Arrival in Nairobi
Arrive in Nairobi and transfer to your hotel. We recommend the Best Western in the centre: a secure, central location with a pool, between downtown and the quieter city districts.
Safari
18 Days Kenya: Safari, Culture & Coast
Safari, the Swahili coast and the Indian Ocean: eighteen days, one trip, and our team beside you all the way.
All safaris
The trip
- Nairobi
- Maasai Mara
- Lake Nakuru
- Naivasha
- Nairobi
- Mombasa
- Watamu
- Tsavo East
- Watamu
- Nairobi
Our whole of Kenya in one trip. Five days on safari through the Mara, Nakuru and Naivasha, Fort Jesus and the spice markets of Mombasa's Old Town, then Watamu: the ocean, Tsavo East's red elephants, the Gede ruins and a Marafa sunset, with easy beach days in between. Book it as one trip and we look after you from start to finish.
Highlights
- Big Five game drives in the Maasai Mara
- Lake Nakuru's flamingos and the gorges of Hell's Gate
- Fort Jesus and the spice markets of Mombasa's Old Town
- Snorkelling the Watamu reef, with seafood on a sandbank
- Tsavo's red elephants and a sunset over Marafa Canyon
- Slow days in between for the beach, the pool, or nothing at all
Day by day
Days 1 – 2
Arrival in Nairobi
1- 2
Nairobi at your pace
A day to rest after the flight. If you feel like it, visit the Giraffe Centre to feed the Rothschild giraffes by hand, or add a morning game drive in Nairobi National Park.
Days 3 – 7
Safari: Mara, Nakuru & Naivasha
3Nairobi – Maasai Mara
Pick-up at your hotel and the drive south, with a stop at the Great Rift Valley escarpment. Arrive for lunch, check in, then an evening game drive before dinner and overnight.
- 4
Maasai Mara full day
Full-day game drive in the reserve, when the chances of the Big Five — lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo and leopard — are highest, alongside zebra, antelope, warthog, jackal, giraffe and wildebeest. At the Mara River you may see crocodiles and wildebeest crossing. Picnic lunch inside the park, then dinner and overnight.
- 5
Maasai Mara – Lake Nakuru
A morning visit to a Maasai cultural village, or time to relax, then the transfer to Lake Nakuru with lunch on the way, arriving late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
- 6
Lake Nakuru – Naivasha
Game drive in Lake Nakuru National Park: wooded and bushy grassland, the flamingo numbers the lake is famous for, over 300 bird species, plus white rhino, lion, leopard, baboon, Rothschild giraffe and buffalo. Then on to Naivasha with lunch en route, checking in late afternoon for dinner and overnight.
- 7
Hell's Gate – Nairobi
Morning game drive at Hell's Gate, a quarter of the Great Rift Valley: towering cliffs, water-gouged gorges, stark rock towers and plumes of geothermal steam. African buffalo, zebra, Thomson's gazelle and baboon, plus klipspringer and Chandler's mountain reedbuck, and over 100 recorded bird species. Afterwards, the drive back to Nairobi and drop-off at your hotel.
Days 8 – 10
Down to Mombasa
8Nairobi at your pace
A free day back at the hotel after the safari: the pool, a walk, or anything in Nairobi you didn't get to on Day 2.
- 9
Nairobi – Mombasa
Down to the coast by domestic flight, by the train through Tsavo, or by road, whichever suits you. Check in to your hotel in Mombasa.
- 10
Fort Jesus & the Old Town
A guided morning at Fort Jesus, the Portuguese fortress on the harbour, then the lanes of the Old Town with a heritage guide: Swahili doorways, the spice market, Kenyan coffee and tea.
Days 11 – 13
Watamu & the ocean
11Mombasa – Watamu
North along the coast to Watamu by road or a short flight to Malindi. Check in and spend the afternoon on the beach.
- 12
Watamu beach day
A day with nothing planned: white sand, warm water, and the Indian Ocean in front of you.
- 13
Watamu Ocean Blue
By boat into the Watamu Marine National Park: snorkelling over the coral, a sandbank island, a seafood lunch, and the mangroves of Mida Creek.
Days 14 – 16
Tsavo East & Marafa
14Watamu – Tsavo East
Pick-up in Watamu and the drive to Tsavo East, Kenya's largest national park. An afternoon game drive among red elephants, lion and buffalo, then dinner and overnight at the lodge.
- 15
Tsavo East – Watamu
An early-morning game drive before breakfast, then the drive back to Watamu.
- 16
Gede Ruins & Marafa Canyon
The ruins of Gede in the forest, with the monkeys that live among them, then on to Marafa to watch the sandstone canyon turn red at sunset.
Days 17 – 18
Last days & home
17Coast day, or deep sea fishing
A last free day by the sea. If you'd like, head out deep sea fishing for the day, and finish with a barbecue on the coast.
- 18
Back to Nairobi
Back to Nairobi by domestic flight or road. Spend a last night at the same hotel you started in, or fly straight on to Jomo Kenyatta airport for your flight home.
Like the look of it? Tell us your dates.
Plan this tripThe trips inside this journey
Each stage is one of our trips. Open any of them on its own, or book them together here.
How booking works
One enquiry, one plan, one team looking after you.
- 1
Tell us your dates
When you'd like to travel and who's coming. No payment at this stage.
- 2
We put it together
A quote for the tours, with hotels and flights matched to your standard and budget, adjusted until it's right.
- 3
Travel with us beside you
From pick-up in Nairobi to your flight home, our team in Kenya is a phone call away.
What's included
- Our support from first enquiry to the flight home: we plan the whole journey with you, book the tours, and are a phone call away in Kenya throughout
- 5 Days Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru & Naivasha safari: 4x4 Land Cruiser, lodges, full board, park fees and guide
- Tsavo East safari from Watamu, with a night at the lodge on full board
- Mombasa Old Town and Fort Jesus tour with a heritage guide
- Watamu Ocean Blue boat trip with snorkelling, a seafood lunch and Mida Creek
- Gede Ruins and Marafa Canyon sunset trip
- Pick-up from your Nairobi hotel for the safari
Not included
- Hotels on the days between tours, in Nairobi, Mombasa and Watamu. We recommend and can book them, from the Best Western in central Nairobi to hotels and villas on the coast, to your standard
- Travel from Nairobi to the coast, along it and back. We arrange it to your budget: car, train or domestic flight, with tuk-tuks and bikes for getting around locally
- Alcoholic drinks and beverages
- International flights
- Kenya eTA visa
- Personal items
- Tips and gratuities
- Medical, luggage and travel insurance
- Vaccinations, such as yellow fever
Optional extras
- Balloon safari$400 pp
- Maasai Cultural Village visit$20 pp
- Boat ride$20 pp
- Deep sea fishing day€100 pp
- Hiking on Mount KenyaOn request
- Nairobi National Park game driveOn request
- Giraffe Centre in NairobiOn request
- Amboseli, beneath KilimanjaroOn request
- Climbing Kilimanjaro in TanzaniaOn request
Like the look of it? Tell us your dates.
Plan this tripBefore you travel
Requirements change, so please check the official sources before you book your flights.
Kenya eTA
Every visitor needs an Electronic Travel Authorisation, applied for online before departure. Apply only on the government site.
Yellow fever and vaccinations
Required if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, and recommended for safaris inland. Tanzania (Kilimanjaro) usually asks for it after Kenya. See a travel doctor 4 to 6 weeks ahead.
Travel insurance
Medical cover including evacuation, plus luggage and cancellation cover, is not included in our trips. Please take out a policy before you travel.