6-Day Mara, Nakuru & Amboseli
Rift Valley, the Mara and Amboseli in one loop: rhino at Nakuru, cats in the Mara, then a light-aircraft transfer to elephant herds under Kilimanjaro.
3-Day Amboseli Under Kilimanjaro
Overview
Amboseli rewards a short stay better than almost anywhere else on the safari circuit, because the two things that make it worth visiting, the swamp-fed elephant herds and the view of Kilimanjaro across the border, both show best in short windows either side of the heat of the day. Three days gives us two full mornings and two full afternoons inside the park, without a long first or last day eaten up by road.
We drive south from Nairobi via Namanga or Emali, a run of about four hours that puts you into camp in time for lunch on the first day. From there the itinerary is built around the swamp edges, where elephant come out of the acacia to drink and graze often for hours at a stretch, and around the early morning light, when the mountain is most likely to be clear of the cloud that gathers around the peak as the day warms.
Day by day
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01
Nairobi to Amboseli
We leave Nairobi in the morning and drive south via Namanga or Emali, roughly four hours to the park gate, arriving in time for lunch at camp. The afternoon is a first game drive along the swamp edges, an easy introduction to the open, dusty plains that make Amboseli such forgiving country for game viewing.
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02
Full day among the swamps
A day built entirely around the permanent swamps that draw elephant herds out into open ground. We are out before the light softens the mountain into cloud, working the swamp margins for elephant, buffalo and the plains game that gather at the water, then return to camp through the heat of the day before a second session in the late afternoon, when the herds move again.
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03
Final drive and departure
One more early game drive while the mountain is still clear, then breakfast, check-out and the drive back to Nairobi, arriving by early afternoon.
What's included
Included
- Ground transport from and to Nairobi in a 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof
- Two nights full-board accommodation at a camp or lodge in or bordering Amboseli
- Four game drives, led by an English-speaking driver-guide
- Amboseli National Park entry fees
- All meals throughout: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Bottled water in the vehicle throughout
- Soft drinks, juices, tea and coffee throughout
- Beer, wine and spirits throughout
Not included
- International and domestic flights
- Kenya e-Visa or entry permit fees
- Tips and gratuities for your guide and camp staff
- Items of a personal nature such as laundry and souvenirs
- Travel insurance
Best time to visit
June through October and January through February give the driest ground and the clearest early-morning views of Kilimanjaro, before cloud builds around the peak later in the day.
Common questions
What vehicle do we travel in?
A 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof for standing game viewing. It may be shared with other guests travelling the same dates unless you request a private vehicle at booking.
Is Kilimanjaro visible every day?
Not guaranteed. The mountain sits across the border in Tanzania and is often wrapped in cloud by mid-morning, so the clearest views tend to come at first light. We build the schedule around early starts for this reason, but a clear summit on any given day is weather, not something we control.
Are park fees included?
Yes, Amboseli entry fees for both days inside the park are included. Fees outside the park, such as a Kenya entry visa, are not included.
How much walking is involved?
None beyond short distances between the vehicle and camp buildings, both on level ground. All game viewing here is done from the vehicle.
05Add-on experience
Hot air balloon safari
Over Amboseli
Amboseli flights are the newer of the two, operating from the Kimana side of the park, and the draw is the backdrop rather than the herds: Kilimanjaro fills the southern horizon at dawn, before the cloud builds over it later in the morning. You are flying over classic Amboseli country, swamp, open pan and acacia, with the mountain behind everything.
You are collected from camp in the dark and driven to the launch site, arriving while the crew are still inflating the envelope. Take-off is at first light, which is the whole point: the air is calmest then, and the low sun puts long shadows behind everything below you.
The flight runs roughly an hour, drifting with whatever wind there is rather than steering, so no two flights follow the same line. Height varies through the flight, from just above the treetops to a few hundred metres up.
Where the balloon lands, the ground crew are already setting up breakfast, cooked in the open and eaten at the landing site before you are driven back to camp. Most guests are back in time for the rest of the morning.
Worth knowing
- Flights go at dawn and are weather dependent. Wind or low cloud cancels them, and that call belongs to the pilot on the morning, not to us.
- Baskets are small and fill early in high season, so this is worth adding when you book the safari rather than deciding once you have arrived.
- It is a genuinely early start, normally a pre-dawn pickup from camp.
Who flies it
The flight itself is run by a licensed balloon operator with its own pilots and civil aviation approval, not by us. What we do is book your seats, make sure the pickup lines up with where you are staying and what your itinerary is doing the rest of that day, and sort it out with the operator if the weather moves your flight.
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