Hot air balloons drifting over the Masai Mara at sunrise

1.3192° S, 36.9278° E — JOMO KENYATTA INTL, NAIROBI

Plan your Kenya safari, from Nairobi

Where to go, when to go, how many days you need and what it will cost, researched and priced by a team that runs these routes year round.

★ 4.9/5 independent reviews ☉ Guide network operating since 2018 ⏱ 24-hour reply guarantee

Safari FinderKenya Safaris From Nairobi

Est. for
your journey

NBO

Nairobi

???

Your safari

Travelling

Days available

Travelling with

Most want to see

From$180 / day ppall-inclusive

The Kenya safari primer

Kenya's safari circuit, in plain terms

Nairobi is not just an arrival point. It is the hub every Kenyan safari radiates from, whether that means a forty-five minute flight to the Masai Mara, a half-day drive to Amboseli, or an hour in Nairobi National Park before your evening flight home. This guide exists to lay that circuit out plainly: which parks suit which traveller, what a realistic budget looks like, and how the pieces fit into however many days you actually have.

Jul – OctMigration peak

45min – 6hrFrom Nairobi by air or road

eTA req.Apply online before travel

Big FivePresent year-round

$180–$900+Per person, per day

2018Team operating since

In this guide

Six steps from research to booking

01DestinationsWhere to go, and how far

02Safari StylesFind the trip that fits you

03Plan & CostDays, budget and price bands

04ExperiencesBeyond the game drive

05Wildlife FinderWhich animal, which park, which hour

07Safari GuideThe knowledge base

08Talk to a SpecialistGet an exact, priced quote

01Destinations

Where do you want to go?

Every destination is priced and mapped from Nairobi, so you can compare distance, ideal length of stay and cost before you commit to one.

Wildebeest crossing the Mara River during the Great Migration

Big Cats & Migration

270 km · 45 min flight

Masai Mara

Kenya's most celebrated reserve. Resident big cats year-round, and the Mara River crossings from July to October.

Best: 3–4 days5 ConservanciesFly or Drive

Elephant herd with Kilimanjaro in the background at Amboseli

Elephants & Kilimanjaro

240 km · 4–5 hr road

Amboseli

Some of Africa's largest tusked elephants, framed by Kilimanjaro on a clear morning.

Best: 2–3 daysBig HerdsRoad Transfer

Leopard resting in a tree in Samburu National Reserve

Rare Northern Species

345 km · 1 hr flight

Samburu

Dramatic semi-arid landscapes and species found nowhere else in Kenya's south.

Best: 3 daysGrevy's ZebraNight Drives

Zebra and wildebeest on the plains near Lake Nakuru

Rhinos & Flamingos

160 km · 3 hr road

Lake Nakuru

A fenced rhino sanctuary and one of the easiest add-ons to a Mara itinerary.

Best: 1–2 daysRhino SanctuaryEasy Add-On

Walking safari group beneath a baobab tree in Tsavo

Red Elephants & Baobabs

230 km · 4 hr road

Tsavo

Kenya's largest park, famed for red-dust elephants and ancient baobab trees.

Best: 2–3 daysWalking SafarisCoast Stopover

Riverside dining deck overlooking the Lake Naivasha area

Easiest Weekend Trip

90 km · 1.5 hr road

Lake Naivasha

The closest wild escape to Nairobi, ideal when a full safari isn't on the calendar.

Best: 1–2 daysBoat RidesNo Flight Needed

Young elephants greeting each other on the plains

Wildlife Before Your Flight

10 km · 20 min drive

Nairobi National Park

Big game against a city skyline, doable in the hours before an international departure.

Best: Half dayCity-AdjacentLayover-Friendly

Lounge deck overlooking the plains at a conservancy camp

Rhino Sanctuary

200 km · 3.5 hr road

Ol Pejeta

A conservancy model built around rhino protection, with excellent lion density.

Best: 2 daysNorthern White RhinoConservation Tours

02Safari Styles

Find a safari by travel style

Every style opens onto its own guide: best destinations, ideal length of stay, and packages built for exactly that kind of trip.

🦓

03Plan & Cost

How much does a Kenya safari from Nairobi cost?

A Kenya safari from Nairobi costs between $150 and $900+ per person per day, depending on accommodation tier, season, and whether you fly or drive between parks.

BudgetShared vehicle, simple camps

$150–$260 / day pp

Mid-rangePrivate vehicle, comfortable camps

$310–$450 / day pp

LuxuryPrivate guide, premium camps

$550–$900+ / day pp

What affects the price

SeasonJul–Oct costs 20–40% more than the green season.

Lodge tierAccommodation is the single biggest factor in cost.

Fly vs roadFlying adds $250–$450 pp but saves 5–6 hours each way.

Group sizePrivate vehicles are most cost-effective for 4+ people.

Cost calculator

Estimate your safari

Travellers

Number of days

Destination

Accommodation level

$1,550–$2,250Estimated total, per person

04Experiences

Build the days in between

Every itinerary is more than game drives. Add these to any plan you build on this site.

Elephant beside a safari game drive vehicle

Twice daily

Game Drives

Balloon safari over the river at sunrise

Dawn over the Mara

Balloon Safaris

Guided walking safari beneath a baobab tree

On foot

Walking Safaris

End of day

Sundowners

Where you'll stay

Tented Camps

05Wildlife Finder

Which animal, which park, which hour

Pick a species and see where it's most reliably seen, the time of day that favours you, and one thing worth knowing before you go looking.

06Recommended Stays

Camps we'd send our own family to

We only feature properties our team has stayed in or personally inspected. Location and character matter here as much as thread count.

Riverside dining deck at Rekero Camp, Masai Mara

Classic tented camp

Rekero Camp

📍 Masai Mara National Reserve · Talek & Mara River confluence

Unfenced Migration Front-Row 6 Tents Only

Sits directly on the river at the heart of the reserve. Migration crossings in season are a short drive, not a transfer.
Genuinely unfenced. Elephant and buffalo pass through camp itself, always with a guide escorting you after dark.
Understated and authentic rather than over-styled. The reputation here is built on guiding, not décor.
One of the strongest location-to-rate ratios in the Mara. You pay for the position, not the polish.

Mid-range to LuxuryAsk for current rates

View Rekero Camp Packages →

Campfire sundowners at Encounter Mara Camp

Conservancy camp

Encounter Mara

📍 Mara North Conservancy

Private Conservancy Night Drives Low Vehicle Density

Conservancy status means a capped number of beds and vehicles, so sightings are shared with far fewer people.
Off-road driving and night drives are permitted here, both banned inside the main reserve itself.
Campfire sundowners are a genuine ritual, not a photo opportunity, with guides who linger and tell you what you saw.

Mid-range to LuxuryAsk for current rates

View Encounter Mara Packages →

Beyond the Mara

What to look for, tier by tier

Budget

Tented Camps & Lodges

Comfortable, well-run and excellent value, especially outside peak season.

Look forShared vehicles, solar power, en-suite tents rather than shared bathrooms.

Mid-Range

Comfort Camps

Private vehicles become realistic at this tier, along with more attentive service.

Look for4–5 guests per vehicle, proper hot showers, a good camp bar for the evening debrief.

Luxury

Conservancy Camps

Exclusive-use conservancies, fewer vehicles per sighting, and genuinely private guiding.

Look forNight drives, walking safaris, off-road access and a low bed-to-acre ratio.

Family

Family-Friendly Camps

Interconnecting tents, flexible dining times and guides used to younger travellers.

Look forA minimum-age policy that suits your children, and a family suite rather than two separate tents.

07Safari Guide

Everything you'd otherwise have to ask a specialist

A growing library written by people who plan and run these trips from Nairobi, not aggregated from elsewhere.

No. 01

Best Time to Visit Kenya, Month by Month

What you'll see, the weather, and how busy each park gets.

Read the guide →

No. 02

The Great Migration, Explained

Where the herds are each month, and how to time a crossing.

Read the guide →

Family walking safari with Maasai guides

No. 03

The First-Timer's Safari Guide

What to pack, what to expect, and how the days actually run.

Read the guide →

No. 04

The Big Five: Where and When to See Them

A field guide to each species, park by park.

Read the guide →

No. 05

Masai Mara vs Amboseli: Which First?

A direct comparison for travellers choosing one over the other.

Read the guide →

No. 06

Fly or Drive? The Real Trade-Offs

Cost, time and comfort, compared route by route.

Read the guide →

Written and priced by the Safari Travel Plus specialist team, Nairobi-based since 2018.

Why plan here

A planning tool with a real team behind it

✦

Built from Nairobi

Every distance, price band and route on this site comes from a team that drives these roads and flies these strips throughout the year.

◇

Real prices, not guesswork

Cost ranges are drawn from actual itineraries we've quoted and run, not scraped averages from other sites.

☉

Handed to a specialist, not a form

Once you've found your safari, a Nairobi-based specialist takes it from there and replies within 24 hours.

Kenya Safaris From Nairobi is planned and operated by the Safari Travel Plus team, East Africa specialists since 2018.

Plan your Kenya safari, from Nairobi

Kenya's safari circuit, in plain terms

Six steps from research to booking

Where do you want to go?

Masai Mara

Amboseli

Samburu

Lake Nakuru

Tsavo

Lake Naivasha

Nairobi National Park

Ol Pejeta

Find a safari by travel style

Great Migration

Big Five

Family Safaris

Honeymoon

Photography

Luxury

Joining Safaris

Private Safaris

How much does a Kenya safari from Nairobi cost?

What affects the price

Estimate your safari

Build the days in between

Game Drives

Balloon Safaris

Walking Safaris

Sundowners

Tented Camps

Which animal, which park, which hour

Camps we'd send our own family to

Rekero Camp

Encounter Mara

What to look for, tier by tier

Tented Camps & Lodges

Comfort Camps

Conservancy Camps

Family-Friendly Camps

Everything you'd otherwise have to ask a specialist

Best Time to Visit Kenya, Month by Month

The Great Migration, Explained

The First-Timer's Safari Guide

The Big Five: Where and When to See Them

Masai Mara vs Amboseli: Which First?

Fly or Drive? The Real Trade-Offs

A planning tool with a real team behind it

Built from Nairobi

Real prices, not guesswork

Handed to a specialist, not a form

Your safari starts with a question, not a form