Wildlife, and the people who live alongside it.
A manyatta is a Maasai homestead: a circle of low houses, a cattle enclosure, a community living in the same relationship with this landscape that their ancestors maintained for centuries. The Maasai are not a museum exhibit. They are a living culture, still present on the same plains where their cattle graze alongside the wildlife.
The Manyatta Safari is built around two things: the wildlife of the Maasai Mara, and a genuine encounter with Maasai culture. Not a performance arranged for tourists, but a visit to a real community, accompanied by a guide who can make the conversation meaningful.
This itinerary also covers Amboseli and Lake Nakuru, giving you the full range of southern Kenya’s most important ecosystems. It is the right choice for clients who want wildlife but also want to come home understanding something about the people who have lived alongside it for generations.
The itinerary.
Nairobi to Amboseli National Park
Pick-up from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your Nairobi hotel. Drive south to Amboseli National Park, entering with a game drive en route to the lodge. Amboseli is most famous for its elephant herds and the views of Mount Kilimanjaro rising across the Tanzanian border. On a clear morning, the mountain is visible from inside the park at a scale that takes most visitors by surprise.
Amboseli, Full Day with Maasai Village Visit
Collect picnic lunch boxes and spend the morning on a game drive covering the swamps and the open plains. The afternoon includes a visit to a local Maasai community near Amboseli. Your guide facilitates the visit: you will see how the manyatta is constructed, how cattle and community life are organised, and have the chance to speak with community members directly about their way of life.
This is not a rushed stop. Allow time for the conversation.
Amboseli to Lake Nakuru National Park
After breakfast, drive north to Lake Nakuru National Park with a lunch stop en route. Afternoon game drive on arrival, covering the lake shore and the rhino sanctuary.
Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara National Reserve
After breakfast, drive to the Maasai Mara. Check in and lunch on arrival. An afternoon game drive across the open plains, which at this point in the journey offer a different perspective: after Amboseli’s elephants and Nakuru’s flamingos, the Mara’s density of predator species is immediately apparent.
Maasai Mara, Full Day
A full day on the Mara plains with a picnic lunch in the bush. The day follows the wildlife, which in the Mara means covering ground: the lion prides, the cheetah on the open grass, the river if a crossing is active.
Maasai Mara, Morning Game Drive and Cultural Afternoon
An early morning game drive, followed by breakfast at the lodge. The afternoon includes a second Maasai cultural visit, this time in the Mara region, where the community context is shaped by living on the edge of one of Africa’s most visited game reserves. The relationship between the Maasai and the wildlife is a conversation worth having with the people who are living it.
Maasai Mara to Nairobi
After breakfast, drive back to Nairobi, arriving early afternoon. Farewell lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant. Transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or your Nairobi hotel.
Inclusions & exclusions.
- Return road transport in a private 7-seater safari vehicle with pop-up roof and guaranteed window seats
- Services of a professional multilingual driver-guide throughout
- All game drives as detailed in the itinerary
- Six nights full-board accommodation
- All national park entrance fees
- Maasai community visits in Amboseli and Maasai Mara regions
- 3 bottles of mineral water per person per day
- One safari hat and one safari bag per person
- Farewell lunch at the Carnivore Restaurant, Nairobi
- Flying Doctors emergency evacuation cover
- All applicable government taxes
- Alcoholic and soft drinks
- Tips and gratuities for guides and lodge staff
- Personal purchases at Maasai community visits
- Personal expenses including telephone calls, laundry, and similar
- Travel insurance
- International flights and airport transfers not specified above
- Any items not specified above
Lodges shown reflect our standard arrangement for this route. Where we hold a fixed relationship, the named property is used; otherwise a lodge of equivalent standard is substituted.
What you will see.
Book this safari, or shape your own version of it.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will confirm availability and tailor the route, the pace, and the lodges to your group.