6 Days Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli Budget Safari
Big Time pick
Maasai Mara · Lake Nakuru · Amboseli
Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Nyati Safari Camp (Amboseli).
Kenya · Midrange
6 Days Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli Lodge Safari
A 6-day midrange safari through the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
- Duration
- 6 days
- Route
- Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli
- Comfort
- Midrange
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Accommodation
- Buraha Zenoni · Overnight at the lodge.
Price
Price on request
The way through.
- 01Maasai Mara
- 02Lake Nakuru
- 03Amboseli
Places as named in the journey title. Nights in each are set out in your itinerary.
Day by day
Your itinerary, day by day.
Starts in Nairobi · finishes in Nairobi
The route, days and named stays are as planned. What is included at each stop, from food, park fees and drinking water to room types, permits and border arrangements, and any camp or lodge not named here, is set out in your written quotation. Game drives on travel days depend on arrival and departure times, timings can change with road and park conditions, and wildlife sightings are never guaranteed. Photographs illustrate each day’s destination; they are not pictures of a particular departure.
A lion resting in the shade of leafy bushes in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris Beginning in the Mara
Nairobi → Maasai Mara
The journey west from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara opens the safari, with the 4×4 Land Cruiser aiming to reach the reserve in time for an afternoon game drive. Two nights at a lodge here give a sound start, with time on the open grassland to find lions, elephants and giraffes before the journey moves on. Where arrival time allows, a first drive is also a good moment to learn how the reserve’s rules work, from staying in the vehicle to keeping back from animals.
- Overnight
- Lodge in the Maasai Mara, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
A broad river flowing between sandy banks in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris From the Sand River to the Mara River
Maasai Mara
The Mara Conservancy traces the migration from the Sand River across towards Look-Out Hill and down to the Mara River, and a full day can follow that same country if the herds are in. When they are, the numbers are staggering: the Conservancy counts around 1.2 million wildebeest moving with zebra, eland and Thomson’s gazelle. When they are not, the same landscape belongs to the reserve’s resident animals, and the drives can be slower and more varied.
- Overnight
- Lodge in the Maasai Mara, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
A lone acacia tree on the grassy plains in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris The Mara to the Rift Valley
Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
The road from the Mara climbs to the Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru, where the night is at Buraha Zenoni, the property our catalogue names for the lake. The park is reached from the Nairobi–Nakuru highway, and its gates at Lanet, Nderit and near Nakuru City make it easy to fit an afternoon drive into the day if time allows. The lake and its surroundings are a striking change from the plains, with steep escarpments rising above the water.
- Overnight
- Buraha Zenoni
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
A plains zebra grazing in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) Lake Nakuru to Amboseli
Lake Nakuru → Amboseli
Where time allows, a morning drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, where Kenya Wildlife Service describes one of the country’s largest black rhino populations, is followed by the long road south to Amboseli. The transfer takes most of the day, crossing from the Rift Valley through the highlands to the dry plains near the Tanzanian border, and arriving at the lodge later in the day.
- Overnight
- Lodge in Amboseli, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Lesser flamingos in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0) Amboseli’s elephants and birds
Amboseli
Amboseli is the reward for yesterday’s long drive. Kenya Wildlife Service calls it one of Africa’s premier places for close encounters with large elephant herds, and the open terrain makes those encounters easy to enjoy at a respectful distance. The park’s swamps and marshes support over 400 bird species, among them some 40 birds of prey. Observation Hill gives a wide view across the plains, and on clear days Kilimanjaro rises beyond the border.
- Overnight
- Lodge in Amboseli, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
An African bush elephant grazing in Amboseli National Park, Kenya. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Ray in Manila (CC BY 2.0) Amboseli to the capital
Amboseli → Nairobi
A last morning in Amboseli is a fine way to close a six-day safari: the elephants are often on the move towards the swamps, and Kilimanjaro may show itself if the cloud allows. From the park, the 4×4 Land Cruiser drives back to Nairobi through either Emali or Namanga, the two main approaches Kenya Wildlife Service lists. The journey ends in the city, after a week that took in grassland, a Rift Valley lake and the plains of the south.
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Like the shape of these days? Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and our team will set out the stays, meals and inclusions in a written quotation.
Where you stay.
Lake Nakuru
Buraha Zenoni
Overnight at the lodge. The camp or lodge is discussed with you during planning and confirmed with your itinerary, subject to availability. How accommodation works on our safaris
Places along the way.
Related journeys
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Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Your journey begins with a conversation
Make this journey your own.
Tell us your dates, who is travelling and anything you would like to change. Our team will tell you what this journey can include.