9 days · Kenya · Budget
Nine days that cover Kenya end to end: the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Samburu in the dry north, the foothills of Mount Kenya and Amboseli's elephants — a thorough introduction to the country's wildlife and landscapes.
Safari snapshot
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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 → Maasai Mara
After a pick-up from your hotel, head west for the Maasai Mara, with scenic stops along the way. Arrive at camp in time for lunch and a late-afternoon game drive. The Mara is covered by large herds of elephant and buffalo, lion prides and cheetah coalitions, and from about July to October the wildebeest migration may bring many more animals from the Serengeti.
Day 2
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Leave camp in the morning to explore the reserve's wild plains, which hold elephant, zebra, buffalo and many other animals throughout the year. Depending on timing, you may witness migrating herds gathering at the Mara River, one of the great natural events on Earth. Even outside migration season, the resident wildlife makes this one of Africa's finest game-viewing areas.
Day 3
Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
After breakfast, there is an optional visit to a Maasai village for a cultural experience. Then leave the Mara region and drive to Lake Nakuru, marvelling at the scenery of the Rift Valley on the way. The road climbs through Narok and descends past farmland, escarpments and volcanic hills, linking two very different parts of Kenya. It is mainly a travel day, giving time to rest after the Mara. Dinner and overnight near the lake.
Day 4
Lake Nakuru → Samburu
Enjoy a game drive as you exit Lake Nakuru National Park, then head north. Stop at Thomson's Falls, where you can view the falls from designated points or follow the trail to their base. The road to Samburu passes tea and coffee plantations and forested hills before the landscape dries out towards the north. Arrive in the evening, with a short game drive if time allows.
Day 5
Samburu National Reserve
Spend the day exploring Samburu and the Buffalo Springs area. Look for the 'Samburu special five' — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich — along with elephant, lion and leopard near the Ewaso Ng'iro River, where wildlife concentrates. The dry, rugged scenery feels very different from the southern parks. After a picnic lunch, continue until evening, or visit a Samburu community.
Day 6
Samburu → Mount Kenya
After breakfast, enjoy a short game drive on the way out of Samburu, then wind through rolling hills towards Mount Kenya. The landscape changes steadily from dry northern bush to green farmland and forest on the mountain's slopes. Arrive in the Nanyuki area for lunch, with the afternoon free for optional activities in the cool highland air. It is a gentler day that breaks up the long route south.
Day 7
Mount Kenya → Amboseli
After breakfast, take a nature walk in the Mount Kenya area, including a visit to caves associated with Kenya's struggle for independence. Then leave the mountain for the long drive south to Amboseli, with lunch on the way. Amboseli lies at the foot of Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, and its open plains and swamps make a striking contrast with the highland forest. Check in at camp for dinner.
Day 8
Amboseli National Park
Spend a full day game viewing in Amboseli. Large elephant herds walk slowly across the plains with Kilimanjaro behind them, buffalo bathe in the swamps, and giraffe, zebra, warthog and lion are among the park's other residents. Break for a picnic lunch in the shade, then continue exploring. When the clouds lift in the evening, the summit often comes into view.
Day 9
Amboseli → Nairobi
Depart for Nairobi after breakfast with a game drive on the way out of the park, a last chance to watch Amboseli's elephant herds crossing the plains beneath Kilimanjaro. The road north runs through Maasai rangeland and dry bush before reaching the city, arriving in the late afternoon. An optional farewell dinner can be arranged in Nairobi before your transfer to the airport, closing nine days across Kenya's north and south.
Recommended accommodation
Named properties are the ones used for this package. Nights listed by category are confirmed with your quotation, subject to availability.
Package accommodation
Budget camp · Maasai Mara · 2 nights
Package accommodation
Budget · Lake Nakuru · 1 night
Accommodation category
Budget · Samburu · 2 nights
Accommodation category
Budget · Mount Kenya · 1 night
Package accommodation
Budget camp · Amboseli · 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 independent traveller feedback at its original source. Ratings and review totals remain on Tripadvisor, where they stay current.
Read our reviews on TripadvisorBefore you travel
The 9 Days Best Kenya Safari: Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Samburu, Mt Kenya & Amboseli 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 Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Buraha Zenoni, Nyati Safari 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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