4 Days Masai Mara Lake Naivasha Safari – 2026 Prices and Itinerary
4 Days Masai Mara Lake Naivasha Safari: Two nights in the Mara, one at Naivasha. Three game drives minimum. KES 175,000–585,000 for Kenyans, USD 1,650–5,450 for international visitors. Best months are January-March or September.
What’s in the Price
Tier | Lodges (Mara + Naivasha) | Starting From (KSH / USD) |
Budget | Jambo Mara + Naivasha Sopa | KSH 175,000 / $1,650 |
Mid-Range | Sentrim Mara + Enashipai | KSH 235,000 / $2,150 |
Luxury | Mara Serena + Great Rift Valley | KSH 345,000 / $3,150 |
Premium | Angama Mara + Loldia House | KSH 585,000 / $5,450 |
Private 4×4 Land Cruiser with pop-up roof for all 4 days. Driver-guide. Fuel. Full board at all stops – breakfast, lunch, dinner. Masai Mara park fees for 2 days. Bottled water. AMREF evacuation coverage.
What you pay separately: Lake Naivasha activities (boat ride runs KES 3,000-4,000 per boat, Crescent Island is USD 33, Hell’s Gate USD 26). Tips – figure USD 20-25/day for guide and staff. Drinks. Insurance. The usual.
Balloon safari if you want it: USD 450-550. Maasai village visit: USD 20-30.
2026 Prices {#prices}
Two people sharing. Per person for the entire trip.
Kenyan Citizens (KSH per person)
Where | Low Season | Peak | |
Budget | Jambo Mara (2n) + Naivasha Sopa | 175,000 | 245,000 |
Mid | Sentrim Mara (2n) + Enashipai | 235,000 | 325,000 |
Luxury | Mara Serena (2n) + Great Rift Valley Lodge | 345,000 | 465,000 |
Top | Angama Mara (2n) + Loldia House | 585,000 | 780,000 |
International Travelers (USD per person)
Where | Low | Peak | |
Budget | Jambo Mara + Naivasha Sopa | 1,650 | 2,250 |
Mid | Sentrim Mara + Enashipai | 2,150 | 2,950 |
Luxury | Mara Serena + Great Rift Valley Lodge | 3,150 | 4,250 |
Top | Angama Mara + Loldia House | 5,450 | 7,150 |
Low season is January–June except Easter. Peak is July–December.
Why Not 3 Days
Three days means one afternoon drive and one morning drive in the Mara. Then you’re leaving.
Four gives you a buffer. Bad weather, lions hiding, whatever – you have another day. And Naivasha stops being rushed. You actually do the boat ride properly instead of cramming it between checkout and driving.
The Route {#route}
Day | Route & Primary Focus | Inside Expert Tip |
Day 1 | Nairobi ➔ Masai Mara | Depart 7 AM; use Oloololo Gate road to avoid washboard surfaces. |
Day 2 | Masai Mara (Full Day) | Enter gate by 6 AM; pack breakfast to beat the heavy crowds. |
Day 3 | Masai Mara ➔ Naivasha | Exit Mara by 10 AM sharp; book the boat ride for 4:30 PM. |
Day 4 | Naivasha ➔ Nairobi | Choose Crescent Island walk or Hell’s Gate cycling; return pm. |
Day 1: Nairobi to Mara
Leave around 7 AM. Takes 5-6 hours.
If you’re staying in the Mara Triangle (western side), don’t let your driver default to Sekenani Gate. The road from Narok to Sekenani is corrugated – washboard surface, 40km of it. Oloololo Gate access is smoother.
Ask your guide about the C12 vs B3 route. B3 is the main highway. C12 is scenic but turns to clay after rain.
Skip the Rift Valley Viewpoint. Tourist trap. Stop in Narok town for chai and mandazi instead – KES 300 or less at any local place.
Camp by lunch. First game drive around 4 PM.
Day 2: Full Day
5:30 AM start. You want to be at the gate when it opens at 6. At dawn the grass smells wet, earthy. Lions are still moving from the night’s hunting. By 9 AM the Nairobi vehicles arrive and it gets crowded.
We pack breakfast and stay out until mid-morning. Back during the hot hours. Out again around 4.
If you notice your guide’s radio go quiet, it usually means someone found something and they don’t want 50 vans showing up. Ask what the other drivers are saying – shows you get how it works.
July-October we focus on river crossing points. The timing is unpredictable. Some days nothing, other days thousands of wildebeest crossing while crocodiles wait.
Day 3: Mara to Naivasha
Morning drive, then we need to exit by 10 AM or pay another day. The QR code system is strict. Don’t rely on your guide having “a connection” at the gate – if the ticket isn’t pre-validated you can sit there for hours while the system buffers. Get a screenshot of the QR code on your phone the night before.
Drive to Naivasha is 4-5 hours. Arrive mid-afternoon.
Boat ride around 4:30 PM. Wind usually dies down by then. Hippos start moving, you hear them grunt across the water. Fish eagles perch in the yellow fever trees – the boat captains throw tilapia to attract them. If you want a good wingspan shot, ask them to throw it 15-20 meters out, not right next to the boat.
At Sopa, Simba Lodge, Country Club – hippos graze on the lawns after dark. Don’t walk alone after 7 PM.
Day 4: Naivasha to Nairobi
Morning activity, your choice.
Crescent Island – walking among giraffes, zebras, waterbuck. No predators, no vehicles. The giraffes descend from stock brought for Out of Africa filming in 1985. USD 33 entry. There are two exit points; Exit 1 near the pelican colony has more wildlife. Ask about the western shoreline path – hippos sometimes sunbathe out of the water there during the day.
Hell’s Gate – cycling among wildlife, then the gorge hike. One of the only Kenyan parks where you can leave the vehicle. The gorge was closed after 2019 flash floods, reopened September 2024 with mandatory ranger guides. USD 26 plus bike rental. Inside the park is Ol Karia Geothermal Spa – go around 4 PM when the tour groups have left. About USD 20.
Back to Nairobi, about 2 hours. Drop-off by early afternoon.
Problems {#problems}
The Narok-Sekenani road is under construction. Detours add time. In heavy rain it gets muddy. If you have spine issues, consider flying in – 45 minutes from Wilson Airport.
April and May are the long rains. Some lodges close. Roads flood. We run trips but you accept the risk.
Leopards are hard to find. Solitary, nocturnal, good at hiding. Two days gives you better odds than one but nothing is guaranteed. I had a family see three leopards on Day 1 and nothing on Day 2. Another couple saw zero for both days then spotted one while driving to the exit gate.
Park Fees
Destination / Activity | Kenyan Citizen (KSH) | International (USD) |
Masai Mara Fee (Low) | KES 1,500 / day | USD 100 / day |
Masai Mara Fee (Peak) | KES 3,000 / day | USD 200 / day |
Naivasha Boat Ride | KES 3,000–4,000 / boat | KES 3,000–4,000 / boat |
Crescent Island Walk | Local Rates Apply | USD 33 |
Hell’s Gate Entry | Local Rates Apply | USD 26 |
Masai Mara: USD 100/day low season, USD 200/day peak for non-residents. KES 1,500/day or KES 3,000/day for Kenyans. Payment via KAPS. Tickets valid 12 hours. Exit after 10 AM on departure day and you pay again.
Lake Naivasha: No entry fee. Activities separate – boat KES 3,000-4,000 per boat, Crescent Island USD 33, Hell’s Gate USD 26 via KWSPay.
Other Things
Sit on the left side for the Rift Valley view.
Don’t wear blue or black. Tsetse flies love both colors. I’ll ask you to change if you show up in navy.
Guides share sightings via radio. A well-connected guide who’s been at this for years gets more calls than someone in their first season. That’s just how it works.
Crescent Island is flat and easy. Hell’s Gate is 7km cycling plus a gorge scramble. Pick based on your group’s fitness.
Wind picks up on Naivasha around 2:30 PM. We schedule boats for 4:30.
FAQ {#faq}
Cost? KES 175,000–585,000 for Kenyans. USD 1,650–5,450 international. Peak season adds 35-50%.
Is 4 days enough? Yes. Three game drives is enough to see most things.
Best time? September for crossings. January-March for fewer crowds. April-May if you want discounts and don’t mind mud.
Wildlife? Lions almost guaranteed. Elephants, buffalo, zebra, wildebeest, hippos yes. Cheetah good odds. Leopard possible. Rhinos rare in the Mara – add Lake Nakuru for those.
Can we extend? Yes. Nakuru for rhinos, Amboseli for Kilimanjaro.
Private vehicle? We only do private.
Related | 3 Days Masai Mara | 5 Days | All Packages | Budget | Luxury
David Njunge. August 2026. Rates change – check KWS and KAPS for current fees.
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