Masai Mara Safari 3 Days from Nairobi & Maasai Village

Three Days Chasing Wildlife Across Masai Mara's Northern Border

You get picked up from your Nairobi hotel, driven to Masai Mara with a Rift Valley stop, and spend two full days and one afternoon on game drives inside the reserve with a knowledgeable guide. Accommodation is in a tented camp with private facilities, meals are included, and you can add optional visits to Maasai villages on days two and three. The return drive to Nairobi happens on the morning of day three, with lunch included on the way back.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1: Travel Nairobi to Masai Mara

• Pick up from hotel early morning
• Depart Nairobi at 8:30 am
• Stop at Great Rift Valley viewpoint
• Continue via Narok Town
• Arrive Masai Mara around 1:30 pm
• Check into camp and have lunch
• Late afternoon game drive until 6:30 pm
• Dinner and overnight at tented camp

Day 2: Full day game drive Masai Mara

• Early breakfast at camp
• Full day exploring Masai Mara
• Visit Mara River for wildlife viewing
• Picnic lunch by the river
• Optional walking safari to Maasai village
• Dinner and overnight at camp

Day 3: Masai Mara to Nairobi return

• Breakfast at camp
• Optional visit to Maasai village
• Check out at 9:00 am
• Drive back to Nairobi with lunch stop
• Arrive Nairobi around 3:30 pm
• Drop off at hotel

The experience

The engine cuts off and the silence hits you first. No hum, no road noise. Just the sound of the savanna breathing around you. That's when you notice the dust settling on the windscreen, the acacia trees standing alone against the horizon, and somewhere out there, the animals you came to find. A 3-day game drive safari from Nairobi to Masai Mara National Reserve starts early (pickup from your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 in the morning), and by 8:30 you're already moving toward the Great Rift Valley. The drive itself is part of it: you stop at the viewpoint, see the valley drop away beneath you, take the photos that actually look like the place, and then keep going through Narok Town until the landscape opens up and you're inside the reserve by early afternoon.

The first afternoon is a late game drive that runs until the park closes at 6:30 pm. You've just checked into a permanent tented camp with a real bathroom and toilet (not glamping theater, just a solid place to sleep), and you're already out looking. Day two is the full day: early breakfast, a picnic lunch you'll eat by the Mara River at the border with the Serengeti, and hours of driving through country where you'll see the concentration of animals that makes this place different from everywhere else. The guides here work for Axis Africa Safaris, and they know the reserve well enough to read the landscape, where the herds move, where the predators hunt, what the birds are doing. In the evening you can add a walking safari to a Maasai village if you want, though it costs extra (around $10 to $20, paid directly at the village) and it's optional, so you're not locked into it.

The third morning you check out around 9:00 am. There's another optional cultural visit to a traditional Maasai village (same deal, $20 per person, paid on site), where you can watch beadwork, learn about their way of living, and join in if there's a dance happening. Then it's the drive back to Nairobi with a lunch stop, arriving at your hotel around 3:30 pm. The whole thing is built around hotel pickup and drop-off, so you're not arranging transport to the starting point or figuring out how to get home at the end. Infants sit on an adult's lap, and the itinerary works for most fitness levels since you're mostly sitting in a vehicle and walking short distances around camp.

What’s included

Your three days include hotel pickup and drop-off in Nairobi, entry to Masai Mara National Reserve, a stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint on the drive in, two nights in a tented camp with private bathroom facilities, all meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner), and game drives on the afternoon of day one, the full day two, and the morning of day three. Optional Maasai village visits on day two evening and day three morning cost extra ($10–$20 and $20 per person respectively) and are paid directly at the village.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 08:00Last departure this season: 31 Dec

AgesAdult (15 and older) · Child (4 to 14 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 8

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 5 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by AXIS AFRICA SAFARIS

Is this one for you?Book this if you want the main Masai Mara experience in three days without arranging your own transport, park permits, or camp bookings: the fixed itinerary and hotel pickup handle all of that, leaving you to focus on the wildlife and the landscape.

Traveler reviews

4.94★★★★★★★★★★

575 verified traveler reviews

5 ★546

4 ★23

3 ★4

2 ★2

1 ★0

Read all the reviews ›

Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 14 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the safari start from Nairobi?

Hotel pickup is between 7:00 and 7:30 am, and the drive to Masai Mara begins at 8:30 am.

What's included in the 3-day safari?

Hotel pickup and drop-off, park entry, accommodation in a tented camp with bathroom and toilet, meals, and game drives. Optional Maasai village visits cost extra ($10–$20 or $20 per person, paid at the village).

How long is the drive from Nairobi to Masai Mara?

Around 5 hours, with a stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. You arrive at the reserve by approximately 1:30 pm on day one.

Can I visit a Maasai village?

Yes, there are optional walking safaris to traditional Maasai villages on day two evening and day three morning. Both cost extra and are paid directly at the village.

What type of accommodation is provided?

A permanent tented camp with inbuilt bathroom and toilet facilities.

What happens on day two?

A full day of game driving inside Masai Mara, including a visit to the Mara River at the Serengeti border where lunch is served. An optional evening walking safari to a Maasai village is available.

When do I return to Nairobi?

On the morning of day three, after breakfast and an optional Maasai village visit. You arrive back at your hotel around 3:30 pm, with lunch included on the drive back.