Super Luxury SafarisSuper Luxury Safaris
5 day itinerary

5 Day Kenya Safari: Amboseli and Masai Mara

Nairobi to Amboseli for elephants under Kilimanjaro, then the long road to the Masai Mara for two nights of private game drives. No Nakuru, no Nairobi hotel in the middle.

From $8,000 per personFinal quote depends on travel dates, lodge choice and group size.

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Route map

From start to finish

Starts in Nairobi and ends in Nairobi.

Start: Nairobi End: Nairobi

Kenya

  1. Start Nairobi (Day 1)
  2. Amboseli (Day 1-3) Land Cruiser
  3. Masai Mara (Day 3-5) Land Cruiser
  4. End Nairobi (Day 5) Land Cruiser

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Digital itinerary

Day by day

Every package has a shareable digital itinerary: overnight notes, the route, and a print-ready PDF view.

  1. Day 1 Nairobi to Amboseli National Park in Amboseli, with the mountain as the rumour on the horizon
  2. Day 2 Full day in Amboseli National Park in Amboseli, with the mountain as the rumour on the horizon
  3. Day 3 Amboseli to Masai Mara in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote
  4. Day 4 Full day in the Masai Mara decides the morning
  5. Day 5 Masai Mara to Nairobi

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Lodge Safaris Mid-range Safaris

Five days is Amboseli and the Mara without squeezing Lake Nakuru into a corridor. You give the elephant families a real morning, then you spend a full day on the road to the Mara, then you sleep in the grass. We do not pretend Amboseli and the Mara sit next door.

Super Luxury remains your Arusha contact. Lodge class camping through high-end. Park fees and game drives sit on the quote; a balloon, a Maasai village visit and the Kenya eTA do not unless you add them.

Elephants in Amboseli with Mount Kilimanjaro

Day 1: Nairobi to Amboseli National Park

Elephant herd in Amboseli country

Four to five hours from Nairobi, via Emali or the Namanga side, then the Amboseli gate. Arrival day is an afternoon among elephants if you left on time, not a tick at the gate and a turnaround. The mountain shows when the cloud lifts; we do not promise it on a dusty midday.

A Kenya driver-guide and a Kenya vehicle. Super Luxury remains your Arusha contact.

Overnight in Amboseli, with the mountain as the rumour on the horizon.

Day 2: Full day in Amboseli National Park

Kilimanjaro over the Amboseli flats

Hippo and waterbirds share the same frame with huge families on a stage of dry lake bed, swamps and dust. Amboseli is elephants against Kilimanjaro when the cloud lifts — the photograph you have already seen, then the real thing, which is slower and better.

We wait because the mountain is shy. We give you a full afternoon or a full day, not a tick at the gate.

Overnight in Amboseli, with the mountain as the rumour on the horizon.

Day 3: Amboseli to Masai Mara

Masai Mara grassland

From August to October the herds pile onto the Mara River and the crossings become the story. The rest of the year the marsh, the resident lion and the open grass are enough. The Masai Mara is still the Kenya side of the same grassland system you may already know from the Serengeti, and cats hold territories here all year.

Private 4×4. Kenya driver-guide. Conservancy nights, when we use them, add walking and night drives that the reserve itself does not allow.

Overnight in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote.

Day 4: Full day in the Masai Mara

Lions in the Masai Mara

Where the cats hunted overnight decides the morning. River, marsh, conservancy gate. A second drive when the heat breaks. From August to October we aim at the Mara River when the herds are in Kenya; the rest of the year the resident lion and the open grass are the point.

A balloon is an extra, booked as its own line, not buried in a package sentence. A Maasai village visit is the same: ask, or we skip it.

Overnight in the Masai Mara, reserve or conservancy as named on the quote.

Day 5: Masai Mara to Nairobi

Leaving the Masai Mara

A last cool game drive, then the road back to Nairobi for a hotel or airport drop-off, which ends the safari. Do not book an international departure before 21:00 unless the quote uses a Mara–Wilson flight.

The package

What is included — and what is not

Two separate lists, so you can see what the itinerary price covers before you request a quote.

Covered

Included in this itinerary

In the package price, for the dates and lodge or camp class on your quote.

  • Kenya national-park and, where the quote uses one, conservancy fees for every reserve named in the day plan.
  • Private 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and a window seat for every guest.
  • Kenya driver-guide and all game drives written in the day plan.
  • Lodge or camp nights as confirmed on your quote.
  • Nairobi hotel or airport collection, and the return drop-off.
  • Bottled water in the vehicle.
  • All meals (full board) at the lodges, camps or hotels named on your itinerary.
  • An evening of live music and traditional dance performances at select camps, arranged for your dates.

You arrange these

Not included

Budget separately, or ask us to add them to your proposal.

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes and visa or eTA fees
  • Alcoholic drinks and any specialty dining not named on your quote
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature, laundry and souvenirs
  • Travel insurance
  • Optional extras such as a hot-air balloon, Maasai village visit or spa, unless added to the quote
  • Kenya electronic travel authorisation (eTA)

When to travel

Season and routing

The Mara holds resident cats all year. August to October we aim drives at the Mara River when the herds are in Kenya. January to March is green and quieter. April and May are heavy rain; we still run the trip if you accept muddy roads. Amboseli is at its clearest for Kilimanjaro views in the dry months (June–October and January).

Where you sleep

Choose your stay style

Four ways to travel the same parks. Pick one style for the whole safari, or mix nights — we quote what you actually want. Names below are properties we often confirm. The lodge or camp on your quote is the booking; nothing here is reserved until you approve it.

  1. Camping Safari tents, a cook, the night sounds of the park. The honest, close-to-the-ground way to safari.
  2. Mid-range En-suite lodges and tented camps we use most — a proper bed, a shower, and the game still at the door.
  3. Luxury Pools, full-service dining, the better rooms in the same parks.
  4. High-end Suite camps and private houses when the trip is built around silence and space.

Amboseli

Camping

Amboseli public campsite or a neighbouring community campsite, with a cook and Super Luxury tents.

Mid-range

AA Lodge Amboseli, Amboseli Sopa Lodge — Kilimanjaro views when the cloud lifts, swamp game drives at the door.

Luxury

Ol Tukai Lodge, Kibo Safari Camp — closer to the elephants on the dry lake bed.

High-end

Tortilis Camp, Angama Amboseli — suite tents looking at the mountain.

Masai Mara

Camping

A reserve or conservancy campsite with Super Luxury tents, or a simple tented camp with shared facilities — named on the quote.

Mid-range

Mara Sopa Lodge, Enchoro Wildlife Camp, Keekorok Lodge — reliable rooms, easy access to the reserve gates.

Luxury

Mara Serena Safari Lodge, Ashnil Mara, Mara Intrepids — full-service tented camps near the river or the escarpment.

High-end

Angama Mara, &Beyond Kichwa Tembo, Cottar’s 1920s Camp — suite tents, private vehicles on request. Conservancy fees apply when we sleep outside the national reserve.

Before you book

Practical notes

  • Day 3 is Amboseli to the Mara — typically six to seven hours. It is a transfer day with an afternoon drive if you arrive with light. A Wilson flight can replace that road if you add it to the quote.
  • Day 5 is Mara to Nairobi. Do not book an international departure before 21:00 unless the quote uses a Mara–Wilson flight.
  • Super Luxury is based in Arusha. This Kenya loop uses a Kenya driver-guide and a Kenya vehicle.

OUR AFFILIATES

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