Luxury 7-Day Luxury Samburu, Ol Pejeta & Maasai Mara Safari
$3,893 / personPrivate · lowest rate, US$, subject to availability
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Kenya
8-Day Luxury Kenya Safari
Eight days built around three nights in the Maasai Mara, with Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru on the way in. Private throughout.
Duration8 days7 nights
From$4,008per person, US$, lowest date and party-size rate. Estimate, subject to availability
Trip overview
Eight days that put the weight where it counts. Amboseli opens the trip under Kilimanjaro, Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru carry the middle, and the Maasai Mara gets three full nights rather than the usual two, which is long enough to stop chasing the reserve and start reading it.
The safari is private, the vehicle is a pop-up roof 4×4 with a professional driver-guide, and park fees, airport transfers and taxes are all inside the rate.
Departures run on any day subject to availability, minor changes to the lodges and the destinations can be requested, and the trip takes solo travellers and children from two years old.
CountryKenyaAmboseli · Lake Naivasha · Lake Nakuru · Maasai Mara
Duration8 days7 nights
ArrangementPrivateyour own vehicle and guide
Starts & endsNairobi
Best timeJul to Oct, and Jan to Feb
From$4,008Per person in US dollars, from $4,008 up to $4,580 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 · Meets at JKIA
2
Amboseli
Days 1 to 3 · 2 nights
3
Lake Naivasha
Day 3 · 1 night
4
Lake Nakuru
Day 4 · 1 night
5
Maasai Mara
Days 5 to 8 · 3 nights
6
Nairobi
Day 8 · 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
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
8 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 Amboseli
Nairobi to Amboseli National Park
The driver and a representative meet the party at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and the road runs south across open Maasai plains to Amboseli National Park, with Kilimanjaro appearing ahead on a clear day.
Check in and lunch at Ol Tukai Lodge come first, then an afternoon game drive. Amboseli's big tusked elephants are what people come for, and the mountain behind them is the reason the photographs look the way they do. Dinner and the night are at the lodge.
Met at JKIAAfternoon game driveLunch and dinner
Day 13 photos
Accommodation
Night 1 of 2
4 photos
Ol Tukai Lodge
Centre of Amboseli National Park Lodge · 4 photos
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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.
02
Amboseli National Park
Full day in Amboseli National Park
The morning's first game drive goes out before breakfast, to catch the mountain and the animals in the soft early light. After that the day is open: it can be taken in sections, with a rest at the lodge through the heat, or run as one long drive with lunch carried.
Beyond the elephant herds, the park holds wildebeest, buffalo, gazelle, lion, cheetah, giraffe and zebra, and a smaller list that people miss unless they are looking: hyrax, dik dik, lesser kudu, mongoose and porcupine.
Dawn game driveFull day optionAll meals
Day 24 photos
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.
03
Amboseli to Lake Naivasha
Amboseli to Lake Naivasha
Amboseli is left after breakfast with a game drive on the way out, and then the road runs north to Lake Naivasha, for lunch and check in at Lake Naivasha Resort.
The afternoon offers a boat trip on the lake, at extra cost, or a walk on Crescent Island. The island is open ground walked on foot, which brings giraffe, zebra, impala, waterbuck and a long bird list close enough to hear. Hippo are usually visible around the shore.
Game drive en routeOptional boat or Crescent IslandAll meals
Day 32 photos
Accommodation
One night
4 photos
Lake Naivasha Resort
Moi South Lake Road, Lake Naivasha Hotel · 4 photos
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A resort on the lake shore with lawns running to the water, three pools and a terrace laid for dinner facing the lake.
04
Hell's Gate to Lake Nakuru
Lake Naivasha to Lake Nakuru National Park
Hell's Gate is visited early, a rare Kenyan park where walking and cycling among the wildlife is allowed, with sheer red cliffs and steam rising from the geothermal fields. Breakfast follows, then the road north to Lake Nakuru National Park, with a game drive on the way in and arrival around lunchtime.
The afternoon continues through the park, looking for leopard, black and white rhino, the flamingo shallows and the rest of the birdlife, before the evening at Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge.
Hell's Gate at dawnGame drive en routeAll meals
Day 43 photos
Accommodation
One night
6 photos
Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge
Inside Lake Nakuru National Park, on the slopes above the lake Lodge · 6 photos
View lodge & photosClose
The only lodge on Lion Hill itself, inside the park, so the game drives start at the door. Chalets step down the ridge and look across the soda lake.
05
Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara
Lake Nakuru to the Maasai Mara
After breakfast the road runs north through the Great Rift Valley and then climbs west, through farmland and small market towns, until the long grass of the Maasai Mara opens up ahead. Lunch is at Sarova Mara Game Camp on arrival.
The afternoon goes out onto the reserve, which carries the Big Five and, alongside them, cheetah, serval, hyena, bat eared fox and eland. It is a good first taste of the scale of the place, with three nights here still to come.
Cross the Rift ValleyAfternoon game driveAll meals
Day 53 photos
Accommodation
Night 1 of 3
4 photos
Sarova Mara Game Camp
Maasai Mara National Reserve Tented camp · 4 photos
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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.
06
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Full day in the Maasai Mara
The Mara covers 1,510 square kilometres and forms part of the greater Serengeti ecosystem, and its concentration of predators is the reason for its reputation: lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, jackal and serval all hold territory here. A full day on the reserve gives time to find them.
The morning drive leaves early, while the cats are still active, and lunch is a picnic at a site out on the plains. The vehicle returns to camp in the evening for dinner, with plenty of stories to share.
Full day game drivePicnic lunchAll meals
Day 64 photos
Accommodation
Night 2 of 3
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.
07
Maasai Mara National Reserve
The Mara River and the migration ground
An early game drive, and then the day heads for the Mara River and the crossing points the migration uses. In season, the banks are where the herds gather, thousands at a time, before plunging into the water past the waiting crocodiles, one of the great spectacles of the natural world. Out of season, the river belongs to the hippo pods and the crocodiles, and it is still a fascinating place to spend time.
Lunch is carried, the afternoon goes to more game viewing on the plains, and the evening is the last in the Mara.
Dawn game driveMara RiverPicnic lunchAll meals
Day 74 photos
Accommodation
Night 3 of 3
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.
08
Maasai Mara to Nairobi
Maasai Mara to Nairobi
One final sunrise game drive, as the plains wake up, and then breakfast at camp and check out. The road runs north back across the Rift Valley to Nairobi, with a picnic lunch on the way.
The safari ends with a drop-off 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 luxury safari, arranged for one party only
- Accommodation as listed in the itinerary
- A professional driver-guide
- Round trip airport transfers
- Transport in a pop-up roof 4x4 vehicle
- Game drives and the activities listed in the days
- Park entrance fees
- Meals as listed for each day
- Drinking water throughout
- Taxes and VAT as applicable
Not included
Budget for these separately.
- International flights
- Domestic flights
- Alcohol and any drinks not listed
- Tips and gratuities
- Visa fees
- Laundry and personal expenses
- Additional accommodation before or after the safari
- The optional Lake Naivasha boat trip
- Any government increase in taxes or park fees
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
8-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
$4,008
Per person in US dollars, from $4,008 up to $4,580 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.
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