How much does a Maasai Mara safari cost?
The Maasai Mara safari cost per person, from published camp rates, park fees and fares: what each style costs, what drives the price, and five worked budgets.
A three-day Maasai Mara safari by road with park fees included costs from USD 700 per person on a private package for two sharing (January–June), or USD 795 on a shared group safari in April and May, rising to USD 950 and USD 1,200 in the high season. Three nights at a mid-range camp with park fees and return flights from Nairobi come to USD 1,625 per person from March to May and USD 2,525 from July to September, before flight taxes. Luxury camps publish USD 453 to USD 2,750 per person per night, before park or conservancy fees.
The biggest swings come from the season and the park fee: non-resident adults pay USD 100 per 12-hour visit from January to June and USD 200 from July to December, set by Narok County. Every price on this page is taken from the camp’s, operator’s, airline’s or authority’s own published rates, mostly for 2026, and each worked budget shows its arithmetic.
Maasai Mara safari cost at a glance
Group road safari: USD 795–1,200
Per person, three days, park fees included: Natural World's published prices by season.
Park fee: USD 100 or 200
Per non-resident adult per 12-hour visit: January–June or July–December.
Mid-range camp: USD 300–500
Per person per night at Basecamp Masai Mara, with meals and shared drives.
Luxury: USD 453–2,750
Per person per night, from Governors' Camp in April–May to Angama Mara in the peak.
Conservancy fee: USD 130
Per adult per night in Naboisho and Olare Motorogi, where camps add it.
Return flight: from USD 370
Wilson–Mara return with Mombasa Air Safari, plus a USD 40 fuel surcharge.
How much does a Maasai Mara safari cost per person?
Published rates per person per night sharing, unless stated, from each camp’s or operator’s own rate sheet (2026 unless noted). Check what each includes: some add the park or conservancy fee, others include it.
| Style and example | Low or green season | Peak season | What the rate includes | Park or conservancy fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget camp outside a gate: Enchoro Wildlife Camp, by Oloolaimutia Gate | USD 180 per double tent (March–June, October–November) | USD 200 per double tent (January–February, July–September, December) | Full board, service charges and all taxes | Reserve fee extra; camp vehicle USD 230 per day |
| Group safari, 3 days by road: Natural World, economy camp | USD 795 per person per trip (1 April–31 May) | USD 1,200 per person per trip (16 June–30 September, 23 December–2 January) | Shared 4×4 Land Cruiser (up to 6), all meals, Nairobi pick-up | Park fees included |
| Private 3-day package by road: Talek Bush Camp | USD 700 per person (1 January–30 June) | USD 950 per person (1 July–31 December) | Road transfers, full board, game drives, a village visit | “All fees & entry tickets” included |
| Mid-range inside the Reserve: Julia’s River Camp | High-season rate less 10% (the camp’s rule) | USD 146 full board; USD 226 with two daily game drives (classic tent; 1 July–31 October, 20 December–6 January) | VAT and the 2% levy | Reserve fee and Narok County community fee extra |
| Mid-range at Talek: Basecamp Masai Mara | USD 300 (March–May, November) | USD 500 (July–September, 20 December–2 January) | Full board, shared day game drives, airstrip transfers, VAT | Reserve fee extra, “payable for all nights” |
| Mid-range in a conservancy: Kandili Camp, Leopard Gorge | USD 240 full board; USD 422 game package (1 April–14 June, 1 November–22 December) | USD 390 full board; USD 575 game package (1 July–31 October, 23 December–6 January) | VAT, levy and service charges | Conservancy fee USD 50 per adult per day, extra |
| Escarpment above the Mara Triangle: Mara West | USD 350 inclusive; USD 500 game package (10 January–15 June, 16 October–15 December) | USD 547 inclusive; USD 697 game package (1 July–15 September) | Meals, drinks, laundry, sundowner; game package adds shared drives | Reserve fee extra |
| Conservancy, fees included: Porini Mara Camp, Ol Kinyei (extra-night rate) | USD 620 (June, 1 November–19 December) | USD 955 (1 July–31 October) | Meals, house drinks, day and night drives, walks | Conservancy fees included; Reserve visits extra |
| Luxury inside the Reserve: Governors’ Camp | USD 453 (1 April–31 May) | USD 998 (1 July–31 October) | Full board, most drinks, laundry, excursions, VAT | Reserve fee and community fee (USD 50 per night) extra |
| Luxury in a conservancy: Kicheche Bush Camp, Olare Motorogi | USD 765 (March, 23 May–30 June, 1 November–19 December) | USD 1,095 (1 July–31 October, 20 December–2 January) | Per person sharing; children 7 and over only | Conservancy fee USD 130 per adult per night, extra |
| Luxury in a conservancy: Saruni Mara, Mara North | USD 500 (March–May, November) | USD 900 (July–September, 20 December–2 January) | Night drives, walks, bush meals, VAT | Conservation fee USD 130 per adult per night, extra (Mara North fees vary: confirm with the camp) |
| Luxury in a conservancy: Ol Seki Hemingways Mara, Naboisho | USD 810 (5 January–14 June, 1 November–17 December; closed 13 April–22 May) | USD 1,305 (1 July–31 August, 18 December–4 January) | Government taxes | Naboisho fee USD 130 per adult per night plus USD 5 reserve fund, extra |
| Top end: Angama Mara, Oloololo Escarpment | USD 1,850 (5 January–30 June, 1 October–22 December) | USD 2,750 (1 July–30 September, 23 December–4 January) | Mara Triangle safaris, meals, most drinks, VAT and levies | Park fees and USD 20 foundation contribution extra |
Enchoro’s own page also gives different season dates, so confirm them when you book. Julia’s River Camp prints only high-season rates and says to deduct 10% in the low season. Natural World prints no year beside its prices. Camps appear here as examples of published prices, not recommendations.
What does everyone pay, whatever the safari style?
Park fee. Non-resident adults pay USD 100 per person from 1 January to 30 June and USD 200 from 1 July to 31 December; children aged 9 to 17 pay USD 50 in both seasons, and children aged 8 and under enter free, as set by Narok County. The ticket is valid from 6.00 am to 6.00 pm whatever time you enter, and it does not carry overnight. If you stay inside the Reserve, you do not pay again on your departure day if you are out by 11.00 am and do not game drive; when the 12-hour ticket started in July 2023, the cut-off was 10.00 am.
So a stay of three nights with daily game drives usually means three park tickets: the arrival day and each full day. Basecamp Masai Mara’s rate sheet says the same: the Reserve fee is payable for all nights.
Conservancy fees. In a private conservancy you pay a nightly conservancy fee instead of, or as well as, the park fee. Naboisho charges USD 130 per adult and USD 65 per child per night, billed on top of the camp rate; Olare Motorogi charges USD 130 per adult. Mara North figures differ: camps quote USD 130 or USD 150 per adult per night (children USD 65–75), and the newest sheet (August 2026) shows USD 150, so confirm with your camp. Some camps, such as Porini, include the conservancy fee in their rates.
Community or bed-night charges. Camps inside the Main Reserve may add a nightly Narok County bed-night or community charge of USD 40–80 per adult, on top of the park fee; the amount differs between camps, so ask your camp. Governors’ Camp lists USD 50 per person per night, Julia’s River Camp USD 80 per adult and Sentinel Mara USD 40 per adult.
Kenya eTA. Most visitors need a Kenya eTA, from USD 30, which you apply for at etakenya.go.ke; most African nationals have been exempt since 30 May 2025 (our eTA guide).
Why is a Maasai Mara safari so expensive?
The fee doubles in the high season. The park fee rises from USD 100 to USD 200 per adult per day on 1 July, so a three-day stay costs USD 300 more in park fees from July to December than from January to June.
Camps charge per night, all-inclusive. Most published rates include meals, game drives and often drinks, so a nightly rate covers more than a hotel room. Many 2026 rate sheets say tax is included: Sentinel Mara and Julia’s River Camp include 16% VAT and the 2% levy, and Kandili, Angama Mara, Governors’ Camp, Basecamp and the Saruni camps say VAT or taxes are included. If a sheet says nothing about tax, ask.
Conservancy fees are nightly. At USD 130 per adult per night in Naboisho and Olare Motorogi, three nights add USD 390 per person where the fee is not included; Kandili’s sheet lists USD 50 a day for Leopard Gorge. Some camps add further contributions: the Angama Foundation USD 20 per guest per night, Porini’s Wildlife Habitat Trust and Naboisho’s reserve fund USD 5 each.
Flights. A return light-aircraft flight from Nairobi Wilson costs USD 370 plus a USD 40 fuel surcharge with Mombasa Air Safari, USD 420–434 with Governors’ Aviation and USD 425 plus taxes with Safarilink (2026 fares).
How much can you save in the low season?
The same camp can cost less than half as much outside the peak. Governors’ Camp charges USD 453 per person per night from 1 April to 31 May and USD 998 from 1 July to 31 October. Kandili charges USD 240 full board in its green season against USD 390 in the peak, and Saruni Mara USD 500 against USD 900. Natural World’s three-day group safari costs USD 795 in April and May against USD 1,200 from mid-June to September.
Watch the dates, because camp seasons and the park fee season do not always match. Basecamp Masai Mara charges its mid-season rate of USD 300 in October, but the park fee is already USD 200 from 1 July. In June, many camps charge less than in July while the park fee is still USD 100; the Mara Conservancy reported record June 2025 visitor numbers as people came before the 1 July increase. See our month-by-month guide for crowds, rain and the migration.
Is it cheaper to drive or fly to the Mara?
By road, the lowest published complete trips are packages with fees included: Talek Bush Camp’s private three-day package at USD 700 per person (January–June) or USD 950 (July–December) for two people sharing, including “all fees & entry tickets”, and Natural World’s shared group safari at USD 795–1,200 per person for three days with park fees included.
We found no dated published rate for hiring a private safari vehicle with a driver from Nairobi, so ask for a written quote that covers fuel, the driver’s costs and park fees for the vehicle and driver. Narok County charges each vehicle its own daily entry fee: KSh 1,000 for under 6 seats and KSh 1,500 for 6–12 seats. If you drive yourself, budget for fuel at the current pump price: EPRA, the energy regulator, sets maximum prices and revises them every month.
By air, add a return flight to your camp’s rate: Mombasa Air Safari charges USD 370 plus a USD 40 fuel surcharge, Governors’ Aviation USD 420–434 and Safarilink USD 425 plus USD 11–15 tax per sector. The flight replaces a drive of about 5–7 hours each way, depending on the gate and traffic. See our guides to flights and the road from Nairobi.
Main Reserve or a conservancy: how do the costs differ?
In the Main Reserve and the Mara Triangle you pay the park fee for each 12-hour visit. In a conservancy you pay a nightly conservancy fee, and you pay the park fee only on days you drive into the Reserve: Porini, for example, lists Reserve visits as extra.
Conservancy camps often include more in their rates. Night drives are not allowed in the Main Reserve, so they are run by conservancy camps: Kandili sells one at USD 80 per person, and it is included at Porini, Kicheche Valley, Saruni Mara, Basecamp Wilderness, Naboisho Camp and Encounter Mara. Naboisho takes no day visitors at all: you reach it only through its member camps.
Example budget: a shared group safari by road
Three days and two nights by road from Nairobi, per person sharing, economy camp. Park fees are included in the package.
| Line | 1 April–31 May | 16 June–30 September |
|---|---|---|
| Group safari package, park fees included | USD 795 | USD 1,200 |
| Kenya eTA (most non-African visitors) | USD 30 | USD 30 |
| Total per person | USD 825 | USD 1,230 |
| Couple (2 × total) | USD 1,650 | USD 2,460 |
| Solo traveller (add the single-room extra) | USD 70 extra: USD 895 | USD 150 extra: USD 1,380 |
Other seasons from the same price list: USD 840 (3 January–31 March and 1–15 June), so USD 870 with the eTA; USD 1,065 (1 October–22 December), so USD 1,095. Drinks and tips are extra.
Example budget: three nights at a mid-range camp, by air
Three nights at Basecamp Masai Mara on the Talek River, with meals and shared game drives, a return Safarilink flight and three park tickets, per person sharing.
| Line | March–May | October | July–September |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camp, 3 nights (USD 300 / 300 / 500 a night) | USD 900 | USD 900 | USD 1,500 |
| Park fee, 3 days (USD 100 / 200 / 200 a day) | USD 300 | USD 600 | USD 600 |
| Safarilink Wilson–Mara return | USD 425 | USD 425 | USD 425 |
| Total per person | USD 1,625 | USD 1,925 | USD 2,525 |
Add Safarilink’s domestic tax of USD 11–15 per sector. In October the camp charges its mid-season rate, but the park fee is already USD 200. June costs the same as March–May here: camp USD 300 a night, park fee USD 100 a day.
Example budget: a conservancy camp, by air
Two ways to stay in a conservancy, per person sharing: an all-in fly-in package that includes the flight and conservancy fees, or three nights booked separately with the conservancy fee added.
| Line | Regular or low season | Peak season |
|---|---|---|
| Option A: Porini Mara Camp 2-night fly-in package (flight, game package, conservancy fees) | USD 1,890 (June, 1 November–19 December) | USD 2,760 (1 July–30 September, one Reserve day included) |
| Kenya eTA | USD 30 | USD 30 |
| Option A total | USD 1,920 | USD 2,790 |
| Option B: Kicheche Bush Camp, 3 nights (USD 765 / 1,095 a night) | USD 2,295 (1 November–19 December) | USD 3,285 (1 July–31 October) |
| Olare Motorogi conservancy fee, 3 nights × USD 130 | USD 390 | USD 390 |
| Safarilink Wilson–Mara return | USD 425 | USD 425 |
| Kenya eTA | USD 30 | USD 30 |
| Option B total | USD 3,140 | USD 4,130 |
Porini’s package costs USD 2,560 in October (USD 2,590 with the eTA). A day in the Reserve from Option B adds the park fee: USD 200 per adult in both columns, so USD 3,340 or USD 4,330. Add Safarilink’s domestic tax of USD 11–15 per sector to Option B.
Example budget: a luxury camp inside the Reserve
Three nights at Governors’ Camp, with its community fee, three park tickets and a return flight on Governors’ Aviation, per person sharing.
| Line | 1 April–31 May | 1 July–31 October |
|---|---|---|
| Camp, 3 nights (USD 453 / 998 a night) | USD 1,359 | USD 2,994 |
| Community fee, 3 nights × USD 50 | USD 150 | USD 150 |
| Park fee, 3 days (USD 100 / 200 a day) | USD 300 | USD 600 |
| Governors’ Aviation Nairobi–Mara return | USD 420 | USD 434 |
| Total per person | USD 2,229 | USD 4,178 |
| Solo traveller: single supplement 3 × USD 250 (July–October only) | None listed | USD 750 extra: USD 4,928 |
Governors’ Aviation’s fares are recommended selling rates, before any fuel surcharge or taxes. The same three nights cost USD 1,949 more per person from July to October than in April and May. A balloon flight adds USD 500 in April–May or USD 590 in July–October (see extras below).
Example budget: Kenyan citizens and residents
Two nights at Mara Serena Safari Lodge in the Mara Triangle on its East African resident package (full board and two game drives a day), plus two days of Mara Triangle fees, per person. Proof of residency is required.
| Line | 2 January–30 June | 1 July–30 September | 1 October–22 December |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lodge: first night + extra night | KSh 32,500 + 28,500 = KSh 61,000 | KSh 43,800 + 39,800 = KSh 83,600 | KSh 35,550 + 31,550 = KSh 67,100 |
| Mara Triangle fee, Kenyan citizen, 2 days (KSh 1,500 / 3,000 a day) | KSh 3,000 | KSh 6,000 | KSh 6,000 |
| Total, Kenyan citizen | KSh 64,000 | KSh 89,600 | KSh 73,100 |
| Total, East African resident (fee KSh 2,500 / 5,000 a day) | KSh 66,000 | KSh 93,600 | KSh 77,100 |
On a tighter budget: two nights in a double tent at Enchoro Wildlife Camp by Oloolaimutia Gate cost KSh 28,000 at its resident low-season rate (KSh 14,000 a night), and the park fee for two Kenyan citizens for two days is KSh 6,000 in March–June, when both are in the low season: KSh 34,000 per couple before game drives. Enchoro’s own vehicle costs USD 230 a day, which is KSh 29,879.30 at the Central Bank of Kenya rate of 9 October 2026 (KSh 129.91 per US dollar). Enchoro’s page gives two sets of season dates, so check them when you book.
To avoid paying the Mara Triangle fee again on your departure day, leave through Mara Bridge by 9.30 am.
Which extras should you budget for?
Balloon flight. Governors’ Balloon Safaris publishes USD 400 per adult in April and May, USD 430 in January–March, June and 1 November–15 December, and USD 490 in July–October and 16–31 December. On top come the Narok County landing fee of USD 80 per adult, a USD 20 community levy, and USD 5 for medical-evacuation cover if you have none.
Maasai village visit. Camps sell visits from USD 20 per adult at Kandili to USD 85 at Elewana. USD 30 is the most common price, charged at Kicheche, Naboisho Camp, Encounter Mara, Basecamp Masai Mara, Basecamp Wilderness, Saruni Eagle View and Offbeat Mara.
Bush meals and drives. Governors’ Camp adds USD 80 for a bush breakfast; Kandili sells bush meals at USD 40 per adult outside the peak. Extra game drives cost USD 50–100 per person at Kandili (half or full day) and USD 75–150 at Mara West.
A private vehicle. Camps publish exclusive-vehicle supplements per vehicle per day: Offbeat Mara USD 300, Porini USD 375, Basecamp and Saruni camps USD 400, Governors’ Camp USD 385 or USD 512 depending on the season, and Angama Mara USD 400 or USD 800 for a full day.
Single supplements, card fees and tips
Travelling alone. Single supplements vary: Kandili adds USD 100 a night, Kicheche Bush USD 185–295, and Governors’ Camp USD 250 from July to October and over Christmas (21–31 December). Basecamp Masai Mara charges no single supplement in its low season.
Paying by card. Sentinel Mara Camp publishes a surcharge of 3.3% for Visa and Mastercard and 4.2% for American Express, and Kandili’s terms say the payer covers card charges. Ask each camp before you pay.
Tips. Check whether your quote includes tips: Natural World’s group safari, for example, excludes them. The range most often published for a driver-guide is USD 10–20 per guest per day; see our Maasai Mara tipping guide for the camp tip box and everyone else.
How can you cut the cost of a Maasai Mara safari?
- Travel between January and June, when the park fee is USD 100 per adult per day instead of USD 200.
- Pick a camp’s green or low season: Governors’ Camp in April–May, Basecamp Masai Mara or Saruni Mara in March–May and November, Kandili from 1 April to 14 June and from 1 November to 22 December.
- Choose a package that includes fees, such as a conservancy fly-in package with conservancy fees, or a group safari with park fees, so there are no surprises.
- Share a vehicle: camps charge USD 300 or more per vehicle per day for exclusive use.
- Count the park-fee days: leaving by 11.00 am on your last day without a game drive saves a ticket.
What to ask before you pay
- How many park-fee days does the quote include, and is the departure day counted?
- Is the conservancy fee included, or added per night?
- Does the camp add a Narok County community or bed-night fee?
- Are VAT (16%) and the 2% levy included in the rate?
- Is there a card surcharge, a single supplement or a minimum stay?
- What are the child age bands, and are airstrip transfers included?
More help planning your Maasai Mara safari
- Plan your Maasai Mara safari – the step-by-step guide
- Maasai Mara park fees – rates for every visitor and season
- Best time to visit the Maasai Mara – migration, rain and crowds month by month
- Flights to the Maasai Mara – airlines, times, fares and baggage
- Nairobi to the Maasai Mara by road – route, drive times and gates
- Maasai Mara tipping – how much to tip guides and camp staff
- Where to stay in the Maasai Mara – camps and lodges
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