Safaris from Nairobi · the flagship
Masai Mara Safari from Nairobi
Kenya’s greatest safari — the Great Migration, the finest big-cat country in Africa, and the endless Mara plains — run from our own tented camp minutes from Sekenani Gate. Flexible itineraries, honest value, guides who know the ground.
What this is
Kenya’s flagship safari — done our way
In one sentenceA Masai Mara safari from Nairobi is Kenya’s definitive wildlife experience: multi-day game drives through the Maasai Mara National Reserve for big cats, the Big Five and, in season, the Great Migration — and we run it from our own camp near Sekenani Gate, which keeps it flexible and genuinely good value.
The Maasai Mara is Kenya’s most celebrated reserve — the northern reach of the vast Serengeti–Mara ecosystem, a sweep of open savannah in the country’s southwest. It is world-famous for two things: the greatest density of big cats in Africa — the lions of the Marsh Pride, cheetahs on the short-grass plains, leopards along the rivers — and the Great Migration, when well over a million wildebeest and zebra pour in from the Serengeti between July and October.
This is the real thing: a proper, multi-day wild safari, a clear step up from a Nairobi day trip. We base you at our own Kambu Mara Camp, minutes from Sekenani Gate, and run your game drives in our own four-wheel-drives with our own guides — so you deal with the people who actually run the safari, not a chain of middlemen. And because our camp sits just outside the reserve, it keeps the whole trip flexible and affordable in a way most Mara safaris can’t.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve (run by Narok County) is the core game-viewing area; the Mara Triangle is its separately-managed western sector; and private conservancies such as Naboisho and Mara North ring it with their own fees. Our safaris focus on the National Reserve through Sekenani, with conservancy or Triangle drives added on request.
Where you’ll stay
Our own camp — Kambu Mara Camp
The reason this safari is different: we’re not booking you into someone else’s lodge. Kambu Mara Camp is ours, 8 km from Sekenani Gate.
About 8 km and a 14-minute drive from Sekenani Gate, the reserve’s main eastern entrance — you’re into big-cat country almost as soon as you set off.
Because the camp sits just outside the reserve and the conservancies, you pay the reserve fee only on the days you actually go in, and skip nightly conservancy charges altogether.
Comfortable classic and family tents with proper beds and hot showers, many now with private en-suite bathrooms — plus WiFi, a bar and an evening campfire.
Rare flexibility: self-cater in our shared kitchen, or have our private chef cook for you — his safari lunch boxes have a following of their own.
Giraffes and zebra wander through the camp, and the view opens across the savannah all the way to the reserve.
We also arrange sunrise balloon safaris, visits to a traditional Maasai village near the gate, and guided bush walks.
An honest word on what it is: Kambu Mara Camp is a comfortable, genuinely affordable bush camp — one of the best-value bases in the Mara — rather than a luxury lodge. That’s the point, and it’s why so many families and first-time safari-goers choose it. If you’d prefer a high-end in-reserve lodge instead, we can arrange that too — just ask.
A typical trip
Three days, shaped around you
Here’s how a classic three-day, two-night safari runs. It’s a starting point — we lengthen, shorten and rework it to suit you.
Nairobi to the Mara
We collect you in the morning and drive southwest through Narok and down the Rift Valley escarpment — or you fly from Wilson in about 45 minutes. You reach Kambu Mara Camp around lunchtime, settle in, and head out on your first afternoon game drive in the reserve. Back to camp for a sundowner, dinner and the campfire.
A full day in the Mara
The big day. An early start with coffee, then a full day of game drives across the plains — tracking lions, cheetahs and leopards and, in season, following the migration herds toward the river crossings. Picnic lunch in the bush or back at camp. Add a sunrise balloon safari or an afternoon Maasai village visit if you like. Evening around the fire.
Morning drive, then home
One last early game drive while the light is golden and the predators are active, then breakfast at camp. We set off back to Nairobi by road — timed around the reserve’s morning ticket rule — or you fly out, reaching the city in the afternoon.
Fully flexible: two, three, four nights or more; fly-in or drive; private and family trips; add conservancy drives, a balloon safari or a village visit, or extend to Lake Nakuru or Amboseli. Tell us your days and we’ll build the itinerary around them.
Getting there
Drive down, or fly in
Two ways from Nairobi, and we arrange either. The choice usually comes down to time versus budget.
By road — about 5 to 6 hours
Southwest through Narok and down the Great Rift Valley escarpment, in our own four-wheel-drive with your guide. The scenery and the first wildlife sightings mean the drive is really part of the safari, and it’s included in our road packages.
By air — about 45 minutes
A short hop from Wilson Airport to one of the Mara airstrips, then a quick transfer to camp. It saves the best part of a day and is the pick when time is tight; the flight is quoted as an add-on.
One rule worth knowing. The reserve works on a 12-hour ticket (6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), and because our camp is outside the reserve, each day you enter is a fresh day-ticket. On your departure morning that means leaving the reserve by road by around 10 a.m. to avoid triggering another day’s fee — your guide plans the last game drive around it, so it never catches you out.
When to go
Migration season, or the quiet green months
The Mara rewards a visit any month of the year — what changes is the spectacle, the crowds and the price.
Migration season · Jul–Oct
The herds pour in from the Serengeti, and the Mara River crossings run from July to September, peaking mid-August to mid-September. It’s the greatest wildlife show on earth — and the busiest, priciest window, so book well ahead. Our eastern base near Sekenani sits close to the Sand River and Lookout crossing points.
Green season · Nov–May
Lush plains, dramatic skies, far fewer vehicles and lower rates. The resident lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants and plains game are here all year, and it’s a superb time for photography and birding. Expect the odd shower.
Shoulder · Jun & late Oct
The quiet edges of the migration window — good value, thinner crowds, and herds either building in the reserve or beginning to drift back south. A sweet spot for many travellers.
Fact: the Great Migration is a rainfall-driven, continuous movement, not a scheduled event. Mechanism: the herds follow the grass and water, and the river crossings happen when and where the animals decide. Consequence: no operator can promise a crossing on a given date. Advice: for the best odds, come mid-August to mid-September and give yourself two or three nights — we position you where the herds are moving, but nobody controls the wildebeest.
What you’ll see
The richest game-viewing in Kenya
The Mara’s open plains and high predator numbers make for sightings that are hard to match anywhere.
The Mara’s calling card: lions in famous prides, cheetahs hunting the short-grass plains, and leopards along the wooded rivers.
In season, more than a million wildebeest and zebra move across the plains, with the drama of the Mara River crossings.
Lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo are regular sightings; rhino do occur but are rare and a real stroke of luck.
Zebra, giraffe, topi, impala, gazelle and eland fill the grasslands, with hippo and crocodile along the rivers.
Well over 450 recorded species, from eagles and vultures to ostrich, secretary birds and the striking kori bustard.
Open country and dense prey make the Mara one of the best places anywhere to watch hunts and predator behaviour unfold.
Prices & fees
What a Mara safari costs
Two parts, as ever: our safari package, and the reserve’s entry fee. Our camp’s position quietly saves you on both.
Our safari package
One per-person price covers the transport (or transfers), your nights at Kambu Mara Camp, your game drives in our four-wheel-drive with your guide, and meals as set out in your itinerary. It’s priced by group size, number of nights and season, on request — and because the camp is ours, we can keep that price genuinely keen. Tell us your dates and numbers and we’ll send a firm quote, usually within hours.
The reserve entry fee
The Maasai Mara National Reserve charges a fee per person, per day, set by the Narok County Government and tiered by residency — non-resident, East African resident and Kenyan citizen — with reduced rates for children, under-eights free, and higher rates in the peak July-to-December season. We itemise the correct current amount for each guest in your quote and never guess a figure.
Because Kambu Mara Camp sits outside the reserve and the conservancies, you pay the reserve fee only on the days you actually drive in — not for nights you’re simply resting at camp — and you avoid the nightly conservancy charges that most Mara lodges build into their rates. On a multi-night trip that difference is real.
The small reserve vehicle fee is included in our package. Conservancy fees apply only if you choose to add a conservancy drive, and a sunrise balloon safari or a Maasai village visit are optional extras we quote separately. Reserve fees were revised recently and shift by season, so we always confirm the current figure at booking. For how a full safari budget comes together, see the Nairobi safari cost guide.
Included & excluded
Exactly what our price covers
- Return road transport Nairobi to the Mara, or airport transfers if you fly
- Accommodation at Kambu Mara Camp for your chosen nights
- Game drives in a four-wheel-drive with your English-speaking guide-driver
- Meals as set out in your itinerary, and bottled water on drives
- The reserve vehicle fee and all park logistics handled for you
- Reserve entry fees, charged per person per day — itemised in your quote
- Flights to and from the Mara, if you choose to fly
- Optional extras: a balloon safari and a Maasai village visit
- Drinks, tips, travel insurance, your eTA and international flights
- Personal spending and items of a personal nature
Meals are set with your itinerary — our camp works either full-board with our chef or self-catering, and we’ll confirm which suits your trip when we quote.
Who it’s for
Who this safari suits
First-time safari-goers
The Mara is the classic, can’t-go-wrong introduction to an African safari, and we make the logistics effortless.
Migration seekers
Anyone whose dream is the wildebeest crossings — we base you close to the eastern crossing points in season.
Families
Family tents, flexible meals and a relaxed camp make this an easy, memorable trip with children.
Value-conscious travellers
Our own outside-the-reserve camp delivers a real Mara safari without in-reserve lodge prices.
Those wanting the real thing
If a Nairobi day trip has whetted the appetite, this is the full, wild, multi-day safari it points toward.
Photographers & birders
Open plains, superb predator action and 450-plus bird species reward time behind a lens.
Why book with us
You’re dealing with the operator, not a middleman
We’re not reselling someone else’s lodge — Kambu Mara Camp is ours, so we control the experience and the price.
Local driver-guides who track the herds and the cats day in, day out — and know where to be when.
Our outside-the-reserve base keeps your fees and your bill down, and we show you exactly what you’re paying for.
Two nights or five, fly or drive, self-cater or chef, add a balloon or a village visit — the trip flexes to suit you.
We manage the reserve tickets and the timing rules, so there are no surprises at the gate.
A licensed Kenyan operator you can reach directly on WhatsApp, with quick, straight answers.
We publish only what we can stand behind — real details about our own camp, no invented prices, and no star-ratings dressed up as reviews.
How to book
Booking your safari
Personal and direct — you plan it with us, and nothing is fixed until you have it in writing.
- Send your details.
Your dates and number of nights, the number and ages of guests, whether you’d rather fly or drive, and any extras like a balloon safari or village visit.
- We design and quote.
We build the itinerary, quote the package per person, itemise the reserve fees and confirm your meal plan — usually within hours.
- Secure with a deposit.
A deposit confirms your dates and your tents. We send your voucher, your guide’s details and the day-by-day plan.
- Meet your guide.
We collect you in Nairobi or meet your flight, handle the reserve tickets, and your safari begins.
Good to know
Migration season (July to October) is in high demand and the best dates book up months ahead, so the earlier you talk to us the better. Bring layers for cool mornings and dust, closed shoes, sun protection, binoculars and a good camera — and your eTA sorted before you travel.
Payment & changes
We accept M-Pesa, card and secure payment links. A deposit secures your safari with the balance due before travel, and reserve fees are settled as part of your package. We keep fair, clearly-stated terms, and your exact deposit and cancellation conditions are confirmed in writing with your quote.
Is this the right safari?
A quick gut-check
Book this if…
- It’s your first African safari
- You dream of the Great Migration
- You want a real, wild multi-day safari
- You want honest value, not luxury prices
- You’re travelling as a family
Extend or combine if…
- You’d like to add Lake Nakuru or Amboseli
- You want a balloon safari or village visit
- You’re doing Nairobi day trips first
- You’d enjoy a conservancy drive too
- You have time for a longer circuit
Consider other options if…
- You want a luxury in-reserve lodge (we can arrange)
- You specifically want to sleep inside the reserve
- You only have a single day to spare
- You most want Kilimanjaro views (try Amboseli)
- You’d rather a shorter, closer trip
Only a day to spare? Start with a Nairobi game drive. Want elephants and Kilimanjaro? Ask about our other safaris from Nairobi.
Frequently asked questions
Masai Mara safari FAQs
The safari
Two nights is the practical minimum, three is the sweet spot, and four or more suits a relaxed pace or the migration season. We’ll tailor the length to your time and budget.
It’s the classic first safari — the highest concentration of big cats in Africa, easy game-viewing across open plains, and, in season, the Great Migration. Hard to better as an introduction.
Lions, cheetahs and leopards are all likely with time and a good guide, and elephant and buffalo are common. Rhino do live in the Mara but are rare, so a sighting is a real bonus rather than a promise.
The camp
At our own Kambu Mara Camp, about 8 km and a 14-minute drive from Sekenani Gate, with comfortable classic and family tents, hot showers, many with en-suite bathrooms, plus WiFi, a bar and a campfire.
It’s a comfortable, genuinely good-value bush camp rather than a luxury lodge — which is exactly why families and first-timers love it. If you’d prefer a high-end in-reserve lodge, we can arrange that at a different budget.
Flexible: the camp works either full-board with our chef, or self-catering in the shared kitchen. We’ll confirm which fits your trip when we quote — most guests on a safari package choose full-board.
Getting there & when
Either by road — about 5 to 6 hours via Narok in our four-wheel-drive — or by air, roughly 45 minutes from Wilson Airport to a Mara airstrip, then a short transfer to camp. We arrange both.
The herds are in the Mara roughly July to October, with the Mara River crossings from July to September and the peak generally mid-August to mid-September. Timing shifts each year with the rains.
No one can promise a crossing — it’s driven by the rains and the herds’ own timing. Mid-August to mid-September gives the best odds, and we base you near the eastern crossing points and follow the herds daily to maximise your chances.
Fees, booking & suitability
Our package is priced per person by group size, nights and season, on request, plus the reserve entry fee per person per day. Because our camp is ours and sits outside the reserve, we can keep the price keen and you pay fees only on the days you drive in. Request your quote →
The reserve charges a fee per person, per day, set by Narok County and tiered by residency, with reduced child rates, under-eights free, and higher rates in the peak July-to-December season. We itemise the current amount in your quote, and staying outside the reserve means you pay it only on entry days.
For the green season a few weeks is usually fine, but migration-season dates (July to October) are in heavy demand and best booked months in advance. The earlier you’re in touch, the more choice you’ll have.
Yes — family tents, flexible meals and a relaxed, friendly camp make it an easy safari with children. Tell us their ages and we’ll shape the drives and the pace to suit.
Absolutely. The Mara pairs naturally with Lake Nakuru, Amboseli and other parks for a longer safari circuit — just tell us what you’d like to see and we’ll build the route.
Plan your Masai Mara safari
Send your dates, how many of you there are, and whether you’d rather fly or drive — and we’ll build the itinerary around you, quote the package, and itemise the reserve fees. Our own camp, honest value, no invented prices.
New to safaris? Warm up with a Nairobi National Park game drive or the Nairobi wildlife circuit first. Back to safaris from Nairobi.