5-day Lake Naivasha and Maasai Mara Safari Tour
- Adult
- Child
In this circular safari in Kenya we will visit two of the most beautiful places in the country: Lake Naivasha and the Maasai Mara.
Where will we go during our 5-day Kenya safari?
In this safari in Kenya we will visit Lake Naivasha and the Masai Mara. We will spend a night in a lodge in front of Lake Naivasha, and then go to the Masai Mara where we will stay in an eco-sustainable lodge run by Maasai people who dedicate their profits to the community. We will see how it is a more traditional safari on Lake Naivasha and how it is a safari in Maasai land, much more adventurous, less touristy and closer to the local communities that inhabit the territory.
Advantages of doing a safari in a Conservation Area in the Masai Mara.
The safari in the Maasai Mara will take place in a conservation area with much less tourists than in the National Reserve. There is the possibility to mix and do a full day safari in the Mara National Reserve, but it is advisable to extend the stay a little longer (minimum one more night) to be able to go to the Reserve.
The Maasai Mara is divided into conservation areas and a National Reserve where most of the tourism is concentrated. If you are looking to do an animal friendly safari, without thousands of cars around the lions, or racing to see who gets the best position to take a picture, if you are looking for this, then you will like doing the safari in the Lemek Conservation Area much better. During the safari you will be able to see animals in freedom, you will be able to leave the roads, cross the savannah and get closer to the animals without having to comply with the strict rules of the Reserve. If we see a lion 100 meters away, our Maasai guide can approach it, even if there is no track approaching it. The explanation is very simple. The Masai still live in the Conservation Area, they are the “owners of the land” (that is why it is called Masái Mara, land of the Masai). The Masai can move freely in the area, so they can leave the roads to look for animals in the wild.
Who is your guide during your 5-day safari in Masai Mara and Lake Naivasha?
Your guide is a recognized Maasai, who is an official guide for National Geographic in the Maasai Mara. He is perhaps the best guide in the world that we have had in Trip to Help, and surely the best guide you can have in the Maasai Mara. His personal story, from when he was a child and dreamed of doing something with tourism to be able to help his community, how he became a Maasai leader, and how he is now a reference throughout the country.
If you want a documentary recommendation where he appears and was the guide of the photographers, you can watch on Netflix: Tales by light (season 2).
This is William, your guide during the safari and official National Geographic guide in the Maasai Mara.
During the safari in Lake Naivasha, your guide will be one of the massis who work for him in the same NGO dedicated to responsible tourism.
5-day safari tour in Lake Naivasha & Masai Mara
We will start the safari from Nairobi where we will be picked up early in the morning for our first safari at Lake Naivasha. That same day we will make a first safari around the lake. At sunset, we will go to our accommodation overlooking the lake.
The next day, we will continue the safari, do some morning game viewing and start the trek to the Masai Mara, arriving before sunset. If we arrive in time we will be able to see the first sunset in the Masai Mara. A truly unique experience and highly recommended.
Sunset in the Masai Mara. Photo Trip to Help.
We will spend two days in the Masai Day, where we will visit a Rhinoceros sanctuary, guarded by poaching. But perhaps one of the star activities that you will not forget is the lunch in the middle of the savannah, with no one around us, only nature. Not to be confused with the meals that take place in areas inside the parks. We are talking about something similar to a picnic in the middle of nature, us and the Maasai.
Lunch in the middle of the Masai Mara. With no one else.
Prices 5-day safari in Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara
The price of the Kenya safari starts at 1,975 euros per person sharing a room (traveling as a couple). If you travel in high season (from July 1, 2024 to September 30, 2024), the price is 2,150 euros per person. From October 1st, the price is 1,995 euros per person. If you want to travel during Christmas, please consult final price.
Duration
5 Days
Language
English
Included
- Full board accommodation
- Private Guide / Driver with 4x4
- Mineral water
- Kenyan Government fees for staying in a Conservation Area
- Transfers from and to the airport
Excluded
- Flights
- Visa Costs
- Activities not included
- Drinks, tips and other personal costs
Itinerary 5-day Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara Safari
Nairobi - Lake Naivasha
Today our guide will pick us up at the hotel or Nairobi Airport for our first day of safari on Lake Naivasha. Lake Naivasha is at about 1,800 meters above sea level in the highest area of the Rift Valley. It is a 139 km² lake where you can see a wide variety of wildlife, especially birds and a significant population of hippos. At sunset, we will go to an accommodation with views of the same logo, where we will have dinner and spend the night.
- Dinner
Towards Masai Mara,
Today we head towards Masai Mara, during the journey of several hours we will cross the Rift Valley and continue enjoying the wonderful views. We will arrive at our accommodation in the Maasai Mara around noon, where we will eat and prepare for the first experience in the Maasai Mara. After lunch we will go on a first afternoon safari to get to know the area and see the first animals in the wild.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Full Day Safari in Maasai Mara
Today we will spend the entire day going on a safari through the Maasai Mara. Specifically, we will be in a conservation area within the Maasai Mara, a much quieter area, without so many tourists. The Maasai Mara is divided into several conservation areas and a National Reserve. In the conservation areas, the Maasai live together with animals in the wild. In the National Reserve, the Maasai were expelled and it is where all the tour operators are concentrated. It is just where there are more accommodations and therefore where you see the unfortunate images of several cars surrounding a predator. There are studies that say that animals are migrating to areas with less tourist pressure such as the Maasai Mara Conservation Areas. Our Maasai guide will take us to see the largest predators in the world such as lions, which we can see up close, we can get closer and see the animals in more detail than in the Mara National Reserve, where I don't know how to leave the path marked by government. To eat, we will go to the restaurant with the best views in the world, in the middle of the savannah, under a tree, and surrounded by nature. In fact, it is not a restaurant itself, it is a place where we have permission to eat. The lodge's cooks will be waiting for us with freshly cooked food. Plus we will be alone, there is no other tour operator that stops to eat there. After eating at that wonderful place, we will continue with our safari through the Maasai Mara.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Rhino Sanctuary in Maasai Mara
On our fourth day of safari in Kenya we will visit a Rhino Sanctuary. We will be able to see them up close, while the guards will explain to us why they are monitoring this pair of endangered rhinos 24/365. The journey itself is already a safari since we are in the same Masai Mara. We will return to the lodge to eat and rest a little. We will be able to play with the boys and girls who are at the school that the NGO has in the same premises and then we will go out again to take the safari during the sunset. They say that the best photos and the most beautiful landscapes are when the sun goes down. Well, that's when we will go out to take photos, watch the sunset from a privileged place with a beer in hand. At night, in the middle of the savannah, we will return to the lodge to have dinner and go to bed.
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Maasai Mara --> Nairobi
On the last day of the safari in Kenya, we will get up very early to go on a walking safari through the savannah. We will see how the sun rises, we will cross several towns until we reach an area where they will wait for us with breakfast. After breakfast, we will return to the lodge to collect our things and go to Nairobi by car. There is the option of returning by plane, it is a little more expensive, but it allows you to see the Maasai Mara from the sky and is much faster than the car.
- Breakfast
Terms and Conditions 5-day Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara Safari
This price is based on a trip of 2 people in low season.
This price is subject to variations. Contact us to have a definitive quote on the days you plan to travel.
The order of activities in the Maasai Mara may vary, with all of the activities described being equally