A zebra grazes on the grassy plains of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

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Three Days on the Mara

A tight, affordable three days in the Maasai Mara: two full game drives, a tented camp, and the Rift Valley on the drive in.

Enquire about this trip See the day by day

Duration3 Days / 2 Nights

Group size2 – 7 travellers

Best monthsJune – October and January – February for drier tracks

From$612 per person sharing

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The Trip in Short

Three days is a tight window for the Mara, but it is enough for two full game drives and a fair shot at lion, elephant and the river crossing points if the timing is right. This trip strips the trip down to what matters: a proper 4×4, a guide who knows where the prides have been denning, and a tented camp on the reserve boundary rather than a lodge with a swimming pool.

The drive from Nairobi takes five to six hours with a stop at the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint, where the ground drops away and the floor of the valley stretches out in haze. It is not a rushed trip so much as a compressed one, and it works well for travellers on a fixed budget or a short window between other commitments.

Fees and rules in Kenya's national parks are set by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Highlights

Great Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint on the drive out
Evening game drive on arrival day
Full day in the reserve with a packed lunch
Mara River crossing points, if the herds are near
Tented camp on the reserve boundary
Small group, shared 4x4 with pop-up roof

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Where You Go, Stop by Stop

Day 1

Nairobi to Maasai Mara

Day 2

Full day, Maasai Mara National Reserve

Day 3

Maasai Mara to Nairobi

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Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi to the Mara

An early start, on the road by 7.30am, with a stop at the Rift Valley viewpoint about ninety minutes out where you can see the escarpment fall away toward Lake Naivasha. You reach the reserve by early afternoon, check into a tented camp, and head out for a first game drive from around 4pm until dusk, when the light turns the grass copper and the resident lions start moving.

Day 2: Full Day in the Mara

An early departure around 6.15am while the air is still cool and predators are most active, back to camp for a late breakfast, then out again for the rest of the day with a packed lunch eaten in the vehicle near the Mara River. This is the day the reserve earns its reputation: open plains, big cats, and if the timing works, wildebeest gathered at a crossing point.

Day 3: Mara to Nairobi

One last game drive until around 10am, then the five to six hour drive back to Nairobi, arriving in the early afternoon in time for an evening flight home.

From

$612

Enquire about this trip

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What the Price Covers

Included

All meals as per the itinerary
Tented camp accommodation, twin share
Private 4x4 safari vehicle with pop-up roof
Professional driver-guide
Maasai Mara National Reserve entry fees
Bottled drinking water in the vehicle

Not included

International flights
Kenyan visa fee
Tips and gratuities
Alcoholic drinks
Personal expenses

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Before You Book

Is three days enough to see the migration?

If you travel between July and October there is a real chance of catching herds near the river, but nobody can promise a crossing on demand. See our dedicated migration itineraries if that sighting is your main goal.

What is the camp like?

A permanent tented camp with en-suite bathrooms and solar lighting, simpler than a lodge but comfortable, and positioned close to the reserve gate to cut down driving time.

How rough is the road?

The Nairobi-Narok highway is tarmac; the last stretch into the reserve is graded murram that turns slick after rain.

Is a single supplement charged?

Yes, for travellers not sharing a tent.

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Where This Trip Goes

Lake Nakuru National Park

Kenya · Lake

A fenced soda-lake sanctuary close to Nairobi, protecting both black and white rhino alongside large, shifting flocks of lesser and greater flamingo.

Tsavo West National Park

Kenya · National Park

A varied wilderness of springs, lava flows and lake, with the full Big Five and one of the more visually striking landscapes in southern Kenya.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Kenya · Reserve

The Kenyan half of the Serengeti ecosystem, famous for the Mara River crossings between July and October and reliable Big Five viewing year-round.

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Three Days on the Mara