The Masai Mara located in Kenya is one of Africa’s most popular National Parks and also the home to the famous Great Migration shared with the adjacent Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Masai Mara undoubtedly offers breathe taking wild game from the big five and huge prides of lions to the millions of herd wildlife to include zebras, wildebeests, topis among other wildlife species. It is common that when first-time travelers to Africa’s wild safari in Kenya’s Masai Mara start looking for safari packages and quotes, they often feel like Masai Mara safaris are expensive. What they soon or later realize is that most safari programs are all-inclusive tours that cover all meals, accommodation, game safari activities, transportation, airport transfer, taxes, park fees, and flights in some cases. I would like to compare this to an ordinary trip you would take anywhere around the world but this time you are fully in charge of your trip and getting to pay every cost by yourself but when you add up the credit card bills and follow up all tickets, rentals, all meals among other costs, you then have a fair comparison with the relative cost of a safari package to the Masai Mara.
The cost per day for a safari in the Masai Mara is most dependent upon how comfortable you wish to travel (the level of accommodation), the type of transportation used, whether you are on a private safari or a group tour, and what time of the year you are visiting. This is why you will find that most safari operators to the Masai Mara often ask for the level of comfort you are looking for before any immediate step to plan your trip. Comfort level could be budget, midrange, or luxury, with these options, you are placed at different class accommodations for your safari. The cost of an all-inclusive Masai Mara tour can range anywhere from USD 150 to USD 250 per day per person sharing a room for a budget tour and USD 250 to 400 per day per person sharing room for a midrange tour whereas a luxury Safari to the Masai Mara can set you anywhere from USD 450 upwards per day per person sharing room. These prices are not fixed and might vary from one safari operator to another but a reputable agency should set you anywhere around those figures.
Much as these figures may differ, when comparing safaris from different operators, it is very important to be keen about what is included and not included. It is common that you will meet very attractive and to some point “not believable” prices on the Internet, please keep in mind that some companies use what we consider a sales ploy by listing very low prices then separately list some essential costs such as activities, breakfast or park entrance separately which can increase the overall cost of the entire safari by another 30% and when you eventually add up all the costs, you may later realize that they are not offering value for money compared to safaris offered by other companies.
If you are dealing directly with a hotel in the Masai Mara for your booking, be sure to note that taxes and breakfast are included when comparing costs for hotels as there is a chance some offered rates may not include either, this again could easily make a difference of 20 to 35% on the price. To further note; most presented costs of accommodation at camps and lodges in The Masai Mara do not include game drives or other activities and park entrances, should you need these included, ensure to request for a game package which in most cases covers all these costs on top of accommodation and meals.
To obtain a good idea of the cost of a safari in Masai Mara, feel free to get in touch with our safari experts. We are happy to assist you all through your safari planning process, alternatively, you can check out our crafted Masai Mara Safari itineraries that explore the park and other top safari destinations in East Africa to request for a free quote
