8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Nakuru Naivasha Masai Mara from Nairobi
This is a budget 8-day road safari encompassing some of Kenya’s leading National Parks and Reserves. See Amboseli National Park, famous for its views of Mount Kilimanjaro and large numbers of elephants, and Lake Naivasha, a beautiful freshwater lake popular for birdwatching and guided boat safaris.
Visit Lake Nakuru National Park, which offers spectacular game viewing and is home to thousands of the greater and lesser flamingos on a day trip from Lake Naivasha and the Masai Mara National Reserve, one of Africa’s premier game reserves where you get close encounters with a diverse population of the game all year round.
Travel is by a private vehicle for your group only (minimum 2 people) with an expert driver-guide. Flexible departures (any day). The tour includes a professional safari driver-guide, accommodation of superb quality, well-located lodges/camps, daily game drives, and all park entrance fees.
This Kenya road safari kicks off with game viewing in Amboseli National Park, near the Tanzanian border and flanked by Mount Kilimanjaro. Amboseli hosts some of Kenya’s largest elephant herds and is famous for its large bull elephants with their impressive tusks.
The park contains large populations of buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, and various antelope species, such as impala. Amboseli is also home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, and many other species of plains game.
The park also boasts an abundance of birds, including bee-eaters, kingfishers, pelicans, African fish eagles, and falcons.
From Amboseli, we head to Lake Naivasha, a beautiful freshwater lake, via Nairobi and the scenic Great Rift Valley. Enjoy a boat tour on Lake Naivasha to see 300+ bird species and hippos up close. Visit Crescent Island, where a walking safari will take you past grazing giraffes, zebra, hippos, antelope, wildebeest, etc.
From Naivasha, we take a day trip to Lake Nakuru National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake Nakuru hosts over 400 different bird species, including many water birds. Bird species include the Great White Pelican, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, and Long-crested Eagle.
The Lake Nakuru National Park is known as an important wildlife sanctuary for some of Africa’s endangered species, especially black and white rhinos, and Rothschild’s giraffes. The game reserve is also home to lions, waterbuck, buffalo and baboons, which we keep an eye out for on our game drive.
We leave Lake Naivasha by road for our next game-viewing destination in Kenya, the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve.
The Masai Mara offers many attractions, as the reserve is home to an excellent year-round concentration of game, including more than 2 million wildebeest, zebras, and other antelopes that make up the famous Great Migration. The park is also home to over 450 bird species.
8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Nakuru Naivasha Masai Mara Route
| Day | Route | Driving Time | Distance | Road Condition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Nairobi to Amboseli National Park | 4.0 hours | ~230 km | Paved highway, bumpy park approach |
| Day 3 | Amboseli to Lake Naivasha | 5.5 hours | ~310 km | Long transit, heavy Nairobi-bypass traffic |
| Day 4 | Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru (Day Trip) | 1.5 hours (each way) | ~80 km | Smooth paved highway |
| Day 5 | Lake Naivasha to Masai Mara National Reserve | 5.5 hours | ~250 km | Very rough, unpaved tarmac final section |
| Day 8 | Masai Mara back to Nairobi | 5.5 hours | ~260 km | Heavy traffic entering Nairobi |
Day-by-Day Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Nairobi to Amboseli National Park
1200 Hours – 1400 Hours: Hotel check-in and lunch
1530 Hours – 1630 Hours: Evening game drive for elephant herds under Mt. Kilimanjaro
Day 2: Full Day in Amboseli
0600 Hours – 0900 Hours: Early morning game drive (best time to see the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro cloud-free)
0930 Hours – 1500 Hours: Midday rest at the lodge during the peak heat
1530 Hours – 1830 Hours: Evening game drive
Day 3: Amboseli to Lake Naivasha
0700 Hours– 1230 Hours: Long transit drive via the Nairobi bypass to Lake Naivasha
1300 Hours – 1500 Hours: Lunch and room check-in
1530 Hours – 1830 Hours: Guided boat safari on Lake Naivasha to view hippos and eagles
Day 4: Day Trip to Lake Nakuru National Park
0730 Hours – 0900 Hours: Drive from Naivasha to Lake Nakuru
0915 Hours – 1300 Hours: Morning game drive looking for black and white rhinos
1300 Hours – 1400 Hours: Picnic lunch inside the park
1400 Hours – 1600 Hours: Brief afternoon game drive, then return to Naivasha by 0530 Hours
Day 5: Lake Naivasha to Masai Mara National Reserve
0730 Hours – 1300 Hours: Travel to the Masai Mara. The last 2 hours from Narok town to the park gates are notoriously bumpy
1330 Hours – 1530 Hours: Lunch and settling into camp
1600 Hours – 1830 Hours: First introductory evening game drive in the Mara plains
Days 6 & 7: Full Days in the Masai Mara
0600 Hours – 1330 Hours: Full-day game drive with a packed picnic lunch to reach the Mara River (essential during migration season)
Alternative Timing: Split into a 0600 Hours – 0930 Hours morning drive and a 1600 Hours– 1830 Hours evening drive to rest during the hot midday hours
Day 8: Masai Mara to Nairobi
0600 Hours – 0830 Hours: Final sunrise game drive in the Mara
0900 Hours – 1000 Hours: Late breakfast and checkout
1000 Hours – 1530 Hours: Drive back to Nairobi for airport drop-off or hotel arrival
Notes
✓ At 0630 Hours, all Kenyan national parks close their gates. Night game drives are forbidden unless staying in a private conservancy
✓ Safarilink Alternative: If you want to skip 11 hours of rough driving, consider booking an internal flight from Amboseli to Masai Mara via Safarilink Aviation or AirKenya Express
✓ Kilimanjaro Visibility: Cloud cover builds rapidly over the mountain. Your best window to take photos of elephants with a clear mountain background is between 0600 Hours and 0830 Hours in Amboseli
Safari Itinerary in Summary
Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Amboseli National Park
Day 2: Explore Amboseli National Park
Day 3: Amboseli – Drive to Lake Naivasha
Day 4: Lake Naivasha – Day trip Lake Nakuru National Park
Day 5: Lake Naivasha – Drive to Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 6: Explore Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 7: Explore Masai Mara National Reserve
Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi
Safari Itinerary in Detail
Day 1: Nairobi – Drive to Amboseli National Park
After breakfast in the morning, depart for Amboseli National Park. The drive takes you through the Maasai land to the park, which nestles at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.
Lunch is served at the lodge before departing for an afternoon game drive. Amboseli National Park hosts some of Kenya’s largest elephant herds and is famous for its large bull elephants with their impressive tusks.
Amboseli National Park also contains large populations of buffalo, zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, hippos, and various antelope species, such as impala. It is also home to lions, leopards, cheetahs, and many other species of plains game.
The park also boasts an abundance of birds, including bee-eaters, kingfishers, pelicans, African fish eagles, and falcons. Return to the lodge and enjoy a scrumptious dinner.
Overnight Accommodation: Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp, Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli or Amboseli Sopa Lodge
Meal Plan {Lunch & Dinner}
Day 2: Explore Amboseli National Park
A full day in this picturesque park. This morning we rise early for good views of Mount Kilimanjaro before clouds build up over the summit; we set off for a game drive.
Amboseli is an excellent place to view a multitude of wildlife, including everything from Wildebeest to Giraffes to Baboons. A visit to a Masai village is planned after breakfast. Midday finds us at our lodge for lunch and afternoon rest, followed by another game drive.
Amboseli is home to the legendary Masai tribesmen. Masai warriors are a proud nomadic tribe, famous worldwide for their legendary prowess in battle and single-handed acts of bravery against wild animals.
Overnight Accommodation: Tulia Amboseli Safari Camp, Ol Tukai Lodge Amboseli or Amboseli Sopa Lodge
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}
Day 3: Amboseli – Drive to Lake Naivasha
Depart early in the morning after breakfast and proceed to Lake Naivasha via Nairobi, where you will have your lunch. Continue through the Great Rift Valley to Kenya’s highest lake at 1880 m above sea level, Lake Naivasha.
Hippos, giraffes, buffaloes, and zebras are just a few of the animal species that thrive at the lake and its surrounding swamps and grasslands. Lake Naivasha is a birdwatcher’s dream come true.
Some areas of the lakeshore have recorded over 400+ species. The acacia forests teem with hoopoe, woodpeckers, rollers, shrikes, hawks, cuckoos, and much more.
It is a beautiful freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus, with hippos lazing in the water, and is home to 400+ bird species, as well as many buffalo, zebras, impalas, leopards, and giraffes grazing on the shores.
Enjoy a boat trip on the lake or a nature walk on Crescent Island where you reach wildebeest, antelope, impala, and giraffe grazing from a close view. Oh, and there are some rather gigantic pythons too!
Overnight Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge or Enashipai Resort & Spa
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}
Day 4: Lake Naivasha – Drive to Lake Nakuru National Park for a Day Safari
This morning we travel from Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park for a full-day game drive. Lake Nakuru supports a wide range of ecological diversity, with Flamingos (greater and Lesser) and other water birds as the major attractions of the area.
The ecosystem supports about 56 species of mammals and a variety of terrestrial birds, numbering nearly 450 species. Bird species include many water birds, including the Great White Pelican, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed Stork, Lesser and Greater Flamingo, and Long-crested Eagle.
Animals include rock hyrax, colobus monkey, hippo, leopard, lion, black and white rhinos, striped hyena, golden cat, Thompson’s gazelle and Grant’s gazelle, Rothschild Giraffe, etc.
One unique feature of Lake Nakuru Park is its compact size, which leads to a high game density. This makes it very easy to encounter wildlife during the safari trail. It is very likely to see a leopard in this park, and lions are very easy to come across.
We return to Lake Naivasha in the evening to our overnight accommodation.
Overnight Accommodation: Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge or Lake Naivasha Simba Lodge or Enashipai Resort & Spa
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}
Day 5: Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara National Reserve
Today we start with breakfast at the lodge. Then it’s back on the road, as we make our way to our next game-viewing destination in Kenya, the world-famous Masai Mara Game Reserve.
We arrive at our lodge in time for lunch and later embark on a thrilling afternoon game drive in one of the finest wildlife havens on earth. Wherever you go in the vast Masai Mara, you will see plenty of wildlife, such as Masai giraffes, baboons, warthogs, bat-eared foxes, grey jackals, spotted hyena, topi, impala, hartebeests, and wildebeest.
Elephants, buffaloes, zebras, and hippos are also found in great numbers. It is also common to see lions either basking after a heavy meal or surveying the plains for their next meal. Cheetahs and leopards are harder to spot but reasonably common.
We overnight at our camp/ lodge in a lovely wild setting in Masai Mara tonight.
Overnight Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Serena Lodge or Siana Springs Tented Camp
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}
Days 6 & 7: Explore Masai Mara Game Reserve
We spend the next 2 days game viewing in Kenya’s top game park – the Masai Mara National Reserve. Our morning and afternoon game drives take us in search of Africa’s Big Five and the plethora of other wildlife inhabiting this vast Kenyan game reserve.
On clear days, the Mara offers fantastic orange-tinged sunsets well worth capturing on camera. The Mara reserve is 1510 sq km of incredible wide-open landscapes and fertile riverine woodland following the looping meanders of the Mara River in Kenya.
The ultimate action here is, without doubt, the annual wildebeest exodus, the Great Migration, in July and August, when millions of these grass-eaters move north from the Serengeti in search of lusher grass before turning south again in October.
Hot-air balloon trips are an outstanding way to see the savannah plains teeming with wildlife. These Masai Mara balloon trips can be arranged at an extra cost.
On the final day in the Mara, you also have an opportunity to visit an authentic Masai village.
Overnight Accommodation: Mara Sopa Lodge or Mara Serena Lodge or Siana Springs Tented Camp
Meal Plan {Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner}
Day 8: Masai Mara – Drive to Nairobi
We take a morning game drive through the Masai Mara Reserve on day eight, returning to the camp/lodge for breakfast. Then we head back to the chaotic city of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, arriving at about 1500 hours.
Meals: {Breakfast}
8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Nakuru Naivasha Masai Mara Prices
8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli, Nakuru, Naivasha, Masai Mara Prices Include
✓ Game drives
✓ All meals included while on safari
✓ All applicable Game Park entrance fees
✓ Guaranteed window seating with an open-top
✓ Multi-lingual Professional Safari Driver Guide
✓ Safari vehicles carry cold drinks and mineral water
✓ Guaranteed departures for two or more passengers booking this safari
✓ Finest accommodations in Amboseli, Lake Naivasha & Masai Mara Game Reserve
✓ Round-trip transport from Nairobi to Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, a day trip to Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Game Reserve
| Dates From | Dates To | Price Per Person | Children Aged 2 to 12 Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st January 2026 | 31st December 2026 | Request for rates | Request for rates |
8-Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Nakuru Naivasha Masai Mara Prices Exclude
✗ International Airfare
✗ Accommodation in Nairobi
✗ Cost of obtaining passport and visas
✗ Gratuity for your professional driver-guide
✗ Sundowner bush cocktails and bush dinner
✗ Christmas, New Year, and Easter Supplement
✗ Optional Hot Air Ballooning, Nature walks, etc
✗ Gratuity for Porterage/ waiters at hotels, camps, and airports
✗ Membership in Flying Doctors Society – Emergency air rescue
✗ Personal expenses such as travel insurance, excess baggage fee, communication charges that include laundry, emails, faxes, and phone calls; beverages including luxury champagne, luxury spirits, beer, and wines during meals or meals not indicated in the itinerary
Booking & Reservations 8 Day Kenya Safari Amboseli Nakuru Naivasha Masai Mara Contact
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