Amboseli & Mara Group Safari

Visit some of Africa's last true wilderness destinations. We start our expedition with a Amboseli National Park safari which is set against the magnificent backdrop of Africa's highest mountain, Kilimanjaro , before we visit a lake in the heart of the spectacular Great Rift Valley - Lake Elmenteita. The safari ends in the Masai Mara National Reserve , world-renowned for Big Five sightings and the migration herds residing in the park between July and October . It is an excellent place to witness the migration's river crossings as the herds often cross the Mara river daily.


Our small group safaris offer the opportunity to explore Kenya while enjoying the company of an intimate group of like-minded safari enthusiasts, on a set itinerary.


Itinerary

  • Day 1: Johannesburg / Nairobi

    Meet a representative of eXplore Plus Travel & Tours at OR Tambo Airport at the Kenya Airways check-in counter 3 hours before the scheduled departure time for your flight to Kenya. 

    The package includes return economy airfare with Kenya Airways from Johannesburg to Nairobi Airport (departing at 12h10 – arriving at 17h15). At Nairobi Airport, our friendly safari team will welcome you and transfer you to the hotel.

    Stay:  Ole-Sereni 

    Meals: Dinner & breakfast

  • Day 2: Nairobi / Amboseli National Park

    After breakfast, we will meet our safari guides.  We head south to the Amboseli National Park.  Amboseli is known for its huge elephant herds and dramatic backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro.  We'll arrive at the lodge in time for lunch, followed by an afternoon game drive.   Sometimes described as ‘Africa's Elephant Park', it is true that the area is one of the best places in Africa to observe elephants at close range.  If you are lucky, you may also come across big cats such as lion and cheetah, as well as hyena.

    Stay: Ol Tukai Lodge

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 3: Amboseli National Park

    Enjoy a full day in Amboseli with game drives. In the early morning, it is a wonderful experience to see Kilimanjaro hovering above the clouds. If the clouds clear, wildlife photography against this dramatic backdrop is particularly rewarding.  The diversity of the landscapes matches the variety of wildlife at Amboseli. From swampy wetlands and lush woodlands to the sprawling savannah and dried-up lake, the park boasts some truly spectacular scenery.  

    Stay: Ol Tukai Lodge

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 4: Amboseli National Park / Lake Elmenteita

    Early morning game drive in Amboseli, catching your last views of Kilimanjaro before returning to the lodge for breakfast and check-out.  Our journey continues to Lake Elmenteita in the Soysambu Conservancy, a lake in the heart of the spectacular Great Rift Valley.  Enjoy an afternoon game drive. The area is home to great white pelicans, flamingos, great crested grebe and is an important stopover for over 350 migratory bird species. Aside from birds, the shores of this lake are home to a variety of terrestrial species, including the tiny dik-dik, shy leopard, rare Rothschild giraffe and the curious-looking nocturnal aardvark.

    Night game drive can be booked at an additional cost of US$60 per person (the option to pre-book or on arrival is possible). 

    Stay: Lake Elmenteita Serena Camp

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 5: Lake Elmenteita / Masai Mara National Reserve

    Enjoy an early morning walking safari (must be pre-booked) or enjoy another game drive in the conservancy.   We leave the lake area behind as we drive through a part of the Rift Valley to the Masai Mara National Reserve.   During our safari, we stay in the Mara Triangle, an area where the herds of the Great Migration enter and exit the Masai Mara from the Serengeti. The Mara Triangle is situated on the western bank of the Mara River and comprises one-third of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

    We enjoy an afternoon game drive in the park searching for lions and leopards, herds of plains game and elephants, beautiful birds and elegant giraffes. Late afternoon we drive to our lodge, set on a hill with stunning views of the Mara River.  

    Stay: Mara Serena Safari Lodge 

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 6: Masai Mara National Reserve

    Nothing is more spectacular than launching at sunrise & floating effortlessly in a hot air balloon over the Masai Mara - an iconic African experience we highly recommend (for your account).  We enjoy a full day with game drives, discovering more of the Mara Triangle, an area with one of the highest densities of wildlife in the world, including a healthy population of the Big Five. The annual highlight during this season is to experience the Great Migration and dramatic crossings at the Mara River, one of the world’s greatest natural spectacles. 

    Stay: Mara Serena Safari Lodge

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 7: Masai Mara National Reserve

    Enjoy a full day in the Masai Mara with morning and afternoon game drives (or a full-day game drive). The lodge’s prime location makes it possible for you to explore the river banks at daybreak. Owing to the river’s proximity, you are ideally positioned to photograph the massive herds of wildebeest as they gather and ultimately start crossing the Mara River.  With regions designated for off-road driving or priority off-road (when you find a big cat or rhino), the Triangle provides greater flexibility to make the most of your once-in-a-lifetime safari. The Mara Triangle is also home to more than 470 bird species for the birders to enjoy, including almost 60 raptors such as vultures and martial eagles.

    Stay: Mara Serena Safari Lodge

    Meals: Lunch, dinner & breakfast

  • Day 8: Masai Mara National Reserve / Nairobi / Johannesburg

    After your final morning game drive, we leave the Masai Mara with its abundance of wildlife and spectacular landscapes behind, driving through Maasai land before heading up the rift escarpment. Arrived late afternoon in Nairobi for our onward flight home (departing at 21h50 Kenya time, arriving at 01h05 South African time).

    End of service

We also offer this as a private safari or can send you a tailor-made quotation similar to the above itinerary - one designed specifically for you, around your taste, budget, interests and more.

  • Return flight from Johannesburg to Nairobi Airport, including airport taxes
  • Airport transfers 
  • Accommodation in Nairobi with dinner & breakfast
  • Accommodation on safari on a full board basis (breakfast, lunch & dinner)  
  • 4x4 stretched Land Cruiser safari vehicle (maximum 6 clients per vehicle)
  • Unlimited kilometres on game drives during the safari 
  • Services of your professional and knowledgeable Kenya English speaking driver-guide
  • All national park entrance fees 
  • Comprehensive support from our operational office in Kenya for the duration of the safari 

  • Entry visa to Kenya 
  • Yellow Fever vaccination - COMPULSORY
  • Travel Insurance (Highly recommended)
  • Meals and drinks not specified  
  • Laundry services
  • Gratuities to the driver/guide, hotel staff & porters
  • Driver/guide – suggested at US$10 per person per day
  • Hotel staff – at your discretion
  • Porters carrying suitcase/s – recommend US$1 per suitcase
  • Maasai Village visit fee
  • Balloon safari
  • All expenses of personal nature

Dates & Prices

Dates:

SMALL GROUP DEPARTURE DATES:


26 August - 02 September 2023

Rates:

SHARING: SINGLE: TRIPLE:
From: R67,560.00 pp From: R80,956.00 pp From: R65,503.00 pp

 

  • The exchange rate used (bank selling rate): R18.00 to US $1.00
  • Please request a quote from our Safari Specialists for the most current rates and availability on our group departures.
  • Price quoted is valid for residents and citizens of SA & SADC member states.
  • Please treat all pricing as a guide only.
  • All rates are subject to increases beyond our control, including fuel price, government taxes and exchange rate fluctuations.
  • *Maximum 18 clients per safari , with a maximum of 6 clients per vehicle .

 


National Parks

Amboseli National Park 

The park is 392 sq. km in size at the core of an 8,000 sq. km ecosystem that spreads across the Kenya-Tanzania border. On your Amboseli Serena safari you'll have the opportunity to experience the best place in Africa to get close to free-ranging elephants and other wildlife species. Here you will have the opportunity to meet the Maasai people and see spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest freestanding mountain in the world. Amboseli has a very fragile ecosystem, submitted to significant seasonal variations. During the wet season, the rains flood the lake bed and the surrounding area. The high salt deposits in the lakebed inhibits tree growth and only small patches of acacia and palm trees are found far from the lake. The salt-rich pastures provide good feed to the herbivores. Despite the first impression of the park being dusty and arid, Amboseli has abundant groundwater overflowing into various underground streams. They rise into two clear water springs in the centre of the park, giving birth to large marshes like the Loginya Swamp where elephants, hippos and buffalo's find refuge.


Soysambu Wildlife Conservancy

Soysambu is a 48,000 acre Wildlife Conservancy (also a RAMSAR site) - a wetland of international importance. The alkaline lake’s rocky islands are the only East African nesting site for great white pelicans, while its algae and plankton provide food for vast flocks of flamingos and a multitude of other waterfowl, many of them rare. The Conservancy protects over 450 bird species and 15,000 wild animals. Rothschild giraffes (only +/- 300 left worldwide) have found a safe haven for breeding here, while a diverse variety of terrain shelters many species - from herds of giant elands to tiny dik-diks and cliff-dwelling klipspringers.


Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara lies in the Great Rift Valley, a fault line somewhat 5,600km long, extending from Ethiopia's Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique. 
There are four main types of topography in the Mara: 
  • Ngama Hills to the east with sandy soil and leafy bushes and loved by black rhinos.
  • Oloololo escarpment forming the western boundary and rising to a magnificent plateau.
  • Mara Triangle bordering the Mara River with lush grassland and acacia woodlands supporting masses of game, especially migrating wildebeests.
  • Central plains form the largest part of the reserve, with scattered bushes and boulders on rolling grasslands favoured by the plain's game. 
There is an abundance of wildebeests, zebras, impalas, topis, giraffes and Thomson's gazelles on the plains. Visitors often spot leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetah, jackal, bat-eared foxes and even black rhinos during game drives. The Mara river is filled with hippos and enormous Nile crocodiles. Every July (sometimes August), the wildebeests travel from the Serengeti plains to the Masai Mara. In October, once they have feasted and the grass is depleted, they return to the Southern Serengeti. The Mara birds appear in every size and colour including the beautiful lilac-breasted roller and plenty of large species lik eagles, vultures and storks.