Day 1

Kenya

9-Day Luxury Kenya Safari

A journey through Kenya's great wilderness. Nine days from the red earth of Tsavo West to the Maasai Mara, by way of Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru.

Duration9 days8 nights

From$3,575per person, US$, lowest date and party-size rate. Estimate, subject to availability

Book this safari Request a quote

Trip overview

Nine days across the wildlife landscapes that make the strongest case for Kenya, taken slowly enough that each one registers. The red earth country of Tsavo West, the elephant ground of Amboseli under Kilimanjaro, the bird-rich freshwater of Lake Naivasha, the rhino sanctuary at Lake Nakuru, and two nights to finish in the Maasai Mara.

The safari is private throughout, the vehicle is a pop-up roof 4×4 or minivan, and airport transfers at both ends are included. Two nights are built into Tsavo West, Amboseli and the Mara, so no single day is lost to driving.

Departures run on any day subject to availability, the route can be customised, and the trip takes solo travellers and children from two years old. The rate runs from US$3,575 to US$4,180 per person depending on season and lodge.

CountryKenyaTsavo West · Amboseli · Naivasha · Nakuru · Maasai Mara

Duration9 days8 nights

ArrangementPrivateyour own vehicle and guide

Starts & endsNairobi

Itinerary9 daysDay by day below

Best timeJul to Oct, and Jan to Feb

From$3,575Per person in US dollars, from $3,575 up to $4,180 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

Nairobi Day 1 · Departs Nairobi

Tsavo West Days 1 to 3 · 2 nights

Amboseli Days 3 to 5 · 2 nights

Lake Naivasha Day 5 · 1 night

Lake Nakuru Day 6 · 1 night

Maasai Mara Days 7 to 9 · 2 nights

Nairobi Day 9 · Ends here

What you are likely to see

Elephant Lion Buffalo Zebra Giraffe Hippo Wildebeest White rhino Flamingo Cheetah Leopard 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

Best Quieter Green season

Book this safari Enquire Go to the day by day itinerary

Go to the day by day itinerary

Gallery

The ground this safari covers

Day by day

9 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.

Nairobi to Tsavo West

Nairobi to Tsavo West National Park

Nairobi is left behind at around eight in the morning, and the road runs south east along the old highway toward the coast, the country growing drier and redder with every hour. Tsavo West National Park is reached in time for lunch.

The afternoon's first game drive heads into volcanic country, lava flows, cinder cones and all, and stops at Mzima Springs, where water filtered underground from the Chyulu Hills rises crystal clear into pools shared by hippo and crocodile. Tsavo's elephants are famously red, dusted with the earth they throw over their backs, and lion, giraffe, zebra and antelope use the same ground.

Departs around 8amAfternoon game driveLunch and dinner

Day 13 photos

Tsavo West landscape — Open country toward the Chyulu Hills

Game drive in Tsavo West — A game drive on the Tsavo plains

Accommodation

Night 1 of 2

5 photos Salt Lick Safari Lodge Tsavo West National Park Lodge · 5 photos View lodge & photosClose

Rooms raised on stilts around a floodlit waterhole, built for watching elephants come to drink without ever leaving the room.

Tsavo West National Park

Full day in Tsavo West

With a picnic lunch on board, the far corners of Tsavo West come within reach. Roaring Rocks and Poacher's Lookout both give the long view over the lava flows and the plains, the kind of view that explains how vast this park is, and the Chaimu Crater viewpoint is added when conditions allow.

The drive carries on toward Lake Jipe, where the border between Kenya and Tanzania runs through the water and the Pare Mountains rise beyond, with game and birdlife along the way. The evening is back at Salt Lick Safari Lodge.

Full day game drivePicnic lunchAll meals

Day 23 photos

Zebra herd in Tsavo West — A zebra herd on the red earth of Tsavo West

Baboon troop on a Tsavo West track — A baboon troop working along a park road

Giraffe in Tsavo West — Giraffe among the scrub

Accommodation

Night 2 of 2

5 photos Salt Lick Safari Lodge Tsavo West National Park Lodge · 5 photos View lodge & photosClose

Rooms raised on stilts around a floodlit waterhole, built for watching elephants come to drink without ever leaving the room.

Tsavo West to Amboseli

Tsavo West to Amboseli National Park

The early game drive after breakfast is a last look at Tsavo, and then the road runs north west to Amboseli, with Kilimanjaro growing larger on the skyline. Check in and lunch come first at Ol Tukai Lodge.

The afternoon goes back out across a park that changes character every few kilometres: the dry bed of the old lake, open grassland, acacia woodland and the bright green swamps. Amboseli is known for two things above all, its elephants and the mountain behind them, and the first drive usually delivers both.

Early game driveAfternoon game driveAll meals

Day 32 photos

Two elephants below Kilimanjaro in Amboseli — Two bulls on the Amboseli plain, Kilimanjaro behind them

Amboseli National Park — Open plains beneath Kilimanjaro

Accommodation

Night 1 of 2

4 photos Ol Tukai Lodge Centre of Amboseli National Park Lodge · 4 photos View lodge & photosClose

A lodge in the middle of Amboseli, on the old sisal estate between the swamps. Timber and thatch, wide verandas, and Kilimanjaro filling the southern view on a clear morning.

Amboseli National Park

Full day in Amboseli National Park

The alarm is early for a reason: Kilimanjaro is clearest before the cloud gathers around the summit, and it rarely stays out much past mid morning. Seeing it at dawn, pink and white above the plains, with elephants walking beneath it, is one of the defining images of a Kenyan safari.

The rest of the day works the wetlands, where the big herds feed and bathe and the elephants are easiest to watch at length. A visit to a Maasai village can be arranged after breakfast, with a look inside the homes, time with the community, and their singing and dancing.

Dawn start for KilimanjaroOptional Maasai villageAll meals

Day 44 photos

Elephant below Kilimanjaro in Amboseli — An elephant crossing below Kilimanjaro, Amboseli

Elephants at an Amboseli swamp with Kilimanjaro behind — Elephants at the swamps, Kilimanjaro behind them

Elephant herd in Amboseli after rain — An elephant herd moving across Amboseli after rain

Cheetah at Amboseli — A cheetah crossing open ground

Accommodation

Night 2 of 2

4 photos Ol Tukai Lodge Centre of Amboseli National Park Lodge · 4 photos View lodge & photosClose

A lodge in the middle of Amboseli, on the old sisal estate between the swamps. Timber and thatch, wide verandas, and Kilimanjaro filling the southern view on a clear morning.

Amboseli to Lake Naivasha

The morning starts early for the long drive north to Lake Naivasha, one of the few freshwater lakes in the Great Rift Valley, sitting at around 1,910 metres. The dry south gives way to the highlands and then the valley itself, its floor scattered with old volcanoes.

The lake's shores are fringed with papyrus, its hippo pods are resident, and more than 400 bird species have been recorded around the water. The rest of the day is spent at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, with dinner and the night there.

Long drive northRift Valley freshwaterAll meals

Day 52 photos

Hippos beside a boat on Lake Naivasha — Hippos alongside a boat on Lake Naivasha

Hippo and flamingos on Lake Naivasha — A hippo in the shallows, flamingos on the far shore

Accommodation

One night

5 photos Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort Lake Naivasha shore, Rift Valley floor Lodge · 5 photos View lodge & photosClose

Thatched cottages spread through fever tree lawns that run down to the lake, with zebra and waterbuck grazing between them.

Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru

Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park

A short drive north through the Rift Valley reaches Lake Nakuru National Park, which is fenced, and that fence is the reason it holds the rhino numbers it does. Lunch is taken on arrival at Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge.

The afternoon game drive runs past the soda lake and its shallows, where flamingos and pelicans gather, and into the acacia country where the rhino are found, black and white alike, alongside Rothschild's giraffe and, with luck, a leopard in the yellow barked trees.

Short driveAfternoon game driveAll meals

Day 63 photos

Rhino and flamingos at Lake Nakuru — Rhino and flamingo share the same shoreline

Flamingos at Lake Nakuru — Flamingos along the shallows

Lake Nakuru — The soda lake and its shoreline

Accommodation

One night

5 photos Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge Inside Lake Nakuru National Park, on hills along the western side of the lake Lodge · 5 photos View lodge & photosClose

Set above the park on the rift valley wall, with the soda lake and its flamingo shallows spread out below the pool terrace.

Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara

One more game drive in Lake Nakuru at dawn, and then the road turns south west for the Maasai Mara. The reserve is the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem, which explains both the density of its wildlife and the wildebeest and zebra that pour in each year in season.

Lunch is at Mara Serena Safari Lodge, set on a ridge above the reserve, and the afternoon goes out onto the plains.

Early game driveAfternoon game driveAll meals

Day 73 photos

Lake Nakuru National Park — Game drive tracks through the park

Maasai Mara plains — Open plains as far as the light goes

The migration crossing the plains in the Maasai Mara — The herds moving across open ground, vehicles at the tree line

Accommodation

Night 1 of 2

1 photo Mara Serena Safari Lodge Mara Triangle, Maasai Mara National Reserve, hilltop above the Mara River Lodge · 1 photo View lodge & photosClose

Built into a ridge inside the reserve, above the bend of the Mara River where the crossings happen. Rooms are shaped after a Maasai manyatta and every one of them faces the plains.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Full day in the Maasai Mara

With a picnic lunch packed, the day can cover more than one section of the reserve, and the Mara rewards the effort. The Big Five all live here, plains game is everywhere, and lion and cheetah are the predators found most often, the lions sprawled in the shade and the cheetah scanning from a termite mound.

An optional Maasai village visit can be arranged, and a hot air balloon safari over the plains at first light, drifting silently above the herds, is available at extra cost.

Full day game drivePicnic lunchAll meals

Day 85 photos

The Great Migration herds in the Maasai Mara — The migration herds filling the plain, July to October

Wildebeest crossing the Mara River — The river crossing, July to October

Lion pair in the Maasai Mara — A lion pair resting in the long grass, Maasai Mara

Cheetah pair in the Maasai Mara — A cheetah pair on a termite mound at first light

Wildebeest and zebra herds — Wildebeest and zebra move together

Accommodation

Night 2 of 2

1 photo Mara Serena Safari Lodge Mara Triangle, Maasai Mara National Reserve, hilltop above the Mara River Lodge · 1 photo View lodge & photosClose

Built into a ridge inside the reserve, above the bend of the Mara River where the crossings happen. Rooms are shaped after a Maasai manyatta and every one of them faces the plains.

Maasai Mara to Nairobi

A sunrise game drive is the last on the safari, the plains cool and gold and the cats still active. Then it is back to the lodge for breakfast and the road north to Nairobi, with a picnic lunch along the way.

The safari ends on arrival, at a Nairobi hotel or at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Sunrise game drivePicnic lunch en route

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
All game drives
A pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle or pop-up roof minivan
Airport transfers at both ends of the safari
Meals as listed for each day
Drinking water throughout
Park and activity arrangements as set out by the operator

Not included

Budget for these separately.

International flights
Additional accommodation before or after the safari, at extra cost
Drinks other than the drinking water provided
Anything not listed under what is included

Reviews

Google Reviews

      
   Volcan Tours & Travel
   8 Google reviews 
  Write a review 
  
 
 
   
 
 
       Posted on Google  
   
   Eleftheria Kapoula 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Our family had an absolutely incredible experience with Volcan Tours and Travel during our trip to Africa. Traveling with two young children (a 2 year old and a 6 year old) can sometimes be challenging, but thanks to their excellent organization and attention to detail everything went smoothly from beginning to end.
The entire trip was perfectly planned from the beautiful accommodations to the unforgettable safari experiences. Seeing the wildlife up close was truly magical and everything was arranged in a way that made it comfortable and enjoyable for our whole family.
A special mention to the amazing guides and drivers who were professional, friendly and wonderful with our children. They made us feel safe and welcome at all times and helped create memories that our family will cherish forever.
We are so grateful to the Volcan Tours and Travel team for organizing such a unique and unforgettable journey. We highly recommend them to anyone planning a trip to Africa, especially families traveling with young children!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Matias Agnolin 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had an unforgettable safari visiting Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli, and everything was simply perfect from start to finish. The organization, the lodges, the guides — every detail was beyond expectations.

A very special thank you to Marion, who was incredibly kind, helpful, and always available. She took care of every detail, answered all my questions, and made sure everything went smoothly throughout the trip. Her dedication and warm attitude truly made the experience even better.

I couldn’t have asked for a better safari — the wildlife, landscapes, and people were amazing. I highly recommend this agency and would definitely book with them again.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Lydia Collett 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I had a brilliant time doing the day tour of Nairobi National Park, the Elephant Sanctuary & Giraffe centre with Anthony who was super friendly and informative about all the animals! It was a busy and tiring day but totally worth it!
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   samuel davis 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Thank you for making our first trip to Africa such an awesome experience, alway on time, knowledgeable and friendly, and for going the extra mile so we saw all of the "big five" animals on our safari.
Thanks Marion and Ben our guide and Driver.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Carleen Williams 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Our tour guides were absolutely wonderful.  I can't say enough about the experience.  We definitely will be using their services when we do return to The Motherland. Blessings.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Márcio Santos 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I did a very good walking tour around Nairobi with Marion. She is kind, helpful and well-informed about the city.
  
 
      Posted on Google  
   
   Bonface Ngui 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Without doubt one of the favourite game park in Kenya(Amboseli Game Park)

Upon arrival we were warmly welcomed by Volcan Tour Guide Marion, our names were mentioned on the board and we felt welcomed and with such a friendly atmosphere we had a fantastic start! The guide and tour was extremely good, very flexible and for that she deserves a special thanks. We had two great days there, which obviously also added up to the experience.

Marion is such a warm personality and highly motivated guide not forgetting -recommendable!. We truly enjoyed walking the six of us through the area. The scenery was beautiful and it was a relieve to walk in such a quiet and peaceful environment. The beautiful animals at the park carried our adventure.

The atmosphere is so special that it really felt like home to all of us. All respect for Marion who did a great job there; a true sample of excellent tour guide!

Many thanks again and I recommend Volcan Tour Guide Marion to everyone! Welcome to the great nation of Kenya: HAKUNA MATATA!

See all reviews on Google

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

9-Day Luxury Kenya Safari

Dates are held for 72 hours without payment while you check flights. Nothing is charged until the itinerary is confirmed in writing.

From $3,575 Per person in US dollars, from $3,575 up to $4,180 depending on travel dates and party size. Subject to availability. All prices shown are estimates. Your final price is confirmed in your written quote.

Book this safari Enquire first

Prices are for guidance and are confirmed against current lodge and park rates before any payment.

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9-Day Luxury Kenya Safari

The ground this safari covers

9 days, in order

Nairobi to Tsavo West National Park

Accommodation

Full day in Tsavo West

Accommodation

Tsavo West to Amboseli National Park

Accommodation

Full day in Amboseli National Park

Accommodation

Amboseli to Lake Naivasha

Accommodation

Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park

Accommodation

Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara

Accommodation

Full day in the Maasai Mara

Accommodation

Maasai Mara to Nairobi

The price, in full

Included

Not included

Google Reviews

Questions, answered

Plan this safari with us

Request this itinerary

9-Day Luxury Kenya Safari

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9-Day Grand Kenya Safari

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Talk to someone who has been there.