What It Costs: A Budget Safari in the Maasai Mara

The phrase “budget safari” seems a contradiction in terms. African safaris are comparatively expensive to just about anything else you can do while traveling.  But how cheaply can one be done?  I found out in late 2015 when I visited Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Park.

What is the Maasai Mara?

The Maasai Mara is a national park in the southeastern corner of Kenya spanning 583 square miles.  Its land is contiguous with the much-larger Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, which begins just across the border to the south.

The Mara is well known as one of the best places in east Africa to view wildlife, including the “big 5” (lion, leopard, African elephant, African buffalo, and black rhinoceros), as well as other notable animals like hippopotamus, cheetah, crocodiles, giraffe, topi, jackals, warthogs, zebra, gazelle, eland, hartebeest, and – if you’re around at the right time – the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, which travel north from Tanzania each year in search of green pastures.  In short:  it’s an amazing, special, wild place that can put just about anyone’s cynicism to death, even if only temporarily.

Wildebeest.

My Independent Budget Safari in the Maasai Mara – An Outline

I traveled from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara via public transport, visited the park itself for two full days on “game drives” (the actual period in which you are in a jeep, looking at/for animals) and slept three nights at a budget-oriented tent camp called Mara Explorers.  Afterwards, I left the area via public transport.

my tent at Mara Explorers on a damp day. The pole to the left is mounted with lights set off by motion detectors just in case wildlife manages to get past the camp’s fence. I could hear hyenas in the distance at night!

For my game drive days in the Mara, I hired a small jeep with driver and guide (two separate humans), via Mara Explorers.  Though my jeep would accommodate four people total including my driver/guide/self, I couldn’t find anyone with whom to share the vehicle, so I had the jeep (as well as the cost of the jeep) all to myself both days.  Though this was more expensive than a shared vehicle, the advantage was that I was allowed 360º views and photography opportunities out of the top of my the small Suzuki jeep.  This proved to be an amazing benefit for views and camera angles, and in retrospect, I’m GLAD no one else split the jeep with me!

Jackson stands in our Suzuki jeep to survey the Maasai Mara just inside Sekenani Gate. I stand in the back of the Suzuki to survey Jackson surveying the Maasai Mara.

I had a really amazing time sighting and photographing wildlife in the Maasai Mara.  It was amazing – kind of a priceless experience, really.  Then again, this kind of experience definitely carries a price – so how much did I end up spending each day?

Total Costs Per Day

Here’s exactly what I spent to get from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara and engage in two full days of game drives inside the park.  This cost model is easily replicated by any solo traveler who wants to visit the Maasai Mara!

DAY 1 – full day of transport from Nairobi to Maasai Mara

No game drives and no animals on this day – just moving myself from Nairobi to my lodgings near Maasai Mara.

Ÿ- 300 KSH for public transport from Nairobi to Narok
– 670 KSH for lunch and snacks in Narok
– 500 KSH for public transport from Narok to Mara Explorers
– 1,500 KSH for accommodation in tent, with shared bathrooms and outdoor showers (via Mara Explorers)
– 3,000 KSH for full board at Mara Explorers (three meals a day)

$58.50 US daily total, day 1

DAY 2 – full day game drive in Maasai Mara National Park

I spent about 10 hours inside Maasai Mara National Park seeking/viewing animals on this day.

– $80 US for daily entrance fee to Maasai Mara National Park
– 1,500 KSH for accommodation in tent, with shared bathrooms and outdoor showers (via Mara Explorers)
– 3,000 KSH for full board at Mara Explorers (three meals a day)
– 10,000 KSH for jeep rental, driver and guide/wildlife spotter (via Mara Explorers)
– 1,400 KSH tip for guide/wildlife spotter (I may have overtipped but I was happy to put a smile on my guide’s face!)
– 1,400 KSH tip for jeep driver (same as above)

— $250.00 US daily total, day 2 —

DAY 3 – full day game drive in Maasai Mara National Park

Another day of 10 continuous hours in Maasai Mara National Park.

– $80 US for daily entrance fee to Maasai Mara National Park
– 1,500 KSH for accommodation in tent, with shared bathrooms and outdoor showers (via Mara Explorers)
– 3,000 KSH for full board at Mara Explorers (three meals a day)
– 10,000 KSH for jeep rental, driver and guide/wildlife spotter (via Mara Explorers)
– 1,400 KSH tip for guide/wildlife spotter (I may have overtipped but I was happy to put a smile on my guide’s and driver’s faces!)
– 1,400 KSH tip for jeep driver (same as above)

— $250.00 US daily total, day 3 —

DAY 4 – leave Maasai Mara, travel back toward Nairobi

Simply a travel day.  The day’s lodging costs are not included below – just wanted to illustrate what it costs to leave the Maasai Mara.

– 300 KSH for shared car from Mara Explorers to Narok
– 500 KSH for matatu from Narok to Nairobi (in truth, I continued on to Naivasha after Maasai Mara, but the costs are the same)

— $8.00 US total for transport out of Maasai Mara —

GRAND TOTAL for transport, three nights of lodgings and two days of activity, Maasai Mara

— $566.50 US —

At this price, I can’t say that a visit to the Maasai Mara is a true “budget travel” activity – but if you want to see one of the world’s highest densities of large mammals living in the wild – including big cats – this is still one of the best places to do it, and it’s not objectively “cheap” anywhere else in Africa either!  Though this price point likely won’t attract shoestring-gap-year-backpackers, it’s still in reach of working professionals.  I consider this a victory – the “budget safari” exists after all!

My team for two glorious days: Jackson (guide, on left), and David (driver). You’ll see a lot of Land Cruisers and pop-top vans in the Mara – not so many of these small Suzuki jeeps.

How to reduce costs when planning an independent safari in Maasai Mara:

TRAVEL AS A COUPLE OR IN A GROUP.

I was traveling solo and couldn’t find anyone to split costs with at the time – so my expenditures were on the HIGH end of things.  Had I split my room and my two-passenger jeep (two passengers beyond the driver + guide), costs would have looked more like this, per person:

Daily game drive day costs, if I had traveled as a couple / group of two:

$80 US for daily entrance fee to Maasai Mara National Park
750 KSH for accommodation in tent, with shared bathrooms and outdoor showers (via Mara Explorers)
3,000 KSH for full board at Mara Explorers (three meals a day)
5,000 KSH for jeep rental, driver and guide/wildlife spotter (via Mara Explorers)
700 KSH tip for guide/wildlife spotter
700 KSH tip for jeep driver

$180.00 US daily total, per person, on game drive days

Obviously this is a pretty favorable reduction in daily costs per person as opposed to my solo trip’s $250 US per day.  Bigger independent groups sharing game drive jeeps may see even greater daily cost reductions.

travel in groups, like these zebras did.

BOOK YOUR LODGINGS OUTSIDE THE PARK’S BOUNDARIES.

If you stay inside Maasai Mara NP, you’ll be forced to pay the US $80 fee for every 24 hour elapsed period you’re there.  Staying outside the park means you don’t have to pay the daily admission cost if you’re not actively doing game drives.  Depending on your schedule, staying outside the park could help you save US $80 (per person) or more!  Furthermore:  there really aren’t any budget lodgings inside Maasai Mara National Park, which makes it an easy choice to stay outside the park boundaries.  Note:  Mara Explorers is outside the park boundaries, so no additional savings were possible for me here.

TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORT TO AND FROM MAASAI MARA.

This’ll take you a full day each way if you’re coming from/going to Nairobi, and will cost you US $8.00 (per person) each way.  I’ve recently written a guide on how to do this – click through here.

CONSIDER BRINGING FOOD ALONG AND COOKING MEALS FOR YOURSELF.

Some budget camps like Mara Explorers will let you use their kitchen for a nominal fee, which could offer you some savings over paying for full board while you’re there.  You’ll need to bring your own food supplies from Narok though, as facilities and shops aren’t great near Maasai Mara.  For me, the convenience of paying for full board was worth it, as game drives lasted more or less all day and were quite tiring.  But to others, cooking may be worth the savings.

DON’T OVERDO IT.

Two full days of game drives in the Maasai Mara was absolutely thrilling – but two days was also ENOUGH time for me.  Game drive days are quite pricey travel days, and you don’t need to force yourself to spend money just because you came all this way.

My advice:  if Maasai Mara is to be your first safari destination, give yourself 2-3 game drive days there to begin.  One day is, in my opinion, really not enough – but 4-5 days might be too much.  Don’t overstay/overspend before you know what you’re up to here.

Also, alternatively, do a couple of days in Maasai Mara, and then visit another national park like Samburu, Tsavo, Amboseli et al.  There’s a lot to do and see in Kenya, after all.

hippo yawn.

IN ALL HONESTY – CONSIDER SHOPPING AROUND FOR A PACKAGE SAFARI TOUR.

I don’t normally recommend package tours as I don’t usually enjoy them, to be honest.  But safaris are a special case, as pricing can be similar for independents and package tourists!  My thoughts:

Independently planned safaris (like mine) in just about any national park or national reserve in Kenya will end up costing you around US $200-300 per day including an appropriate vehicle/driver, park fees, lodging and food – and that’s just how it goes.  Accordingly – if you can get a solid personal recommendation on a safari tour operator that prices out in a similar fashion or cheaper, it might be worth it to book a multi-day (and possibly multi-park) tour with them, especially if your time in Kenya is limited.

Booking these safaris is a BUYER BEWARE situation though, for sure.  I personally would feel uncomfortable booking a package safari without getting detailed descriptions of the itinerary, exactly how many people will be in the jeep/vehicle, and food/lodging situations.  Good advice:  beware of “throwaway” safari days, in which you’re in transit ALL DAY but still paying game drive prices.  Safari tour operators tend to hide these low-cost days inside larger schedules.  Ask about daily transit times, and exactly how many hours you’ll spend inside each national park each day.  They should be able to break out their schedules more or less by the hour for you.

Further:  get personal recommendations on tour operators from other travelers if at all possible.  Booking blindly or just based on a nice looking website may not get you the experience you were looking for.  Read reviews and ask around!

Given the costs, was it worth it?

It’s worth stating that this was my first experience on safari in Africa, so I can’t directly compare costs to safaris in other African countries like Tanzania, Botswana and others – at least I can’t do so on a first-hand basis.  But given how much I spent for what I saw, I’m really highly satisfied and would recommend a visit to the Maasai Mara to any traveler regardless of their budgetary constraints.  There’s something wonderful about seeing things like wild lionesses on the hunt, dozens of hippos napping together in a river, leering reciprocally at observant giraffes, and just driving through field after field of zebras – too many to count.

My advice?  Penny pinch where you can in travel or in life, save up, and then go enjoy big, unique, important experiences like these.

Thanks for reading!