When we moved to Nairobi, Kenya in late August, one of the places I was sure we would be visiting sooner than later was the Masai Mara National Reserve. Having tried and failed, a few years ago, to see the Wildebeest migration and Mara River crossing in the Serengeti, I was hoping that we would get to see that during this trip.
Spoiler Alert: we didn’t but in hindsight, despite our misfortunes with the Masai Mara migration and our driver and guide, the trip was a good one.
Nairobi to Masai Mara
We arrived at the Masai Mara National Reserve after a fairly long drive from Nairobi. Our driver, who doubled up as our guide for the safari picked us up at about 7 am on the first day of our trip. We had booked a 3-day, 2-night budget safari, which included transportation from and to Nairobi, a stop at the Great Rift Valley Viewpoint, 2 nights stay at a tented camp just outside the National Reserve and 2 game drives within it.
Apart from a little stretch of the road that was under construction and the drive on the unpaved road to our camp, I’d say the 6-hour journey – including the stop at the viewpoint, wasn’t too bad. We arrived at the Enkorok Mara Camp, just outside the Masai Mara Oloolaimutia Gate, at about 1:30 pm. This gave us some time to relax before our evening game drive.
Masai Mara Entrance Fee
At 4 pm, we set out for our first game drive at the Masai Mara National Reserve. First, we needed to pay the entrance fees since the operator did not cover this. Now, if you plan to visit the Masai Mara National Reserve soon, you may need to pay attention to this part because it was the beginning of our misadventures with our guide and the Reserve.
The game reserve has different pricing for Kenyan citizens, residents and foreigners. For foreigners, the fee is $70 per day if you stay in a hotel within the park and $80 if you are outside it. [See updated fees here]
When we arrived, the official in charge of the tickets asked us how many nights we were staying at the Masai Mara. Naively, we said ‘2 nights’ and nudged by our guide, we paid for a 2-day ticket.
It wasn’t until after our game drive the next day that we realized this very costly error. The entrance tickets are valid for 24 hours. A 1-day ticket was all we needed and unfortunately, our guide was either oblivious to this or very good at pretending to be. I don’t want to dwell too much on this part of the trip but I think this is something to be aware of if you plan to visit for the same duration as us.
Masai Mara Safari
Our game drives inside the reserve were pretty exciting. On our first outing, we saw several animals, including zebras, impalas, giraffes and wildebeests. We also saw a pride of lions feasting on a kill in the bushes. We were so close to them, it was wonderful! But then, our guide kept picking out bad spots to park the car. At some point, it became hilarious. Overall, our first outing was great but I think it might have been better if our guide was different.
Our second outing began quite early. We set out on a drive to the Mara River, in an attempt to catch the last moments of the Masai Mara Migration. Sadly, we arrived at a nearly empty river crossing. Only one wildebeest stood in the middle of the river, contemplating its choices in life.
Even though the crossing didn’t happen while we were there, the Mara River still allowed for superb wildlife viewing. On the bank of the river lay the largest crocodile I have ever seen, several hippos and just across it, a pride of lions walked majestically in the plains.
After we left the Mara River, we stopped briefly to have lunch, before returning to the game drive in search of other members of the Big 5. So far, we had seen elephants, buffaloes and lions. I was almost giving up hope of seeing anything interesting up close when we stumbled upon several safari cars lined up and patiently waiting for something.
We brought our car to a stop beside them, wondering what they were looking at. ‘It’s the Tano Bora!’ a kid exclaimed from the car next to us.
‘The Tano what now?’ I thought but didn’t have to wait for long to find out what that was. Out on the horizon, a head poked out of the brown savannah grasslands. At first, I thought it was a leopard. Then there were two of them, moving closer and closer. They were Cheetahs, five of them who formed the largest coalition of adult male cheetahs in the Mara.
This turned out to be the highlight of our entire trip. The group walked right in front of our vehicle and I could barely contain my excitement but we had to quietly take it all in to avoid startling them. We observed them for a while before leaving in search of more wildlife and then, back to our camp.
Back at the entrance gate, we attempted to get a refund from the officials but as you might have guessed, that did not happen. Fortunately, the trip organizer was kind enough to reimburse us for half the cost of the extra tickets, a compromise we were happy to settle with.
The next day, we returned to Nairobi, after what seemed like a much shorter drive.
Masai Mara Budget Safari Cost
Our safari was shared with another couple in a minibus (different from the vehicle above) and the total cost came up to $330 each. This includes the extra 24-hour entrance fee we paid in error (minus the reimbursement). East African safaris tend to be quite expensive, so we were happy to have found something within this range.
I am always excited to go on a safari. So far, I have been to the Ranthambore National Park in India, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Pendjari National Park in the Benin Republic and the Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire National Parks in Tanzania. I am glad I get to add Masai Mara to this growing list.
In the future, I hope to go on a Gorilla Trek in either Uganda or Rwanda. Now that I am in East Africa, this dream of mine seems within reach than ever before. If you’ve been to any of the places, including the Masai Mara, please share your experiences with me in the comment section below.
Also, if you have any questions about visiting the Masai Mara or going on your first safari, please leave them in the comment section as well and I will respond to the best of my knowledge.
![[Me after seeing glimpses of a certain streamer's visit to my beautiful country KENYA 🇰🇪] Nina furaha kukutana na wewe 💅🏾
I've tried to avoid watching any related videos of other countries 👀 but that's not how social media works! 😭
Anyway, it's Nyambura to you from now on. Thanks to @motherofpassports for bestowing this name upon me 🇰🇪💙](https://travelwithapen.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/620327265_1629543314731655_3379033586039046390_n.jpg)
Fantastic article for anyone looking into an affordable Masai Mara safari! One key tip: choosing the right Masai Mara camp can make all the difference between a good trip and a great one. Prospective travellers should look for camps near access gates to maximise game-drive time and value.
Great guide on experiencing a budget-friendly Masai Mara safari! Loved the tips and detailed itinerary. Thanks for sharing such useful insights for travelers planning their Kenya adventure. 🌿🦁
Hi, loved your blog…it really helped us as we are planning our visit there….. There are too many websites on Masai Mara from tour operators, is there any official one from the government as well……
Thank you, Chetan. The Mara Conservancy manages the Masai Mara National Reserve in collaboration with the Narok County Government. Here is their website address.
What a beautiful view you had despite the bad experience with your Tour Guide.. I enjoyed reading this article. Its quite captivating. I have a few questions about the Camping site. Is the Enkolok Mara Camp part of Masai mara or its a camp on its own? And when you were there, did you have a feeling that it is suitable for Kids/toddlers? And how were the charges per night if you don’t mind? This could help my family with a safari planning especially if the camp is close to the Park.
Hello A.M, thanks for your comment! Glad to read that you enjoyed the post. To your questions: This camp is located a few minutes outside the Oloolaimutia Gate (about 5 minutes or so). It is part of the Masai Mara area but I don’t believe it’s part of the park itself.
While we were there, I did see several families with kids. And based on my visit, I would say that it is suitable for kids with normal adult supervision.
As for prices, we booked the entire package with an agent in Nairobi – the total price for transport, accommodation (half board, minus drinks) and game drives was $210 (excluding park fees). Here’s a link to the rates currently displayed on the Enkorok website. You could give them a call to see if they’re offering discounted prices.
I hope this helps.
This is so so exciting! I haven’t been to a real safari before, unless the crocodile safari on Jamaica’s south coast counts haha.
It definitely counts but an African safari is the ultimate safari experience, haha! Don’t mind me, I’m a little biased.
That’s quite reasonable 😅
Is it weird that I have no desire to go on a Safari (I actually googled these exact words)…I mean if it falls in my lap, then fine..but I do not see myself actually planning to go on one.
Haha, I don’t think it is weird at all. I can actually understand why anyone wouldn’t be interested. But glad to know you won’t pass up the opportunity if it came your way 🙂
What is the misadventures with the guide. You experienced alot according to your info
From speaking in Swahili most of the safari (even though we were told he was an English speaking guide) to not using his radio to not being a good spotter or listener to the mishap at the gate, I could go on and on…
This is awesome and thrilling at the same time. It’s nice that you were able to see all these amazing animals during your tour as that isn’t always the case. However, I must say, did you convert the Kenyan shillings to dollars or all payments are made in dollars? Because, if that’s the case, I think Nigerian touristy locations should duplicate that. It could help earnings…
Thanks for your comment, Eromonsele. I did convert a few of the prices to dollars (I think only the entrance fees for foreigners were quoted in dollars) but almost all fees could be paid in the local currency.
Oh okay… that’s nice. But do you think such locations can earn more from foreign visitors if fees are in dollars?
Hmm, not an economist but it seems like it would be more or less the same thing. At the Masai Mara for example, we paid the fee in Kenyan shillings – which actually turned out to be a little less than the dollar equivalent. It certainly helps to have an inflow of the dollar I guess and to standardize things but I don’t know if that translates to earning more.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I hate to ask this but these carnivores, don’t they get aggressive sometimes? And these vans are very open! What’s going on here?😅😅
Haha, not all vans are like that but even these are relatively safe if you follow your guide’s instructions and stay in at all times while on safari. Plus, the animals are quite used to the vehicle and usually do not attack.
Aww I love reading up on all your adventures old and new. That foreigners fee gave me a heart attack. Beautiful photos as always! At $330 per person that is very reasonable. I think I did a 3 night safari and it was close to three times the price, but it wasn’t ‘budget’, I’d say it was more in the affordable luxury category. A return to Kenya is high on my list for 2021 by God’s grace.
Thanks Dee! The difference in fee prices is a lot! Honestly can’t say that I’m upset though but it wouldn’t be bad if they introduced an ‘African Citizen Fee’ 🙂 We are one! Kenya, please! haha
Hope you get to visit again next year!