Kenya · Group joining · Budget safari
Plains, a freshwater lake and a gorge on foot
Two nights in the Maasai Mara, then Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate National Park, where you can cycle or walk among wildlife.
USD 590–690 pp by season
The journey in brief
The experience
This four-day group-joining safari pairs the Maasai Mara with the Lake Naivasha area. After two nights at Miti Mingi Eco Camp and a full day in the reserve, you drive back up the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha.
The last morning is in Hell's Gate National Park, one of the few Kenyan parks where you can cycle or walk among zebras and giraffes, finishing with a guided walk into the gorge.
Full day and sunrise drive in the Maasai Mara
Optional boat ride on Lake Naivasha
Cycling or driving through Hell's Gate
Guided walk in the Hell's Gate gorge
The route
Nairobi
Maasai Mara
Lake Naivasha
Hell's Gate
Nairobi
Nairobi → Maasai Mara → Lake Naivasha → Hell's Gate → Nairobi
Day by day
Timings are approximate. Your guide adjusts each day around road and wildlife conditions.
Day 1 / Nairobi → Maasai Mara
Leave Nairobi in the morning and follow the road over the edge of the Great Rift Valley, stopping at the viewpoint for a first look across the valley floor. The journey continues through Narok and into the Maasai grazing lands that surround the reserve, reaching Miti Mingi Eco Camp in the late afternoon. After checking in, head straight out for a first game drive in the Maasai Mara until sunset, when the plains take on their warmest colours.
Day 2 / Maasai Mara National Reserve
Leave camp before 8am with packed lunches for a full day crossing the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Travelling across the reserve shows how its landscape changes, from open grass plains to acacia woodland and the riverine forest along the Mara River, where you spend time watching hippos and crocodiles and stop for a picnic. Your guide keeps the route flexible around the day's wildlife. Back in the late afternoon, choose between an optional village visit, a nature walk or simply time at camp.
Day 3 / Maasai Mara → Lake Naivasha
Coffee at 6am, then a sunrise game drive while the Mara is cool and quiet. After breakfast, leave the reserve and drive back towards the Rift Valley, stopping for lunch on the way to Lake Naivasha. This freshwater lake on the valley floor is fringed with papyrus and acacia, and its shallows are home to hippos and a rich variety of waterbirds. In the evening, take an optional boat ride to look for hippos, fish eagles and pelicans before the night at Leisure Apex.
Day 4 / Lake Naivasha → Hell's Gate → Nairobi
After breakfast, leave Lake Naivasha for Hell's Gate National Park, one of the few Kenyan parks where you can cycle or walk among the wildlife; bicycles can be hired at the gate, or you can stay in the vehicle. The track runs beneath sheer volcanic cliffs and towers, with zebras, giraffes and buffalo grazing below and plenty of stops for photographs. A guide then leads a walk down into the gorge, carved through the soft rock by water. Drive back to Nairobi in the late afternoon.
Where you stay
This budget safari uses the camps and hotels listed below. Where a stop says 'camp/lodge', we confirm the property with your quote.
Maasai Mara · 2 nights
The budget tented camp used for Absolute's Maasai Mara budget safaris, close to the reserve.
About Miti Mingi Eco Camp
Lake Naivasha · 1 night
The Naivasha base for budget safaris that include Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate.
About Leisure ApexAccommodation pattern: Budget · Miti Mingi Eco Camp + Leisure Apex.
Pricing
Low seasonUSD 590 per person
High seasonUSD 690 per person
Prices are in US dollars per person, with separate low- and high-season rates. Your written quote confirms the final price for your dates and party size.
Prices can depend on travel dates, party size, accommodation availability and changes to park fees. All terms are confirmed in writing before you book.
The details
On your terms
About an hour on the lake looking for hippos, fish eagles and pelicans, arranged locally.
Bicycles can be hired at the park gate; your guide follows in the vehicle.
Before you travel
Check passport validity and entry requirements for every country on your route with official government sources before you travel.
Ask a travel-health professional about vaccinations and malaria precautions, and take out travel insurance that covers your activities.
A soft bag is easiest in safari vehicles. If any part of your trip includes light-aircraft flights, baggage limits apply.
Weather and wildlife movement change through the year. Tell us your dates and we will explain what to expect.
Questions travellers ask
Group-joining safaris follow the published route so everyone travels together. If you want changes, ask us about running the route privately.
Yes. Prices are in US dollars per person, as published in our catalogue. Your written quote confirms the final price for your dates and party size.
We reply with availability, any suggestions for your dates and a written quote. Nothing is booked until you have agreed the quote and booking terms.
No. Wildlife is free-ranging and sightings vary. Your guide will plan each day around conditions to give you the best chances.
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The next step
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will check availability and send a written quote; nothing is booked until you agree.
Use Plan My Safari to send your dates, travellers and preferences for this safari. It takes about two minutes.
Still deciding?
If this safari is close but not quite right, describe your ideal trip and we will suggest a route.
4 days · Kenya
USD 590–690 pp by season
