Private Game Drive Maasai Mara: Full day with local guide

A full day hunting the Big Five and the Mara River on your own schedule

A private full-day game drive in Maasai Mara National Reserve with a local guide and driver, hotel pickup and picnic lunch included. You travel in your own Landcruiser with no other guests, set your own pace at each stop, and visit the Mara River where hippos and crocodiles rest on the banks. Park entrance fees are separate.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time at each

1. Masai Mara National Reserve8h
2. Mara River2h

Full day private game drive in Maasai Mara

• 6 AM pick up from hotel or lodge
• Drive and game drive with local guide
• 11 AM arrive at Mara river banks
• Optional guided walk along river bank
• 12 PM picnic lunch at designated spot
• 3 PM drive back to lodge or airstrip

The experience

Eight to ten hours is what a full day in Maasai Mara takes, and it starts at 6 AM when your driver-guide collects you from your lodge. You ride in a private Landcruiser: no strangers from another hotel, no shared stops, no rushing through a schedule built for a group. The guide is local, trained and speaks English, and knows where the animals move through the reserve at each hour.

By 11 AM you reach the Mara River, where hippos and crocodiles bask on the banks and wildlife comes to drink. A park ranger leads an optional guided walk along the riverbank if you want to step out and look closer. At noon you stop under designated trees for a picnic lunch you've arranged with your lodge, eaten in the open with the guide watching for movement around you. The Maasai Mara holds Africa's Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard, rhino) plus cheetahs, giraffes, zebras and more, and the reserve is the only protected area in Kenya with an indigenous black rhino population.

The drive back to your camp starts at 3 PM, or the guide can drop you at the airstrip instead at no extra cost. Bottled water travels with you all day. Because you're paying for the full day rather than by the hour, you set the rhythm: linger where animals gather, skip what doesn't interest you, ask the guide to circle back.

What’s included

• Private Landcruiser transport with a local English-speaking guide and driver.
• hotel or lodge pickup and drop-off (or airstrip delivery at no extra cost).
• bottled water throughout the day.
• picnic lunch in the reserve (pre-ordered from your accommodation).

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 05:00, the last at 13:00

Book up to3h before

AgesAdult (12 and older) · Child (3 to 11 years) · Infant (under 3)

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup is optional; you can also go straight to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Paid on siteUS$ 100

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Easy physical level

Operated by Perfect Safaris

Is this one for you?The guide speaks English, so you follow the commentary without translation. A private vehicle means you move at your own pace and don't wait for other guests to finish at each stop.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (3 to 11 years); Infant (under 3).

What animals am I most likely to see on a game drive in Maasai Mara?

The Big Five (lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and black rhino) live in the reserve, along with cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, hippos and crocodiles. The Mara River is where you'll spot hippos and crocodiles resting on the banks, and where other wildlife comes to drink.

How does the Mara River visit work during the game drive?

You reach the river by 11 AM and stop for viewing. A park ranger offers a guided walk along the riverbank if you want to step out and look closer, then you move on to your picnic lunch spot.

What's included in the full-day price, and what costs extra?

Hotel pickup, transport in the Landcruiser, bottled water, picnic lunch and drop-off to your lodge or the airstrip are all included. Park entrance fees are separate: USD 100 per person from January to June, USD 200 per person from July to December. Tips to the guide are optional.

Can I arrange the picnic lunch, or does the operator provide it?

You pre-order lunch from your hotel or lodge before the drive, and the guide stops at a designated spot in the reserve to eat it with you.

Is this tour suitable if I'm not in great physical shape?

Yes, the drive is suitable for all physical fitness levels. You spend most of the day in the vehicle, and the optional guided walk at the river is short and at your own pace.