Masai Mara is a massive national park where you can find almost all of Kenya’s wildlife. If you’ve heard of the “Big Five,” this is where you’re most likely to see them. To be more accurate, the probability of encountering them here is far higher than in any other park. There are so many predators here that you can witness unique scenes, such as lions hunting an elephant or hyenas tearing into a hippo.
I believe that if you had to choose only one park in Kenya, it should undoubtedly be the Masai Mara. Tour prices can be astronomical (at least for us). But don’t despair—there is a way out. You can organize your trip independently. You might sacrifice a little comfort, but the payoff is unforgettable emotions and memories—exactly what you’re coming here for.
Table of Contents:
How to Get There
Probably one of the biggest questions for a budget traveler is: how do you get from Nairobi or Naivasha to the Masai Mara?
Let’s break down the task so there are no lingering questions.
The Masai Mara is vast, so you first need to decide which gate you’ll be staying near. The most famous budget camps are located near the town of Talek. There are other gates, but the distances between them can be enormous, so pay close attention to this.
You should look for tickets to Kenya on trip.com. As a side note: when searching, try switching the language—the price can change by several dozen dollars per person.
To reach Talek, you need to travel from either Nairobi or Naivasha to Narok.
The distance from Nairobi to Narok is roughly the same as from Naivasha to Narok. However, the travel time from Nairobi is about 2.5 hours, whereas from Naivasha, it’s around 4 hours. Nairobi is a mega-city, and like any metropolis, it suffers from brutal traffic jams.
Minivans (matatus) from Nairobi to Narok depart from the city center. Generally, you can always ask locals for help. We could never find our specific van on the first try, but people always helped us find our transport for free without any scams.
A matatu from Nairobi to Narok costs 700 KES.
Minivans from Naivasha to Narok depart from the center of Naivasha. It’s not hard to find them there; the town is small and there aren’t that many vans.
A matatu from Naivasha to Narok costs 700 KES.
In Narok, buses arrive at the bus station, which is also where you catch the next leg to Talek. The station is almost in the city center, just a minute away from a huge Naivas supermarket. Nearby, you’ll also find a market with Kenyan trinkets, a gas station, a liquor store, and a Papa John’s.
The trip from Narok to Talek takes another 2.5 hours. The fare is 800 KES.
In Narok, you’ll be quite persistently offered taxis. A taxi should cost around 6000 KES.
All tickets are bought on the spot; there’s no need—nor is it possible—to book anything in advance. There is no set schedule; vans leave when they are full. Overall, we never waited more than 20 minutes.
Where to Stay
There are so, so many accommodation options in the Masai Mara. First, you need to decide a crucial point: stay inside the national park or outside its borders? All camps inside the national park are significantly more expensive, and on top of that, you have to pay the daily entry fee.
Masai Mara Entry Fees:
Jan to June inclusive: $100
July to December: $200
Children under 8: Free
This means 2 nights and 3 days inside the park will cost an extra $300 or $600 per person just for the tickets.
The Pros:
Personally, I don’t see any major advantages to living inside the park if you’re at all conscious of your budget.
We stayed outside the park at GreenWood Camp. The same Mara River flowed right past us, and in the evenings, we went to watch crocodiles and hippos lazily lounging on the banks and in the water. Baboons roamed the camp like they owned the place, and as soon as it got dark, hyenas appeared.
As I mentioned, we chose a camp in Talek. I read that it is ranked among the top 10 budget camps near the Masai Mara. The service was impeccable; I have never encountered such attention to guests.
Opposite our camp is Talek Bush Camp. They have the same owner, but the latter is slightly more expensive. It’s right on the river, so you can watch hippos and crocodiles directly from the cabins. Also, the tents at Talek Bush Camp have private showers and toilets, whereas at GreenWood Camp, the facilities are shared.
They simply know exactly what travelers need:
- They organize game drives without any hassle. I messaged them in advance via WhatsApp, and upon arrival, all we had to do was pay and enjoy the safari.
- They packed our breakfast into containers and put it in the car for us in the morning—we didn’t even have to ask.
- On the first evening, they organized a Maasai performance for all newcomers, featuring their famous jumping dances. For me, it was perfect. We didn’t want to go to a “Maasai village.” We are against “human zoos” where, on top of the entry fee, they try to sell you all sorts of junk. Here, it was just a performance followed by a chat with the Maasai. They told us about their lives, answered our questions, and then we sat by the fire learning traditional Maasai dances.
How Long to Stay in the Masai Mara
Before the trip, I agonized over this question—some sources say 5 days isn’t enough and you must allocate at least a week to the park. I’m glad common sense prevailed, and I only planned one full day for the safari. It turned out to be more than enough.
On the first day, we arrived quite late, and by the time we checked in, it was dark. We were exhausted, with the Maasai performance ahead of us and a 5 AM departure for safari the next day. I know some people go on evening safaris, and that’s an option, but the road is long and tiring; I’m not sure you can truly enjoy it if you head straight out on a game drive.
The next day, we went on safari. It all follows a standard routine: the car arrives at 5:45 AM, and we head into the park. Although we lived just a few minutes from one of the gates, the driver took us through a different gate. All drivers have radios and are constantly communicating to show tourists the maximum number of animals. Our driver said there were more animals near the other gate at that moment, so that’s where we went.
We were on safari from 6 AM to 6 PM—a full 12 hours. For us, this was plenty, and the next day I was happy we weren’t heading out again.
Game Drive
The Masai Mara is home to countless species of animals and birds. Of course, everyone focuses on the “Big Five.” These are the largest animals you can see in Kenya: the elephant, buffalo, lion, rhino, and leopard.
We didn’t see a rhino, and as I understand it, not everyone does. If your goal is definitely to see rhinos, you should go to the Nairobi National Park. Yes, the park starts right in the city. It’s the only place in the world where you can see wildlife in their natural habitat against a backdrop of skyscrapers.
Upon entering the park, we were greeted by a family of lions. They weren’t just lying under a bush; they were finishing off an elephant they had caught a few days prior. We could tell by the distinct smell coming from the carcass. The lions ate, went into the bushes to rest, lionesses came to eat, others chased away foxes and jackals, and then they ate and rested again. From other travelers’ reports, this is a fairly standard scene. Almost everyone sees lions eating. But you might be a lucky one and witness lions hunting a giraffe or something else.
Lions, by the way, are not afraid of cars at all. They allow you to get quite close. When they’ve had enough, they lazily walk between the cars back to their bushes.
What struck me was that just a few dozen meters from the lions lived a family of elephants—one of whom, apparently, the lions were finishing off. Yet the remaining elephants seemed perfectly fine and showed no intention of leaving.
The most interesting times for a safari are early morning, until about 11 AM, and then again in the evening after 4 PM. During the day, it’s too hot for the animals; while giraffes and elephants graze, others hide from the heat.
Technically, you aren’t supposed to drive off-road in the Masai Mara. But to me, the Mara felt like the wildest park. The drivers do absolutely everything to ensure the tourists are satisfied. We spent over half the day driving through marshes and bushes because you can’t see much from the road.
Another common sight is an antelope hanging in a tree, dragged up there by a cheetah or leopard. Our driver wanted to show us that tree up close, so we drove through a swamp and, of course, got stuck. Then other cars came by to watch us get pulled out. Later, we also stopped at that spot to watch other cars being pulled from the mud.
Video
Here is our video covering not just the Masai Mara, but three national parks in Kenya that we visited on our own. I hope you won’t be stingy with likes and comments!
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