Kenya · Private safari
Maasai Mara & Lake Nakuru
Maasai Mara → Lake Nakuru
Proposed level: Midrange to luxury
Kenya · Rwanda
Kenya & Rwanda
Maasai Mara & Mountain Gorillas
Two of East Africa’s defining wildlife experiences, connected by one short flight. The plains first, the forest second.
The Mara gives you open country, big cats and conservancy walking; Rwanda adds the enclosed green of the Virunga foothills and a gorilla trek. Flying Nairobi to Kigali takes about ninety minutes, so the two sit together without burning a road day. We keep the trek late in the journey, when you are rested and the permit date is confirmed.
The route
- Stop 1
Maasai Mara
- Stop 2
Volcanoes
Route order as travelled. This is a schematic of the sequence, not a scale map — driving times are given in the itinerary.
The route on a map
2 stops · drag and zoom to explore
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- 01Maasai Mara
- 02Volcanoes
Pins mark the regions in travelling order, not exact camps or lodges. Driving times are given in the day-by-day plan above.
Day by day
8 days · 7 nights across 2 countries
Day01Arrive and settle into Maasai Mara / conservancyMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
You are met on arrival and driven to your first camp. Depending on your flight time, there is a first evening drive or simply time to settle in. Full-day game drives across the Mara’s open grassland, following the wildlife wherever the morning takes you.
- Transfers
- Met at Nairobi (NBO), then a transfer of approximately 5–6 hours by road from Nairobi, or a short scheduled flight to a Mara airstrip.
- Meals
- Dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Light — settle in, with one short drive if your flight allows
From the safari desk: Send us your flight number before you travel. If you land after 15:00 we move any first drive to the following morning rather than rush you into the park tired.
Day02Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
Morning and late-afternoon drives with time back at camp through the heat of the day; plains game, big cats and raptors are all part of the search.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day03Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
A day in a private conservancy with guided walks and off-road viewing where the conservancy permits it.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day04Maasai Mara — full dayMaasai Mara · overnight Maasai Mara / conservancy
Optional sunrise balloon flight over the plains (booked in advance, weather dependent), followed by a relaxed afternoon drive.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Maasai Mara / conservancy
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day05On to Volcanoes National ParkVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
After breakfast you travel on to Volcanoes. The afternoon is kept light: Gorilla trekking day with park rangers, on a permit booked well in advance.
- Transfers
- approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali. Fly Nairobi to Kigali, then drive about three hours to the Virunga foothills. Your gorilla permit date should be confirmed before the safari dates are fixed.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Half a day in the vehicle, then an afternoon drive
From the safari desk: Where the road allows it we plan the drive to arrive before lunch, so the afternoon is a proper game drive rather than a rushed arrival at dusk.
Day06Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
Golden monkey trekking or a second gorilla permit, subject to availability.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day07Volcanoes — full dayVolcanoes · overnight Volcanoes National Park
A cultural morning at a community initiative, then time at the lodge.
- Transfers
- No long transfer today; game viewing from camp.
- Meals
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Overnight
- Volcanoes National Park
- Pace
- Two game drives with a long midday rest
From the safari desk: We go out at first light and again from about 16:00, when the light and the movement are at their best. The middle of the day belongs to you: the pool, a long lunch and your notes.
Day08DepartureVolcanoes National Park · onward travel
Your guide sees you to the airport in good time for check-in. If your international flight leaves late in the day, a day room or an extra night can be arranged.
- Transfers
- A final morning at camp, then a transfer of approximately 2.5–3 hours by road from Kigali to Kigali (KGL) for your onward flight.
- Meals
- Breakfast
- Overnight
- Onward travel
- Pace
- Morning only, then onward travel
From the safari desk: We confirm your transfer time the evening before against the live flight schedule, and build in a buffer for road conditions. Late departures can keep a day room.
Crossing between countries
Road transfers in the Mara, a scheduled regional flight from Nairobi to Kigali, then a private road transfer to the park.
Proposed level
Luxury accommodation, proposed rather than committed. Specific properties and rates are shared privately in your proposal.
Safaris we sell
Journeys on this route
Each can run on its own, or be joined into the full combination above.
Before you decide
- Gorilla permits are limited, date-specific and quoted separately from the safari.
- Trekking is physically demanding at altitude; a rest day can be built in before or after.
- Rwanda asks for yellow fever documentation if you arrive from a country with risk — check current rules for your route.
Questions about this combination
Can we trek twice?
Yes, subject to permit availability. Most travellers trek once and use the second morning for golden monkeys or the Kigali memorials.
Which way round?
Safari first, forest second suits most people, so the trek is not compromised by flight fatigue.
Is eight days enough?
It is a focused journey rather than a wide one. Adding a night in Kigali or the Mara is easy if you have the time.
