5-Day Masai Mara Safari: Itinerary and Price

Entice Africa October 9, 2026Safari Packages | Booking | Entice Business Insights

A 5-day Masai Mara safari from Nairobi gives you four nights in the reserve and three full days of game drives, with the road from Nairobi taking up much of days 1 and 5. Our private version, the 5 days Masai Mara Migration Safari, starts from USD 2,750 per person, two sharing, and the final price depends on season, group size and lodge choice. It works well as a first Mara trip, as long as you choose your months with the wildebeest migration in mind.

Below: the day-by-day plan, what the price covers, what the migration means for your dates and how five days compares with three or seven.

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The 5-day Masai Mara safari at a glance

Day-by-day: your 5-day Masai Mara itinerary

This is the plan on our trip page. Because the vehicle and guide are yours alone, your guide can adjust each day to the animals and the weather.

Day 1: Nairobi to the Masai Mara

We collect you from your Nairobi hotel or the airport and drive through the Great Rift Valley, stopping at a viewpoint over the escarpment. The road is about 260 km and takes 5 to 6 hours with a break, on tarmac for most of the way, then bumpy tracks to camp. You reach camp for lunch, then head out on an evening game drive before dinner. Treat day 1 as a travel day with a bonus drive.

Days 2 to 4: Three full days in the Mara

Each day is a full-day game drive with a picnic lunch, so you can stay out through the middle of the day. One sensible way to spread them:

• A river day. Spend it along the Mara River, where crossings happen in season and hippos and crocodiles live all year.
• A plains day. The open grassland is where you look for lions, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes and herds of topi, hartebeest and eland.
• A flexible day. Go back to the best sighting of the trip, add a dawn balloon flight or visit a Maasai village.

Be realistic about the Big Five: lion, elephant and buffalo are likely, a leopard takes patience, and rhino are rare in the Mara. If rhino matter to you, add Lake Nakuru, as the 7-day option compared below does.

The optional balloon flight costs USD 550 per person. You leave camp around 5 am, spend about an hour over the plains at sunrise and usually land to a bush breakfast. Flights depend on the weather and the operator sets a minimum age, so mention the balloon when you ask for your quote. The balloon flight is not in the base price, and neither is a Maasai village visit.

Day 5: Back to Nairobi

You start with an early game drive, return to camp for breakfast and check out, then drive to Nairobi and are dropped at the airport. The drive takes 5 to 6 hours or more and city traffic can add to it, so book an evening flight rather than an afternoon one, and tell us your flight time before you buy tickets. Day 5 is breakfast only, so plan lunch on the road.

What a 5-day Masai Mara safari costs

Our 5 days Masai Mara Migration Safari is priced from USD 2,750 per person, two sharing. Treat that as a starting point: on the trip page it is the lowest rate, which applies from April to June, before the herds usually arrive. July to October, the main migration months, costs more. The exact figure depends on your dates, group size and camp, and your quote shows it.

What the price covers

• Four nights’ accommodation in the Mara, with full board on days 1 to 4 and breakfast on day 5
• A private safari Land Cruiser with a professional driver-guide, and unlimited game drives
• Park entrance fees and bottled water on game drives
• Pickup from your Nairobi hotel or the airport, and airport drop-off on day 5

What it does not cover

• International flights, your Kenya eTA and travel insurance
• Nairobi hotel nights before or after the safari
• Tips, personal items, and the balloon flight and Maasai village visit

Your quote lists every item. If another quote looks much cheaper, check whether park fees are in it, whether the vehicle is private or shared, which meals are covered and where the camp sits.

When to go: the migration, honestly

Our trip page describes this safari as timed for the wildebeest migration, but the herds are only in Kenya for part of the year. Magical Kenya, the official Kenya tourism site, puts the most dramatic part of the migration at July to October, when the herds cross the Mara River into the Maasai Mara. The operator Wild Voyager rates August and September as the most reliable months for crossings. Timing follows the rains, so it shifts from year to year.

No operator can promise a crossing on a given day. Herds often gather at the bank and then turn away, so a good guide positions you at the river over several days. For a month-by-month view, see our Great Migration safari guide.

Three full days gives you more than one try at the river between July and October, but a crossing is never certain. If crossings are your main reason for coming, tell us and keep your dates flexible.

Is 5 days the right length? Compare 3, 5 and 7 days

Each price is the “from” figure on that trip’s page, per person. The 7-day figure is a triple-room rate, so two people sharing a double room pay more, and the three are not like for like on dates or room basis. The nights column matters most: the 5-day trip spends four nights in the Mara, against two on the 3-day trip and three on the 7-day trip, which uses the rest of its week at Lake Nakuru and Amboseli.

A “5 day Kenya safari” can also mean several parks in five days, which is how some operators sell it. This one stays in the Mara, so your time goes on game drives, not transfers.

Safaris that fit this guide

9-Day Migration Majesty SafariAmboseli, Nakuru and the Mara in migration season9 days · from $6,530 ppView trip →7-Day Masai Mara Migration SafariRiver crossings season, by road7 days · from $4,900 ppView trip →5-Day Masai Mara Migration SafariMore time with the herds in the Mara5 days · from $2,750 ppView trip →

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Getting there and what to arrange before you fly

Drive or fly to the Mara

The itinerary above is by road. We quote about 260 km and 5 to 6 hours, though TourRadar puts it at roughly 306 km and 6 to 7 hours. The figure varies with the route, your camp and your stops, so plan on a full day on the road. A flight from Wilson Airport takes 30 minutes to an hour in the air (TourRadar says 30 to 45 minutes, our trip pages say about an hour). It saves hours at each end and costs more, and light aircraft usually limit luggage to about 15 kg per person in soft bags. Ask us for a fly-in quote if you prefer.

Entry rules, health and travel advice

Most foreign visitors need an approved Kenya eTA before they arrive, one for each traveler. Apply only through the official site, etakenya.go.ke, or its official app. At the time of writing the site says normal processing starts at USD 30 and is generally processed within three business days, and expedited processing costs an extra USD 100. Apply well before you fly. Your passport needs at least six months of validity and one blank page. Fees and rules change, so check the site before you pay.

For health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports malaria risk in all areas of Kenya below 2,500 meters, including game parks, and recommends prescription medicine for travelers going to those areas. It also recommends yellow fever vaccination for most travelers aged nine months and older, with exceptions such as trips limited to Nairobi. Talk to your doctor or a travel clinic well before you fly, and check your government’s current travel and health advice for Kenya, such as the UK Foreign Office advice or the US State Department’s advisory. Health notices and screening rules can change at short notice, so check again just before you travel. Consider a night in Nairobi before pickup so you do not start a 5-hour drive straight off a long flight.

Related safari guides

• Masai Mara Safari Packages 2027: 3, 5 and 7-Day Private Options
• Masai Mara Safari Cost 2027: What a Private Trip Really Costs
• Amboseli and Masai Mara in 5 or 6 Days: Drive or Fly?

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 5-day Masai Mara safari cost?

Our private 5-day safari is priced from USD 2,750 per person, two sharing. That is the lowest-season rate, so July to October costs more, and the final price depends on season, group size and lodge choice. Park entrance fees are included; flights, your eTA, tips and optional extras are not.

Is 5 days enough for the Masai Mara?

For most first-time visitors, yes: four nights in the reserve and three full days of game drives, with long drives on days 1 and 5. If you also want Lake Nakuru or Amboseli, a 7-day trip fits better.

Will I see the Great Migration on a 5-day safari?

Only if you travel when the herds are in the Mara, mainly July to October, and even then a crossing comes down to timing and luck. Three full days improves your chances without making them certain.

What is the best month for a 5-day Masai Mara safari?

For crossings, August and September are the most reliable months, with July and October possible but less certain. April to June has the lowest rates. Our guide to the best time to visit Kenya compares the months across the country.

Is the safari private?

Yes. Every Entice safari is private, with your own 4×4 vehicle and guide. Tell us how many people are traveling and we price the trip for your group.