5 Days Masai Mara Samburu Safari – Both Parks, One Trip
5 Days Masai Mara Samburu Safari covers Kenya’s two best wildlife destinations. Samburu gives you reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras (maybe 2,000-3,000 left according to recent Kenya Wildlife Service surveys), gerenuks. The Mara gives you lions, elephants, and migration crossings July-October. Five days with bush flights starts around KES 418,000 for Kenyans.
Five days is tight for both parks, but it works if you fly. Two nights Samburu, two in the Mara. Five game drives in each. I’ve run this itinerary dozens of times at Masaimara.co.ke and it’s become one of my favorites for people who want variety but don’t have a full week.
Days & Park | Key Wildlife Focus | Expert Track / Timing Tip |
Days 1–2: Samburu | “Special Five” & Elephants | Track leopards in the Doum palms during late morning windy hours. |
Days 3–4: Masai Mara | “Big Five” & Migration | Wear neutral colors near the Talek River to avoid tsetse flies. |
Day 5: Return | Final morning game drive | Strict 12-hour ticket limits apply; monitor gate exit times carefully. |
Day 1: Nairobi to Samburu
Flight leaves Wilson Airport around 9 or 10 AM. Ninety minutes later you land on a dirt strip somewhere in the middle of the reserve. Hot. Dry. The air tastes different up here – thin, with something almost metallic in it during the hot hours.
Check into your lodge. Lunch. By 3:30 or 4 PM you’re out for your first game drive.
Samburu runs along the Ewaso Nyiro River. That’s where everything happens. Elephants crossing. Crocs on the banks. Reticulated giraffes with their legs splayed awkwardly to drink.
If you’re at Elephant Bedroom Camp, here’s something most people don’t know: the name isn’t just cute branding. That area is literally a corridor where elephants have slept for generations – soft sand, access to Salvadora persica trees they like to eat. At night you’ll hear this low rumbling sound. It’s not stomach noise. It’s infrasonic communication between family members. If the rumbling suddenly stops, stay in your tent. It usually means they’ve sensed something – a predator nearby.
Day 2: Full Day Samburu
Early start. 6 AM.
Between 10 and 11:30 AM, a hot wind often picks up along the river. Most guides use this time to head back toward the lodge because clients complain about the heat. But here’s the thing – that wind is actually ideal for finding leopards. The rustling palm fronds mask the sound of a leopard moving through the Doum palms. Look up into the thickest, shaggiest palms during this window. They hide there to escape ground heat. I’ve found more leopards during that windy hour than at dawn.
Afternoon drive focuses on different areas. The rocky kopjes. The open plains south of the river. You’re looking for the Special Five – reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, gerenuks, Beisa oryx, Somali ostriches.
Gerenuks are easier to spot mid-morning or late afternoon when they’re actively feeding, standing on their hind legs to reach branches. Midday they tend to rest in shade and blend in.
Day 3: Samburu to Masai Mara
Feature | Samburu Reserve | Masai Mara |
Terrain & Climate | Arid red earth, hot furnace-like heat (up to 38°C). | Cooler rolling green savanna plains (mornings drop to 12°C). |
Signature Animals | Reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, gerenuks, oryx. | Lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, migrating wildebeest. |
Safari Environment | Quiet atmosphere; tracking via sound and riverbanks. | High-energy environment; tracking via vast vistas and radio. |
Morning game drive – one more chance at anything you missed. Then back to the lodge for brunch and checkout.
The flight to the Mara takes about two hours, usually connecting through Wilson Airport. Sometimes direct seasonal routes exist. You land at one of the Mara airstrips mid-afternoon – might be Keekorok, might be Musiara, depending on your lodge.
Here’s a logistics detail most itineraries skip: if you’re staying in a conservancy like Mara North but want to do a full day in the main reserve, ask your guide about a “Transit Note.” Some wardens allow a grace window for vehicles crossing between conservancy and reserve if you show your flight manifest. This can save you KES 13,000-26,000 in double fees if your flight timing puts you in an awkward position.
Late afternoon game drive. Different world from Samburu. Green. Rolling. Endless grass.
Day 4: Full Day Masai Mara
Dawn drive. The Mara wakes up differently than Samburu – noisier. During migration season, there’s a constant low grunting from the wildebeest herds. It’s like background static. You stop hearing it after a while, then notice how loud it was when you leave.
The Mara River if you’re here July through October. Hippo pools. Crocodiles. And if luck’s with you, a crossing.
Midday break at the lodge. Some people do a balloon safari on this morning instead – 5 AM pickup, about KES 60,000-75,000 extra.
Afternoon drive in a different sector. Near the Talek River, watch out for tsetse flies – they’re bad there. They’re attracted to dark colors because it mimics buffalo hide. If you’re wearing blue or black, they’ll find you. Standard Western bug spray doesn’t work well on them. Look for Nodor or high-DEET sprays from Nairobi pharmacies like GoodLife before you travel. And if a fly gets in the vehicle, don’t swat it against your skin. They have a hard shell. Crush them against the seat or window.
Day 5: Mara to Nairobi
Last morning game drive. Out by 6 AM.
Watch your exit timing carefully. The Mara uses 12-hour tickets (6 AM to 6 PM). If you need to catch a mid-morning flight, make sure your previous entry is still valid. I had clients last year who tried to squeeze in “one more hour” with a lion pride. They got to the gate at 10:15. System charged them another full day. Missed their flight arguing about it.
If your flight lands at a different airstrip than where you entered the park, the fee situation gets complicated. Ask your guide to sort this out the day before so there are no surprises at checkout.
Flight back to Wilson Airport lands early afternoon. Connect to JKIA for international flights, or we drop you at your Nairobi hotel.
How Much Does a 5-Day Fly-In Safari Cost in 2026?
Two people sharing. These trips require bush flights – there’s no efficient road option for 5 days.
Kenyan Citizens (KES)
Lodges | Jan-June | July-Dec |
Samburu Simba Lodge + Jambo Mara | 418,000 | 548,000 |
Sarova Shaba + Sentrim Mara | 468,000 | 618,000 |
Samburu Intrepids + Mara Serena | 548,000 | 728,000 |
Saruni Samburu + Angama Mara | 798,000 | 1,048,000 |
International Travellers (USD)
Lodges | Jan-June | July-Dec |
Samburu Simba Lodge + Jambo Mara | 3,680 | 4,880 |
Sarova Shaba + Sentrim Mara | 4,180 | 5,480 |
Samburu Intrepids + Mara Serena | 4,880 | 6,480 |
Saruni Samburu + Angama Mara | 7,080 | 9,280 |
What’s Included
Bush flights Nairobi–Samburu–Mara–Nairobi. Private 4×4 Land Cruiser for all game drives. Driver-guide. Full board accommodation. Park fees for both reserves. Bottled water. AMREF evacuation.
Not Included
Tips. Drinks beyond water. Insurance. Village visits (USD 25-40). Balloon safaris (KES 60,000-75,000).
The Luggage Problem
Bush flights have a 15kg limit. Soft bags only. No hard suitcases.
Wilson Airport has a lock-and-store facility. Leave your hard luggage there for about $5/day. Seriously, do this. I’ve watched people at the terminal buying canvas sacks and repacking their belongings on the floor because they showed up with roller bags. Not fun.
Camera Gear in Samburu
The dust in Samburu is volcanic. Red and extremely fine. It will ruin your sensor if you’re not careful.
A pillowcase over your gear helps. But professional photographers I work with use surgical tape – micropore – to seal the seams of their zoom lenses. Most people don’t need to go that far.
What you do need to know: never change lenses outside the lodge in Samburu. Ever. Do it in your room with the AC off and windows closed. In the Mara, the wind is finer and you have more margin. Samburu dust gets into everything within minutes.
Weather and Flights
Potential Pitfall | Official Rule / Risk | Expert Practical Safeguard |
Luggage Limits | Strict 15kg maximum; soft-sided duffel bags only. | Store hard rolling suitcases at Wilson Airport for $5/day. |
Volcanic Red Dust | Fine particles ruin exposed camera lenses and sensors. | Keep a clean pillowcase over camera gear between sightings. |
Double Park Fees | Overlapping airstrips/conservancies cause double charges. | Ask your guide for a “Transit Note” to use the grace window. |
Flight Delays | Bush planes cannot fly during severe storms or fog. | Always build a time buffer before international connections. |
Small aircraft don’t fly in storms. If there’s weather over the Mara or fog at Wilson, your flight gets delayed. This happened to me twice last year – once we sat at Samburu airstrip for three hours waiting for clearance. Build flexibility into your schedule, especially if you have international connections on Day 5.
Can I See the Great Migration in 5 Days?
If you’re here July-October and the herds are in the Mara, yes. Two full days in the Mara gives you a decent chance at seeing wildebeest, and a smaller chance at catching an actual river crossing. Crossings are unpredictable – sometimes you wait hours and nothing happens.
Migration timing varies year to year. The herds don’t read calendars.
Is 5 Days Enough Time?
It’s tight. You’re moving every two days. If you miss something in Samburu, you can’t go back.
But you see both ecosystems. You get animals you won’t find anywhere else in Kenya plus the Big Five. For people without a full week, it works.
If you can manage 6 or 7 days, add an extra night in the Mara. That’s where the bigger sightings tend to happen.
Questions
Cost? KES 418,000 to 1,050,000 for Kenyans. USD 3,680 to 9,300 for visitors. Depends on lodges and season.
Can I drive instead of fly? Not in 5 days. Samburu to Mara via Nairobi is 10+ hours. You’d need 7+ days for a road version.
What wildlife? Samburu: reticulated giraffes, Grevy’s zebras, gerenuks, oryx, Somali ostriches, elephants, sometimes leopards. Mara: lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, buffalo, hippos, wildebeest.
Best time? January-March for dry conditions in both parks. July-October for migration in the Mara.
First safari? Ambitious. Consider a Mara-only trip if you’re nervous. Or trust us – we’ve done this route many times.
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Related: 5-Day Mara Safari | 7-Day Safari | Budget Options | Luxury | Fly-In
David Njunge. August 2026. Verify fees at KWS. Flight schedules via SafariLink.
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