Highlights of Kenya Budget Lodge Safari

This Highlights of Kenya Budget Lodge Safari offers excellent value‐for‐money providing the most variety possible over the shortest time.

On this wildlife highlights tour of Kenya you stay in well-selected safari lodges at an affordable price, without sacrificing on comfort and time to enjoy your safari experience.

Day 1: Arrival in Nairobi - Kenya

You will be collected from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and transferred to our first overnight hotel in Nairobi on day 1 of this Highlights of Kenya Budget Lodge Safari.

We stay at the Ole Sereni Hotel, an unusual city hotel located right next to Nairobi National Park, the only ‘capital city’ national park in the world. This Nairobi hotel is ideally situated for the start of this Kenya Lodge Safari, only 5 km's from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and 5 km's from Wilson Airport.

Overnight at the Ole Sereni hotel on a bed and breakfast basis.

Day 2: Nairobi to Amboseli National Park - Kenya

After breakfast at our hotel in Nairobi we make our way south to the renowned Amboseli National Park, near the border between Kenya and Tanzania. 

Upon arrival we check-in to Ol Tukai Lodge, one of Amboseli’s best‐known lodges built in 1996. Ol Tukai Lodge lies in the heart of Amboseli Park near the main swamp area. This affordable lodge offers stunning views of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain.

We embark on a game drive in the afternoon exploring the picturesque yet compact Amboseli Park. The open plains of the game reserve are scattered with lush green marshlands where large herds of elephants wade half‐submerged in the papyrus grasses.

Amboseli is one of the best places in Africa to get up close to free-roaming elephant herds and is known for its excellent photographic opportunities, especially for shots of big elephant bulls with Kilimanjaro towering in the background.

The permanent swamps also attract numerous hippos and buffaloes, as well as an abundance of water birds.

Returning to our welcoming safari lodge, the evening is free for you to enjoy some sundowners in one of the two bars at the lodge, explore the wildlife library, or take a refreshing swim in the pool.

Dinner is served in the central dining room with its charming atmosphere, followed by a traditional Maasai dance performance or a wildlife talk (optional extra).

Distance/drive time: 260km / 4 1/2 hours

Day 3: On safari in Amboseli National Park - Kenya

Today the entire day is spent game‐driving in the Amboseli National Park, an International Biosphere Reserve featuring the now dry lakebed of prehistoric Lake Amboseli, as well as rolling savannahs and fertile green swamps.

The plains of Amboseli are home to large numbers of antelope species, spotted hyenas, jackals, warthogs, olive baboons and vervet monkeys. Lion, leopard and cheetah are also sighted on game drives in Amboseli.

Take an easy climb up the conical peak of Observation Hill in Amboseli, offering spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro across the border in Tanzania. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served at the lovely Ol Tukai Lodge where you also have the option of taking a nature walk on the grounds to do some bird watching, with 150 species found on the property.

Day 4: Amboseli, Nairobi, Great Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha - Kenya

On day 4 we have an early breakfast at the safari lodge, before driving back to Nairobi and on into the spectacular Great Rift Valley. Early in the afternoon we arrive at freshwater Lake Naivasha, the highest of the belt of great lakes in the vast trench of the Great Rift Valley.

Towered over by the looming bulk of Mount Longonot (2,776 m), and featuring a submerged volcanic island called Crescent Island, the beautiful Lake Naivasha is best known for its abundance of water birds.

We check into the luxurious Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge in time for lunch and spend the afternoon relaxing by the lodge pool, taking an optional boat‐ride on the lake, or exploring the pretty lake shore.

Distance/drive time: 380 km / 5 hours

Day 5: Lake Naivasha & Lake Nakuru National Park - Kenya

We depart from Lake Naivasha after breakfast on day 5 of this Kenya Lodge Safari, driving down the Great Rift Valley. We pass Lake Elmenteita on the scenic drive to our next safari destination, Lake Nakuru National Park, arriving in time for a morning game drive around the lake.

On the game drive you enjoy your first glimpse of Lake Nakuru’s pink sea of flamingos, with flocks estimated at 1.2 million flamingoes. Lake Nakuru Park is the largest rhino sanctuary in Kenya so keep your eyes out for grazing rhinos along the lakeshore.

Then we head to our next overnight stay, the Lake Nakuru Lodge, where we have a leisurely lunch before embarking on another game viewing drive around Lake Nakuru. Back at the safari lodge after our game drive there is time for a swim and optional cocktails followed by a sumptuous buffet dinner.

Distance/drive time: 120 km / 1.5 hours

Day 6: Lake Nakuru National Park to Masai Mara National Reserve - Kenya

Leaving Lake Nakuru Lodge after breakfast, we drive along the floor of the Great Rift Valley towards Masai Mara, the wildlife highlight of our Budget Kenya Lodge Safari.

We arrive at the Masai Mara Sopa Lodge in time for a late lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive to explore the rolling plains of the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve in search of game.

Masai Mara is home to the highest concentration of wildlife in Kenya, including Africa's Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and buffalo), and is this East African country's flagship game park.

Masai Mara is world-renowned for the annual Wildebeest Migration, also known as the Great Migration, an awe-inspiring spectacle said to be ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth’. Technically a continuation of the famous Serengeti Park in Tanzania, Mara covers a mere 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem yet it offers one of the world’s most rewarding and evocative wildlife arenas.

After our rewarding game viewing drive exploring the rolling grasslands, meandering rivers and escarpments of this beautiful game park, we return to the Masai Mara Lodge. Spend some free time relaxing on your private veranda, taking a refreshing dip in the luxurious pool, or unwinding with sundowners at one of the lodge’s many bars. 

Dinner is served at the safari lodge where we spend the evening relaxing at the end of our first unforgettable day on safari in Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Distance/drive time: 320 km / 4.5 hours

Day 7: On safari in the Masai Mara - Kenya

We spend a full day on safari in Masai Mara, one of the world’s best game reserves.

Hosting an abundance of herbivores, the Masai Mara is the ideal hunting ground for Kenya’s famous ‘big cats’. Kenya's largest population of lions is in fact found roaming the open savannahs of this picturesque game park. Masai Mara National Park is best known for the massive annual wildebeest migration, one of the world's biggest wildlife spectacles, but is also renowned for its large elephant and buffalo herds.

The game-rich Masai Mara Reserve offers unbeatable game‐viewing, providing unparalleled African wildlife encounters. This pristine wildlife park of breathtaking beauty promises an unforgettable safari experience. On game drives in Mara you have the unprecedented opportunity of sighting all of the ‘Big Five’ of Africa in one go.

Leaving the plains of Mara, teeming with wildlife and home to prolific birdlife, we head back to the luxurious Masai Mara Sopa Lodge for dinner and our last overnight stay.

Day 8: Masai Mara to Nairobi - Kenya

Today we travel back to Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, where our affordable Kenya Lodge Safari began.

We return to Nairobi by road, but you have the option of flying back to Nairobi at extra cost. Arriving in Nairobi we go out for lunch at the famous Carnivore Restaurant rated as one of the top 500 restaurants in the world. Carnivore Restaurant is known for its glowing BBQ's serving an impressive array of meats, including ostrich, crocodile and many more, as well as fish, vegetarian choices and salads.

After our delicious lunch you will be transferred to the airport and assisted with boarding your onward flight, bringing this unforgettable Highlights of Kenya Budget Lodge Safari to a close.

Distance/drive time: 265 km / 4 hours

Looking for departure date info? It's up here…