Kenya safari guide
Ready-made 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14-day sample routes — with realistic drive times, prices per person, and family, solo and honeymoon options.
Key Takeaways
A 3-day Masai Mara safari is the realistic minimum for a genuine Kenya safari; 5 days lets you pair two parks; 7 days delivers the classic three-park circuit; and 10–14 days opens up Tsavo, a beach extension, or a Kenya–Tanzania combo.
Every route below is a sample to guide your planning — actual routing, lodges and pricing should be customised and confirmed with a licensed operator. Most of these circuits depart from Nairobi and bundle transfers, park fees, accommodation and game drives. Check live availability and current prices for one of our most popular starting points below.
| Days | Parks realistically covered | Best for | Approx. price (pp, land only) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days | Masai Mara only | First-timers, weekend safari | Budget $300–650 · Mid $700–1,200 |
| 4 days | Mara + Lake Nakuru | Big cats + rhinos | Budget $500–900 · Mid $1,000–1,800 |
| 5 days | Mara + Amboseli or Mara + Nakuru | Two contrasting parks | Budget $800–1,200 · Mid $1,500–2,500 |
| 7 days | Mara + Amboseli + Nakuru (+ Naivasha) | The classic all-rounder, Big Five | Mid $2,100–4,200 · Luxury $4,500–11,000 |
| 10 days | Three-park circuit + Tsavo or beach | Bush-and-beach, honeymooners | Mid $3,000–7,000 · Luxury $6,000–15,000+ |
| 14 days | Full circuit or Kenya + Tanzania | Once-in-a-lifetime, photographers | Mid $5,000–9,000 · Luxury $12,000–25,000+ |
See our Kenya safari cost guide for how flights change the budget, and best time to visit Kenya to pick your dates.
Whichever route you choose, there's room to add a signature experience. Travellers building these itineraries often fold in the Masai Mara's Great Migration river crossings, Amboseli's elephants beneath Mount Kilimanjaro, rhino-tracking at Lake Nakuru, a hippo boat cruise at Lake Naivasha, the red-dust wilderness of Tsavo, or a beach finish at Diani. Browse experiences that fit your dates:
Three days and two nights is the minimum recommended for a genuine safari and the single most popular short safari in the country. You get an afternoon drive on arrival, a full day in the reserve, and a final morning. Most visitors see much of the Big Five because the Mara's wildlife density is extraordinary.
Best for: first-timers and weekend warriors. Approx. price pp: budget $300–650; mid-range $700–1,200; luxury $1,500–3,500. See our Masai Mara ultimate guide and accommodation guide.
Is 3 days enough for a Masai Mara safari? Yes — it's the recommended minimum and delivers excellent value. If your only goal is the Mara, 3 days works beautifully. If you want elephants-under-Kilimanjaro or flamingos too, you'll need 5+ days.
Add a day and you can bolt on Lake Nakuru — Kenya's premier rhino sanctuary — for big cats plus black and white rhino, Rothschild's giraffe and (in good years) flamingos. Day 1 drives to Lake Nakuru for an afternoon game drive; Day 2 transfers to the Mara; Day 3 is a full day in the reserve; Day 4 returns to Nairobi.
Best for: travellers who want rhino and a second ecosystem without a full week. Approx. price pp: budget $500–900; mid-range $1,000–1,800; luxury $2,000–3,800. This is our single most popular short circuit — check live availability and current prices below.
4-Day Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru — Check availability & pricesSee our Lake Nakuru & Naivasha guide for the rhino-tracking detail.
Five days is the shortest itinerary that comfortably combines two flagship parks. The classic pairing is the Masai Mara and Amboseli — big cats and the Migration in the Mara, then huge elephant herds beneath Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli.
A typical run: Nairobi → Mara (2 nights, optional balloon) → the transfer day → Amboseli (elephant herds, swamps, Kilimanjaro at dawn) → back to Nairobi. Best for: travellers wanting contrast — predators plus elephants — in under a week. Approx. price pp: budget group-joining from about $799; mid-range $1,500–2,500; luxury fly-in $3,000–6,000. Check live availability for the classic Mara–Nakuru–Amboseli jeep circuit below.
5-Day Kenya Classic — Check availability & pricesAmboseli is a Kenya Wildlife Service Premium Park (2026 non-resident entry US$90 per adult per 24 hours). See the Amboseli guide.
Seven days is the itinerary we recommend most often — a proper three-park circuit (Amboseli + Lake Nakuru + Masai Mara) that balances Kenya's best wildlife without feeling rushed, and the length where a single internal flight pays off handsomely.
Best for: first-time visitors who want the full picture. Approx. price pp: mid-range roughly $2,100–4,200; luxury road trips $4,500–7,300; luxury fly-in $7,700–11,400. Check live availability for a highlight 7-day circuit below.
7-Day Kenya Classic — Check availability & pricesWhat is the best 7 day Kenya itinerary? For most first-timers, Amboseli → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara (with two full nights in the Mara) is the strongest balance of elephants, rhinos and big cats. Add Naivasha if you want to break up the driving.
The full three-park circuit plus either Tsavo or — the most popular choice — a beach finish on the Indian Ocean. A sample route: Amboseli → Tsavo West → fly to the Mara for two full days → fly to Diani Beach for three nights. Approx. price pp: mid-range $3,000–7,000; luxury $6,000–15,000+. See our Tsavo guide.
Two weeks lets you slow right down: the full southern circuit plus a proper beach stay; the northern parks (Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Laikipia); or a cross-border Kenya–Tanzania safari pairing the Mara with the Serengeti. Approx. price pp: mid-range $5,000–9,000; luxury $12,000–25,000+. For a mountain add-on see the Kilimanjaro safari guide.
How much does a 10-day Kenya safari cost? Budget group trips can start near $2,300 per person; realistic mid-range bush-and-beach runs $3,000–7,000pp; luxury fly-in trips run $6,000–15,000+pp, with ultra-luxury private-charter itineraries reaching $15,000–25,000pp.
Mind minimum ages (many camps set 6 for game drives, 12 for balloons and walking safaris — a private vehicle removes most limits). Amboseli is best for young children; Lake Nakuru is compact and less tiring. A great 7-day family loop: Nairobi → Naivasha (boat safari) → Nakuru (rhinos) → Mara (private vehicle) → fly back.
Prioritise a private conservancy bordering the Mara (fewer vehicles, night drives, walking safaris) with 3–5 nights on the coast at Diani or Watamu. Camps in Naboisho, Mara North and Olare Motorogi limit vehicle numbers, so you can be the only car at a sighting.
The single supplement can be 25–75% of the per-person rate. Reduce it by joining a group safari (many operators pair same-gender solo travellers to share a room and waive the supplement), travelling in green/low season (November, April–May), or picking solo-friendly camps that waive the surcharge for one guest per departure.
The realistic minimum is 3 days (one park, the Masai Mara). Five days lets you combine two parks; 7 days is the ideal all-rounder for a three-park Big Five circuit; and 10–14 days allows a beach extension, Tsavo, or a Kenya–Tanzania combination. For a first trip, 7 days hits the best balance of cost, variety and pace.
Yes. Three days and two nights is the recommended minimum and offers excellent value, with an arrival-afternoon drive, a full day in the reserve, and a final morning. Most visitors see much of the Big Five thanks to the Mara's wildlife density. Flying in maximises your time.
Amboseli → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara, with two full nights in the Mara, is the classic and our top pick for first-timers — elephants, rhinos and big cats in one loop. Add Lake Naivasha to shorten the drives, and fly the final leg back to Nairobi.
Yes, and it's a superb pairing — but the two parks are an 8–9 hour drive apart via Nairobi. Allow at least 5 days, break the journey at Lake Naivasha, or use a short internal flight (via Nairobi) rather than attempting the drive in a single stint.
Budget group trips can start around $2,300 per person; mid-range bush-and-beach itineraries run roughly $3,000–7,000pp; and luxury fly-in trips run $6,000–15,000+pp, with ultra-luxury private itineraries reaching $15,000–25,000pp. Prices exclude international flights and depend heavily on season and park fees. See our Kenya safari cost guide.
Drive on shorter trips and where parks are close (Nairobi–Nakuru–Mara); fly on longer trips or to skip brutal transfers like Amboseli–Mara. A Nairobi–Mara flight averages about 48 minutes versus 5–6 hours by road, and even one strategic flight on a 7-day-plus trip buys extra game-viewing time.
Typically yes, due to the single supplement (roughly 25–75% extra on accommodation). You can avoid it by joining a group safari with room-sharing, travelling in low season, or choosing camps that waive the supplement for solo guests.
Every itinerary above is a sample route — the real magic happens when it's tailored to your dates, budget, pace and interests. Browse our most popular multi-park safaris and check live availability for your dates.