Trip highlights
- 1Masai Mara Big Five game drives
- 2Great Migration wildebeest river crossings
- 3Amboseli with Kilimanjaro views
- 4Maasai village cultural visit
- 5Hot air balloon over the Mara
Daily spend
Want this for your exact dates?
Live hotel prices, real-time flights, and weather for when you're going.
Been before? Re-book the same trip instantly with current prices.
Day-by-day plan
Nairobi Arrival
Sunday, August 1
Est. spend
$140
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi
JKIA is 15km from Nairobi CBD. Uber costs KES 900–1,200 ($7–9) to the city centre. Licensed taxis from the official stand cost KES 2,500–3,500 ($20–27). Book your safari lodge in advance — this is the single most important thing about a Kenya trip.
Kenya requires Yellow Fever vaccination certificate for entry from many countries. Check the Kenya High Commission requirements well in advance.
☀️ Afternoon
Giraffe Centre Nairobi
Koitobos Rd, Langata, Nairobi
The African Fund for Endangered Wildlife raises the endangered Rothschild giraffe at this centre 10km from the city. You can feed giraffes from a raised platform at eye level — and they will lick your face if you hold a pellet in your mouth. Free-ranging warthogs and meerkats complete the scene.
The Giraffe Centre is adjacent to the Karen Blixen Museum (the Out of Africa farmhouse) — combine both in one afternoon. Karen Blixen's property is now a beautiful museum in what is now Nairobi's Karen suburb.
Karen Blixen Museum
Karen Rd, Karen, Nairobi
The Danish author of 'Out of Africa' lived here from 1914 to 1931. The colonial farmhouse and coffee farm is preserved as she left it — her books, photos, and furniture intact. The Ngong Hills backdrop is exactly as described in the book.
🍽️ Meals
Carnivore Restaurant
East African game meat · $40 · The famous Nairobi restaurant serving game meats on large skewers — crocodile, ostrich, kudu, and more. A Nairobi institution since 1980. All-you-can-eat concept.
Nairobi National Park & Fly to Mara
Monday, August 2
Est. spend
$360
per person
🌅 Morning
Nairobi National Park
Nairobi National Park, Langata
The only national park in the world with a city skyline behind the wildlife — lions, rhinos, leopards, and hippos against Nairobi skyscrapers. Open from 6am. Entry: KES 4,310 ($33) for foreign visitors. Best from a private vehicle or organized tour.
Dawn (6–9am) is the best game viewing time. The park has high rhino density — better rhino sightings than many larger parks.
☀️ Afternoon
Wilson Airport domestic flight to Masai Mara
Wilson Airport, Langata Road, Nairobi
Wilson Airport (small aircraft hub south of the city) has hourly 45-minute flights to the Masai Mara airstrips. Safarilink, AirKenya, and Fly540 all operate this route. Cost: $150–200 return. Book with your lodge package.
The Mara has multiple airstrips — confirm which one with your lodge. The flight itself crosses the Great Rift Valley escarpment — extraordinary from the air.
Arrive Masai Mara and first afternoon game drive
Masai Mara National Reserve
Lodge check-in and a 4-hour afternoon game drive in open-sided 4WD Land Cruisers. The Mara ecosystem covers 1,500km² and has the highest density of predators in Africa. Late afternoon is prime lion and cheetah activity time.
All game drives are included in most lodge rates. Tips for drivers (KES 1,500/$12 per drive) are important income for guides. Your driver-guide is often the difference between an average and extraordinary safari.
🍽️ Meals
Lodge dinner
African/International · $0 · Included in most lodge packages. The dining under canvas with lanterns is as atmospheric as the game drives.
Masai Mara Game Drives
Tuesday, August 3
Est. spend
$200
per person
🌅 Morning
Dawn game drive — predator activity
Masai Mara National Reserve
The 6am departure in open 4WD is the best game drive of the trip. Lions are active until 9am, cheetahs hunt in the early light, and the golden sunrise over the Mara plains is extraordinary. A full 4-hour game drive before breakfast.
Ask your driver-guide to focus on predators at dawn and herbivores near the Mara River mid-morning. The river crossings (August–October) happen at the deep bends — your guide will know where to wait.
☀️ Afternoon
Mara River wildebeest crossing
Mara River crossing points, Masai Mara
The Great Migration wildebeest crossing is one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth — 1.5 million wildebeest and 500,000 zebras crossing the Mara River from Tanzania's Serengeti into Kenya's Mara. Crocodiles wait at every crossing. The wait can be 2 hours or 5 minutes — you need patience.
The best crossing points are Lookout Hill crossing and Serena crossing. The crossing happens unpredictably — arrive early, stay patient, and trust your guide's assessment of when the herds will move.
Maasai village visit
Maasai village near lodge
The Maasai are the pastoralist people of the Mara region — tall, distinctive in red shuka cloth, and with a culture of cattle herding and warrior tradition that has survived the modern world. A village visit (arranged through your lodge) includes jumping dance, home visit, and craft market.
The village visits are generally genuine — the Maasai charge for visits and use the income to supplement cattle income. Bring children's books or pens as gifts rather than sweets. Buy beadwork directly from the women who make it.
🍽️ Meals
Bush breakfast after dawn drive
African/International · $0 · Many lodges serve breakfast in the bush after the morning drive — table set in the savannah, food from the camp kitchen.
Hot Air Balloon & Sundowner
Wednesday, August 4
Est. spend
$530
per person
🌅 Morning
Hot air balloon over the Masai Mara
Various launch sites, Masai Mara
Sunrise balloon flight over the Mara — departing at 5:30am from the launch site near camp, 1 hour over the plains watching wildebeest, elephant, and giraffe from 100m up, landing with champagne breakfast in the bush. One of the most extraordinary experiences in Africa. $450–550 per person.
Book through your lodge months ahead — there are limited balloon operators and morning slots are always full in high season. The experience is worth every dollar.
☀️ Afternoon
Afternoon game drive and sundowner
Masai Mara National Reserve
The late afternoon drive (4pm–7pm) for sunset colours over the Mara plains. Most lodges do 'sundowners' — park the vehicles, set up a table on a kopje (rock outcrop), pour G&Ts, and watch the sun drop behind the Siria Escarpment.
The Siria Escarpment (the western wall of the Rift Valley) turns gold-red at sunset. If your guide knows a kopje with this view, this is the perfect sundowner spot.
🍽️ Meals
Champagne breakfast in the bush
African · $0 · Included with balloon flight — served on a table in the savannah after landing.
Fly to Amboseli — Kilimanjaro Views
Thursday, August 5
Est. spend
$220
per person
🌅 Morning
Morning game drive, then fly to Amboseli
Masai Mara → Amboseli airstrip
Final Mara morning drive then flight to Amboseli National Park — 45 minutes by light aircraft south to the foot of Kilimanjaro. Amboseli is famous for its large elephant herds (400+) and the close-up views of Kilimanjaro across the swamps.
Kilimanjaro is only visible in the morning before cloud builds. The 7–9am window is the best for the full mountain-elephant shot. Arrange a dawn game drive on arrival.
☀️ Afternoon
Amboseli afternoon game drive
Amboseli National Park
Amboseli's elephant families are habituated and enormous — the matriarchs recognizable to guides who have watched them for decades. The Observation Hill gives the full panorama of the swamp, elephants, and Kilimanjaro behind.
The swamp area (Enkongo Narok and Longinye) is where the elephants congregate mid-morning after drinking. The guides know the individual elephants and their family histories.
🍽️ Meals
Lodge dinner, Amboseli
African/International · $0 · Included in lodge rate. The Serena Amboseli Lodge has a firepit and views of the mountain at night.
Amboseli Full Day
Friday, August 6
Est. spend
$130
per person
🌅 Morning
Dawn game drive with Kilimanjaro backdrop
Amboseli National Park
The classic photograph — African elephant herd in the swamp with the full profile of Kilimanjaro (5,895m, Africa's highest peak) rising snow-capped behind them. The 6am light is perfect for this. This is among the most photographed scenes in wildlife photography.
Cloud gathers on Kilimanjaro by 9am most days — be in position at the swamp by 6:30am for the best chance of the clear mountain.
☀️ Afternoon
Maasai community and Chyulu Hills view
Chyulu Hills area, near Amboseli
The Chyulu Hills beyond Amboseli are a young volcanic range (less than 500 years old in places) — the greenest hills in Kenya and the source of the Amboseli swamp water. Several lodges offer walks to the hills with Maasai guides.
🍽️ Meals
Lodge lunch by the waterhole
African/International · $0 · Many Amboseli lodges have a waterhole view from the lunch area — elephants drinking while you eat.
Return to Nairobi & Departure
Saturday, August 7
Est. spend
$250
per person
🌅 Morning
Final game drive and fly back to Nairobi
Amboseli → Wilson Airport → JKIA
Morning drive then 45-minute flight back to Wilson Airport in Nairobi. Transfer to JKIA for international departure.
Allow at least 3 hours at JKIA before international departure. The airport is busy and security queues can be long.
🍽️ Meals
Java House, JKIA
Kenyan café · $15 · The best Kenyan coffee chain — good espresso, avocado toast, and Kenyan passion fruit juice.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
July–October for the Great Migration (wildebeest crossings peak August–September). January–February is the short dry season — excellent game viewing, fewer visitors. March–May is the long rains — some lodges close, roads difficult, but dramatic landscapes.
🛂 Visas
Kenya eVisa required for most nationalities. Apply at evisa.go.ke — $51 USD, approved within 72 hours. Yellow Fever vaccination certificate required if arriving from Yellow Fever countries. Carry vaccination records.
💱 Currency
Kenyan Shilling (KES). Most safari lodges price in USD and accept USD cash. Nairobi uses a mix of KES and USD. Safaricom M-Pesa mobile money is used by locals for everything. Barclays and KCB ATMs have good rates.
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 999
ambulance: 999
tourist helpline: 020 2714300
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- Safari lodge rates almost always include all meals, game drives, and park fees. The additional costs are: balloon flights ($450–550), Maasai village visits ($30), and tips for drivers and staff (budget $15–20/day).
- The Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino) are in both the Mara and Amboseli. The Mara has better lion and cheetah; Amboseli has better elephant photography.
- Pack: neutral colours (khaki, olive, brown) — no bright colours or white that disturbs wildlife. Long sleeves for mornings (cold in the Mara in July), sun hat, and binoculars. Safari binoculars (8x42) transform game viewing.
- Malaria prophylaxis is recommended for all safari destinations. Consult a travel health clinic 6 weeks before departure. Mosquito repellent (DEET 30%) for evenings.
One thing worth not skipping
A 7-day trip to Kenya without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
Comprehensive cover for 150+ adventure activities, medical evacuation, trip cancellation, and baggage. Recommended for most travellers.
Subscription-based travel medical insurance. Best for longer trips, digital nomads, or frequent travellers. Renews weekly or monthly.
Tripzeeker earns a small commission when you purchase — at no extra cost to you.
Was this useful?
Your rating helps us improve and tells other travellers what to trust.
How useful was this itinerary?
You might also like
More trips like Kenya in your inbox
Weekly hand-crafted itineraries, hidden gems, and travel tips. Unsubscribe anytime.