7-Day Maasai Mara Safari

Our driver/guide meets you at your Nairobi hotel or JKIA and heads south-west through the Great Rift Valley floor. Stop at the Rift Valley escarpment viewpoint before descending to the Mara plains. Arrive at camp in time for lunch, then head straight out for an afternoon game drive from 3–6 p.m. Your first lion sighting is often within hours of arrival.

Your first full day in the reserve. Depart before sunrise to catch the predators still active from the night: lions returning from a hunt, cheetahs positioning on termite mounds. Picnic lunch by the Mara River. Afternoon drive through the Mara Triangle, home to some of the highest lion density in Africa. Return to camp for sundowners and dinner.

Deep into the reserve with your guide, following whichever trail the wildlife dictates. The Mara's resident leopards favour rocky outcrops and riverine forest: patient tracking is often rewarded. Afternoon drive through open grasslands where elephant herds move in single file at dusk. Optional: guided bush walk with a Maasai ranger.

A full day focused on photography and behaviour: the low-season Mara means fewer vehicles and more time with individual sightings. Your guide reads the landscape to find the quiet corners where animals behave naturally. Over 570 bird species including martial eagles, secretary birds and lilac-breasted rollers. Optional: hot air balloon at sunrise ($480/person) for an unforgettable aerial view of the Mara.

Return to your favourite areas or let your guide take you somewhere new. The Mara rewards the unhurried visitor: lions you first saw on Day 2 may now have cubs out in the open, cheetahs may have made a kill. Afternoon drive along the Talek River followed by a sundowner on the open plains as the Mara turns gold.

Your last full day: savour every moment. Morning drive to the most productive areas your guide has identified across the week. Optional: Maasai cultural village visit to meet local elders and learn about traditional life on the edge of the reserve. Farewell dinner at camp under a wide Mara sky.

Rise before dawn for one final game drive: the morning light is at its most photogenic and the Mara is quiet. Breakfast back at camp, then check out and begin the scenic drive back to Nairobi, arriving mid-afternoon. Drop-off at your hotel or JKIA. End of Saringi services.