Classic Kenya Safari, Self-Launched: Nairobi, Amboseli, Naivasha & Masai Mara

Land at JKIA and take an airport taxi or the cheap Airport Bus to the city centre (avoid unlicensed touts inside the terminal — use the official taxi desk or a Bolt/Uber). Check into a hostel or budget guesthouse in Westlands, Kilimani or the city centre. Use the evening to buy a local Safaricom SIM (around £2 with a data bundle), draw cash from an ATM and eat cheaply at a local 'hotel' (the Kenyan word for a canteen) — nyama choma, ugali and sukuma wiki for £3-5.

🚌Airport taxi £12-16 (split it) or airport bus ~£1; Bolt/Uber around town £2-4

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse, Westlands/Kilimani — £10-16 shared, £22-30 private twin

• →Buy Safaricom SIM & data bundle
• →ATM cash withdrawal
• →Local dinner in Westlands

Book the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage slot directly online (about £10-12, book weeks ahead — the 11am public visiting hour sells out). From there take a Bolt or local matatu route 24/46 towards Karen for the Giraffe Centre (about £11), where you hand-feed Rothschild's giraffes from the raised walkway. Walk or grab a short boda-boda to the Karen Blixen Museum (£8) and lunch at the garden café. In the evening choose a proper nyama choma grill (Carnivore is fun but pricey at £25-30 — a local grill in Kilimani costs £8-10).

🚌Bolt/Uber between sights £2-5 each hop; matatu fares 30-60p

🛏Hostel dorm or budget guesthouse — £10-16 shared, £22-30 private twin

• →Sheldrick Wildlife Trust elephant orphanage (book direct online)
• →Giraffe Centre entry & giraffe feeding
• →Karen Blixen Museum
• →Optional evening nyama choma dinner

Take a morning shuttle or matatu from Nairobi to Emali, then a matatu/boda onwards to Kimana gate (total roughly £6-9, 4-5 hours, or a direct shared tourist shuttle booked through your camp for £20-25). Check into a budget tented camp or bandas just outside Amboseli gate and arrange your self-drive-free option: a seat on the camp's shared game-drive vehicle with a driver-guide. Head out in the late afternoon as the light goes gold — elephants crossing in front of Kilimanjaro is the classic Amboseli shot.

🚌Matatu/shuttle Nairobi-Emali £4-6, then matatu/boda to gate £2-3; or shared tourist shuttle £20-25

🛏Budget tented camp outside Amboseli gate — £20-32 per person sharing

• →Shared afternoon game drive in Amboseli NP
• →Sunset elephant watching with Kilimanjaro backdrop

Do a full-day shared game drive with the camp (park fee about £55, vehicle seat £25-35). Head early to Observation Hill for the best Kilimanjaro panorama, then drift between the swamps where the famous big-tusker elephants and hippos gather. Bring water, a packed lunch from the camp and binoculars. In the late afternoon, most camps can arrange a short visit to a Maasai manyatta for £10-15 — agree the price first and consider supporting a community conservancy instead of a roadside village.

🚌Included in shared game-drive vehicle

🛏Budget tented camp outside Amboseli gate — £20-32 per person sharing

• →Full-day shared game drive in Amboseli NP
• →Observation Hill Kilimanjaro viewpoint
• →Optional Maasai manyatta visit (£10-15)

A long but doable travel day: shared vehicle or matatu back to Emali, then a Nairobi-bound bus, then a matatu or shuttle up the Rift Valley escarpment to Naivasha (total roughly £12-18, 7-8 hours). Break the journey in Nairobi for a cheap lunch if needed. In Naivasha, stay at one of the backpacker-friendly lodges or camps near the lake (£14-22 per person). Watch the sun set over the lake and organise tomorrow's boat and Crescent Island trip at reception.

🚌Matatu/shuttle combination Amboseli-Nairobi-Naivasha £12-18

🛏Backpacker lodge or campsite, Lake Naivasha — £14-22 per person

• →Rift Valley escarpment scenery
• →Lake Naivasha sunset

Book a shared boat across to Crescent Island Game Park (about £18-22 including park fee) — you walk among giraffe, zebra and wildebeest on foot, one of the few places in Kenya where that's allowed. Return for lunch, then take a shared day tour to Lake Nakuru National Park (£45-55 including park fee and shared minivan) for its fenced rhino sanctuary, Rothschild's giraffes and thousands of waterbirds. Back at the lodge by early evening.

🚌Boat trip across the lake; shared minivan to Nakuru

🛏Backpacker lodge or campsite, Lake Naivasha — £14-22 per person

• →Crescent Island boat ride and walking safari
• →Lake Nakuru NP shared day tour (rhino sanctuary)

Catch an early shared shuttle or matatu to Narok/Narok Junction, then onwards to Talek or Sekenani gate (roughly £10-14, 5-6 hours; many Mara camps also offer a shared shuttle from Naivasha for £20-25). Check into a budget tented camp at Talek or Sekenani — these run about £25-40 per person half board. Join the camp's shared afternoon game drive (£20-30 vehicle seat plus £65 Mara park fee, or better value: ask about staying in a conservancy where fees are lower).

🚌Shared shuttle/matatu Naivasha-Narok-Mara £10-14 (or camp shuttle £20-25)

🛏Budget tented camp, Talek or Sekenani — £25-40 per person half board

• →Shared afternoon game drive in the Masai Mara

Take a full-day shared game drive with your camp guide — this is where you push further towards the Mara River and the northern plains for lion prides, cheetah and, in migration season (roughly July-October), river crossings. Pack a lunch from the camp and eat it in the bush. Ask about joining a group vehicle to split costs. Alternatively book a share of a hot-air balloon safari directly with a licensed operator (Governors' Balloon Safaris or a comparable company) — expect £380-450 including champagne breakfast; it's the single biggest optional splurge.

🚌Included in shared game-drive vehicle

🛏Budget tented camp, Talek or Sekenani — £25-40 per person half board

• →Full-day Masai Mara game drive
• →Optional hot-air balloon safari with champagne breakfast (£380-450)
• →Optional Maasai village cultural visit (£10-15)

Do a dawn game drive while the animals are most active, then spend the afternoon at camp: swim, read, or take a guided nature walk with a camp guide. If you're budget-sensitive, this is the day to skip the second park-fee game drive (£65) and instead do a cheaper conservancy or community-rancher walk (often £15-25). Evening at the camp fire with a cheap Tusker beer.

🚌Included in camp vehicle or no transport needed

🛏Budget tented camp, Talek or Sekenani — £25-40 per person half board

• →Dawn game drive
• →Guided nature walk or conservancy walk
• →Optional village cultural visit

Take the shared morning shuttle or matatu back to Nairobi via Narok (roughly £10-14, 5-6 hours), which gives you the Rift Valley drive past Mount Longonot and Lake Naivasha for free. In Nairobi, stop at the Utamaduni Craft Centre in Karen for quality handmade souvenirs (fixed prices, no haggling) and a cheap lunch. Head to JKIA for your onward flight, or add a night at a hostel if you fly the next morning.

🚌Mara-Nairobi shared shuttle £10-14; Bolt to Utamaduni and airport £3-8

🛏Optional final-night hostel £10-16 (or depart)

• →Rift Valley scenic drive past Longonot and Naivasha
• →Utamaduni Craft Centre shopping