8-Day Kenya Safari by Road: Itinerary and Price

Entice Africa October 9, 2026Safari Packages | Booking | Entice Business Insights

An 8-day Kenya safari by road gives you seven nights, enough for three national parks. Our 8 Day Best of Kenya Bush Safari Package spends them on the southern circuit: a night on the coast at Mombasa, then two nights each in Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli, finishing in Nairobi. It starts from USD 5,840 per person, with your own 4×4 and guide.

One thing to know before you read on: this route does not go to the Masai Mara, so it does not include the wildebeest migration. If the Mara is the point of your trip, skip to the comparison with our 8 Days Migration Majesty Safari, which starts from USD 6,530 per person. Prices on both trips depend on season, group size and lodge choice.

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At a glance: the 8-day bush safari

Day-by-day itinerary

This is the route as it runs on our trip page. The lodges are the ones named there, and your quote confirms what is available on your dates.

Days 1 to 3: the coast and Tsavo East

Day 1 is a soft landing. You swim, walk the beach or sleep off the flight, and the real safari starts the next morning with the drive inland to Tsavo East. The Kenya Wildlife Service calls it Kenya’s largest national park, at roughly 13,700 square kilometers (about 5,300 square miles), and lists its maneless lions among the attractions. Africa Geographic explains that the elephants look red because they roll in the park’s red soil and dust. The first afternoon drive works the area around the Aruba Dam, where animals gather to drink.

Expect quiet, big-country drives that ask for some patience, not a lion at every turn. The park is huge, and Africa Geographic notes that wildlife is more dispersed in the wet months.

Days 4 and 5: Tsavo West

Tsavo West covers about 9,065 square kilometers (about 3,500 square miles), according to the Kenya Wildlife Service, and it feels like a different park, with rugged hills, volcanic scenery and lusher vegetation. Your full day there takes in Mzima Springs, where the itinerary has you looking for hippos and crocodiles in clear spring water, and the Shetani lava flow, a dark field of cooled lava. The KWS lists both as attractions. Finch Hattons is a luxury tented camp with a swimming pool and a deck over a natural waterhole.

Days 6 and 7: Amboseli

Amboseli is small beside Tsavo, about 392 square kilometers (roughly 150 square miles) according to Africa Geographic, and that works in your favor. Elephants gather around the swamps in good numbers, and Kilimanjaro rises behind them. The mountain shows best on clear mornings, and cloud typically covers the summit by mid-morning, so the dawn game drive is the one to set an alarm for.

On day 8 you drive back to Nairobi. Tell us your flight time when you inquire, and your planner will set the morning around it.

What the 8-day safari costs

The trip starts from USD 5,840 per person, based on two people sharing. That is the lowest of its three seasonal rates, the one for April to June. The mid-season rate (November to March) and the peak-season rate (July to October) are higher, and your quote gives the exact figure for your dates. Group size and lodge choice also move the price.

Included in the price

• Seven nights’ accommodation at the lodges and camp above
• Meals as listed: half board on the coast night, full board in the parks, breakfast only on day 8. Your quote confirms exactly which meals are covered
• All park and conservancy fees
• Exclusive use of a 4×4 Land Cruiser with a professional driver-guide
• Transfers between the stops

Not included

• International flights
• Tips for your guide and lodge staff
• Items of a personal nature and anything not listed above

Bush route or migration route?

An 8-day Kenya safari can go two very different ways. Two of our eight-day road safaris show the contrast, and they suit different travelers.

Compare like with like. The two “from” prices apply to different seasons, so ask for both quotes for the same travel dates.

Choose the bush route if

You want space, elephants and landscape more than predator action, you like the idea of a coastal first night, or you are visiting outside the migration months. It also suits repeat visitors who have already done the Mara.

Choose the migration route if

The herds are the reason you are going. Travellocal places the Mara River crossings between July and October, and says the timing cannot be guaranteed because it depends on the rains. Three nights in the Mara gives you time to try for them, with no promises. Our Great Migration safari guide explains the months in more detail. A hot-air balloon flight over the Mara is an optional extra on that trip, at USD 550 per person.

If you have more time

Our 14-Day Kenya Safari & Diani Beach Holiday covers the Masai Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo, then adds three nights on Diani Beach. It starts from USD 4,860 per person, depending on season and lodge level.

Safaris that fit this guide

8-Day Southern Kenya Bush SafariTsavo and Amboseli from the coast8 days · from $5,840 ppView trip →9-Day Migration Majesty SafariAmboseli, Nakuru and the Mara in migration season9 days · from $6,530 ppView trip →7-Day Masai Mara Migration SafariRiver crossings season, by road7 days · from $4,900 ppView trip →

Every trip is private and can be changed to suit you. Get a free, tailor-made quote in 6 hours →

When to go

Africa Geographic gives June to October as the main dry season for Tsavo East, and its Amboseli guide says the same, with a second dry window from January to February (January to March in Tsavo East). If you want the lowest rate and the dry season together, ask us about June. For a month-by-month view of the whole country, see our guide to the best time to visit Kenya for a safari.

Before you go

• Entry. Kenya requires foreign visitors to get an electronic travel authorization (eTA) online before they travel. Apply only through the official site, etakenya.go.ke. The UK government says Kenyan authorities recommend applying at least two weeks before departure, and advises a passport valid for six months after arrival with two blank pages. Canada’s advice also asks for six months’ validity. Check your own government’s Kenya advice, because the rules for your passport may differ.
• Health. The CDC lists malaria transmission in all areas of Kenya below 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), game parks included, which covers the parks on this route. It recommends yellow fever vaccination for most travelers aged nine months and older, with exceptions for trips limited to places such as Nairobi. See a doctor or travel clinic well before you leave.
• Mombasa arrival. The itinerary starts on the coast. If you would rather land in Nairobi, say so in your inquiry.

Related safari guides

• 9-Day Kenya Safari: Big Cat Itinerary and Price
• 10 Days in Kenya: Samburu to the Mara Itinerary and Cost
• Kenya Safari Package Prices 2027: Our Trips and What They Cost

Frequently asked questions

How much does an 8-day Kenya safari cost?

Our 8 Day Best of Kenya Bush Safari Package starts from USD 5,840 per person, two sharing, and the 8 Days Migration Majesty Safari to the Masai Mara starts from USD 6,530 per person. Both prices depend on season, group size and lodge choice, so the quote for your dates is the figure to rely on. Neither includes international flights or tips.

Does the 8-day Kenya safari include the Masai Mara?

The bush safari does not. It covers Tsavo East, Tsavo West and Amboseli. The Migration Majesty trip does, with three nights in the Mara after Amboseli and Lake Nakuru. Neither eight-day route combines the Mara with Tsavo. For both in one trip, look at our 14-day trip with Diani Beach, which covers the Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo.

Is this a private safari or a group tour?

It is private. You have a 4×4 Land Cruiser and a professional driver-guide for your group alone, so you set the pace of each game drive. Prices are quoted per person on a two-sharing basis.

When is the best time to go?

For dry weather, go between June and October or in January and February. In April and May the long rains turn the parks green and spread the wildlife out, which makes sightings harder, though visitor numbers and rates are lower. For the Mara migration, aim for July to October.

How much driving is there?

Our trip page gives times for two transfers: about 3 to 4 hours from Mombasa to Tsavo East on day 2, and about 4 to 5 hours from Tsavo West to Amboseli on day 6. Each ends with a game drive inside the park. Day 8 is the drive to Nairobi. The Kenya Wildlife Service puts the road from Nairobi to Amboseli’s Meshanani Gate at 220 kilometers (about 137 miles), tarmac to Namanga and unpaved murram after that, and the lodges are further in. Your quote lists the time for each leg.

Do I have to land in Mombasa?

The itinerary is built that way: day 1 on the coast, day 2 the drive inland, and you leave from Nairobi on day 8. If you would rather land in Nairobi, say so when you inquire and your planner will tell you how the route changes. The migration trip starts and ends in Nairobi.