10-Day Kenya Safari Itinerary: Masai Mara, Amboseli and Samburu Combined

Ten days in Kenya is enough time to do something genuinely ambitious: visit three of Africa’s most distinct safari ecosystems back to back, without rushing any of them. Most visitors come back wishing they had gone longer. Very few come back wishing they had gone shorter. 🌍

This 10-day Kenya safari itinerary from Trunktrails Safaris covers the open savannah of Masai Mara, the elephant plains of Amboseli, and the dry acacia woodland of Samburu. Each park is radically different from the last. Each one changes what you thought you knew about a Kenya safari.

This is the itinerary we recommend for travellers who have the time to do it right.

Why Choose Three Parks Over One?

A single-park Kenya safari is excellent. But it gives you one landscape, one wildlife palette, and one rhythm. Three parks give you three completely different answers to the question: what does Kenya look like?

• Masai Mara is sweeping open grassland, lions in the long grass, the Mara River, and the Great Migration.
• Amboseli is dust and elephants and Kilimanjaro rising behind everything like a backdrop painted by someone who wanted too much.
• Samburu is drier, more remote, and holds wildlife found almost nowhere else in Kenya: the reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Somali ostrich, and gerenuk.

If you have 10 days, the combination works. Each ecosystem refreshes your eyes for the next.

Day-by-Day Itinerary Breakdown

Days 1-2: Samburu National Reserve

Why start with Samburu? Most itineraries end there, which means travellers arrive tired. Start here while your energy is high and your attention is sharp.

Samburu sits in Kenya’s north, a 6-hour drive from Nairobi or a 45-minute flight from Wilson Airport. The Ewaso Ng’iro River runs through the reserve, drawing leopard, lion, elephant, and a cast of northern specialist species.

Day 1: Arrive Samburu by air or road. Check into camp. Afternoon game drive along the river.

Day 2: Full day in Samburu. Morning and afternoon game drives. Look for the “Samburu Special Five”: reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra, Beisa oryx, gerenuk, and Somali ostrich. These species do not appear in Masai Mara or Amboseli.

Recommended camps: Samburu Intrepids (mid-range), Elephant Bedroom Camp (luxury), Elephant Watch Camp (conservation-focused).

Days 3-5: Masai Mara National Reserve

Transfer from Samburu to Masai Mara, either by connecting flight via Nairobi (easiest) or by road (long but scenic). Most travellers on this itinerary opt for the flight.

The Masai Mara is Kenya’s flagship safari destination and the anchor of any serious kenya safari itinerary. Three nights gives you six game drives plus one optional early-morning balloon safari over the plains.

Day 3: Arrive Mara by afternoon flight. Check in, sunset game drive.

Day 4: Full day in the Mara. Morning drive targeting predators. Afternoon drive to the Mara River (July-October: watch for wildebeest crossings). Sundowner on the plains.

Day 5: Early morning game drive before departure. Transfer to Amboseli via Nairobi.

What to expect in the Mara: Lions are seen on most game drives. Cheetah sightings are common. Leopard takes patience but appears regularly in fig trees along the Talek River. Elephant herds pass through from the adjacent conservancies.

Recommended camps: Mara Intrepids (reliable mid-range), Rekero Camp (luxury, Mara River location), Governors’ Camp (iconic, excellent guiding).

Days 6-8: Amboseli National Park

Amboseli is the final main chapter of this 10 day kenya safari and arguably the most visually dramatic. Three nights here gives you time to photograph elephants at first light, at midday with the mountain behind them, and at golden hour when the dust catches the colour.

Day 6: Arrive Amboseli by road from Nairobi (3.5 hours) or short flight. Afternoon at the Ol Tukai swamp area.

Day 7: Full day in Amboseli. Morning drive for Kilimanjaro views and elephant herds (clearest before 9am). Afternoon drive to the Enkongo Narok swamp. This is where the big bulls congregate late afternoon.

Day 8: Dawn game drive, then mid-morning transfer to Nairobi.

What to expect in Amboseli: Elephants are the star, and Amboseli has Africa’s most studied elephant population (over 50 years of continuous research). Lion and cheetah are present but less reliably sighted than in the Mara. The mountain appears in about 70% of mornings during dry season.

Recommended camps: Ol Tukai Lodge (excellent elephant viewing, family rooms), Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge (well-run, mid-range), Tawi Lodge (private, high-end, outside the park boundary).

Days 9-10: Nairobi and Departure

Allow two full days in Nairobi at the end. Do not rush straight to the airport.

Day 9: Visit the Nairobi National Park (the only national park in the world inside a major city). Morning there, elephants and rhino with city skyline behind them. Afternoon: David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust for the baby elephant orphan feeding.

Day 10: Depart from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Optional Day 9 additions: Karen Blixen Museum, Giraffe Centre at the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife, shopping in Karen or Westlands.

10-Day Kenya Safari Cost Breakdown

All-inclusive means full board, game drives, and park fees. International flights are excluded from these figures.

At Trunktrails Safaris, our fully customised kenya 10 day luxury safari packages start from $3,400 per person. Budget and mid-range options start from $2,100. Every package is quoted individually based on group size, camp availability, and travel dates.

Best Time to Run This Itinerary

Best overall window: July to October. Masai Mara migration aligns with peak wildlife activity in Samburu and Amboseli dry season. School holidays (UK/US) overlap here, which means camps fill fast. Book at least 6 months ahead for this window.

Value window: January to February. Clear Kilimanjaro views in Amboseli, strong predator action in the Mara, and dry conditions in Samburu. Cheaper than July-October by 15-25%.

Pacing This Itinerary: What to Know Before You Book

Ten days sounds long. On the ground, it passes quickly. Here is what affects the pacing:

Flight connections: Every park transfer adds at least half a travel day. This itinerary uses internal flights between Samburu and the Mara (via Wilson Airport) to avoid a 12-hour road day. Budget itineraries sometimes combine road transfers, but we do not recommend this for travellers over 60 or for groups with children under 10.

Game drive schedule: Standard game drives run 6am-9.30am and 4pm-7pm. Full-day drives are possible but tiring. This itinerary is designed for two drives per day with a midday rest, which is the pace that keeps everyone energised and attentive by day 9.

Altitude and fatigue: None of these parks involves altitude. The main fatigue factor is early starts and road conditions inside parks (corrugated murram). Good camp mattresses matter. We specifically select camps where we have verified bed quality.

The Trunktrails Advantage

Trunktrails Safaris is a native Kenyan-owned operator. We live in Nairobi. We know these parks the way a local knows their neighbourhood, because we do.

What that means on a 10-day multi-park itinerary like this one:

• Guide continuity. Where possible, we assign the same guide across multiple parks. You do not start over every time you change location. Your guide knows what you have seen, what you are hoping for, and how you like your game drives.
• Camp relationships. We have direct relationships with camps in all three parks. When your safari departs for an early morning drive and something remarkable happens, our network knows before most operators do.
• 5% to conservation. Every booking through our tours and safaris contributes 5% directly to wildlife conservation in the specific parks you visit.
• No subcontracting. We handle every element of your itinerary in-house. No hidden third parties. No commissions changing hands behind the scenes.

Our tours and safaris in the three-park format are among our most booked itineraries. We have run this route over 200 times and refined it each time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I do this itinerary in reverse order (Mara first, then Samburu)? Yes. We sometimes reverse it for clients arriving into northern Kenya or for those who want the Mara during peak migration season. The experience is equally strong either way.

Is 10 days too long for a first-time visitor? Not at all. Most first-timers tell us 10 days felt like exactly the right length. The variety across three parks prevents the fatigue that can set in on a single-park itinerary of the same length.

Can children join this itinerary? Yes, from age 5 upward (some camps have a minimum age of 6). We recommend road transfer over light aircraft for families with young children where distances allow. 🦒

Do I need vaccinations? Yellow fever vaccination is recommended for Kenya. Malaria prophylaxis is advised for all three parks. Consult your travel health clinic at least 6 weeks before departure.

Plan Your 10-Day Kenya Safari with Trunktrails Safaris

You have the itinerary. The question now is when you want to go and how you want to travel.

Send us your dates, your group size, and one sentence about what you most want to experience. We will have a personalised quote and camp selection back to you within 24 hours.

Further reading

• IUCN Red List
• Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board)
• Kenya Wildlife Service

More safari planning resources

• Kenya tour packages from Valley Safaris
• Samburu National Reserve guide on Touring Insights
• Compare Kenya safari packages on FindMySafari
• Map of Samburu from Valley Safaris

WhatsApp: +254 113 208888 Email: info@trunktrailssafaris.com Website: https://trunktrailssafaris.com