Safari Packages | Booking | Entice Business InsightsA 9 day Kenya safari is long enough to cover three very different parks, and it suits travelers whose main goal is big cats. Our 9-Day Big Cat Safari drives from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, then Lake Nakuru, then Samburu, in a private 4×4 with your own guide, from USD 4,900 per person.
This guide covers the day-by-day plan, which cats to expect in each park, what moves the price and how the trip compares with our other long routes. Prices depend on season, group size and lodge choice, so the figures here are starting points rather than a quote.
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At a glance
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Best for | Travelers who want lions, leopards and cheetahs as the main event, and who are happy to spend part of the trip on the road |
| How many days | 9 days and 8 nights, starting and ending in Nairobi |
| Route | Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru National Park and Samburu National Reserve, all by road |
| Best months | June to September, when both the Mara and Samburu are dry. January and February are a second dry window in Samburu and drier in the Mara, though showers are still possible. |
| From price | From USD 4,900 per person, two sharing, for the 9 Day The Big Cat Safari. That is the rate for April to June, the lowest-priced months. |
| Getting there | Fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi. Your driver collects you from your hotel on day 1. |
The route: Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Samburu
The trip is built around one idea: spend the most time where the cats are. The Maasai Mara gets the largest share of the nights because it offers the strongest chance of lions, with cheetahs and leopards on top. Lake Nakuru follows as a one-night break in the Rift Valley, and Samburu closes the trip with dry-country wildlife you will not find in the south.
Day by day
| Stop | Nights | What happens | Where you stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maasai Mara | 4 to 5 | Day 1: pick-up from your hotel, a stop at the Rift Valley escarpment, lunch at camp and an evening game drive. Then full days of game drives, with a picnic or camp lunch. An early-morning balloon ride can be added. | Ashnil Mara Camp |
| Lake Nakuru National Park | 1 | After an early breakfast you drive through the Rift Valley and arrive for a late lunch, with an optional evening game drive for rhino, buffalo, Rothschild’s giraffe and, with luck, lions. | Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge |
| Samburu National Reserve | 2 to 3 | Drive north after breakfast, arrive for lunch and head out for an evening game drive. Full days follow along the Ewaso Ng’iro River, with an early drive on the last morning. | Samburu Intrepids |
On day 9 you take an early game drive, have breakfast, check out and drive south, reaching Nairobi in the late afternoon with a drop-off at the airport for an evening flight. We settle the exact split of nights between the Mara and Samburu, and confirm the camps for your dates, when we build your quote.
Be ready for the driving
Four of the nine days include a long road transfer: Nairobi to the Mara, the Mara to Lake Nakuru, Lake Nakuru to Samburu and Samburu back to Nairobi. TourRadar’s guide to the Mara puts Nairobi to the reserve at about 306 km and 6 to 7 hours, with a bumpy final stretch of roughly three hours after Narok. Operator itineraries put Nairobi to Samburu at 6 to 7 hours too. Three of the four transfers can end with an evening game drive, but if long days in the vehicle sound tiring, tell us when you inquire.
What a 9 day Kenya safari costs
Our 9-Day Big Cat Safari starts from USD 4,900 per person, based on two people sharing. That is the lowest rate and it applies from April to June. July to October and November to March cost more, and your quote gives the exact figure for your dates. Group size and lodge choice also change the price.
What the price covers
- A private safari Land Cruiser with a professional driver-guide, unlimited game drives and bottled water on drives
- Park entrance fees
- Accommodation at the camps and lodges on the itinerary
- Pick-up from your Nairobi hotel and the drop-off at the airport on the last day
It does not cover international flights, the Kenya eTA, travel insurance, tips or personal items. An optional early-morning hot-air balloon ride over the Mara is USD 550 per person, added on top.
Reserve fees matter on this trip because of the time spent in the Mara. Business Daily reported in May 2026 that Narok County, which runs the reserve, charges foreign adults USD 100 from January to June and USD 200 for the rest of the year. A tour operator quoted in the same article says the fee is billed per day. Rates for 2027 may differ. Park fees are included in our price, and we confirm the current rate when we quote.
When you compare 9-day quotes, check whether park fees are included and whether the vehicle is private. Our guide to what a Kenya safari really costs shows where else the money goes.
Two 9-day trips to start from
- 9 Day The Big Cat Safari. Suits travelers who want lions first, then leopards and rhino, in the Mara, Lake Nakuru and Samburu. From USD 4,900 per person.
- 9 Days Untamed Safari to the Hidden Northern Kenya Circuit. Suits travelers who would rather skip the Mara for Ol Pejeta, Loisaba, Meru and Samburu. From USD 4,730 per person.
Which big cats you can expect to see
No operator can promise a particular animal, so here is what the evidence supports in each park.
Maasai Mara: lions first
The Mara is the lion park. A 2022 survey by the Mara Predator Conservation Programme, reported by People Daily, counted 459 lions older than one year across the reserve and the conservancies around it, an area of about 2,581 square kilometers. The same survey counted 22 resident cheetahs, down from 32 the year before, so treat cheetahs as a bonus rather than a promise. Leopards live here too and are secretive, so a guide who knows the territory matters more than the itinerary.
Samburu: leopards and dry-country species
Africa Geographic describes Samburu as one of Kenya’s finest places to find leopard, with sightings along the Ewaso Ng’iro River. Lions and elephants live there too. The same page says the Samburu Special Five, which are Grévy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, beisa oryx and Somali ostrich, are found in Samburu and almost nowhere else in Kenya. Our guide to the Samburu Special Five explains how to spot each one.
Lake Nakuru: rhino, not flamingos
The Kenya Wildlife Service calls the park Kenya’s first government-managed rhino sanctuary and lists one of the country’s largest black rhino populations there, alongside white rhino. Our itinerary also lists lion and leopard, but the real reasons to stop are the rhino and a break from the long drives. Do not book it for flamingos. A KWS researcher, quoted by the Kenya News Agency in January 2023, linked rising water, which has cut the algae the birds feed on, to far lower flamingo numbers than in the past.
When to go for the best big cat viewing
Both parks are at their best in the dry months. Africa Geographic lists Samburu’s dry seasons as June to September and January to February, with rain in April and May and again in November and December. Rough Guides calls June to October the most popular dry-season window in the Mara, with the wildebeest migration usually in the reserve from July to October. It puts the long rains at March to May, when some areas can be hard to reach, and describes January and February as drier, with the odd shower.
On this trip, April to June is the lowest-priced season, July to October the middle tier and November to March the highest. June is the value pick: dry in both parks and still in the lowest-priced season. July to October puts you in the Mara for the migration, at a higher price. January and February are dry in Samburu but fall in the highest-priced tier. April and May bring the long rains to both parks, so they are the cheapest months and the least predictable.
Safaris that fit this guide
9-Day Big Cat SafariLions, leopards and cheetahs: Mara, Nakuru, Samburu9 days · from $4,900 ppView trip →
8-Day Samburu and Mara by AirNorthern specials and big cats8 days · from $5,100 ppView trip →
7-Day Samburu and Mara by AirSamburu specials, then the Mara7 days · from $4,554 ppView trip →Every trip is private and can be changed to suit you. Get a free, tailor-made quote in 6 hours →
Three Kenya routes compared
| Trip | Route | From price per person | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Day The Big Cat Safari | Mara, Lake Nakuru, Samburu, by road | USD 4,900 | Lions first, with leopards and rhino |
| 9 Days Untamed Safari, Northern Kenya Circuit | Ol Pejeta, Loisaba, Meru, Samburu, by road | USD 4,730 | Northern parks and no Mara |
| 10-Day Kenya Safari: Samburu to the Maasai Mara | Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, 3 nights in the Mara, by road | USD 5,100 (Midrange lodges) | One loop from the north to the Mara |
The prices are not like for like. Each trip uses different camps and a different mix of parks, and each figure is the lowest rate on that trip’s page. The 10-day figure is for Midrange lodges in April to June; its page lists a lower Budget rate and higher Luxury rates. Ask for quotes for your own dates.
Choose the Big Cat route if lions in the Mara are the priority, the northern circuit if you would rather skip the Mara, and the 10-day trip if you want to start in Samburu, see rhino at Ol Pejeta and finish in the Mara. With fewer than nine days, a shorter Mara-only trip beats a rushed three-park loop.
Planning notes: flights, entry rules and health
Fly into JKIA and, if you can, arrive the day before, because day 1 starts with the long drive to the Mara. Book an evening flight home, because you reach Nairobi in the late afternoon on day 9.
Most visitors need a Kenya eTA. Apply only on the official portal, etakenya.go.ke, which lists the fee for normal processing as starting at USD 30 and says applications are generally processed within three business days. A passport valid for at least six months, with blank pages, is the usual requirement. The UK government’s travel advice says local authorities recommend applying at least two weeks before departure.
The US CDC lists all areas of Kenya below 2,500 meters, including game parks, as malaria transmission areas, so see a doctor or travel clinic well before you go. Also check your own government’s current travel advice before you book.
Related safari guides
- 8-Day Kenya Safari by Road: Itinerary and Price
- Samburu Safari Packages: Road or Fly-In, and How to Add the Mara
- Masai Mara Safari Packages 2027: 3, 5 and 7-Day Private Options
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a 9 day Kenya safari cost?
Our 9-Day Big Cat Safari starts from USD 4,900 per person, based on two sharing, for April to June. Other months cost more, and group size and lodge choice change the price. The price includes park entrance fees but not international flights, the Kenya eTA, travel insurance or tips.
Will I see lions, leopards and cheetahs?
Lions are the most likely, especially in the Mara. Leopards are possible in the Mara and good in Samburu, and cheetahs are the least certain. No guide can promise a sighting, and a longer stay in each park raises your chances.
What is the best time for a 9 day Kenya safari?
June to September is dry in both the Mara and Samburu, and January and February are a second dry window in Samburu. June offers the best mix of dry weather and the lowest-priced season. July to October adds the migration, at a higher price.
Is there a lot of driving on this safari?
Yes. Four of the nine days include a transfer of several hours by road. Published guides and operator itineraries put both the Nairobi to Mara drive and the Nairobi to Samburu drive at about 6 to 7 hours. If that worries you, tell us when you inquire.
Can I add a hot-air balloon ride?
Yes, on a morning in the Maasai Mara. The optional ride costs USD 550 per person on top of the package price. Tell us when you inquire so we can plan it into your Mara days.
Do I need an eTA or malaria tablets?
Most travelers need a Kenya eTA before they fly, applied for on the official portal. Malaria tablets are a decision for your doctor or travel clinic, because the CDC lists the game parks as transmission areas. Neither the eTA nor the medication is included in our prices.
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