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🇰🇪 Itinerary · Kenya · 7 days

1-week Kenya itinerary 2026: Rift Valley safari

7 well-paced days: Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara, with an optional Diani beach add-on. The essential format, with detailed budget and transport.

🔄 Updated June 1, 2026

📅 See the program 🔄 See variants

In brief

Duration

7 days

Stops

4 places

Average budget

€2,000-3,200

Total distance

~900 km

Profile

First time

Season

Jul-Oct

Nairobi 1d · Amboseli 2d · Nakuru 1d · Masai Mara 3d

Itinerary map

The route at a glance

Kenya 1-week itinerary map: Nairobi, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara

© OpenStreetMap contributors

Detailed program

7 days, day by day

1

~€90/pers

Nairobi · Arrival and prep

  • Morning Landing at Nairobi (NBO), transfer to the city.
  • Afternoon Rest, visit the David Sheldrick Elephant Trust.
  • Evening Dinner and briefing with the safari guide.
🛌 🛌 Nairobi · e.g. Hemingways Nairobi (1 night)·🚙 Private 4x4 transfer·Kenya guide →
2

~€210

Nairobi → Amboseli · Beneath Kilimanjaro

  • 7am Drive to Amboseli (240 km, 4 h). Entry $60/day.
  • 3pm First game drive among the elephants.
  • Evening Sunset over Kilimanjaro (in clear weather).
🛌 🛌 Amboseli · e.g. Ol Tukai Lodge (2 nights)·🚙 4x4 with open roof
3

~€150

Amboseli · Elephants and Kilimanjaro

  • 6am Morning game drive, Kilimanjaro often clear at sunrise.
  • 4pm Second game drive around the marshes.
4

~€230

Amboseli → Lake Nakuru · Rift Valley

  • 8am Long drive to Lake Nakuru via Nairobi (350 km, 6 h). Entry $60/day.
  • 4pm Lake loop: rhinos, flamingos, tree-climbing lions.
🛌 🛌 Nakuru · e.g. Lake Nakuru Sopa Lodge (1 night)·🚙 4x4, long drive
5

~€250

Nakuru → Masai Mara · The great plain

  • 8am Drive to the Masai Mara (240 km, 5 h of track). Entry $200/day.
  • Afternoon First game drive, sunset over the plains.
🛌 🛌 Masai Mara · e.g. Mara Serena Safari Lodge (3 nights)·🚙 4x4, long track
6

~€190

Masai Mara · The migration

  • 6am Morning game drive to the Mara River, wildebeest crossings (Jul-Oct).
  • Midday Bush picnic.
  • 4pm Searching for predators, optional Maasai village (~€25).
7

Flight

Masai Mara → Return · Flight and wrap-up

  • Morning Last morning game drive, optional balloon (~€450).
  • Midday Flight Mara → Nairobi (45 min, $150-200).
  • Evening Return flight to Paris via Nairobi, Addis Ababa or Doha.

How much

Itinerary budget (per person, flight included)

Backpacker

€2,000

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €700
  • 🚙 Shared group safari: €800
  • 🏕️ Budget camps: €80/night
  • 🦁 Park fees: €320
  • 🚐 Transfers: €60
Recommended

Comfort

€2,700

per person

  • ✈️ Return flight: €850
  • 🚙 Private 4x4 safari + guide: €1,200
  • 🏨 4★ lodges: €170/night
  • 🦁 Park fees: €320
  • ✈️ Mara return flight: €180

Premium

€5,000

per person

  • ✈️ Business flight: €1,800
  • 🚙 High-end private safari: €2,200
  • 🏨 Luxury camps: €500/night
  • 🎈 Masai Mara balloon: €450
  • 🦁 Private conservancy: €400

Shorter, longer

Other possible durations

You're here

1 week

1 week

Rift Valley safari circuit. The essential format.

2 weeks

2 weeks

Full safari then Diani Beach.

1 month

1 month

The grand tour: big parks, wild north (Samburu) and Swahili coast.

How to get around

Itinerary logistics

A tight week: the safari is done in a 4x4 with a driver-guide, on the Rift Valley tracks. A return domestic flight from the Masai Mara to Nairobi saves half a day over the track.

🚙

4x4 with driver-guide

Included in the safari package · open roof

🛬

Nairobi airport transfer

~€40 · 1 h

✈️

Flight Masai Mara → Nairobi

$150-200 · Safarilink / AirKenya · 45 min

🎈

Balloon (option)

~€450 · sunrise · book ahead

Adapt by season

A short week, aim for the dry season

Over 7 days, every game drive counts: travel from June to October, when animals concentrate and tracks are clear. The Masai Mara migration peaks from July to October. Avoid April-May (long rains, muddy tracks). January-February is a good secondary dry window.

Author tips

What I would redo (and change)

✅ Would redo

  • • In July 2023, keeping the Masai Mara for the end and staying three nights: that's where we saw the first wildebeest crossing, after two days of patient waiting on the bank. On a week, never sacrifice the Mara.
  • • The return flight from the Mara rather than the track: half a day saved.
  • • Amboseli at sunrise, when Kilimanjaro clears.

⚠️ Would change

  • • Skip Nakuru if time is short and add a night in the Masai Mara.
  • • Choose a shared group safari to cut the cost sharply.
  • • Outside migration season, swap a Mara night for two nights at Diani.

FAQ

Itinerary FAQ

Is one week in Kenya enough? +
Yes for a focused first safari: Amboseli, Nakuru and the Masai Mara. Adding the coast on 7 days is tight, better to concentrate on the parks.
Is the return flight from the Mara worth it? +
Yes on a week. It costs $150-200 and takes 45 min, versus 5 h of track. On a short format, the time saved counts.
What budget for 7 days? +
Count about €2,000 on a budget basis, €2,700 in comfort and €5,000 in premium, per person, flight from Paris included. The safari and park fees make up most of it.
Do I need antimalarial treatment? +
Yes, Kenya is a malaria zone. See a vaccination center before departure. Yellow fever is required if you come from an at-risk country.
Is this itinerary family-friendly? +
Yes from age 6, but the long tracks tire children. Prefer a private safari to adjust the pace and stops.
What's the best period? +
July to October for the Masai Mara migration. The dry season (June-October) stays ideal for all parks. Avoid April-May, the long rains.

Marie Laurent ✓

·

Southeast Asia specialist · itinerary personally tested.

Last updated: June 1, 2026.

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