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.
4-Day Tsavo & Amboseli
Overview
Tsavo and Amboseli sit close enough together, both south of Nairobi and not far from the Tanzanian border, that linking them by road is a natural itinerary rather than a stretch. Four days lets us give each park a genuine stay rather than a single overnight, with Tsavo's open plains and red-dust elephants first, then Amboseli's swamp country and the Kilimanjaro backdrop to close the trip.
The two parks make an interesting pair precisely because they don't look alike: Tsavo is wide, dry and rust-coloured underfoot, while Amboseli's permanent swamps keep a green core inside otherwise dusty country. Coming from Tsavo, that contrast is part of the point of the itinerary, not just the wildlife.
Day by day
-
01
Nairobi to Tsavo East
We drive southeast on the Mombasa highway to Tsavo East, arriving by early afternoon for lunch at camp, then head out for an afternoon game drive across the open plains.
-
02
Full day in Tsavo East
A complete day inside the park: an early drive while the light is soft, a rest at camp through the heat, and an afternoon session along the Galana River and out onto the plains, watching for elephant, lion and the fringe-eared oryx found in this dry country.
-
03
Tsavo to Amboseli
We leave Tsavo after an early game drive and cross west toward Amboseli, a drive of several hours that we break with a stop along the way. We arrive in the early afternoon and go straight into a first game drive along the swamp edges before evening.
-
04
Morning in Amboseli and departure
An early game drive while the mountain is most likely to be clear of cloud, working the swamp margins for elephant and the wider plains game, then breakfast and the drive back to Nairobi via Namanga or Emali.
What's included
Included
- Ground transport throughout in a 4x4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof
- Three nights full-board accommodation: two in or bordering Tsavo East, one in or bordering Amboseli
- Six game drives, led by an English-speaking driver-guide
- Tsavo East and 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 conditions in both parks and the clearest early-morning views of Kilimanjaro over Amboseli.
Common questions
What vehicle do we travel in?
A 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, used throughout including the road leg between the two parks.
Is there a lot of driving between the two parks?
There's a genuine cross-country leg on day three, several hours on the road since Tsavo and Amboseli sit on different sides of the Chyulu Hills. We break it with a stop rather than driving straight through, and the day still ends with a game drive rather than being pure transit.
Are park fees for both parks included?
Yes, entry fees for Tsavo East and Amboseli are both included.
Will Kilimanjaro be visible?
Not guaranteed on any single day, since the mountain sits across the border and is often in cloud by mid-morning. The clearest views tend to come at first light, which is why the Amboseli morning on day four is built around an early start.
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.
Add a balloon flightReady to book this safari?
Send us your travel dates and group size and we'll confirm availability for the 4-Day Tsavo & Amboseli within a day.
Enquire on WhatsAppYou might also like
7-Day Best of Kenya
Our full circuit: Naivasha, Nakuru, two days in the Mara and two in Amboseli, linked by one internal flight, covering lakes, cats and elephant in a week.
3-Day Amboseli Under Kilimanjaro
Three days at the foot of Kilimanjaro, built around the two windows when elephant herds move onto open ground and the mountain is clearest of cloud.