Safari Overview
This 8-Day Kenya Classic Safari — Amboseli, Naivasha, Nakuru & Masai Mara is one of our most sought-after itineraries — carefully crafted by our Nairobi-based team to give you the best wildlife encounters, iconic landscapes, and authentic African experiences in 8 Days.
Every game drive is conducted in a private 4x4 safari jeep with a pop-up roof, led by an expert local guide with deep knowledge of Kenya's ecosystems. Accommodation options range from comfortable tented camps to luxury lodges depending on your preference.
This is a fully private safari — you won't share your vehicle with strangers. All park entry fees, transport from Nairobi, and accommodation are arranged by PMK Tours. You just show up and enjoy.
Safari Itinerary
Click each day to expand the itinerary details.
Your PMK guide meets you in Nairobi and drives you south towards Amboseli National Park, with the snow-capped peak of Mount Kilimanjaro rising over the plains as you approach. After lunch and check-in, head straight out for an evening game drive — Amboseli is prime elephant country, and you can expect large herds moving across the dusty plains as giraffe, zebra and buffalo gather around the marshes. Dinner and overnight at a lodge on the edge of the park with sweeping Kilimanjaro views.
A full day of game viewing across Amboseli's open plains, swamps and wetlands, in search of the park's famous big-tusked elephants alongside lion, cheetah, buffalo and huge herds of zebra and wildebeest. Rather than returning to the lodge for lunch, stop at a scenic spot for a picnic in the wild, keeping you out among the wildlife for longer. Overnight again at your Amboseli lodge.
Leave Amboseli's dusty plains behind for the Great Rift Valley and Lake Naivasha. In the afternoon, board a boat and cruise across the lake's calm channels, approaching pods of hippos while African fish eagles circle overhead, then step ashore for a short walking safari among giraffe, zebra, waterbuck and antelope at the lakeshore sanctuary. Overnight at a lakeside resort on Lake Naivasha.
Swap the safari jeep for a bicycle at Hell's Gate National Park, cycling beneath towering cliffs and volcanic formations as zebra, giraffe and gazelle roam around you — one of the few places in Kenya where you experience the bush on two wheels rather than through a vehicle window. In the afternoon, continue to Lake Nakuru National Park, one of Kenya's great rhino strongholds, where forests, escarpments and a shimmering soda lake create the habitat for both white and black rhino, buffalo, giraffe, lion and leopard. Overnight at a lodge perched above Lake Nakuru.
A morning game drive through Lake Nakuru National Park, searching the woodland and lakeshore for its resident rhino, buffalo and giraffe, before hitting the road for the Masai Mara. En route, stop at a traditional Maasai village to meet members of the community, learn about their customs and warrior traditions, and watch a traditional dance performance. Continue into the Masai Mara as the plains open up ahead. Dinner and overnight at your tented camp inside the reserve.
A full day in the Mara with your guide free to follow the wildlife rather than the clock — tracking lion prides, watching cheetah from termite mounds, and following elephant and buffalo herds across the golden plains. A picnic lunch out in the bush keeps you in the heart of the action rather than back at camp. This is prime Big Five territory, home to some of the densest lion populations in Africa.
Your final full day in the Mara is yours to explore, with your guide reading the wildlife and following fresh leads — perhaps a pride waking from the night's hunt, or cheetah tracks across the open grass. Head towards the Mara River, where hippos wallow and crocodiles bask along the banks, before a picnic lunch in the bush and an afternoon exploring a different corner of the reserve. Sundowner drinks over the plains before your final dinner and overnight at camp.
After breakfast, transfer back to Nairobi for your onward flight or drop-off at your hotel, bringing your 8-day Kenya classic safari to a close.