Luxury 7-Day Luxury Kenya Safari Beyond the Main Circuit
$1,965 / personPrivate · lowest rate, US$, subject to availability
View itinerary
Kenya
6-Day Luxury Amboseli, Lake Naivasha & Maasai Mara Safari
Three of Kenya's most distinctive safari landscapes in six days, in a private vehicle. The Maasai Mara, a boat trip on Lake Naivasha, and Amboseli under Kilimanjaro.
Duration6 days5 nights
From$1,890per person, US$, lowest date and party-size rate. Estimate, subject to availability
Trip overview
Three very different expressions of Kenya in six days: the wildlife-rich plains of the Maasai Mara, the quiet freshwater of Lake Naivasha and the Kilimanjaro-framed landscapes of Amboseli. The vehicle is private throughout and is never shared with other travellers.
The Mara carries the Big Five and, from July to October, the Great Migration. Lake Naivasha is the deliberate contrast, a lake stop with a boat trip out among the hippos and the birdlife. Amboseli closes the circuit with its elephant herds and the mountain behind them.
Camps and hotels are chosen for comfort rather than count, and the pacing leaves two nights each in the Mara and in Amboseli. Departures run on any day, subject to availability, and minor changes to the accommodation or the destinations can be requested.
CountryKenyaMaasai Mara · Lake Naivasha · Amboseli
Duration6 days5 nights
ArrangementPrivateyour own vehicle and guide
Starts & endsNairobi
Best timeJul to Oct, and Jan to Feb
From$1,890Per person in US dollars, from $1,890 up to $2,710 depending on travel dates and party size. Subject to availability. All prices shown are estimates. Your final price is confirmed in your written quote.
Map route
The route, stop by stop
1
Nairobi
Day 1 · Private departure
2
Maasai Mara
Days 1 to 3 · 2 nights
3
Lake Naivasha
Day 3 · 1 night, boat trip
4
Amboseli
Days 4 to 6 · 2 nights
5
Nairobi
Day 6 · Ends here
What you are likely to see
Elephant
Lion
Buffalo
Zebra
Giraffe
Hippo
Wildebeest
Leopard
Cheetah
Black rhino
Solid tone means often seen on this route. Outline means possible, and worth the patience. Sightings vary with season and luck, and nothing wild is guaranteed.
Best months to travel
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Best
Quieter
Green season
Gallery
The ground this safari covers
Day by day
6 days, in order
Each day lists the route, the meals included and the lodge for that night. Ask us for the expected driving time on any day.
01
Nairobi to the Maasai Mara
Nairobi to the Maasai Mara
The private departure leaves Nairobi's traffic behind early, and the road runs west, over the lip of the Great Rift Valley and down across its floor. Past Narok the farmland thins, and the country opens into the long, rolling grassland the Maasai Mara is known for.
Lunch is waiting at Sarova Mara Game Camp, with the afternoon given to a first game drive. The Mara is among Kenya's foremost wildlife reserves and all of the Big Five live here, so a first outing rarely comes back without something to talk about over dinner.
Private departureAfternoon game driveLunch and dinner
Day 14 photos
Accommodation
Night 1 of 2
4 photos
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Maasai Mara National Reserve Tented camp · 4 photos
View lodge & photosClose
A luxury tented camp inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Canvas tents on raised decks with hardwood floors, four poster beds under netting and a private veranda facing the bush.
02
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Full day in the Maasai Mara
Two nights at the same camp mean the day can be spent properly, working across the Mara's different sections at an unhurried pace rather than racing between sightings. The reserve is the northern end of the wider Serengeti ecosystem, and that connection is why the wildlife here is so dense: lion prides in the long grass, cheetah on the termite mounds, elephant and buffalo moving through the thickets.
Between July and October the Great Migration can put tens of thousands of wildebeest directly in front of the vehicle, and with luck, on the bank of the Mara River as they gather their nerve to cross.
Full day of game drivesMigration July to OctoberAll meals
Day 25 photos
Accommodation
Night 2 of 2
4 photos
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Maasai Mara National Reserve Tented camp · 4 photos
View lodge & photosClose
A luxury tented camp inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Canvas tents on raised decks with hardwood floors, four poster beds under netting and a private veranda facing the bush.
03
Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha
Maasai Mara to Lake Naivasha
The Mara falls behind in the morning, and the road turns toward the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha, a freshwater lake fringed with papyrus and yellow barked acacia, busy with birds and home to large pods of hippo.
After check in at Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort, high above the lake, the afternoon is spent on the water. A boat trip gives an entirely different angle on Kenya's wildlife: fish eagles calling from the treetops, cormorants drying their wings, and the hippos close enough to hear.
Drive to the Rift ValleyBoat trip on the lakeAll meals
Day 32 photos
Accommodation
One night
8 photos
Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort
Eburru Escarpment above Lake Naivasha Hotel · 8 photos
View lodge & photosClose
The Great Rift Valley Lodge & Golf Resort is a Heritage Hotels property set high on the Eburru Escarpment above Lake Naivasha, a couple of hours’ drive from Nairobi. From its terraces and rooms the views take in the Rift Valley floor, the lake, the crater of Mount Longonot and the Aberdare Mountains. Accommodation comes […]
All meals included.
04
Lake Naivasha to Amboseli
Lake Naivasha to Amboseli National Park
The longest drive of the safari runs south from the Rift Valley to Amboseli National Park, one of the most recognisable settings in Kenya, known for its elephants and for Mount Kilimanjaro rising behind them across the Tanzanian border.
Arrival leaves the rest of the day at Hunter's Luxury Manor, a luxury tented camp, where the quiet of the Amboseli ecosystem settles in with the evening, and the mountain often shows itself as the cloud clears around sunset.
Long drive southKilimanjaro on the skylineAll meals
Day 43 photos
Accommodation
Night 1 of 2
8 photos
Hunter’s Luxury Manor
Lodge · 8 photos
View lodge & photosClose
All meals included.
05
Amboseli National Park
Full day in Amboseli National Park
Amboseli is small by Kenyan standards, and that works in its favour. Open plains, bright green swamps and the mountain behind them make a setting unlike anywhere else on this circuit, and the elephants are easy to find and hard to leave. The families here are among the most closely studied in Africa, and they walk past the vehicle with complete indifference.
Game viewing fills the day, from the cool of the morning to the late light, when Kilimanjaro is most likely to be clear. The pace stays unhurried, and the vehicle returns to camp for the evening.
Full day of game viewingElephant herdsAll meals
Day 54 photos
Accommodation
Night 2 of 2
8 photos
Hunter’s Luxury Manor
Lodge · 8 photos
View lodge & photosClose
Hunter's Luxury Manor, luxury tented camp less than an hour from the park. All meals included.
06
Amboseli to Nairobi
Amboseli to Nairobi
A last breakfast, with Kilimanjaro in view if the weather allows, and then the road turns north for the drive back to Nairobi, across the dry Maasai plains. Lunch is taken before the journey ends, and the safari closes in the city.
Return driveBreakfast and lunch
The price
The price, in full
Written plainly so there are no surprises at the airport. Anything optional can be added to the quote before you pay.
Included
Already in the price you see.
- A private safari, arranged for one party only
- Accommodation as listed in the itinerary
- Meals as listed for each day
- All game drives
- The boat trip on Lake Naivasha
- Transport in a pop-up roof safari minivan
- Airport transfers at both ends of the safari
- Help choosing international flights
Not included
Budget for these separately.
- International flights. Help choosing them is included, the booking itself is separate
- Additional accommodation before or after the safari, arranged at extra cost
- Anything not listed under what is included
Before you book
Questions, answered
What travellers ask us most about a safari like this one. Anything else, ask below and a specialist in Nairobi replies within one business day.
Is this a private safari?
Yes. This safari is private: your own vehicle and guide for the whole trip, and we never merge your party with another to cut costs.
How do we book, and how much is the deposit?
Press Book this safari. You can hold your dates for three days without paying while a specialist checks availability with the lodges and parks, or pay a deposit of 30, 40 or 50 percent, or the full amount, by credit or debit card through Pesapal. You can also pay by bank transfer, or in person at our Nairobi office by card. The standard schedule is a 30 percent deposit to confirm and the balance 60 days before arrival; bookings made within 60 days of departure, and gorilla or chimpanzee permits, are paid in full at booking. Card details go to Pesapal, never to Volcan.
Will we see the Great Migration and a river crossing?
The herds usually reach the Maasai Mara around July and stay until about October, crossing the Mara River many times in that period. For the rest of the year they are in the Serengeti in Tanzania. The timing is set by the rains, so no operator can promise a crossing on a given day, but our guides follow the reports every morning and position you as well as experience allows.
Do we need a visa?
Kenya: most visitors need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), applied for online before travel at etakenya.go.ke. Rules depend on your passport and change from time to time, so check them before you book flights, and always apply through the official government portal, never a third-party agent. We tell you what applies to your route when we confirm your trip.
Which vaccinations and health precautions do we need?
See a travel clinic at least six weeks before you go. Malaria is present in most safari areas of East Africa, so ask about antimalarials, insect repellent and cover-up clothing for the evenings. A yellow fever certificate can be required depending on your route and where you arrive from.
What vehicle will we travel in?
A Toyota Land Cruiser from Volcan’s own fleet, in the company’s colours, with the same driver-guide from the first day to the last. It is yours alone for the whole safari, and every vehicle carries reusable water bottles.
Can children come on this safari?
Yes, and a private vehicle makes it easy to set the pace around them. Child rates depend on the lodges, and some camps and activities set minimum ages, so tell us the ages of everyone travelling and we confirm what applies before you pay anything.
What happens if we need to cancel?
Tell us in writing as early as possible. The cancellation charges for your trip are set out in your written booking confirmation. Gorilla permits, internal flights and non-refundable lodge deposits already paid on your behalf cannot be recovered, so they are charged in full. Refunds go back to the card or account the payment came from. The detail is in our Booking & Payment Terms.
Enquire
Plan this safari with us
Send your dates and who is travelling. A specialist checks availability with the lodges and parks and replies within one business day with an itemised price.
- Free, and no obligation
- Ask about changing the dates, lodges or pace
- Answered by the team in Nairobi who plan the trip
Availability
6-Day Luxury Amboseli, Lake Naivasha & Maasai Mara Safari
Dates are held for 72 hours without payment while you check flights. Nothing is charged until the itinerary is confirmed in writing.
From
$1,890
Per person in US dollars, from $1,890 up to $2,710 depending on travel dates and party size. Subject to availability. All prices shown are estimates. Your final price is confirmed in your written quote.
Prices are for guidance and are confirmed against current lodge and park rates before any payment.
Similar safaris
You might also consider
Luxury 
Luxury 7-Day Luxury Kenya Safari
$1,905 / personPrivate · lowest rate, US$, subject to availability
View itinerary
Luxury 5-Day Luxury Kenya Safari
$2,076 / personPrivate · lowest rate, US$, subject to availability
View itinerary
All prices shown are estimates. Your final price is confirmed in your written quote.
