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Outstanding Simien Mountains Tours

East Africa

Kenya

The classic East African safari — the Masai Mara's great herds, Amboseli's elephants, mountain views and warm Maasai hospitality.

Altitude 1,500m – 2,800m pockets
About Kenya

Kenya is the birthplace of the modern safari. Its great conservation areas — above all the Masai Mara and Amboseli — deliver the wildlife sightings travellers dream about.

The Masai Mara brings the great river crossings of the wildebeest migration in the dry months, while Amboseli sets herds of elephants against the backdrop of snow-capped Kilimanjaro.

Safaris here run with experienced guides, comfortable camps and lodges, and easy domestic flight or road connections from Nairobi.

Highlights & attractions

Golden plains of the Masai Mara at sunrise

Masai Mara National Reserve

Kenya's finest wildlife reserve and stage of the Great Migration.

Acacia-dotted plains with Mount Kilimanjaro beyond

Amboseli National Park

Great elephant herds with Kilimanjaro's snows behind them.

The sparkling waters of a Rift Valley lake

Lake Nakuru

A rift valley lake famous for flamingoes and rhinos.

Not suitable for

  • Travellers expecting to be guaranteed every sighting in a single day.
  • Those who dislike the very early departures that game drives demand.
Getting there

Reaching Kenya

Most travellers arrive through Addis Ababa's Bole International Airport, then fly or drive north. We arrange every flight, transfer and road leg as part of your itinerary.

Read the transport guide

Fly via Addis Ababa

Domestic flights link the capital with Gondar, Lalibela, Axum and Bahir Dar across the northern circuit.

Gateway & transfers

We arrange airport and hotel transfers as part of every itinerary.

Private 4x4 circuit

The northern circuit can be driven between sites by private 4x4, which we arrange for you.

Why visit

Why travel to Kenya

Watch the Great Migration on the plains of the Masai Mara.

Photograph elephants and buffalo against Mount Kilimanjaro in Amboseli.

Explore Nairobi's national park and the famous giraffe sanctuary.

Meet Maasai communities who co-own much of the land the wildlife lives on.

Tours here

Tours in Kenya

Africa's great plains with Kilimanjaro rising from the horizon
Easy
9 days / 8 nights
Nairobi · Masai Mara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro
Kenya & Tanzania Great Rift Safari — 9 Days

Mara, Serengeti and the crater

The classic East African safari in one seamless journey — the Masai Mara, the Serengeti plains, the Ngorongoro crater and Africa's greatest wildlife spectacles.

From USD 1,800 per personView tour
Acacia savanna of the Masai Mara with game on the plains
Easy
4 days / 3 nights
Nairobi · Masai Mara
Masai Mara Fly-in Safari — 4 Days

Big cats and the migration stage

A four-day fly-in safari to Kenya's Masai Mara — the great herds, the big cats and riverside camps on the savanna.

From USD 800 per personView tour
Safari vehicles and game on the great plains of East Africa
Easy
12 days / 11 nights
Nairobi · Masai Mara · Serengeti · Ngorongoro · Lake Manyara
East Africa Grand Safari — 12 Days

Kenya, Tanzania and the great migration

The definitive East African safari — Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro linked by private flight and vehicle, timed to the migration.

From USD 2,400 per personView tour
Experiences

Experiences in Kenya

A troop of gelada baboons on a highland meadow in the Simien Mountains

Wildlife

Ethiopia's remarkable endemic wildlife — giant troops of gelada baboons, the rare wallia ibex, the endangered Ethiopian wolf — plus the birds and big game of the lowlands.

Learn more
Dramatic layered mountains of the Simien highlands under a glowing sky

Scenic Landscapes

Photographing and absorbing some of Africa's most dramatic scenery — vast escarpments, deep valleys, deserts, great lakes and endless savanna horizons.

Learn more
Gallery

Kenya in pictures

Questions

FAQs

The Mara's river crossings typically build from August into October, but wildlife timing varies with rains. We plan safari dates around it with local ground teams.

We run these safaris privately or in small groups, depending on how you prefer to travel.

Keep exploring

Combine Kenya with…

Most travellers combine this destination with another — the northern circuit, the Danakil, the Omo Valley or beyond. See which places fit your route.

The vast escarpment and tableland of the Simien Mountains at golden hour
UNESCO World Heritage

Simien Mountains

A UNESCO World Heritage Site and the crown of the Ethiopian highlands — the 'Roof of Africa' — where sheer escarpments fall thousands of metres.

Multi-day trekkingDay walks & viewpointsWildlife watching+2 more
Explore Simien Mountains
The stone castles of Gondar's Royal Enclosure at sunset

Gondar

The 'Camelot of Africa' — an imperial city of castles, churches and a rich royal history in Ethiopia's northwest highlands.

Castle & palace toursChurch visitsMarket visits+1 more
Explore Gondar
The rock-hewn churches of Lalibela carved into the highland stone

Lalibela

Home to the extraordinary rock-hewn churches of Lalibela — a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Africa's great pilgrimage destinations.

Rock church toursPilgrimage & festival visitsHighland walking+1 more
Explore Lalibela
Your journey starts here

Plan a trip to Kenya

Send us an inquiry and we'll help you build the perfect itinerary — tours, timing and logistics included.