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8 days · Kenya · Budget

8 Days Kenya Budget Holiday Safari: Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha & Amboseli

A slower-paced version of Kenya's classic loop with three nights in the Maasai Mara: more time on the plains, followed by Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate at Lake Naivasha and two nights at Amboseli.

  • 8 days
  • Kenya
  • Budget
  • Shared
  • Starts Nairobi
  • Ends Nairobi
Lioness yawning in grass

Safari snapshot

At a glance

The essentials for comparing this journey before you enquire.

Duration
8 days
Country
Kenya
Destinations
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Lake Naivasha · Hell's Gate · Amboseli
Safari style
Budget
Trip type
Group joining / Shared
Price
$830–$1,030 pp
Starts
Nairobi
Ends
Nairobi

Best for

  • Group-joining travellers
  • Slow safari
  • Wildlife photography

The route

A round trip from Nairobi

  1. Stop 1Nairobi
  2. Stop 2Maasai Mara
  3. Stop 3Lake Nakuru
  4. Stop 4Lake Naivasha
  5. Stop 5Amboseli
  6. Stop 6Nairobi

Safari highlights

What shapes the journey

  • Three nights in the Maasai Mara for more than one full day of game drives
  • Flamingos and white and black rhino at Lake Nakuru
  • Hiking or cycling in Hell's Gate
  • Two nights near Amboseli with Kilimanjaro views

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.

Lion lioness cubs

Day 1

Nairobi → Maasai Mara

Down the escarpment to the Mara

After pick-up from the airport, your hotel or residence, depart for the Maasai Mara via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and Narok town. The road descends the escarpment onto the valley floor before crossing Maasai country to the reserve, a first taste of Kenya's open landscapes. Arrive at camp for lunch, then head out with your driver-guide for an afternoon game drive, tracking plains game and birdlife across the reserve. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Overnight
Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Maasai Mara
Main activities
Afternoon game drive

Day 2

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Undulating grassland and hippo pools

Set out after breakfast for a full day of game viewing. The reserve's savannah grassland rolls over gentle hills, and its extensive track network allows close-range viewing and photography. Stop for a picnic lunch beside a hippo pool, watching for hippo and crocodile, before continuing into the afternoon. Return to camp as the light fades.

Overnight
Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Maasai Mara
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch
Wildebeest river crossing migration

Day 3

Maasai Mara National Reserve

A second day to follow the wildlife

With a third night in the Mara, today offers a second full day to explore at a gentler pace — returning to areas where predators were active, or venturing further towards the river. Between July and October, migration herds may be present in the reserve, depending on rainfall. At other times, the Mara's resident lions, elephants, buffalo and antelope keep game viewing rewarding.

Overnight
Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Maasai Mara
Main activities
Full-day game drive

Day 4

Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru

Maasai stories and the Rift Valley

After breakfast, visit a Maasai village to experience traditional culture and hear the community's stories (optional, extra cost), then leave the Mara for Nakuru, with lunch en route. Look out for Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha from the highway as the road crosses the floor of the Rift Valley. After three days on the Mara's plains, this stage brings a change of scene towards the Rift Valley lakes. Dinner and overnight near Lake Nakuru.

Overnight
Buraha Zenoni, Lake Nakuru

Day 5

Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha

Rhino sanctuary and Makalia falls

Head into Lake Nakuru National Park for a morning game drive. Alongside flamingos and hundreds of bird species, the park is home to over 50 mammal species, including black and white rhino, waterbuck and buffalo. Its landscape of euphorbia forest, acacia woodland and the Makalia waterfall is among Kenya's most picturesque. Exit the park and continue to Lake Naivasha, where you can relax or arrange optional activities.

Overnight
Leisure Apex, Lake Naivasha
Main activities
Game drive
Zebra mare and foal near water

Day 6

Lake Naivasha → Amboseli

Towering cliffs and geothermal steam

After breakfast, head to Hell's Gate National Park for a game drive or a guided walk. The scenery is magnificent: tall cliffs, gorges, rock towers and plumes of geothermal steam, with zebra, buffalo and giraffe often grazing on the open ground below. Later, leave the park and drive south to Amboseli National Park, with a hot lunch on the way. It is a long transfer that trades the Rift Valley for Kilimanjaro country. Dinner and overnight at camp.

Overnight
Nyati Safari Camp, Amboseli
Main activities
Hell's Gate visit

Day 7

Amboseli National Park

A day with Amboseli's elephants

Enjoy a full day of game drives among the large numbers of wildlife that come to bathe and feed in Amboseli's swamps. Elephant and buffalo roam at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, and cheetah, zebra and hyena are among the other species you may encounter. After a picnic lunch, the afternoon drive continues. On clear evenings, the mountain's snow-capped peaks appear above the plains.

Overnight
Nyati Safari Camp, Amboseli
Main activities
Full-day game drive · Picnic lunch
Elephant bull seen during an East African safari

Day 8

Amboseli → Nairobi

Last light on the plains

Take an early game drive, when Amboseli's elephants are often on the move and the mountain may show itself before the clouds build. Return to camp for a hot breakfast, then pack up for the journey. Drive back to Nairobi, or be dropped at Emali for onward road travel to Mombasa, or at the airport for a connecting flight to the coast. The eight-day circuit ends with memories of the Mara, the Rift Valley lakes and Kilimanjaro.

Main activities
Morning 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.

Package accommodation

Miti Mingi Eco Camp

Budget camp · Maasai Mara · 3 nights

Package accommodation

Buraha Zenoni

Budget · Lake Nakuru · 1 night

Package accommodation

Leisure Apex

Budget · Lake Naivasha · 1 night

Package accommodation

Nyati Safari Camp

Budget camp · Amboseli · 2 nights

What’s included

Clear from the start.

  • Transport in a safari van with a pop-up roof
  • 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.

  • Travel and personal insurance
  • Items of a personal nature
  • Alcoholic and soft drinks
  • Optional activities
  • Visa fees
  • Tips and gratuities

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.

Published price

Jan–Jun$830 pp
Jul–Dec$1,030 pp

Prices are per person. Your written quotation confirms the price for your travel dates.

What affects the final price?

  • Travel dates and season
  • Group size
  • Accommodation availability
  • Private or shared vehicle
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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

Boat ride on Lake Naivasha

Optional · extra cost

Verified guest voices

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External review source

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External review source

Tripadvisor

Read independent traveller feedback at its original source. Ratings and review totals remain on Tripadvisor, where they stay current.

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Before you travel

Safari questions, answered clearly.

How much does the 8 Days Kenya Budget Holiday Safari: Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha & Amboseli cost?

Published prices are USD 830 per person (Jan–Jun) and USD 1,030 per person (Jul–Dec). Your quotation confirms the price for your travel dates.

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 Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Buraha Zenoni, Leisure Apex, Nyati Safari Camp.

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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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Per person · by season$830–$1,030 pp
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