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Elephants feeding on open grassland in Amboseli National Park

Midrange safari · Kenya

6-Day Amboseli, Lake Naivasha & Maasai Mara Safari

This is the classic Kenyan circuit done at a comfortable pace, with a night on Lake Naivasha breaking what would otherwise be a long drive between the southern parks and the Mara. You get the two landscapes Kenya is best known for — Amboseli's elephant families under Kilimanjaro and the open grassland and big cats of the Maasai Mara — plus a freshwater lake in the Rift Valley that is a genuine change of pace rather than just a stopover.

  • 6 days
  • Kenya
  • Midrange safari
  • On Request
Plan this tripAsk on WhatsApp

The journey

A closer look at your trip.

This is the classic Kenyan circuit done at a comfortable pace, with a night on Lake Naivasha breaking what would otherwise be a long drive between the southern parks and the Mara. You get the two landscapes Kenya is best known for — Amboseli's elephant families under Kilimanjaro and the open grassland and big cats of the Maasai Mara — plus a freshwater lake in the Rift Valley that is a genuine change of pace rather than just a stopover.

NairobiAmboseliLake NaivashaMaasai Mara
Duration
6 days / 5 nights
Countries
Kenya
Trip style
Midrange safari
Transport
4x4 Land Cruiser
Start
Nairobi
End
Nairobi
Price
On Request

Trip highlights

The places that shape this journey.

  • 01

    Elephant families and Kilimanjaro views in Amboseli

  • 02

    A boat ride among hippo and fish eagles on Lake Naivasha

  • 03

    Two full days of game viewing in the Maasai Mara

  • 04

    Great Rift Valley escarpment viewpoints

  • 05

    Optional walking safari on Crescent Island

Your route

Across Kenya.

Nairobi → Amboseli → Lake Naivasha → Maasai Mara → Nairobi

We will confirm the day-by-day sequence and overnight stops in your detailed proposal.

KENYATANZANIANairobiAmboseliLake NaivashaMaasai Mara

Schematic route · See the day-by-day programme for travel details.

Day by day

6 days in East Africa.

  1. Day 1

    Nairobi to Amboseli

    Collect from your Nairobi hotel or the airport in the morning and drive south towards the border, arriving at Amboseli around midday. After lunch and time to settle in, head out in a 4x4 Land Cruiser for an afternoon game drive around the park's permanent swamps. Amboseli's water comes from Kilimanjaro's melt filtering underground for decades before surfacing here, which is why the swamps stay green and why the elephants stay put. Late afternoon usually brings large family groups down to feed and drink. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Kibo Safari Camp, Amboseli
    Meals
    Lunch and dinner

  2. Day 2

    A full day in Amboseli

    Start before sunrise, when Kilimanjaro is most often clear and the light is at its best. A full day lets you cover the whole park rather than a corner of it: the swamps at Enkongo Narok, the open pans where elephants cross in long lines, and Observation Hill, one of the few places in Kenya where you can leave the vehicle and take in the whole basin on foot. Amboseli is also excellent for birds, with well over four hundred species recorded. There is the option of a visit to a nearby Maasai community in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Kibo Safari Camp, Amboseli
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  3. Day 3

    Amboseli to Lake Naivasha

    Leave after breakfast and drive north, skirting Nairobi and climbing the escarpment road with its long views over the floor of the Great Rift Valley. Lake Naivasha is freshwater, unusually for the Rift lakes, and that single fact shapes everything about it — papyrus fringes instead of soda flats, and a bird list that runs to hundreds of species. An afternoon boat ride takes you out among hippo pods and the drowned fever trees where fish eagles perch. Dinner follows, and the night is spent by the lake.

    Overnight
    Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
    Meals
    Breakfast and dinner
    A small boat on the calm water of Lake Naivasha with fish eagles in the drowned trees
    Lake Naivasha is freshwater, which is why its birdlife differs so sharply from the soda lakes nearby.

  4. Day 4

    Lake Naivasha to the Maasai Mara

    There is time for an optional morning walk on Crescent Island, a sanctuary with no large predators where you can walk among giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and eland on foot. Then drive south-west through Narok and out onto the open country of the Mara, arriving at camp for lunch. The first afternoon game drive is an orientation to the reserve: the Talek and Mara rivers, the plains between them, and the resident prides that make this one of the most reliable places in Africa to see lion. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Zebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Breakfast, lunch and dinner

  5. Day 5

    A full day in the Maasai Mara

    A full day in the reserve with a picnic lunch, which lets you range much further than a morning-and-evening pattern allows. The Mara holds all of the Big Five, exceptional numbers of plains game, and the highest concentration of large predators in Kenya — lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena and, along the rivers, very large crocodile. Between roughly July and October the migration herds are usually somewhere in the reserve, though their exact position varies year to year. An optional hot-air balloon flight can be arranged for sunrise at extra cost. Dinner and overnight at camp.

    Overnight
    Zebra Plains Mara Camp
    Meals
    Breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner
    Lions resting on open grassland beneath an acacia tree at golden hour in the Maasai Mara
    The Mara holds one of the highest lion densities anywhere in Africa.

  6. Day 6

    Maasai Mara to Nairobi

    A last early game drive while the light is low and the cats are still active, then breakfast at camp and the drive back to Nairobi through Narok, with a stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint. You will reach the city in the mid to late afternoon. Your driver can take you to your hotel or directly to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, which most international flights leave in the evening.

    Meals
    Breakfast

Where you stay

Accommodation for your journey.

Your written proposal will name the accommodation, room or tent arrangements and meal plan for each night. Share your preferences so we can confirm suitable available options.

Suggested accommodation

  • Amboseli

    Kibo Safari Camp

  • Lake Naivasha

    Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort

  • Maasai Mara

    Zebra Plains Mara Camp

Suggested accommodation is subject to availability. A property of a similar standard may be proposed where necessary.

What is included

Your quotation will itemise transport, guiding, entry fees, accommodation and meals where applicable. Please confirm the included services with our team before booking.

What to allow for

Ask for an itemised list of exclusions and optional activities with your quotation so you can plan your total travel budget.

When to travel

Seasonal considerations.

Game viewing across Kenya is at its most reliable in the dry months, roughly June to October and again in January and February, when the grass is shorter and animals concentrate around permanent water. The long rains fall around April and May and the short rains in November; both bring green country, fewer vehicles and lower rates, at the cost of some unpredictability on the roads. There is no month in which this journey cannot run.

Read the full season guide →

Who it suits

Is this the right journey?

  • Travellers who want more than a sampler: enough days to settle into each area rather than moving on every morning.
  • Parties who want the vehicle and the pace to themselves; this journey is arranged privately.

Pricing

Plan with the details in view.

On Request

This journey is quoted to your dates, party size and chosen properties.

This itinerary can also be arranged privately in a 4x4 Land Cruiser on request. A private departure is quoted separately and confirmed with your dates and group size.

Request a quotation

Made for your plans

Let’s shape the details together.

Tell us what matters most: time in a particular destination, room preferences, photography or a gentler pace. We will explain the practical options and provide a revised proposal.

Discuss this trip on WhatsApp →

Your questions, answered.

When is the best time to travel?

June to October is the driest period and the most reliable for game viewing, and overlaps with the usual migration window in the Mara. January and February are also dry and much quieter. The long rains fall around April and May.

Is the boat ride on Lake Naivasha included?

It is normally quoted as part of the programme rather than paid separately, but confirm it on your written quotation, along with the optional Crescent Island walk.

Can we add a balloon flight over the Mara?

Yes. Balloon flights leave before dawn and finish with breakfast on the plains. They are charged separately and should be booked in advance, especially in high season.

Is this itinerary suitable for children?

Generally yes — the driving days are broken up and Lake Naivasha gives a change of pace. Tell us the ages when you enquire and we will confirm which properties suit your family.

Keep exploring

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Kenya's southern circuit packs three very different landscapes into four days. Amboseli gives you big elephant families on short open grass with Kilimanjaro filling the horizon; Tsavo West is greener and more broken, built around lava flows and the clear springs at Mzima; Tsavo East is vast, red and open, the country most people picture when they imagine an African plain. The drive between them is short enough that you spend your time watching wildlife rather than covering distance.

On Request

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