7 days · 6 nights · Kenya
Seven days, four Kenyan parks
Rhino at Lake Nakuru, big cats and the migration in the Maasai Mara, hippo and birdlife at Naivasha, then elephants under Kilimanjaro in Amboseli. Two full days with no transfer, in the two parks that deserve them.
Why it is built this way
Most seven day itineraries either stay in one park or spend four days driving. This one does neither.
Nakuru and Naivasha are used as short, purposeful stops on the way in and out. That is what buys the two full days in the Mara and Amboseli, and a full day is the difference between seeing a lion and watching a hunt.
The route is a loop from Nairobi, so nothing is repeated. The longest driving day, Naivasha to Amboseli, falls in the middle of the week rather than at the start or the end.
It runs at three accommodation levels. The days, the vehicle and the guide stay identical; only the lodges change, from USD 3,190 to USD 5,645 per person sharing.
Duration
7 days, 6 nights
Starts and ends
Nairobi
Parks
Four
From
USD 3,190 pp
Best months
Jul to Oct, Jan to Mar
Late July to October, on your full Mara day
What you will remember
Two mornings, mainly
Day three in the Mara. Out before six with a packed breakfast, the grass still wet, and the cats not yet lying up for the day. In migration season this is when the herds mass at the river, and a crossing can happen at any hour.
Day six in Amboseli. Kilimanjaro is clearest in the first hour of light and clouded by nine, so the mountain photograph is a decision you make the night before, not on the morning. Elephant families come out onto the pans while it is still cold.
Between them, a boat on Lake Naivasha, rhino at Nakuru on the first afternoon while you are still fresh, and a great deal of Rift Valley road.
Day by day
The seven days in order
Driving times are approximate and assume normal road conditions. Your driver guide shapes the day around wildlife and weather rather than a fixed schedule.
Day one
Nairobi to Lake Nakuru
Drive about 3 hours
Afternoon game drive
Lunch and dinner
We collect you in Nairobi after breakfast and head north up the Rift Valley escarpment, stopping at the viewpoint above Lake Naivasha. After lunch at the lodge you go out around the lake shore. Nakuru is a rhino sanctuary, so this is your best chance of both black and white rhino, along with Rothschild giraffe and buffalo on the open flats.
Sarova Lionhill, Nakuru Sopa or Lake Nakuru Lodge
Day two
Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara
Drive about 5 hours
Evening game drive
All meals
A morning game drive before breakfast, then west and south through Narok into Maasai Mara country. The final stretch is rough road, so we time it to reach camp in the early afternoon. Once you have settled in there is an evening drive along the river, when the lions start moving.
Sand River Camp, Mara Maisha Camp or Mara Sopa Lodge
Day three
A full day in the Maasai Mara
No transfer
Dawn and afternoon drives
All meals
The day the whole route is built around. We leave at first light with a packed breakfast so you are out while the light is low and the cats are still active. Between late July and October this is when the migration herds and the river crossings come into play. Optional today: a balloon flight at dawn, and a visit to a Maasai village, both booked in advance.
Sand River Camp, Mara Maisha Camp or Mara Sopa Lodge
Day four
Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha
Drive about 5 hours
Optional boat trip
Lunch and dinner
An early game drive, then out through the Oloolaimutia gate and back up towards the Rift Valley. Naivasha is freshwater and a change of pace: a boat trip out to the hippo pods and the fish eagles, or a walk on Crescent Island among zebra and giraffe with no predators around.
Naivasha Sopa, Sawela Lodge or Naivasha Kongoni
Day five
Lake Naivasha to Amboseli
Drive about 6 hours
Late afternoon drive
All meals
The longest driving day, south past Nairobi and on towards the Tanzanian border, broken with a stop en route. You reach Amboseli in time for a late afternoon drive on the marshes, which is when the elephant families come out into the open and the mountain often clears.
Tortilis Camp, Kibo Safari Camp or Amboseli Sopa
Day six
A full day in Amboseli
No transfer
Dawn and afternoon drives
All meals
Out before sunrise, because Kilimanjaro is usually clearest in the first hour of light. Amboseli is flat and open, with swamps fed by snowmelt, so elephant, buffalo and hundreds of waterbirds concentrate in small areas. Observation Hill gives you the whole basin in one view. In the afternoon we work the western marshes.
Tortilis Camp, Kibo Safari Camp or Amboseli Sopa
Day seven
Amboseli to Nairobi
Drive about 5 hours
Morning game drive
Breakfast
A final morning drive, breakfast at the camp, and the drive back to Nairobi. We drop you at your hotel, at Jomo Kenyatta International, or at Wilson if you are flying on to the coast. If your international flight is late we can arrange a day room or a city tour.
Departure day
An optional dawn balloon flight over the Mara, booked in advance.
Accommodation
Three ways to run the same route
Named properties, per person sharing, based on two travellers. Peak season, August and September.
Premium
USD 5,645 per person
Sarova Lionhill, Sand River Camp, Naivasha Sopa, Tortilis Camp. Small camps in the best positions, including Sand River in the far south of the Mara and Tortilis with a direct view of Kilimanjaro.
Mid range
USD 3,555 per person
Nakuru Sopa, Mara Maisha, Sawela, Kibo Safari Camp. Comfortable tented camps and lodges with good positions, pools and reliable food. The level most guests choose.
Value
USD 3,190 per person
Lake Nakuru Lodge, Mara Sopa, Naivasha Kongoni, Kilima Camp. Established lodges at the entry price. Same route, same vehicle, same guide, simpler rooms.
Included and not included
Exactly what the price covers
Included
Six nights accommodation at your chosen level
All park and reserve entry fees
Transport throughout in our own pop-top 4×4 safari vehicle
An in-house Uthando Safaris driver guide for the whole route
Meals as stated for each day, full board in the parks
Drinking water in the vehicle
Airport or hotel pick up and drop off in Nairobi
Not included
International flights and airport taxes
The Kenya visitor eTA
A hot air balloon safari in the Maasai Mara
Maasai village visit fees
The Lake Naivasha boat trip unless requested in advance
Drinks, laundry and items of a personal nature
Tips for your driver guide and lodge staff
Travel insurance
Meals and practical
The small things that shape the week
Day one starts with lunch and ends with dinner. Days two, three, five and six are full board. Day four includes lunch and dinner, and day seven ends after breakfast. On the two full game days we take a packed breakfast so you can leave before sunrise rather than wait for the dining room. Mornings in Nakuru and Amboseli are cold before sunrise, so bring a fleece even in August. The Mara access roads are rough, so pack in a soft bag. Charging points are available in the vehicle and at all listed camps. Coverage is good at Nakuru and Naivasha, patchy in the Mara, reasonable in Amboseli. Vegetarian, halal and gluten free diets are handled well when we tell the camps in advance.
Full board days
Four
Full game days
Two
Longest drive
About 6 hours
Vehicle
Private, pop-top 4×4
Questions
Questions about this safari
Can this route be shortened or extended?–
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Yes. Dropping Naivasha makes it a six day trip, and adding two nights at Diani or Watamu turns it into a nine day safari and beach combination.
Is the price per person or for the vehicle?+
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Per person sharing, based on two travellers in one room and one vehicle. Solo travellers and larger groups are quoted separately, and groups of four or more usually bring the per person cost down.
Which direction is better?+
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As written, Nakuru and the Mara come first while you are fresh, and the long Naivasha to Amboseli drive falls mid week. We can reverse it if your flight times suit that better.
Can we fly to the Mara instead of driving?+
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Yes. A flight from Wilson Airport to an airstrip in the reserve replaces the five hour drive, and we hold a vehicle and guide in the Mara for your game drives. We will quote both.
When should we book?+
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Four to six months ahead for August and September. The camps in the best Mara positions fill first, and the migration window is the busiest period of the year.
Kenya registered tour operator
TRA registered
Our own 4×4 safari vehicles
In-house driver guides
Westlands, Nairobi
Start planning
Tell us your travel window and which lodge level interests you. We will confirm availability and send the full costed itinerary.