7 Days Mara, Samburu & Amboseli Fly-In Luxury Circuit

Overview

Highlights

• ✦Three iconic Kenya wildlife regions in 7 days
• ✦All inter-park transfers by charter flight
• ✦6 nights in luxury tented camps
• ✦Open-sided 4x4 game viewers throughout
• ✦Walking safaris with armed Samburu warriors
• ✦Private conservancy access in the Mara
• ✦Mount Kilimanjaro from your tent in Amboseli
• ✦House drinks, premium dining, butler service

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1

   Wilson Airport → Maasai Mara

   Nairobi → Maasai Mara

   Transfer to Wilson Airport in Nairobi for your scheduled morning flight to the Maasai Mara — a 45-minute hop in a Cessna 208 Caravan with spectacular Rift Valley views. Your safari guide collects you in an open-sided 4x4 game viewer at the airstrip and game drives begin immediately on the way to camp. Check in at your luxury tented camp — vast suites under canvas with claw-foot baths, private decks over the river and butler service. Long lunch on the camp deck, then an afternoon game drive on the Mara plains. Sundowners on a granite kopje, dinner of pan-seared beef fillet under candlelight in the bush, and overnight in your suite, lulled by hippos in the river below.

   Meals: L, D · Stay: Governor's Camp or similar luxury camp

2. 2

   Maasai Mara — Full day

   Maasai Mara

   A full Mara day at your own pace. Choose between a sunrise hot-air balloon safari (additional, recommended) ending with champagne breakfast cooked on the savanna, a guided bush walk with an armed Maasai ranger to track wildlife on foot, or a private vehicle full-day game drive with picnic lunch in the bush. Most guests do all three across two days. The luxury camps along the Mara River have access to private conservancies adjoining the reserve where vehicle numbers are strictly controlled — you might have a leopard sighting entirely to yourselves. Sundowners on a private kopje, candlelit dinner in a bush clearing under the stars, and overnight at your luxury tented camp.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 1

3. 3

   Maasai Mara → Samburu

   Mara → Samburu

   Morning game drive and a final breakfast at the Mara camp, then transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight north to Samburu — a stunning two-hour flight across the Rift Valley and Mount Kenya, with snow on the peak just below your wing. Your Samburu guide and open 4x4 collect you for game drives en route to your luxury camp on the Ewaso Ng'iro River. Check in to your suite — high-roofed canvas, river-view deck, plunge pool — and a long lunch overlooking the river where elephants come to drink. Afternoon game drive in search of the Samburu special five — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Riverside dinner under acacia trees with Samburu warriors performing a welcome dance.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Saruni Samburu or Sasaab Lodge

4. 4

   Samburu — Full day

   Samburu National Reserve

   A full day in Samburu with morning and afternoon game drives along both banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro. The river is the lifeline of this dry land and concentrates wildlife in spectacular numbers. Track lion prides through the doum palm forests, look up into the river's tall acacias for leopards (Samburu has one of the highest leopard densities in Kenya), and watch elephant family bath time at the river's edge. The Samburu and Buffalo Springs ecosystems together support over 450 bird species, including the vulturine guineafowl with its electric-blue breast and the rare Somali bee-eater. Optional cultural visit to a Samburu manyatta — the Samburu are northern cousins of the Maasai and share many traditions. Sundowners on a riverbank kopje, gin and tonic in hand, as elephants drink fifty meters away.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 3

5. 5

   Samburu → Amboseli

   Samburu → Amboseli

   Final Samburu morning game drive and breakfast, then fly south via Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Amboseli — total flying time about three hours with a refuel stop. Your Amboseli guide collects you at the airstrip and game drives begin in the open plains beneath Mount Kilimanjaro. Check in to your luxury Amboseli camp with full Kilimanjaro views from every suite. Long lunch, then the afternoon game drive among the Amboseli elephant herds. Climb Observation Hill at sunset for the panoramic Maasai-country view with Kilimanjaro behind you and the Tanzanian border in front. Dinner under the stars and overnight at the luxury camp, with the snow-capped silhouette of Africa's highest mountain glowing pink in the dawn.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Tortilis Camp or Ol Donyo Lodge

6. 6

   Amboseli — Full day

   Amboseli National Park

   Today is a full Amboseli day timed around Kilimanjaro. Pre-dawn coffee, then out by 6am to catch the mountain at its clearest — its glaciers blushing rose, then white, then dazzling in the rising sun before cloud builds by 10am. Drive the swamp circuit where elephant families wade chest-deep through the green wallows, climb Observation Hill for a panoramic view, and watch the resident hippos in Enkongo Narok. Return to the lodge for late breakfast and a long lunch. The afternoon drive heads to the western plains for hyena clans, jackal and serval. Optional cultural walk to a Maasai manyatta in the buffer zone — the Maasai of Amboseli are some of the most traditional in Kenya. Sundowners on the lodge verandah as Kilimanjaro reappears in the cool evening air.

   Meals: B, L, D · Stay: Same as Day 5

7. 7

   Amboseli → Wilson Airport

   Amboseli → Nairobi

   A final game drive in your destination park, breakfast at the camp, and transfer to the airstrip for your scheduled flight to Wilson Airport in Nairobi. On arrival, transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for your departing international flight, or to your Nairobi hotel for a Zanzibar or Mount Kenya extension. End of safari — the luxury fly-in circuit is the fastest, most comfortable way to see Kenya's iconic wildlife regions, and the open 4x4 game viewers, private conservancies and exceptional camps make every minute count.

   Meals: B · Stay: N/A (departure)

What to bring

• • Lightweight neutral-color clothing (khaki, olive, beige)
• • Warm fleece for cool early morning game drives
• • Sun hat and sunglasses with UV protection
• • High-SPF sunscreen and lip balm
• • Insect repellent (DEET)
• • Comfortable walking shoes and sandals
• • Swimsuit for lodge pools
• • Binoculars (8x42 ideal for safari)
• • Camera with telephoto lens (200mm or longer)
• • Spare batteries, memory cards, power bank
• • Refillable water bottle
• • Small daypack
• • Anti-malarial prophylaxis (consult your doctor)
• • Copies of passport and travel insurance
• • Strict 15kg soft-bag luggage limit on bush flights

Frequently asked questions