ParallelEscape
Where We Go

Six places, one country, no two trips the same

Every itinerary on ParallelEscape is built from this map — mix and match, or let us do it for you.

Southwest Kenya

Maasai Mara

Kenya's headline reserve — the Great Migration crosses here every year, and the resident big-cat population doesn't leave when the wildebeest do.

Best: Jul–Oct 2–4 hrs from Nairobi
Southern Kenya

Amboseli

Free-ranging elephant herds against the backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro — one of the most photographed views in East Africa, for good reason.

Best: Jun–Oct 4 hrs from Nairobi
Northern Kenya

Samburu

Drier, wilder, and home to species the south doesn't have — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Somali ostrich — along the Ewaso Ng'iro river.

Best: Jun–Sep, Dec–Mar 5 hrs from Nairobi
Rift Valley

Lake Naivasha

Boat safaris past hippos and fish eagles, plus walking safaris among giraffe and zebra at nearby Hell's Gate. A gentle counterweight to game-drive days.

Best: Year-round 1.5 hrs from Nairobi
Central Highlands

Laikipia

Private conservancy land with some of the continent's best rhino protection work, plus night drives and walking safaris rarely allowed elsewhere.

Best: Year-round 4–5 hrs from Nairobi
Indian Ocean Coast

Diani & the Coast

White sand, warm water and the old dhow harbours of Lamu and Mombasa — the classic way to close out a safari.

Best: Year-round 1 hr flight from Nairobi
Sample Itineraries

The nine trips people actually book

Every one of these started as a rough draft for a real guest and got refined trip after trip. Use one as-is, or as a starting point for something entirely your own.

Mara Weekender

3 Days · From $890 pp sharing

A fast, high-density taste of the Maasai Mara — two game drives a day, one camp, zero rushing.

  • Day 1 Fly or drive to the Mara; afternoon game drive on arrival.
  • Day 2 Full day in the reserve — dawn and dusk drives, picnic lunch on the plains.
  • Day 3 Sunrise drive, then return to Nairobi by midday.
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Amboseli Short Break

3 Days · From $760 pp sharing

Elephants and Kilimanjaro's silhouette in one frame. Best for a first taste of Kenya on a tight schedule.

  • Day 1 Drive from Nairobi; afternoon game drive with Kilimanjaro views.
  • Day 2 Full day tracking elephant herds across the swamp basins.
  • Day 3 Early drive for the clearest mountain views, then return to Nairobi.
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Lake Naivasha Escape

3 Days · From $610 pp sharing

Boat safaris, Colobus monkeys and a slower rhythm just two hours from Nairobi.

  • Day 1 Drive via the Rift Valley escarpment; afternoon boat safari on the lake.
  • Day 2 Walking safari at Hell's Gate; cycle or hike among giraffe and zebra.
  • Day 3 Crescent Island morning walk, then a relaxed return to Nairobi.
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Mara & Naivasha Circuit

5 Days · From $1,480 pp sharing

Big cats and open plains, then still water and volcanoes. Kenya's two moods, back to back.

  • Day 1 Drive to the Mara via the Rift Valley viewpoint.
  • Day 2–3 Two full days of game drives across the reserve and conservancies.
  • Day 4 Transfer to Lake Naivasha; afternoon boat safari.
  • Day 5 Hell's Gate walking safari, then return to Nairobi.
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Samburu Wild North

5 Days · From $1,650 pp sharing

The species you won't see further south — Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe — with a river camp basecamp.

  • Day 1 Fly or drive north to Samburu; evening drive along the river.
  • Day 2–3 Full days tracking the "Samburu Special Five" species.
  • Day 4 Visit a Samburu village; afternoon game drive.
  • Day 5 Sunrise drive, then return south.
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Amboseli & Tsavo

5 Days · From $1,390 pp sharing

Kilimanjaro views into Kenya's red-earth elephant country. Big herds, bigger skies.

  • Day 1–2 Amboseli: elephant herds and Kilimanjaro views, two full game drive days.
  • Day 3 Transfer to Tsavo West; afternoon drive to the Mzima Springs hippo pools.
  • Day 4 Full day in Tsavo's red-earth plains, home to the "red elephants."
  • Day 5 Morning drive, then return to Nairobi.
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The Grand Rift Route

6 Days · From $2,240 pp sharing

Nairobi to the Mara via the Great Rift Valley floor — lakes, escarpments, and the migration corridor.

  • Day 1 Drive the Rift Valley escarpment to Lake Naivasha; boat safari.
  • Day 2 Hell's Gate walking safari, then on to Lake Nakuru for flamingos and rhino.
  • Day 3 Transfer to the Maasai Mara via the valley floor.
  • Day 4–5 Two full days of Mara game drives across reserve and conservancy land.
  • Day 6 Sunrise drive, then return to Nairobi.
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Safari & Coast

6 Days · From $2,050 pp sharing

Three days chasing wildlife in the Mara, three unwinding on the white sand of Diani Beach.

  • Day 1–3 Maasai Mara: arrival drive, two full days of game viewing.
  • Day 4 Fly from the Mara to Diani via Nairobi; afternoon on the beach.
  • Day 5 Free day — snorkelling, a dhow sail, or Colobus-monkey forest walk.
  • Day 6 Final morning at the beach, then fly home from Mombasa.
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Northern Frontier

6 Days · From $2,480 pp sharing

Samburu, Laikipia's rhino sanctuaries and a night under the widest sky in Kenya.

  • Day 1–2 Samburu: river-camp basecamp, two full days tracking the Special Five.
  • Day 3 Transfer to Laikipia; afternoon rhino tracking on foot with an armed ranger.
  • Day 4 Full day in the conservancy — night game drive included.
  • Day 5 Community visit and horseback or camel safari option.
  • Day 6 Sunrise drive, then return to Nairobi.
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