The reserve · The conservancies · The river crossings
Private safaris in the Masai Mara and its conservancies, planned from the Gold Coast and priced in US dollars.
Five stars. 5.0 on Google and Tripadvisor37 five-star reviews, every one of them
About 1,510 square kilometers · The Mara River crossings · Private conservancies
The Masai Mara, or Maasai Mara, is the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem, and it packs a lot of wildlife into a small area. Lion prides here are among the most studied in Africa, leopards are regularly seen along the Mara and Talek rivers, and cheetah families hunt the open plains in broad daylight. The Great Migration herds start arriving from mid-July, the crossings are in full swing from August, and September is the most reliable month. Around the reserve sit the private conservancies, where a handful of camps share the land, vehicles are limited at every sighting, and you can walk and head out at night. Most of our Mara trips use both.
Mara River crossingsBig catsPrivate conservanciesNight drives and walkingBalloon safarisWho you're dealing with
We're an Australian company on the Gold Coast. We plan the whole trip, book it, and look after you from the first call to the flight home, on one contract and one invoice from Kingse Safaris Pty Ltd (ABN 37 698 821 886). Every Mara trip is private and built around you, with a private vehicle and your guide on every drive.
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In a guest's words
Deciding to go to Africa at relatively short notice was a challenge for us, but no problem for Jackson.
Two Ways to Do the Mara
The same wildlife, two very different days in it. Here's the trade-off, and why most of our guests do some of each.
The main event
About 1,510 square kilometers of open grassland, acacia woodland and riverine forest, with the Mara River running through it and the highest game density in the ecosystem. It's where you sit for the crossings. The trade-off is company: popular sightings draw more vehicles, and there's no walking or night driving inside the reserve.
Our secret weapon
Mara North, Olare Motorogi, Naboisho and Ol Kinyei, among others, border the reserve. They're community-owned land leased to a small number of camps with strict vehicle limits, so you share sightings with far fewer vehicles. Off-road driving, night drives and walking safaris are allowed, and the fees support the communities that lease the land.
What most guests do
A few nights in the reserve for the river, then a few in a conservancy for the quiet, the walks and the night drives. Conservancy camps typically cost more than the main reserve, so we balance the split around your budget and the month you travel.
How a Mara Trip Comes Together
Three shapes, each built around the Mara. The reserve is the headline, the conservancies are the secret weapon, and plenty of our guests continue across the border to Tanzania. Every trip is private and priced to your dates, so these are starting points.
7 nights
Migration + Kilimanjaro views
Three Mara nights for the migration and big cats, three Amboseli nights for elephant herds against Kilimanjaro, and a Nairobi arrival night. The Kenya essential, with bush flights between the parks.
From, per personAbout $6,950Our sample trip, with bush flights between the parks
Day 1 · Land at NairobiDay 8 · Fly back to Nairobi
10 nights · Sweet spot
Plus walking + night drives
The Kingse default. Three Mara nights, three in a private Mara conservancy (walking safaris, night drives, strict vehicle limits), and three Samburu nights for the northern species (reticulated giraffe, gerenuk, Grevy's zebra).
PricingQuoted to your datesConservancy camps depend heavily on the month and the camp
Day 1 · Land at NairobiDay 11 · Fly back to Nairobi
13 nights
The Mara to the Serengeti
A few nights in the Mara or Amboseli, then across the border to Tanzania's Serengeti, following the same ecosystem. Add Zanzibar and it becomes 16 to 17 nights at $14,700 to $17,200.
Per person$8,650 to $10,300About 13 nights, from seven of our 2027 quotes
Day 1 · Land at NairobiDay 14 · Fly home from Arusha
Prices are per person in US dollars for two adults traveling privately, taken from the quotes we've built for 2027, and they don't include international flights. Our Kenya safari cost guide puts a 7-night classic circuit at $5,500 to $6,950 at comfortable camps, $6,950 to $11,700 at established mid-range to premium camps, and $11,700 to $20,600 or more at the small luxury conservancy camps. See also our sample 8-day Mara and Amboseli itinerary and real trips with the real prices.
See the Mara and Amboseli ItineraryWhere You Could Stay
The camps we recommend and use in the Masai Mara and its conservancies. The conservancies typically cost more than the main reserve, and deliver fewer vehicles and more activity variety. The final selection flexes around your dates and availability. More on our Stays page.
The centerpiece of most Kenya trips. Inside the reserve you get the highest game density and the river on your doorstep; the private conservancies on its edge add night drives, walking and strict vehicle limits. A common answer is both.
Masai Mara
Couples and discerning travelers wanting a quiet, crowd-free luxury Mara experience
Luxury
Masai Mara
Couples and game-viewing focused travelers wanting a quiet riverside luxury tented camp
Luxury
Masai Mara
Couples and small groups wanting exclusive, crowd-free conservancy game viewing
Luxury
Masai Mara
Couples and luxury safari-goers wanting an intimate, exclusive conservancy camp
Ultra LuxuryMasai Mara
Top-tier couples and special-occasion travelers wanting exclusive, uncrowded Mara game viewing
Ultra Luxury
Masai Mara
Couples and honeymooners wanting an intimate, spa-led luxury Mara camp
Ultra Luxury
Masai Mara
First-time Mara visitors wanting classic Triangle game viewing and river crossings
Premium
Masai Mara
Couples and honeymooners wanting top-luxury seclusion and Mara crossings
Ultra Luxury9 lodges and camps
Plan Your Visit
The Mara works all year, but the river crossings make August to October the peak, with the first herds from mid-July, and the green months are quieter and far cheaper. The map follows the herds month by month, from the Serengeti up into the Mara and back. Our best time to visit Kenya guide goes month by month.
This season, as of late October 2026. Most of the herds crossed back into the Serengeti in August. The Mara Triangle had filled to about 200,000 by mid-month, a storm on 17 August turned them back, and by the end of August very few were left (Mara Conservancy). Since then groups have moved back and forth with the rain, and in the third week of October some large herds returned to the Triangle (Angama Mara).
Map: Esri. Herd positions are typical, not exact.
Where the herds usually are
Reaching the Mara River in the northern Serengeti
SeasonShort dry season
The first herds reach the Mara River from the south, and the first crossings into Kenya start from about mid-month, usually small at first. The bush thins out and the dry season proper is under way.
The herds follow the rain, so this shifts from year to year. We talk in seasons and never promise a crossing.
Peak season
Dry season · Migration crossings · Best overall game viewing
The bush thins out, animals gather around shrinking water sources, and visibility is at its best. The Great Migration herds move into the Masai Mara, and the Mara River crossings run from late July through October. Skies are clear and mornings are cool. This is high season, with the highest reserve fees and camp rates, so the best camps book out early. For August and September, six to twelve months ahead is ideal, and the top Mara camps can need more.
Best for a first safari and the river crossings
Short dry season
Second dry window · Green and quiet · Best Kilimanjaro views
Once the short rains clear, usually by mid-December, Kenya enters a second dry window. The landscape is green, the resident wildlife is fully active, and the Mara is much quieter than in peak season. There are no migration herds, but the resident lions and cheetah are excellent. Amboseli is at its best now, with the swamps full and Kilimanjaro often cloud-free in the morning. Prices are well below peak.
Best for Amboseli, Kilimanjaro views and value
Green season
Long and short rains · Lush landscapes · Fewer visitors · Lower rates
The long rains run from about March or April to June, and are the heaviest of the year: some roads get difficult, and many camps cut rates by 40 to 50%. The wildlife doesn't disappear, the birdlife is excellent and the Mara is quiet, but the animals scatter across the green grass rather than gathering at water. The short rains arrive in November, usually as brief afternoon showers. The northern parks, Samburu and Laikipia, get less rain than the Mara and stay productive when the south is at its wettest.
Best for quiet parks, birding and value
Getting There
Every Mara trip starts in Nairobi, and the Mara is a short hop from there.
International flights land at Jomo Kenyatta, and the bush flights to the Mara leave from Wilson Airport across the city, so we never build one tightly off an international arrival. Your first night is a rest night in Nairobi, and the next morning a short bush flight takes you to the airstrip nearest your camp, where you're met for your first drive.
Kenya Airways flies nonstop from New York JFK to Nairobi, about 14 hours in the air. From other US cities you connect once or twice. Our Kenya page has more on the flights.
Bush flights take soft bags only, around 15kg including hand luggage, so pack light. Heading on to Tanzania? The Serengeti is the other half of the same ecosystem, and we usually link the two by air, which takes about half a day.
Go Further
The Mara sits on the Tanzania border, shares an ecosystem with the Serengeti and has plenty of guests asking what to combine it with.
Across the border
The Mara is the northern end of the Serengeti, so the natural next stop is Tanzania, about half a day away by air. About 13 nights comes to $8,650 to $10,300 per person, and each country has its own entry requirements, so check the official sites for both.
Beach finish
Safari first, beach second. Kenya, Tanzania and Zanzibar together run 16 to 17 nights at $14,700 to $17,200 per person across six of our 2027 quotes. For a beach after Kenya on its own, we also look at Diani.
Same river, two banks
The Mara River runs along the border, and crossings can be seen from either bank. The Mara is smaller and denser, with conservancies that allow night drives and walking. The Serengeti is vast and adds the calving and Ngorongoro Crater.
The Practical Questions
The questions we're asked most about a Masai Mara safari. For visas, health and safety, see the practical notes on our Kenya page.
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Go Deeper
Long-form guides that help you decide before you commit. Real numbers, real photos, no fluff.
Straight numbers help you decide before you commit. See what an African safari costs, what a Kenya safari costs, real trips with the real prices and how booking works.
Keep Exploring
The same way of traveling, in other corners of Africa.
Start Planning
Tell us your dates, who's traveling and what you'd love to see, and we'll design a private itinerary around you, with real prices in US dollars. From the Mara River crossings to a quiet morning in a conservancy, we'll plan it properly.
Five stars. 5.0 on Google and Tripadvisor37 five-star reviews, every one of them
“Could not have imagined how it could have been better planned and delivered.”
Email us or book a call
Samara looks after our guests from the US. Email her or book a call at a time that suits you, or message her on WhatsApp, and she'll come back to you the same day, US time.
Samara Imhoof
Bookings & Client Care
Whether you're just kicking around ideas or already booked. Dates, lodges, costs, changes, payments, flights.
Jackson Potter
Founder
Lodges, agents, media, or anything commercial. This one comes straight to me.
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