Trip overview
The quintessential Kenyan safari, three iconic parks in seven unhurried days. Best for first-time visitors who want it all: Big Five, the Great Migration, and elephants beneath Kilimanjaro.
A complete first Kenya safari
This is the safari that lives in everyone's mental scrapbook of Africa. Seven days. Three legendary parks. Mid-range tented camps and lodges with proper beds, hot showers and good food. A private 4×4 safari vehicle and a Kenyan-born guide who reads the bush like you read a phone screen.
You'll start in Nairobi, drop into the Maasai Mara for three days of relentless game viewing (with the Great Migration if you travel July–October), shift west to Lake Nakuru for flamingos and rhinos, then south to Amboseli for elephants beneath the snows of Kilimanjaro. End back in Nairobi feeling like you've seen Africa's greatest hits.
Best for
- First-time safari travellers
- Couples and small families
- Travellers who want depth without rushing
- Mid-range budget ($2,500–$4,500 pp)
What makes it different from a standard package
We use mid-range tented camps inside or adjacent to the conservancies wherever possible, you'll experience smaller crowds, better wildlife encounters, and the ability to walk or do night drives in some camps. Park fees, internal transfers and a tip kitty are itemised transparently.
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
Arrive Nairobi
Welcome at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. Transfer to your Nairobi hotel. Optional afternoon visit to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust to meet rescued elephant orphans (extra cost).
🏕 Stay: Eka Hotel or similar (B&B) · 🍽 None
Day 2
Drive to Maasai Mara
After breakfast, depart Nairobi (06:30) for the long but scenic drive to the Maasai Mara via the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. Arrive Mara by lunchtime, check into your camp, then head out for an afternoon game drive looking for the Big Cats and resident wildlife.
🏕 Stay: Mara River Camp / Mara Sopa Lodge · 🍽 B/L/D
Day 3
Full day Maasai Mara
Full day in the Mara with game drives morning and afternoon. Look for lion prides, leopards in the riverine forest, herds of elephants, buffalo and (in season) the Great Migration. Optional sunrise hot-air balloon safari with champagne breakfast (booked in advance, USD 500 pp).
🏕 Stay: Mara River Camp / Mara Sopa Lodge · 🍽 B/L/D
Day 4
Mara to Lake Nakuru
Morning game drive followed by breakfast and the drive to Lake Nakuru (~5 hrs via Narok). Afternoon game drive in Nakuru National Park looking for white & black rhino, Rothschild's giraffe, leopard and the famous flamingos.
🏕 Stay: Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge · 🍽 B/L/D
Day 5
Nakuru to Amboseli
Long drive south to Amboseli (~7 hrs). Spectacular Rift Valley scenery en route. Arrive in time for an afternoon game drive, Amboseli is famous for its huge elephant herds against the snow-capped backdrop of Mt Kilimanjaro.
🏕 Stay: Sentrim Amboseli / Ol Tukai Lodge · 🍽 B/L/D
Day 6
Full day Amboseli
Sunrise game drive when Kilimanjaro is most likely to be cloud-free, incredible photographic opportunities. Spend time at the swamps where elephants gather, climb Observation Hill for panoramic views, and visit a Maasai cultural village (optional, USD 30).
🏕 Stay: Sentrim Amboseli / Ol Tukai Lodge · 🍽 B/L/D
Day 7
Amboseli to Nairobi · Departure
Final morning game drive, breakfast, then drive to Nairobi (~4 hrs). Day room available before evening departure. Transfer to JKIA for your onward flight.
🏕 Stay: None (departure) · 🍽 B/L
What's included
Included
- All park entrance fees
- Mid-range tented camp & lodge accommodation
- Full board meals throughout
- Private custom 4x4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof
- English-speaking professional driver-guide
- Bottled water in vehicle
- Airport transfers (NBO)
- Government taxes & service charges
Not included
- International flights
- Kenya eTA fee (~USD 30)
- Travel insurance (mandatory)
- Drinks (alcoholic and bottled soft)
- Optional balloon safari (USD 500/pp)
- Maasai village visit ($30)
- Tipping for guide and lodge staff
- Personal expenses, laundry, gifts
What guests say
I am a wildlife photographer and I have travelled across Africa for twenty years. Afrirom's knowledge of the conservancies and their relationships with the guides made this the most productive safari I have ever done. The lighting, the patience, the access, exceptional.
Our second safari, but our first with a Kenyan-owned operator, and it's the only way we'll travel here from now on. The conservancy stay was a revelation. We watched a leopard hunt at twilight from our tent. The Afrirom team handled every logistic from JFK to JKIA seamlessly.
Three generations of my family, me, my daughter and her two teenagers, and somehow Afrirom designed a trip that thrilled all of us. The kids loved cycling through Hell's Gate, my daughter loved the lodges, and I loved that everything just worked. Honest, kind, and brilliant at what they do.
