Masai Mara Safari: When to Go, How Long to Stay and What It Costs

The Masai Mara is Kenya's best-known reserve: open savannah, big cats, and the wildebeest migration. If you only have time for one park in Kenya, it is usually this one. Here is what you need to decide before you book, with the figures from our own trips.

When to go

The wildebeest migration is usually in the Masai Mara from July to October. That is peak season, and the most expensive time to travel. Nature does not keep a timetable, so the exact weeks, and the river crossings in particular, vary from year to year.

Outside the migration the Mara is still one of the best places in Africa for lions, cheetahs and, with luck, leopards. The dry months, roughly June to October and January to February, are the easiest for game viewing, because the grass is shorter and animals gather at water. April and May are low season, with the lowest prices.

Our trips price four seasons: high (2 January to 31 March, and June), low (1 April to 31 May), peak (July to October, and 21 December to 2 January) and shoulder (1 November to 20 December).

Getting there

The Mara is about 250 km by road from Nairobi. All three of our Mara trips drive there in a 4x4 safari Land Cruiser with an English-speaking driver-guide. Witness the Wildebeest Migration stops at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint on the way down.

How many days?

Give the Mara at least two full days. The first and last days are mostly travel, so a four-day trip gives you two full days in the reserve plus an afternoon game drive on arrival. That is the shape of our shortest Mara trip.

Trip	Days	Nights in the Mara	Also visits	From (largest group, low season)	2 sharing, low season	2 sharing, peak season
Witness the Wildebeest Migration	4	3	The Giraffe Centre	USD 917	USD 1,289	USD 2,176
The Great Lakes & Masai Mara	7	2	Lakes Nakuru, Elementaita and Naivasha	USD 1,436	USD 2,007	USD 2,922
Ultimate 16-Day Kenya Safari & Diani Escape	16	3	Ol Pejeta, Samburu, the Aberdares, Lake Nakuru, Naivasha and Diani Beach	USD 4,577	USD 5,733	USD 8,070

Prices shown are the Silver level, per person. Gold level prices are on each trip page.

Witness the Wildebeest Migration is the focused option: three nights in the Mara, game drives at dawn and dusk, a Maasai village visit on the way out, and an afternoon at Nairobi's Giraffe Centre before your flight.

The Great Lakes & Masai Mara works its way to the Mara through the Rift Valley: rhinos at Lake Nakuru, birdlife at Lake Elementaita, and a walk and golden-hour boat ride at Lake Naivasha, then a full dawn-to-dusk day in the Mara with a picnic lunch.

The Ultimate 16-Day gives the Mara three nights as part of a journey through most of Kenya, and ends with three all-inclusive nights on Diani Beach.

Optional extras in the Mara

These are not included in the trip price, and the prices differ slightly by trip:

• Hot air balloon safari: USD 500 per person (USD 550 on the Great Lakes trip)
• Horse riding safari: USD 200 per person (USD 250 on the Great Lakes trip)
• Bush breakfast or bush dinner: USD 60 per person
• Walking safari: USD 25 per person (USD 50 on the Great Lakes trip)

What is included

On Witness the Wildebeest Migration, for example, the price covers accommodation, full board on safari, park entrance fees, the Land Cruiser and driver-guide, the Maasai village and Giraffe Centre visits, and drinking water in the vehicle. International flights, Kenya's Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), tips, drinks and travel insurance are not included. Each trip page lists exactly what is and is not covered.

More on the reserve itself is in our Masai Mara destination guide.

Starting prices are per person, checked on 29 September 2026. Each trip page always shows the current price for your group size and season.