Day trips from Nairobi

From Nairobi you do not go on day trips but on safari, and the difference is the night away: Nakuru, Naivasha and Hell's Gate are done in a day with an early start, the Mara and Amboseli need at least two nights and a vehicle that stays. Entry is charged per day and per person, and that line is bigger than the accommodation — €173 in the Mara from July to December.

Lake Nakuru and Naivasha — in a day, 3 h

Leave at six, three hours north through the Rift Valley with the viewpoint on the edge of the escarpment, then the park around Lake Nakuru: white and black rhinos almost for certain, flamingos when the water level allows, lions in trees with luck. Entry per foreigner per day, through eCitizen. On the way back Lake Naivasha with a boat among hippos and pelicans, an hour. Back after dark; a long day, but without a single night away.

2 daysWhere this day sits against the two days in the city:Nairobi in 2 days →

Hell's Gate — in a day, by bicycle

Two hours to Naivasha, then a hired bicycle at the gate and twenty kilometres of tarmac among zebras, giraffes and warthogs — the one park in Kenya where that is allowed. The gorge at the end is walked with a Maasai guide, an hour, with hot springs and walls said to have inspired Disney's animators for The Lion King. Entry is lower than the big parks. Done with Naivasha on the same day, for anyone who wants to get out of the vehicle.

Amboseli — two nights, 4–5 h

Four to five hours south, via Namanga along the Tanzanian border or via Emali, or forty-five minutes by air: elephants in the swamps under Kilimanjaro, which shows itself at dawn. Entry €78 per foreigner per twenty-four hours. Two nights are enough; joined with Tsavo on the way to the coast, or with the Mara via Nairobi.

GuideAmboseli — two nights, and what do you see?Amboseli →

BudgetWhat a safari costs per day, with and without entry:What Nairobi costs →

The Masai Mara — three nights, 5–6 h or a flight

Five to six hours west, the last hour on gravel, or an hour by light aircraft from Wilson airport to an airstrip by the camp. Entry €86 per person per day from January to June, €173 from July to December, when the migration is on. Three days give everything; a group camping tour from Nairobi is the cheapest way, a flight and a lodge the dearest. This is the safari Kenya is visited for, and it has its own page.

GuideThe Masai Mara in detail — camps, prices, when to go?Masai Mara →

What not to do

• The Mara in a day from Nairobi. Twelve hours of driving for three in the park; it is offered and not bought.
• A tour without entries in the price. Two times €173 in August appears at the gate as a 'supplement'; before paying you ask what is included, in writing.
• Leaving at eight 'after breakfast'. You reach Nakuru at noon when the animals are asleep; leaving at six with breakfast in the vehicle is the whole reason the day is worth it.