8 Days Samburu, Mt Kenya, Lake Nakuru & Maasai Mara Lodge Safari
Samburu · Mt Kenya · Lake Nakuru · Maasai Mara
Lodge accommodation, with Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru).
Kenya · Budget
8 Days Samburu, Mt Kenya, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha & Maasai Mara Budget Safari
An 8-day budget safari through Samburu, Mt Kenya, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara. Budget nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp (Maasai Mara), Buraha Zenoni (Lake Nakuru) and Leisure Apex (Lake Naivasha), with camp or lodge stays at the other stops.
- Duration
- 8 days
- Route
- Samburu → Mt Kenya → Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha → Maasai Mara
- Comfort
- Budget
- Transport
- 4×4 Land Cruiser
- Accommodation
- Miti Mingi Eco Camp, Buraha Zenoni, Leisure Apex · Other stops: overnight at a camp or lodge.
Price
Price on request
The way through.
- 01Samburu
- 02Mt Kenya
- 03Lake Nakuru
- 04Lake Naivasha
- 05Maasai Mara
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.
An elephant reaching into a tree in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Panegyrics of Granovetter (CC BY-SA 2.0) North to the Ewaso Nyiro
Nairobi → Samburu
The safari begins by heading north from Nairobi in the 4×4 Land Cruiser, towards the dry country of Samburu. Samburu National Reserve lies on the northern bank of the Ewaso Nyiro, and across the river to the south lies Buffalo Springs National Reserve in Isiolo County. Arriving in the afternoon, a first drive can follow the river where time allows, where doum palms line the banks and elephants come to drink.
- Overnight
- Camp or lodge in Samburu, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Zebras among dry bush in Samburu, Kenya. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Weldon Kennedy from London, UK (CC BY 2.0) Dry-country specialists
Samburu
A whole day in Samburu is time to search for the animals that make the north different: the Beisa oryx, the gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe and the Grevy’s zebra, all part of what the county calls the Samburu Five. The reserve’s mix of rocky outcrops, grassland and acacias supports about 50 species of larger mammals, according to the County Government of Samburu, along with greater and lesser kudu, and the day can be paced around whatever turns up.
- Overnight
- Camp or lodge in Samburu, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Batian, the highest peak of Mount Kenya, seen from Point Lenana. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Bett Duncan (CC BY-SA 4.0) Towards Mount Kenya
Samburu → Mount Kenya
Leaving Samburu, the journey turns south towards Mount Kenya, Africa’s second-highest mountain. Its three highest points are Batian, Nelion and Point Lenana, and Kenya Wildlife Service describes glacier-clad summits rising above moorland and forested slopes. The mountain has been a national park since 1949 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997. Whether the day includes any time on the mountain’s slopes is set out in your quotation.
- Overnight
- Camp or lodge near Mount Kenya, named in your quotation
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Batian peak on Mount Kenya, seen from Point Lenana. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Bett Duncan (CC BY-SA 4.0) From the mountain to the Rift Valley
Mount Kenya → Lake Nakuru
Mount Kenya matters deeply to the communities around it, holding spiritual significance that Kenya Wildlife Service notes alongside its natural value, and a morning in its shadow is a fitting way to leave. The road then descends west to the Rift Valley and Lake Nakuru, where black and white rhinos live inside a fenced national park. Tonight’s stop is Buraha Zenoni, the Lake Nakuru property in the catalogue, ready for a morning in the park.
- Overnight
- Buraha Zenoni
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Drowned trees standing in the shallows of Lake Naivasha. Illustrative photograph. Photo credit: Lake Naivasha Crescent Camp (opens in a new tab) Lake Nakuru to Lake Naivasha
Lake Nakuru → Lake Naivasha
A morning drive in Lake Nakuru National Park, where time allows, moves from the lake shore, where waterbirds gather, up into the acacia woodland and towards the escarpments, where rhinos browse. Then it is on to Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake whose shores the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute studies closely, and whose hippos often graze the grassland out of the water. Leisure Apex, the property our catalogue names for Naivasha, is the night’s stop.
- Overnight
- Leisure Apex
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Wildebeest strung out across grassland below distant hills in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris Down to the Maasai Mara
Lake Naivasha → Maasai Mara
From Lake Naivasha the road leads south-west to the Maasai Mara, the last and best-known stop of the safari. The change is complete: the lakes and green highlands give way to the grassland that, in migration season, the Mara Conservancy describes as filling with columns of wildebeest shifting across valleys and hills. The night is at Miti Mingi Eco Camp, which our catalogue names for the Mara, with time for a first drive if the timing allows.
- Overnight
- Miti Mingi Eco Camp
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Lions resting under a bush on the edge of the plains in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris The Mara’s rivers and plains
Maasai Mara
A full day in the Mara gives the safari its finale. The Conservancy follows the migration from the Sand River across towards Look-Out Hill and down to the Mara River, and if the herds are in, the day may be spent near them, watching quietly from a distance in case they cross. Outside the season, the reserve’s lions, elephants and topi keep the day busy, and the open views make it one of the easiest places in Kenya to watch animals behave naturally.
- Overnight
- Miti Mingi Eco Camp
- Meals
- Set out in your written quotation
Open plains below a long escarpment in the Maasai Mara. Illustrative photograph. Photograph: Big Time Safaris From the Mara back to the city
Maasai Mara → Nairobi
An early drive is the last chance to see the Mara at its most active, as predators finish the night’s hunting and the grazers spread out across the plains. Inside the reserve guests may leave the vehicle only at designated points, so the morning is spent watching from the Land Cruiser before the drive back to Nairobi. Over eight days the journey has covered the dry north, a great mountain, two lakes and the Mara’s grassland.
- 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.
Maasai Mara · Budget
Miti Mingi Eco Camp
Lake Nakuru · Budget
Buraha Zenoni
Lake Naivasha · Budget
Leisure Apex
Other stops: overnight at a camp or 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.
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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.