Private Kenya safari
8 Days Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli & Tsavo East Private Safari
The broad Kenyan circuit, ending in the red-earth wilderness of Tsavo.
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Kenya
- Midrange
- Private
Choose your level
One route, three ways to travel it.
The road, the parks and the day-by-day itinerary are the same at every level. What changes is where you sleep, what you travel in and what it costs.
Trip facts
- Duration
- 8 days / 7 nights
- Country
- Kenya
- Destinations
- Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Lake Naivasha · Amboseli · Tsavo East
- Safari level
- Midrange
- Travel type
- Private safari
- Starts
- Nairobi
- Ends
- Nairobi
- Price
- On request
Overview
The journey at a glance.
This is the widest single-country route in the catalogue. It works down through the Rift Valley, south to Amboseli, and then east into Tsavo East — which is the largest and emptiest place on the itinerary by a long way.
Tsavo changes the register of the trip. After a week of parks with a shape to them, you arrive somewhere that simply keeps going: red soil, thin bush, the Galana river, and elephants stained the colour of the ground.
It runs privately with a minimum of two travellers, and it has a natural upgrade path through The Cliff, Loldia House, Tortilis Camp and Satao.
RouteNairobi · Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Lake Naivasha · Amboseli · Tsavo East · Nairobi
Featured journeyA broad Kenyan circuit with a natural upgrade path through The Cliff, Loldia House, Tortilis Camp and Satao.
Your route
7 points.
One unfolding story.
Where you stay, and for how long. The full route is listed in text below the line, so it reads the same however you are viewing this page.
- 01NairobiIn transit
- 02Maasai Mara2 nights
- 03Lake Nakuru1 night
- 04Lake Naivasha1 night
- 05Amboseli2 nights
- 06Tsavo East1 night
- 07NairobiIn transit
Day by day
8 days, read as a journey.
Timings are indicative and depend on road and park conditions on the day. Meals shown are those included in the safari price.
Day 1Nairobi → Maasai Mara
Down into the Rift and across to the Mara.
Morning collection in Nairobi, west over the escarpment with a viewpoint stop, then Narok and the reserve. Lunch at camp and an afternoon game drive.
- Activities
- Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint · Afternoon game drive
- Meals
- Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara · Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Day 2Maasai Mara
A full day on the plains.
Out after breakfast with a picnic lunch and back as the light drops, covering the open grassland and the river country.
- Activities
- Full-day game drive with picnic lunch · Mara river hippo pools
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara · Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Day 3Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
North along the valley floor.
An optional early village visit, then breakfast and the drive north past Longonot and Naivasha with lunch on the way.
- Activities
- Optional Maasai village visit · Road transfer to Lake Nakuru
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Lake Nakuru · Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
- Optional
- Maasai village visit (USD 10 pp, paid locally)
Day 4Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha
Rhino, then a slower afternoon.
A morning game drive at Nakuru for rhino and lake-shore game, then the short transfer to Naivasha. The afternoon is open for a boat ride among the hippo or a walk on Crescent Island.
- Activities
- Morning game drive at Lake Nakuru · Transfer to Lake Naivasha
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Lake Naivasha · Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
- Optional
- Lake Naivasha boat ride, subject to current local rates
Day 5Lake Naivasha → Hell's Gate → Amboseli
On foot at Hell's Gate, then the long swing south.
After breakfast you leave Naivasha for a nature walk in Hell's Gate National Park, one of the few Kenyan parks you are allowed to explore on foot, among buffalo, zebra, eland and gazelle beneath the cliffs. Cycling is available as an option. After lunch on the way, the road runs south past Nairobi towards the Tanzanian border, reaching Amboseli in time for dinner.
- Activities
- Nature walk in Hell's Gate National Park, with optional cycling · Road transfer to Amboseli
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Amboseli · Kibo Safari Camp
- Optional
- Bicycle hire at Hell's Gate, subject to current local rates
Day 6Amboseli
A full day with the herds.
Out early for the mountain, then a day worked between the dry plains and the swamps. Observation Hill gives a view over the whole park.
- Activities
- Morning and afternoon game drives · Observation Hill
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Amboseli · Kibo Safari Camp
Day 7Amboseli → Tsavo East
East into red country.
The drive east crosses into the Tsavo ecosystem, where the soil turns red and the bush thins out over an enormous flat plain. A game drive on arrival takes you towards the Galana river and Aruba, where game concentrates in the dry months.
- Activities
- Road transfer to Tsavo East · Game drive on arrival
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
- Overnight
- Tsavo East · Ashnil Aruba Lodge
Day 8Tsavo East → Nairobi
A morning on the Galana, then home.
An early game drive along the river line, where elephant, buffalo and lion come to water, then breakfast and the drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the afternoon.
- Activities
- Morning game drive at Tsavo East · Road transfer to Nairobi
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Overnight
- The journey ends today
Accommodation · Midrange
A place to pause between chapters.
These are properties Ndurumo may recommend or use at this level on this route. Final accommodation is confirmed with your quotation and remains subject to availability.
Maasai Mara · Midrange2 nights
Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safariLake Nakuru · Midrange1 night
Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safariLake Naivasha · Midrange1 night
Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safariAmboseli · Midrange2 nights
Kibo Safari Camp
- or Sentrim Amboseli Lodge
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safariTsavo East · Midrange1 night
Ashnil Aruba Lodge
Accommodation confirmed with your quotation and subject to availability.
Plan this safari
Compare accommodation at all three levels
Budget
- Maasai Mara
- Miti Mingi Eco Camp
- Lake Nakuru
- Buraha Zenoni
- Lake Naivasha
- Leisure Apex
- Amboseli
- Nyati Safari Camp
- Tsavo East
- Sentrim Tsavo East, or an equivalent value lodge by availability
Midrange
- Maasai Mara
- Masai Mara Sopa Lodge
- Lake Nakuru
- Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge
- Lake Naivasha
- Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort
- Amboseli
- Kibo Safari Camp, Sentrim Amboseli Lodge
- Tsavo East
- Ashnil Aruba Lodge
Luxury
- Maasai Mara
- andBeyond Bateleur Camp, Cottar's 1920s Camp
- Lake Nakuru
- The Cliff — Lake Nakuru
- Lake Naivasha
- Loldia House
- Amboseli
- Elewana Tortilis Camp Amboseli
- Tsavo East
- Satao Tented Camp
What you’ll experience
The character of this route.
- 01
Full days in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli
- 02
Black and white rhino at Lake Nakuru
- 03
Hippo and birdlife on Lake Naivasha
- 04
Red-dusted elephant herds in Tsavo East
- 05
The Galana river and the Aruba area in the dry season
- 06
A private vehicle across the whole circuit
Package detail
What the price covers.
These lists apply to the midrange version of this route. Optional extras are listed against the day they fall on.
What’s included
- Transport in a 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser
- Airport pick-up on arrival
- Accommodation as set out in the itinerary
- All meals while on safari (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
- Services of a professional Ndurumo driver-guide
- All park and reserve entrance fees
- All game drives listed in the itinerary
- Statutory taxes
Not included
- International flights
- Kenya or Tanzania visas and entry fees
- Travel and personal insurance
- Single-occupancy supplement
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Optional activities, including balloon safaris and village visits
- Items of a personal nature
- Tips for your guide and lodge staff
Pricing
Clear before you commit.
Price depends on travel dates, group size, accommodation level, park fees at the time of travel and vehicle arrangements.
We have not loaded a contracted rate for this tier yet, and we would rather quote you accurately than estimate. Price depends on dates, occupancy, park fees, vehicle arrangements and accommodation availability.
- Travel dates
- Required for a quotation
- Group size
- Required for a quotation
- Occupancy
- Per person sharing; single supplement quoted separately
- Child rates
- Quoted where the property applies them
This route, shaped around you
Begin with the journey already chosen.
Your enquiry carries this route and level automatically, so you only add the details we genuinely need to price it.
Is Tsavo worth adding at the end?
If you want wilderness scale rather than density, yes. Tsavo East is vast and quiet, and the red elephants are genuinely distinctive. If your priority is maximum sightings per day, the seven-day route without Tsavo is tighter.
Is the price per person?
Yes. Published rates are per person sharing a twin or double room. Solo travellers pay a single-occupancy supplement, which we quote with the rest of the trip.
What does the final price depend on?
Travel dates, the number of people travelling, your accommodation tier, park fees at the time of travel and vehicle arrangements. We reprice every enquiry for the exact dates rather than working from a fixed sheet.
Can the itinerary be changed?
Yes. The route below is the standard shape of the trip. Nights can be added or moved, and destinations can be swapped, as long as the driving distances still work.
Are park fees included?
Yes. All park and reserve entrance fees for the parks in the itinerary are included in the quoted price.
What vehicle will we use?
Road safaris use a 4×4 Safari Land Cruiser. Private departures have their own vehicle; group departures share the vehicle with fellow travellers.
Can children join this safari?
Yes. Tell us your children's ages when you enquire and we will confirm which properties on the route suit them and whether child rates apply.
Continue exploring
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8 Days Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli & Tsavo East Private Safari
Let’s mark this route.
Share your dates and party, and we will come back with a quotation for this itinerary at the level you have chosen — or tell you honestly if a different route fits better.
A guided enquiry, not an instant booking. No obligation.
