle, not per person.
$780
Professional photographic guide
A second guide who is a working wildlife photographer, riding in your vehicle for the two Masai Mara days to help with positioning, light and camera settings.
$350
Nairobi airport meet and greet with lounge access
Fast tracked arrival, assistance through immigration and baggage, and two hours of lounge access on departure.
$65
Extra night in Nairobi before departure
Bed and breakfast at a four star hotel in Westlands, with transfers. Useful if you are flying out the following morning.
$145

Secure your spot by paying a 10% Booking Confirmation Fee. The rest is paid directly to the operator later.

Refunded, less transaction fees, if the booking does not go ahead with the operator.

Get Free Quote

Next departure: Sep 12, 2026 · 6 seats left

Hosted by Savannah Trails Safaris

Add-ons

Hot air balloon safari over the Masai Mara

A dawn flight over the plains with a champagne bush breakfast on landing, plus a flight certificate. About an hour in the air. Must be booked at least seven days ahead.

USD 495.00

Private vehicle for the whole safari

Your own 4x4 and guide for the full seven days, so the group sets its own pace and timings. Priced per vehicle, not per person.

USD 780.00

Professional photographic guide

A second guide who is a working wildlife photographer, riding in your vehicle for the two Masai Mara days to help with positioning, light and camera settings.

USD 350.00

Nairobi airport meet and greet with lounge access

Fast tracked arrival, assistance through immigration and baggage, and two hours of lounge access on departure.

USD 65.00

Extra night in Nairobi before departure

Bed and breakfast at a four star hotel in Westlands, with transfers. Useful if you are flying out the following morning.

USD 145.00

Base priceUSD 2,450.00

Add-onsUSD 0.00

EstimateUSD 2,450.00

Duration: 7 days
Start Date: 12 Sept 2026
End Date: 19 Sept 2026
From: USD 2,450.00
Add-ons: 5

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