5-Day Maasai Mara Safari from Nairobi
Three nights in the Maasai Mara, reached by road across the Great Rift Valley — two full days of game drives for big cats, elephant and the plains herds, a night in Nairobi on arrival and a farewell dinner at the Carnivore before your flight home.
About this safari
The shortest way to do the Maasai Mara well. One night in Nairobi to recover from the flight, then a morning drive down the Great Rift Valley escarpment and across the valley floor to the reserve, where you stay three nights inside the Mara with two full days for game viewing.
Two full days is what makes the difference. The first afternoon gets you oriented; the full days let your driver-guide follow what is happening — a pride on a kill, a cheetah hunting the open grass, the herds massing on the Mara River between July and October. You travel in your own 4×4 Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, with the same driver-guide from the first morning to the airport.
What makes this one special
- Three nights inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve
- Two full days of morning and afternoon game drives
- The drive down the Great Rift Valley escarpment
- A picnic lunch by the Mara River, with hippo in the pools below
- Your own 4×4 Land Cruiser and driver-guide throughout
- A farewell dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi
The journey, morning by morning
Arrival in Nairobi
Met at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) by our airport representative and driven privately to your hotel. A quiet evening to rest, because the safari leaves early the next morning.
Across the Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara
At 7:00am the drive leaves Nairobi for the south-west, down the escarpment and across the floor of the Great Rift Valley to the Maasai Mara. Into camp for a welcome and lunch, then at 4:00pm the first game drive across the open, tree-dotted savannah, looking for lion, cheetah and elephant until sunset.
A full day in the Maasai Mara
Morning and afternoon game drives across Kenya's best-known reserve, looking for the Big Five — lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and the scarce black rhino — among the herds of zebra, wildebeest and gazelle. Lunch back at camp between drives, or out on the plains.
The Mara River and the plains
A second full day, shaped around what the guides are seeing. Take a picnic lunch down to the Mara River, where hippo wallow in the pools and crocodiles bask on the banks, and stay out until the light goes. Between July and October this is where the migration herds gather to cross.
To Nairobi, the Carnivore and home
A last breakfast in the Mara, then the drive back to Nairobi with lunch on the way in Narok. A farewell dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant, then your driver takes you to JKIA for the flight home.
How this journey unfolds — 2 stops in 5 days
- 1Nairobi
- 2Maasai Mara
The year on this safari, month by month
July to October, when the Great Migration is usually in the Mara and river crossings are possible. The reserve's resident lions, cheetah, elephant and plains game are there year-round, and January to March is dry, warm and quieter.
Indicative pattern for Kenya's safari circuit. The long rains (around March–May) and short rains (around November) shift year to year.
Conditions along the route
Live readings where this safari spends its days.
The world this journey moves through
Photography of the landscapes and wildlife along this route — tap any photo to view it full screen.
Included and not included
Included
- Airport meet and assist
- Private transfers as per the itinerary
- Service of an English-speaking professional driver-guide
- Game drives in a 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof
- Accommodation as listed
- Meals as listed in the day-by-day
- Farewell dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant, Nairobi
- All park entrance fees and government taxes as per the itinerary
- Driver-guide salary, allowances and vehicle park fees
- Bottled drinking water in the vehicle on safari
Not included
- International flights
- Visas, vaccinations and any required tests
- Travel, medical and cancellation insurance
- Optional hot-air balloon safari
- Tips and gratuities
- Telephone calls, room service and items of a personal nature
- Increases in park fees or other charges beyond our control
What a journey like this costs
Indicative all-inclusive rates per person, per night. Your own quote is built from your dates, your camps and the size of your party, and holds once agreed.
- Mid-rangeUS$450 – US$950per person, per night
Comfortable park lodges and permanent tented camps, road transfers between parks, shared game drives, all park fees.
Comfort · Classic camps and lodges
- LuxuryUS$950 – US$1,500per person, per night
Fly-in bush transfers, boutique tented camps, shared or private 4×4 vehicles, all park fees, fine dining.
Luxury camps and lodges
- Ultra-luxuryUS$1,600 – US$3,200+per person, per night
Private charter flights, exclusive-use conservancy lodges, a dedicated private guide and vehicle throughout.
Ultimate luxury camps and lodges
See the camps and lodges behind these bands
*Correct as at September 2026. Third-party costs such as park fees, gorilla permits, balloon flights and lodge rates are set by others and can change — we will quote the current price at the time of confirmation.
A first safari, or a short one added to a business trip or a beach stay, when the aim is the most wildlife for the days available.
Nairobi city hotel and a safari camp in the Mara
Questions travellers ask
- How long is the drive from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara?
- Roughly five to six hours each way, including a stop. The escarpment viewpoint over the Rift Valley breaks the journey on the way down, and the last stretch to the reserve can be slower after rain. If you would rather not drive it, the same safari can be flown from Nairobi's Wilson Airport in about 45 minutes — tell us and we will quote both.
- Is three nights enough in the Maasai Mara?
- For a first visit, three nights with two full days is a good length: time for several big-cat sightings and an unhurried day at the river. In the migration months a fourth night adds more chances at a crossing, which nobody can time in advance.
- Will I see the Big Five on a Maasai Mara safari?
- Lion, elephant and buffalo are seen on most Mara safaris, and leopard often with patience. Rhino are the hard one: the reserve's black rhino are few and shy. If rhino matter to you, the 7-day version adds Lake Nakuru, a fenced rhino sanctuary and one of the surest places in Kenya to see both black and white rhino.
- What vehicle do we travel in?
- A 4×4 safari Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, used only by your party, with an English-speaking professional driver-guide who stays with you from the first morning to the airport. The roof opens for game viewing and photography.
- Can we add a hot-air balloon flight?
- Yes. A sunrise balloon flight over the Mara, landing for a bush breakfast, can be added on day 3 or 4. It is paid separately and we confirm the current price when you book.