Planning a trip to Kenya, Africa? Masai Mara should be on your tick list.
In this blog we would write about how you can plan a budget trip to Masai Mara, rather would say how we had planned ours and everything you need to know before you go. Again apart from shoe-string budget, one can really enjoy a luxurious time in Masai Mara surrounded by wildlife. Thousands of travelers from across the world comes to Masai Mara for some of the amazing safari experiences in East Africa.
Know about Masai Mara
Masai Mara also known as Maasai Mara is a national game reserve in Narok, Kenya. The name Masai Mara is named in honour of the Maasai people who migrated from the Nile basin. It’s one of the most visited and beautiful wildlife reserve with its wide population of Africa’s Big 5, namely – Lion, Leopard, Elephants, Black/White Rhinos and Cape Buffalos. Masai Mara is largely divided into 2 regions – Masai Mara National Reserve and The Mara Triangle, between which The National Reserve is the most famous for safari drives. The total area in the greater Masai Mara is approx.. 1510 sq kms which is bordered by Serengeti National Park, Tanzania surrounding the Talek and Mara River. The landscape here absolutely varies from all other national game parks. Its mapped with acacia trees, various wild birds and animals and rough red soil terrain and flat grasslands. The classic Masai Mara landscapes is like an orange savannah with amazing sunrise and sunsets.
How to reach Masai Mara
It is very easy to reach Masai Mara without much of struggle honestly. Nairobi is Kenya’s central transport capital which is approximately 250 kms from the Mara’s eastern most border. It would take approx. 5-6 hours to reach from Nairobi. If you are landing in Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, you can easily catch a flight from the neighboring Wilson Airport to Mara’s airstrips. We would say that would be an expensive choice of travelling. Also if you wish to book through budget travel agency Expeditions Masai Safaris/Bonfire Adventures, they would arrange an pick and drop facility within the cost itself. It would be more economical if you wish to share the safari vehicle with other co-passengers(capacity for a safari van/land cruiser is 7) rather booking the whole van to yourself. Still there would be enough room to get a good 360 view and for photography. If you wish you can even drive your own vehicle till the Mara Main Gate and later avail the safari service from the hotel/camp.
What to expect in Masai Mara
As Masai Mara is one of the most popular parks in East Africa and we being residence now, trust us you won’t regret a moment. We already have visited Mara 4 times in a row now and still feel it’s not enough. Once you reach you would find large number of open jeeps, land cruisers and safari vans speeding and moving all around the park with radio transmitters. The chance of spotting The Africa’s Big 5 is relatively high here in comparison to Serengeti National Park. Again it’s all nature and what you spot completely depend on your luck which no one can guarantee!! See you are into the wilderness and not in a zoo. Apart from Big 5, Masai Mara is a home for various wild and nocturnal animals – Cheetahs, Zebras, Hyenas, Vultures, Wild hogs(Pumba), Wildebeest, Gazelles, Giraffes and more than 500 species of birds and lot more to name. Hippos and Nile Crocodiles are found in large in the Mara and Talek river. If it’s your day you might even get extremely lucky to see Lion/Cheetah chase or kill. We would add as Leopard are elusive animals that might be little difficult to find. Even you have to be really patient of tracking Rhinos. For the best of 2 horned Rhino experience you can definitely visit Nakuru National Park which is approx. 160kms from Nairobi or Ol Pejeta Conservancy which is again 200 kms away.
How we planned our game drives
From the past couple of years we are residing in Kenya. We usually plan our Mara trip over weekend. Riju and me started our drive early in the morning by 7am and we reached our pre booked hotels prior lunch. After finishing the meal we stretched a bit and later headed to the Masai Mara Entry Gate by 4pm. The first day we could go for the game drive only for couple of hours because the main gate closes by 6.30pm. Returning to our hotel had supper and dozed off early after a tiring day. Day 2 was even more tiring than the previous as it was a full day game drive. Setting our alarm sharp at 5am finished our breakfast by 6am and again reached the entry gate by 6.15am(surprisingly most of the hotels and resorts serves breakfast by 5.45am). The next 12 hours was a visual extravaganza starting with the most amazing sunrise, landscape to wildlife which made us feel we inside a Nat Geo channel. Every time we were there we came across a very friendly tour guide/driver who had always tried hard not to disappoint us. Spotting Big 5 every time made our trip different from other. What’s interesting and fascinating to us apart from spotting animals is the bush lunch. For this usually all hotels and camps packs a take away lunch, which we enjoyed right in the middle of jungle under a acacia tree. Sounds so interesting and cool right!! We drove fast and faster till dusk inside the reserve watching the sun going down and sky slowly turning orange to grey. Always it has been an amazing and beautiful way for us to come so close to the wild within few hands of distance. By 6pm we returned back to our camp, tired but completely blown away by the overall experience. As we mentioned its’ our 4th time in Masai Mara, the 3rd day itinerary can be optional. We did both during our different visits – 1) Start your day early and you can again go for a game drive for 2-3hours, before departure. 2) Experience the lifestyle and interact with the Maasai people by visiting the local Maasai villages. One can experience the true livelihood they dwell in and can watch the famous Maasai dance forms that they practice. It’s definitely worth!!
Where to stay in Masai Mara
There are many budgeted camps(we stayed at Mara Chui and Lenchada Camp) and lodges outside Mara Park and we decided to stay in one of these. Also you can stay inside the Reserve at various boutique and luxury hotels(We stayed at Sarova Mara).
How many days you need in Masai Mara
As Masai Mara is widely spread over a large area, we would highly recommend to plan a 2 nights 3 days stay to get the whole of experience and without missing on any. The day you reach, the game drive would basically start from 4pm till 6pm in the evening as the gate closes by then. The very next morning you really need to be an early bird and go for the game drive by 6.15am to track down all the animals as most of them remains active before the scorching sun rise. During that period you can be sure of spotting almost everything, without any disappointment. Even in the evening most of the animals come out to the grass land for hunting. We would suggest opting for 2-3 game drives to satisfy yourself the best.
Food & Arrangements
If you are booked on a full board package with any travel agencies , you don’t have to worry much on meals. All meals would be taken care of by the hotel / lodges. You would be served with hot breakfast & dinners including tea coffee. But when you would go for game drives, they would definitely pack your take away meal, which you can enjoy during bush lunch. If someone is planning a budget travel or backpacking trip please try to carry your own food & water for all the way, however we would not suggest of doing a backpacking for Masai Mara and would suggest to choose a budget travel agent and tented camps. Finding local food joints might be really tough in those remote & dark areas. So make sure you are prepared enough before starting. Even most of the backpacking camps offer mini kitchen including community fridge & cook stove. You will also come across some small shops in the nearby locality selling fresh produce & water bottles, but those will be really expensive.
Best time to visit Masai Mara
Kenya’s weather is favorable for all year round .It’s definitely possible to go for a game drive throughout the season and watch the diverse population. Africa’s Big 5 are found here all year round. The rains are biannual with distinct rainy seasons- long rain(April-May) & short rain( Nov- Dec). But trust us guys you don’t have to worry about the monsoon here. Even if you experience rain its likely to see the amazing sunshine in next 5-10 mins. The Great Wildebeest Migration usually happens between July-Oct and we would strongly suggest you should definitely try your Kenya trip during this time. The Great Migration is spectacular and voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of The World. The booking during this peak season is done much in advance and please plan accordingly. The rates are relatively higher during the season(July-Oct).
Cost of Masai Mara Safari
It’s really difficult to give an exact cost for Masai Mara which depends on various factors. It depends on what kind of property & luxury one would choose for staying and with all extra benefits one would like to avail. So you can absolutely go from basic to lavish lodges. Most importantly the cost of safari vehicles matters a lot. Either you wish to book it exclusively all for yourself, or would like to share with co- passengers. All these factors comes to play while budgeting a game trip. However we are providing an estimate based on our travel itinerary, which would help in deciding the 2 nights 3 days package per person cost which also includes accommodation, food & transfers. If you are staying at budgeted camps such as Lenchada Camp/Mara Chui and decide to share your travel with other co-passengers then all inclusive(transfer, full board, accommodation) 2night 3 days would cost per person between 160$-200$. This doesn’t include park entry fees. If you decide to stay at luxurious camps such as Sarova Mara the same would cost you 400$. If you are planning for separate game drives which typically is for 2-3 hours from the resort directly then it would cost you approx 60$ per person. Rates vary slightly depending on citizens/residents/non residents.
Masai Mara Park Entry Fees are as below
Park Fees
Park fees – Per Person Per Day (pppd)
NON RESIDENTS
Non Resident Adults Inside the park – US$ 70
Non Resident outside the park – US$ 80
Non Resident Children inside the park – US$ 40
Non Resident Children outside the park -US$ 45
EAST AFRICAN CITIZEN (Ksh)
Citizen Adults – Ksh. 1000
Citizen Children – Ksh. 200
EAST AFRICAN RESIDENTS (Ksh)
Resident Adult – Ksh 1,200
Resident Children – Ksh 300
