8 days · Kenya · Budget
An eight-day journey from the arid north to the southern savannah: Samburu's rare dry-country species, the forests and foothills of Mount Kenya, Lake Nakuru's rhinos and two nights in the Maasai Mara.
Safari snapshot
The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.
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The route
Safari highlights
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.
Day 1
Nairobi
Depending on your arrival time, spend the day on a Nairobi city tour. Options include the elephant orphanage run by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum, with the National Museum if time allows. Entrance fees for these sites are not included. In the evening, a dinner at one of Nairobi's well-known restaurants makes a relaxed start to the trip.
Day 2
Nairobi → Samburu
Leave Nairobi at around 8am for Kenya's northern safari circuit. Stop on the equator line for photographs and a short explanation of its geographical significance, then continue north as the green highlands give way to dry, open country. Arrive in Samburu National Reserve in the afternoon for a short game drive. Elephant, impala, Grevy's zebra and Grant's gazelle are among the animals often found on the plains.
Day 3
Samburu National Reserve
Spend the whole day exploring Samburu and the neighbouring Buffalo Springs area. The reserve is famous for five dry-country species rarely seen in the south: Beisa oryx, gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra and Somali ostrich. The banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River concentrate wildlife, and lion, leopard and elephant are also found here. After a picnic lunch, continue exploring until evening.
Day 4
Samburu → Mount Kenya
After breakfast, enjoy a short game drive on the way out of Samburu, watching for the dry-country species you may not see again further south. The road climbs through rolling hills with fine views towards Mount Kenya, Africa's second-highest mountain, as arid scrub gives way to farmland and forest. Arrive in the Nanyuki area for lunch, with the afternoon free for optional activities or simply relaxing in the cooler highland air.
Day 5
Mount Kenya → Lake Nakuru
Take a nature walk in the Mount Kenya foothills, including a visit to caves associated with Kenya's independence struggle. Later, leave the mountain region and drive towards Lake Nakuru, stopping at Thomson's Falls in Nyahururu, where the river drops over a basalt cliff. Descend into the Rift Valley with lunch on the way and arrive in Nakuru for dinner.
Day 6
Lake Nakuru → Maasai Mara
Savour an early game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, known for its prolific birdlife along the shore and for protecting both white and black rhino. Buffalo, giraffe, zebra and sometimes tree-climbing lions complete the picture. Exit the park and head west to the Maasai Mara, arriving for an afternoon or evening drive depending on the road.
Day 7
Maasai Mara National Reserve
An optional early balloon flight can start the day at extra cost. Then spend a full day on game drives across the reserve, from the open plains to the Mara River. Lions, elephant herds, buffalo and giraffe are all present, and the diverse habitats support cheetah and leopard. Your guide will follow the network of tracks to wherever the day's action seems to be, with lunch taken in the bush.
Day 8
Maasai Mara → Nairobi
Head out on an early game drive before returning for breakfast at around 9.30am; morning is often when lions and cheetahs are most active on the plains. Then depart for Nairobi, climbing out of the Mara region through Narok and stopping along the way for panoramic views across the Rift Valley. Arrive in the afternoon for drop-off at your hotel or the airport, ending an eight-day circuit from the northern reserves to the Mara.
Recommended accommodation
Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.
Accommodation category
Nairobi · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Samburu · 2 nights
Accommodation category
Budget · Mount Kenya · 1 night
Package accommodation
Budget · Lake Nakuru · 1 night
Package accommodation
Budget camp · Maasai Mara · 2 nights
What’s included
What’s not included
Your written quotation confirms the exact inclusions for your dates.
Flexible pricing
The final price depends on when and how you travel: season, group size, accommodation level and private or shared transport.
Pricing
Price on request
We quote this journey individually because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change it significantly.
Made around you
Where operationally possible, a local planner can help adapt the journey without losing the route’s natural rhythm.
Optional experiences
Availability, location, age limits and extra costs are confirmed for your final itinerary.
Optional · extra cost · pre-arrangement required
Optional · extra cost
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Read our reviews on TripadvisorBefore you travel
The 8 Days Classic Kenya Safari: Samburu, Mt Kenya, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara is quoted individually (price on request), because travel dates, group size and accommodation availability change the cost. Share your dates and a planner will send an exact quotation.
It starts and finishes in Nairobi. Your planner can advise on arrival and departure arrangements.
The package uses Buraha Zenoni, Miti Mingi Eco Camp. Other nights are listed as “overnight at the camp/lodge”: the specific property is confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.
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Travel planning
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