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8 days · Kenya · Mid-range

8 Days Amazing Kenya Holiday Safari: Samburu, Treetops, Lake Nakuru & Mara

Eight days from the dry north to the southern savannah, with a night overlooking a floodlit waterhole in the Aberdare forest. Samburu, Treetops, Lake Nakuru and two full days in the Maasai Mara.

  • 8 days
  • Kenya
  • Mid-range
  • Starts Nairobi
  • Ends Nairobi
Giraffe on open plains

Safari snapshot

At a glance

The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.

Duration
8 days
Country
Kenya
Destinations
Samburu · Aberdare · Lake Nakuru · Maasai Mara
Safari style
Mid-range
Price
Price subject upon request
Starts
Nairobi
Ends
Nairobi

Best for

  • Couples
  • Wildlife enthusiasts
  • Travellers with more time

The route

A round trip from Nairobi

  1. Stop 1Nairobi
  2. Stop 2Samburu
  3. Stop 3Aberdare (Treetops)
  4. Stop 4Lake Nakuru
  5. Stop 5Maasai Mara
  6. Stop 6Nairobi

Safari highlights

What shapes the journey

  • Two nights in Samburu for the northern 'special five'
  • A night at a waterhole lodge in the Aberdare forest
  • Lake Nakuru's rhinos and birdlife
  • Two full days in the Maasai Mara

Day by day

Eight days, day by day.

The plan is a guide: timings may change with road and park conditions and your group's interests. Wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed.

Elephant dust-bathing

Day 1

Nairobi → Samburu

Highlands, the equator and the north

Travel by road to Kenya's northern safari circuit through the undulating central highlands, with their forests and plantations. Stop at the equator line for photographs and an explanation of its geographic importance. As you continue north the land becomes arid. Samburu National Reserve is home to species rarely seen elsewhere in Kenya — reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra and Beisa oryx — as well as elephant, lion, leopard and cheetah.

Overnight
Samburu · lodge
Main activities
Equator stop

Day 2

Samburu National Reserve

Palms, river and rare species

Start with breakfast at your lodge, then head into the bush as the sun rises. Giraffes wander between the trees and elephants wade in the shallows of the Ewaso Ng'iro River, Samburu's lifeline. With luck you may see the reserve's special species — Somali ostrich, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Grevy's zebra. After a picnic lunch, game viewing continues until evening.

Overnight
Samburu · lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch
Elephant palms forest

Day 3

Samburu → Aberdare National Park

A night above the waterhole

Enjoy a short morning game drive in Samburu, then head for the Aberdare highlands. The park is densely forested, so wildlife is best watched from your lodge overlooking a waterhole. From the viewing areas you may see elephants arriving to drink, and rarer visitors such as giant forest hog, bongo, genet or serval. Black rhino, spotted hyena, colobus monkeys, buffalo and leopard also live in the forested ravines.

Overnight
Aberdare · lodge
Main activities
Short game drive · Waterhole viewing

Day 4

Aberdare → Lake Nakuru

Through Kenya's highlands

Leave the Aberdare range behind and travel through beautiful highland scenery to Lake Nakuru National Park. The park is known for its birdlife and as a rhino sanctuary, protecting black and white rhino as well as Rothschild's giraffe, and its euphorbia forest and yellow acacia woodland make it unusually picturesque. Enjoy a short game drive on arrival, or relax in the cool environment.

Overnight
Buraha Zenoni, Lake Nakuru
Main activities
Short game drive

Day 5

Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara

Early drive and the journey west

After an early breakfast, enjoy a morning game drive in Lake Nakuru. Flamingos may line the shore, eagles soar overhead, and storks and pelicans wade in the shallows. Rhinos emerge from the bush, and buffalo and giraffe stand among the trees. Then continue west to the Maasai Mara, arriving in time to settle in at your lodge.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · lodge
Main activities
Morning game drive
Elephant herd savannah

Day 6

Maasai Mara National Reserve

The climax of the safari

Start the day with an optional balloon flight (extra cost, by pre-arrangement), then enjoy extensive morning and afternoon game drives in one of the world's most famous reserves. The savannah is home to a great variety of wildlife moving freely across the plains, and between July and October the wildebeest migration may be in the reserve, depending on the rains.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · lodge
Main activities
Morning and afternoon game drives

Day 7

Maasai Mara National Reserve

A second day to explore

With a second full day, you can explore further — perhaps along the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles live and herds sometimes gather to cross, or across open plains where lion prides and cheetah hunt. Take lunch in the bush and follow your guide's lead to wherever the day's sightings are. Return to the lodge for your final night on safari.

Overnight
Maasai Mara · lodge
Main activities
Full-day game drive
Elephant acacia savannah

Day 8

Maasai Mara → Nairobi

Last drive, then Nairobi

Head out on an early game drive to see the Mara's wildlife one last time, when lions and cheetahs are often active and the grassland glows in the morning light. Return to the lodge for breakfast, then drive back to Nairobi through Narok and up the Rift Valley escarpment. Your eight days on safari, from Samburu's dry north to the Mara's open plains, come to an end with drop-off at your hotel or the airport.

Main activities
Early game drive

Recommended accommodation

Where you stay.

Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Samburu · 2 nights

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Aberdare · 1 night

Package accommodation

Buraha Zenoni

Mid-range · Lake Nakuru · 1 night

Accommodation category

Overnight at the lodge

Mid-range · Maasai Mara · 3 nights

What’s included

Clear from the start.

  • Transport in a safari vehicle with a pop-up roof
  • Airport pick-up
  • Accommodation as per itinerary
  • All meals while on safari (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
  • Services of a professional driver-guide
  • All park entrance fees
  • All game drives
  • Statutory taxes

What’s not included

No hidden assumptions.

  • Personal insurance
  • Items of personal use
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Optional activities
  • Tips

Your written quotation confirms the exact inclusions for your dates.

Flexible pricing

A clear quote for your journey.

The final price depends on when and how you travel: season, group size, accommodation level and private or shared transport.

Pricing

Price subject upon request

We quote this journey individually because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change it significantly.

What affects the final price?

  • Travel dates and season
  • Group size
  • Accommodation availability
  • Private or shared vehicle
Request Exact Quote Ask on WhatsApp (opens WhatsApp)

Made around you

Make this safari yours.

Where operationally possible, a local planner can help adapt the journey without losing the route’s natural rhythm.

  • Travel dates and pace
  • Adding or removing nights where the route allows
  • Accommodation choices, subject to availability
  • Combining with another destination
Customise This Safari

Optional experiences

Add a different perspective.

Availability, location, age limits and extra costs are confirmed for your final itinerary.

Hot-air balloon safari over the Maasai Mara

Optional · extra cost · pre-arrangement required

Maasai village visit

Optional · extra cost

Verified guest voices

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External review source

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Read our reviews on Tripadvisor

Before you travel

Safari questions, answered clearly.

How much does the 8 Days Amazing Kenya Holiday Safari: Samburu, Treetops, Lake Nakuru & Mara cost?

The 8 Days Amazing Kenya Holiday Safari: Samburu, Treetops, Lake Nakuru & Mara is quoted individually (price subject upon request), because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change the cost. Share your dates and a planner will send an exact quotation.

Where does this safari start and finish?

It starts and finishes in Nairobi. Your planner can advise on arrival and departure arrangements.

Where will I stay?

The package uses Buraha Zenoni. Other nights are listed as “overnight at the lodge”: the specific property is confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.

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Travel planning

Start planning with a local expert

Your safari starts with a conversation.

Tell us your dates, travel style and what matters most. A Nairobi-based planner can shape the details with you.

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PricingPrice subject upon request
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