Private 4×4 safaris departing Nairobi
Start in Nairobi and travel by road with your own driver-guide to the Maasai Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Samburu and Ol Pejeta. Compare Grey Impala's published Nairobi itineraries, from three to six days, by length, route and where they finish, then ask for a quote built on your dates and group size.
The short answer
There is no single best route. The right road safari from Nairobi depends on how many days you have, which parks matter most and how much time you are happy to spend between them. This is how our own itineraries line up against the things travellers most often ask for.
| If you want… | Grey Impala safari | Days | Route |
|---|---|---|---|
| The shortest proper Masai Mara safari | 3 Days Masai Mara Wildlife Safari from Nairobi | 3 | Nairobi → Masai Mara → Nairobi |
| Elephants and Kilimanjaro views on a short trip | 3 Days Amboseli National Park Safari with Mount Kilimanjaro Views | 3 | Nairobi → Amboseli → Nairobi |
| More time in the Mara during migration season | 4-Day Masai Mara Safari from Nairobi – Wildebeest Migration | 4 | Nairobi → Masai Mara (3 nights) → Nairobi |
| The Mara plus a Rift Valley rhino park | 4 Days Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru Wildlife Safari | 4 | Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Nairobi |
| Kenya's two best-known parks in one trip | 5 Days Mid-Range Kenya Wildlife Safari – Masai Mara & Amboseli | 5 | Nairobi → Masai Mara → Amboseli → Nairobi |
| Northern Kenya and different wildlife | 5 Days Samburu National Reserve & Ol Pejeta Conservancy Safari | 5 | Nairobi → Samburu → Ol Pejeta → Nairobi |
| Rhino conservation plus the Mara | 5 Days Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara Safari | 5 | Nairobi → Ol Pejeta → Lake Nakuru → Masai Mara → Nairobi |
| Three parks at a steadier pace | 6 Days Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli National Park Safari | 6 | Nairobi → Masai Mara → Lake Nakuru → Amboseli → Nairobi |
| Kenya and Tanzania by road, back to Nairobi | 9 Days Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari | 9 | Nairobi → Masai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Amboseli → Nairobi |
Side by side
Every Kenya itinerary below collects you in Nairobi and brings you back to your Nairobi hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA). What changes is how your nights are split between parks, which decides how much of the trip is spent watching wildlife and how much is spent driving.
| Safari | Days | Nights by area | Finishes | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Days Masai Mara Wildlife Safari | 3 | Masai Mara 2 | Nairobi, published arrival around 2:30–3:00pm | Request current price |
| 3 Days Amboseli Safari with Kilimanjaro Views | 3 | Amboseli 2 | Nairobi hotel or airport | Request current price |
| 4-Day Masai Mara Safari – Wildebeest Migration | 4 | Masai Mara 3 | Nairobi hotel or airport | Request current price |
| 4 Days Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru Wildlife Safari | 4 | Masai Mara 2, Lake Nakuru 1 | Nairobi hotel or JKIA, afternoon | Request current price |
| 5 Days Masai Mara & Amboseli | 5 | Masai Mara 2, Amboseli 2 | Nairobi hotel or airport | Request current price |
| 5 Days Samburu & Ol Pejeta | 5 | Samburu 2, Ol Pejeta 2 | Nairobi hotel or JKIA, afternoon | Request current price |
| 5 Days Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru & Masai Mara | 5 | Ol Pejeta 1, Lake Nakuru 1, Masai Mara 2 | Nairobi, published arrival around 2:30–3:00pm | Request current price |
| 5 Days Kenya Bush & Wildlife Safari | 5 | Amboseli 1, Lake Nakuru 1, Masai Mara 2 | Nairobi, published arrival around 2:30–3:00pm | Request current price |
| 5 Days Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli | 5 | Masai Mara 2, Lake Nakuru 1, Amboseli 1 | Nairobi hotel or airport | Request current price |
| 6 Days Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Amboseli | 6 | Masai Mara 2, Lake Nakuru 1, Amboseli 2 | Nairobi hotel or airport | Request current price |
Why no prices? We quote each safari for your dates, group size and lodges rather than publishing a figure that may not apply to you. See what decides the cost.
Three days · one park
Three days is the shortest trip we sell as a multi-day safari from Nairobi. It works because it stays with one park: you arrive for lunch on day one, have a full day in the park on day two, and head back to Nairobi on day three.
3 days
Leave Nairobi at 8:00am, stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint and reach the Mara for lunch and an afternoon game drive. Day two is a full day out with a packed lunch. The itinerary uses a camp inside the reserve, so game drives start at the gate. An optional Maasai village visit fits into the return drive.
3 days
Two nights at Kibo Safari Camp with a full day in Amboseli, including the walk up Observation Hill, and a sunrise drive before you leave. Kilimanjaro sits across the border in Tanzania and is often clearest early in the morning, but cloud can hide it for days at a time.
Four days · depth or a second stop
With four days, choose between more time in one place and a second park. The two routes below make that trade clearly: one spends three nights in the Mara, the other swaps a Mara night for Lake Nakuru.
4 days
The only Nairobi itinerary with two complete days in the Mara. That matters in migration season, when waiting at a Mara River crossing can take hours. Day three is kept free for extras such as a dawn balloon flight, or a bush walk and night drive if you stay in a conservancy.
4 days
Two nights in the Mara, then north through the Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru National Park, a fenced rhino sanctuary with both black and white rhinos. On the way back to Nairobi you can stop at Lake Naivasha for an optional boat ride or a guided walk on Crescent Island.
Five and six days · multi-park circuits
Five days is where combinations open up: two contrasting parks, or three if you accept a longer transfer day. The six-day circuit covers the same three parks as two of the five-day routes but adds a second night in Amboseli.
5 days
Two full nights in each park, with a full-day game drive in both. The cost of that balance is day three, a long transfer from the Mara to Amboseli that goes back through Nairobi and arrives in the evening.
5 days
Our only route north. It crosses the Equator near Nanyuki to Samburu's dry country along the Ewaso Nyiro River, home to northern species the southern parks lack, then spends two nights at Ol Pejeta on the Laikipia plateau below Mount Kenya.
5 days
A rhino-focused route: Ol Pejeta Conservancy and its chimpanzee sanctuary first, then Lake Nakuru, then two nights in the Mara. Three parks in five days means a new lodge on each of the first three nights.
5 days
Amboseli first, then a long day north through Nairobi to Lake Naivasha for lunch and optional activities before Lake Nakuru. The trip finishes with two nights and a full game-drive day in the Mara, so the best wildlife time comes at the end.
5 days
The same three parks in the opposite direction: the Mara first, Lake Nakuru second and Amboseli last, with a sunrise game drive in Amboseli on the final morning before the drive back to Nairobi. Choose it if you would rather end with Kilimanjaro than with the Mara.
6 days
Our longest Kenya-only road circuit. The extra day buys a full day in Amboseli after the long drive from the Rift Valley, which includes a boat ride on Lake Naivasha on the way south.
Planning advice
The routes above show a trade-off that is easy to miss when comparing safaris by the number of parks. Every time you change park you lose most of a day to driving and checking in. On a five-day trip with three parks, one or two days are mostly transfers.
Compare two of our own itineraries. The 4-day Masai Mara migration safari visits one reserve but gives you two uninterrupted days of game drives. The 5-day Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara safari shows you three very different landscapes, but day two is largely spent on the road between Amboseli and the Rift Valley.
A simple rule we use: on trips of four days or fewer, stay in one or two parks. From five days, add a park when it gives you something the others do not, such as Samburu's northern species or Lake Nakuru's rhinos, rather than to add another name to the list.
Pricing, explained
Grey Impala does not publish fixed prices for its Nairobi road safaris. We quote each trip for your dates, group size and choice of lodges, because those three things change the price more than the route does. Your written quote lists what is included, typically park fees, transfers, meals and accommodation, before you pay anything.
These are the factors that decide the figure:
Comparing quotes from different operators? Check four things before you compare the totals: whether the vehicle is private or shared, whether park and conservancy fees are included for every night, which lodges are named, and whether drinks and optional activities are included. Two quotes for the "same" safari can differ on all four.
Where the roads go
Nairobi sits between Kenya's main safari regions: the Mara to the west, Amboseli to the south, the Rift Valley lakes to the north-west and Samburu and Laikipia to the north. These are the parks our Nairobi itineraries use, and what each one adds to a trip.
Open grassland with high predator numbers, and the Kenyan end of the Great Migration, which usually arrives around July and leaves by October or early November. The Mara is on eight of the ten Kenya routes on this page, from 3 to 6 days.
See Masai Mara safari toursSwamps and dry lake bed below Kilimanjaro, known for its large elephant herds. Reached along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway. It is the focus of a 3-day trip and part of four longer circuits.
Compare Amboseli safari packagesA compact, fenced Rift Valley park and rhino sanctuary with black and white rhinos, Rothschild's giraffe and lake birdlife. Flamingo numbers rise and fall with lake levels. Used as a one-night stop on five routes.
A freshwater Rift Valley lake with hippos and fish eagles, and walking safaris on Crescent Island. On our routes it is a lunch or activity stop between parks rather than an overnight destination.
A private conservancy on the Laikipia plateau known for its rhino conservation work, with the Sweetwaters chimpanzee sanctuary on site. It features on two routes, one heading north to Samburu and one west to the Mara.
Semi-arid northern country along the Ewaso Nyiro River, with species rarely seen in the south: reticulated giraffe, Grevy's zebra, Somali ostrich, gerenuk and Beisa oryx. It is on our 5-day Samburu and Ol Pejeta route.
Looking for Tsavo? None of our current Nairobi itineraries include Tsavo East or Tsavo West. Tsavo is the main safari area for travellers starting on the coast, so see our road safaris from Mombasa and Diani, or read how Tsavo East and Tsavo West differ. We can build Tsavo into a custom route from Nairobi if you ask.
The most common choice
Neither park is better. They are different, and the right one depends on what you most want to see.
| Maasai Mara | Amboseli | |
|---|---|---|
| Landscape | Rolling grassland, river systems and wooded valleys | Open plains, swamps and a dry lake bed, with Kilimanjaro behind in clear weather |
| Wildlife focus | Big cats and very large herds of plains game | Elephants in large family herds, plus the wildlife around the swamps |
| Season to note | The migration months, usually around July to October, are the busiest | Mountain views are weather-dependent in any season |
| The drive from Nairobi | West down the Rift Valley escarpment and through Narok | South-east along the Nairobi–Mombasa highway |
| Our shortest trip | 3 days, 2 nights | 3 days, 2 nights |
| Usually combined with | Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Ol Pejeta | The Mara and the Rift Valley lakes |
| Choose it if | Predators and migration drama are the priority | Elephants and photography against a mountain backdrop matter most |
Want both? The 5-day Masai Mara and Amboseli safari gives two nights in each.
Drive or fly
Nairobi is also Kenya's main hub for safari flights, so it is worth deciding early which suits your trip. This page covers road safaris only. We plan both.
| Road safari from Nairobi | Fly-in safari from Nairobi | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it starts | Your Nairobi hotel or JKIA | Usually Wilson Airport, Nairobi's domestic airport |
| Time in transit | Several hours per leg, sometimes most of a day between distant parks | Short flights, which usually means more time on game drives |
| How it is priced | Per vehicle, so it gets cheaper per person as your group grows | Per seat and per flight, so it rises with each traveller |
| Luggage | Room for normal bags and camera kit in your own vehicle | Light-aircraft limits apply, usually soft bags and a strict weight allowance |
| Game-drive vehicle | The same private vehicle and guide for the whole trip | Provided by the camp, and may be shared unless a private vehicle is booked |
| Best suited to | Groups, families, multi-park circuits and travellers who enjoy the scenery between parks | Short trips, far-away camps and travellers who dislike long drives |
Compare our fly-in safari packages, or read our full guide to choosing between a road and fly-in safari in Kenya.
From our Nairobi team
The day-to-day practicalities, based on how our Nairobi itineraries run.
Your driver-guide collects you from your Nairobi hotel or from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, as each itinerary sets out, and gives you a short briefing before you leave. If you are staying at a private address, tell us when you enquire.
Our published Mara and Amboseli departures leave at about 7:00 or 8:00am so you reach the lodge for lunch and still get an afternoon game drive. Your confirmed pickup time comes with your final documents.
Getting out of and back into Nairobi takes longer at peak times, and your pickup location makes a difference. The 3-day Mara safari, for example, leaves the lodge around 9:00am and expects to reach Nairobi around 2:30 to 3:00pm, depending on traffic. Leave a sensible margin before an evening international flight and tell us your flight time.
Routes to the Mara and the Rift Valley lakes stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint for photos, washrooms and curio shops. Longer transfers include a lunch stop. Because the vehicle is yours, extra toilet or photo stops are simply a matter of asking.
Our Kenya safaris are private by default, in a 4×4 with a pop-up roof for game viewing and your own driver-guide for the whole trip. Solo travellers can ask to join a shared departure, and the quote will say clearly which one you are booking.
Most itineraries can collect you from JKIA. Whether you can go straight on safari depends on when you land. After a night flight, a first night in Nairobi is usually the better start, and our longer Kenya and Tanzania routes build in an arrival day for that reason.
Plan the end of your trip
Where your safari ends matters as much as where it goes. It decides your onward flight and whether you have time for the beach.
Every Kenya road itinerary on this page finishes in Nairobi with drop-off at your hotel or at JKIA, usually in the afternoon. This suits you if:
None of our current Nairobi packages ends at the coast. Six of them, including the 3-day Amboseli safari, the 5-day Samburu and Ol Pejeta route and the 6-day circuit, include an option to arrange your onward journey to Diani, Mombasa, Watamu or Malindi on the final day, by road, by Madaraka Express train or by domestic flight, and we can book your beach accommodation too.
If you would rather drive straight from the parks to the beach without going back through Nairobi, ask us to quote it as a custom route.
Already on the coast? See our road safaris from Mombasa, or combine your safari with a beach stay.
Two countries, one vehicle journey
If you have more than a week, three of our cross-border itineraries start in Nairobi and travel by road through the Mara–Serengeti ecosystem. They cross an international border, so you will need a passport and a Tanzanian visa, and each route finishes in a different place.
| Safari | Days | Route | Border crossings | Finishes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Days Best of Kenya & Tanzania Safari | 9 | Masai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro → Amboseli | Isebania, then Namanga | Nairobi (JKIA transfer) |
| 11-Day Kenya & Tanzania Cross-Border Safari Adventure | 11 | Amboseli → Tarangire → Ngorongoro → Serengeti → Masai Mara | Into Tanzania from Amboseli, back via Isebania | Nairobi |
| 6 Days Kenya & Tanzania Safari from Nairobi | 6 | Masai Mara → Serengeti → Ngorongoro Crater | Isebania, where a Tanzanian driver-guide and 4×4 take over | Arusha, Tanzania |
See every route on our Kenya and Tanzania cross-border safaris page. Some of those itineraries finish at Kilimanjaro International Airport or include an optional flight, so check the transport details on each one.
Short on time
A one-day trip is not a multi-day safari, but it is a good use of a stopover. Both of these return to Nairobi the same evening. The full range is on our Nairobi day tours and short safaris page.
A morning game drive in the national park on the edge of the city, then the orphaned elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, the Giraffe Centre and the Karen Blixen Museum.
Down into the Rift Valley for Hell's Gate National Park, where cycling is an option, and lunch at Lake Naivasha with an optional boat safari.
Before you book
Inclusions vary from safari to safari, and your written quote is the final word. Across our published Nairobi itineraries, these are consistently part of the trip:
Park fees are normally part of our quote, and the quote will say so. These are usually extra or optional: the Mara balloon flight, Lake Naivasha boat rides and Crescent Island walks where they are marked optional, Maasai village visits, drinks, international flights, visas and travel insurance.
Check these on your quote: the lodges or camps being held, whether park and any conservancy fees are included for every night, drinking water and drinks, which activities are optional, and the pickup and drop-off points and times.
What travellers say
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Practical answers
We quote each safari individually rather than publishing one price, because the total depends on your travel dates, how many of you share the vehicle, the lodges you choose, the number of days and parks, and any extras. Send your dates and group size and we will reply with a written, itemised quote within 24 hours.
It depends on your time and priorities. For three days, go to one park: the Masai Mara for predators or Amboseli for elephants. With four days, choose three nights in the Mara or the Mara plus Lake Nakuru. With five or six days you can combine parks, including northern Kenya on the Samburu and Ol Pejeta route.
We do not currently publish a two-day road safari from Nairobi. Our shortest multi-day trips are three days to the Masai Mara or Amboseli. If you only have a day or two, see our day tours from Nairobi, or ask us about a fly-in safari, which saves the long drives.
Three days gives you one full day in the reserve plus two half days, which is the minimum we recommend by road. Four days, with three nights in the Mara, is noticeably more relaxed and better in migration season, when waiting for a river crossing can take hours.
Yes. The 4-day Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru safari does exactly this, and Lake Nakuru also appears on four of our five and six-day circuits.
Yes. Our 5-day Samburu and Ol Pejeta safari spends two nights in each, travelling north from Nairobi through the central highlands.
Yes. Our Nairobi itineraries start with pickup from your Nairobi hotel or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, and finish with drop-off at either. Give us your flight details or hotel name when you book.
None of our current Nairobi packages ends at the coast. Several of them can include an onward transfer to Diani, Mombasa, Watamu or Malindi on the last day, by road, Madaraka Express train or domestic flight. We can also quote a custom route that drives from the parks to the coast.
Park fees are normally included in our quote, and the quote states it. Fees are set by the park and reserve authorities and can change, and private conservancies charge their own fees, so we confirm the current amounts when we quote.
Our Kenya safaris are private by default, in a 4×4 with a pop-up roof and your own driver-guide for the whole trip. Solo travellers can ask to join a shared departure, and we state clearly on the quote whether it is private or shared.
The first and last days are mostly driving, with a game drive at the start or end. Our published Mara and Amboseli trips leave Nairobi at about 7:00 or 8:00am and arrive for lunch. Each change of park adds another transfer, and a few, such as the Mara to Amboseli, take most of a day.
Yes. A private vehicle means we can set the pace and the length of drives around your youngest traveller. For young children we usually suggest one or two parks rather than a fast multi-park circuit. See our family safaris and tips for a Kenya safari with kids.
No one can promise specific sightings. The migration's timing and position in the Mara change from year to year, and animals move freely. Longer stays and more game-drive time improve your chances. Our guide to the best time for the migration in the Masai Mara explains the typical pattern.
Yes. Every route on this page can be adjusted, for example by adding a night, changing lodges, swapping a park or adding a coast stay. Tell us what you want to change when you enquire.
Pack in a soft bag, and bring layers for cold early mornings and warm afternoons, a hat, sunscreen, binoculars and a camera. Keep water, sun protection and camera batteries within reach in the vehicle. If your trip includes a flight, check the airline's baggage allowance first.
Tell us your plans
Send us your travel dates, group size, where you are staying in Nairobi and whether you want to finish in Nairobi or at the coast. A specialist from our Nairobi and Mombasa team will reply within 24 hours with route suggestions and a written, itemised quote.
Request your safari quote
The more you tell us, the more useful our first reply will be.
Safari enquiry form
Send your dates, group size and Nairobi pickup point, and we will reply with route options and a quote.
Open the Enquiry FormFor an overview of overland travel across the country, including routes from the coast, see road safaris in Kenya. If one park is your priority, compare our Masai Mara safari tours or Amboseli safari packages, and read about choosing between a lodge and a tented camp. To find out who you will be dealing with, visit about Grey Impala Safaris.
