4 Day Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

Our Masai Mara and Naivasha safari combines Kenya's most famous wildlife reserve with the peaceful freshwater shores of the Great Rift Valley. Over four days and three nights you enjoy game drives among the big cats of the Masai Mara, visit a Maasai village, then cruise Lake Naivasha by boat and walk among giraffes and zebras on Crescent Island, before returning to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

This Masai Mara and Naivasha safari is perfect for travellers who want variety in a short time: classic savannah game viewing followed by a gentle lakeside experience on foot and on the water. Prices for 2, 4 and 6 guests sharing a double room are shown in the table above for low, mid and peak season.

In This Guide

• Safari at a Glance
• Day-by-Day Itinerary
• Where You Stay
• The Masai Mara National Reserve
• Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island
• What Is Included
• Seasons and When to Go
• Tips for Your Safari
• Frequently Asked Questions

Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari at a Glance

• Duration: 4 days, 3 nights
• Route: Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Masai Mara (2 nights), Lake Naivasha (1 night), JKIA
• Accommodation: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge and Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, all on full board
• Vehicle: private 4x4 pop-up roof Land Cruiser with a professional English-speaking driver-guide
• Highlights: big cat game drives, a full day in the Mara, a Maasai village visit, a boat ride on Lake Naivasha and a walking safari on Crescent Island
• Group sizes priced: 2, 4 or 6 guests sharing double rooms
• Best for: first-time visitors, couples, families and photographers

Your Masai Mara and Naivasha safari begins and ends at the airport, so you do not need to arrange any transfers. The route makes good use of driving time: the Mara comes first while you are fresh, and Lake Naivasha sits conveniently on the way back to Nairobi, breaking up the journey with a relaxing boat ride and walk.

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi (JKIA) to the Masai Mara

Your driver-guide meets you in the arrivals hall at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and helps you load your luggage into the Land Cruiser. The journey heads west out of Nairobi and onto the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, where a viewpoint offers a breathtaking panorama of the valley floor and the volcanoes of Longonot and Suswa.

After a short break in the market town of Narok, the road continues into Maasai country, with cattle herders, acacia trees and open grassland. You reach Masai Mara Sopa Lodge in time for lunch. In the afternoon you set out on your first game drive in the Masai Mara National Reserve, searching for lions, elephants, giraffes and herds of zebra and antelope as the light turns golden. Return to the lodge at sunset for dinner.

Meals: lunch and dinner. Overnight: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge.

Day 2: A Full Day in the Masai Mara and a Maasai Village Visit

After an early breakfast, you spend the whole day in the reserve with a picnic lunch from the lodge. A full day gives your guide time to explore further, following the movement of the herds and checking areas known for lions, leopards and cheetahs. Between July and October, you may head for the Mara River in the hope of witnessing a wildebeest crossing, one of nature's greatest spectacles.

Lunch is taken in the open, surrounded by the sounds of the plains. In the late afternoon you visit a Maasai village, where your hosts welcome you with songs and the famous jumping dance, show you inside their homes and explain their way of life. It is a highlight of any Masai Mara and Naivasha safari and a chance to learn about the people who share this land with wildlife. Return to the lodge for dinner.

Meals: breakfast, picnic lunch and dinner. Overnight: Masai Mara Sopa Lodge.

Day 3: Masai Mara to Lake Naivasha, Boat Ride and Crescent Island

After breakfast, you leave the Mara and drive back towards the Rift Valley to Lake Naivasha, arriving at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort in time for lunch. In the afternoon you board a boat for a ride on the lake, passing pods of hippos, fishing birds and the skeletons of drowned acacia trees that rise from the water.

The boat takes you to Crescent Island, a private wildlife sanctuary where you walk with a guide among giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck and gazelles. Because there are no large predators on the island, you can explore on foot and get remarkably close to the animals. Many guests say the walk is one of the most memorable moments of their Masai Mara and Naivasha safari. Return to the resort for dinner, and listen for hippos grazing on the lawns after dark.

Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Overnight: Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort.

Day 4: Lake Naivasha to Nairobi (JKIA)

Enjoy a leisurely breakfast by the lake, perhaps watching colobus monkeys in the trees and fish eagles calling overhead. After check-out, you drive back to Nairobi, stopping for lunch en route, and your Masai Mara and Naivasha safari ends with a drop-off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Meals: breakfast and lunch en route.

Where You Stay

Masai Mara Sopa Lodge (2 nights)

Masai Mara Sopa Lodge stands on a hillside on the eastern side of the Mara ecosystem near the Oloolaimutia gate. Its thatched round cottages echo traditional African design, and the lodge has a restaurant, a bar, a swimming pool and terraces looking over the hills. Although it is just outside the boundary, the reserve management treats it as part of the reserve, so park fees apply for each night you stay. These are included in your price.

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort (1 night)

Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort sits in wide gardens on the shore of the lake, shaded by yellow fever trees. Spacious cottages, a swimming pool and lawns that run down towards the water make it a relaxing place to end your Masai Mara and Naivasha safari. Hippos often come ashore at night to graze, and staff escort guests after dark for safety.

All meals are included on a full board basis at both lodges, so breakfast, lunch and dinner are taken care of throughout your stay.

The Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers about 1,510 square kilometres of savannah, riverine forest and rolling hills in south-western Kenya. It is managed by Narok County Government, while the western Mara Triangle is run by the Mara Conservancy. To the south, the Mara joins Tanzania's Serengeti, forming one ecosystem through which the Great Migration moves each year.

The reserve has some of the highest densities of lions and cheetahs in Africa, along with leopards, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, crocodiles and more than 450 bird species. On a Masai Mara and Naivasha safari, two nights in the Mara give you an afternoon drive and a full day of exploration, which is enough to see a wide range of wildlife.

Read our guides to the Masai Mara safari, 10 animals in the Masai Mara and the Great Migration month by month.

Lake Naivasha and Crescent Island

Lake Naivasha is one of the few freshwater lakes in the Kenyan Rift Valley, set at about 1,890 metres above sea level and surrounded by papyrus, fever tree forest and volcanic hills. It is home to large numbers of hippos and more than 400 bird species, including African fish eagles, pelicans, cormorants, herons and kingfishers.

Crescent Island is a private game sanctuary on a crescent-shaped peninsula formed by the rim of an old volcanic crater. Animals were brought here in the past, partly for filming, and today giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck, impalas and gazelles roam freely. Walking among them is a unique experience on a Masai Mara and Naivasha safari, as it is one of the few places in Kenya where you can safely explore on foot with such a variety of animals.

Please note that access to Crescent Island on this package is by boat, and both the boat ride and the island's entry fee are included in your price. Read our full guide to Lake Naivasha, hippos, boats and Crescent Island, and see the Kenya Wildlife Service for information on nearby parks such as Hell's Gate.

Wildlife You Can Expect on a Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

The combination of savannah and lake gives this trip a wonderful variety of wildlife. Most guests see:

• In the Masai Mara: lions, cheetahs, elephants, buffaloes, giraffes, zebras, topis, gazelles and, with luck, leopards. From July to October, huge herds of wildebeest join the resident animals.
• Along the rivers: hippos, Nile crocodiles and many water birds.
• On Lake Naivasha: hippos, African fish eagles, pelicans, cormorants, kingfishers and herons.
• On Crescent Island: giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, waterbuck, impalas and gazelles, seen on foot.
• Around the resort: colobus monkeys, vervet monkeys and a variety of garden birds.

No sighting can be guaranteed, but your guide will do everything possible to show you the best of both destinations. Birdwatchers can learn more in our guide to birdwatching in Kenya.

What Is Included in Your Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

Included

• Airport pick-up and drop-off at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport
• All accommodation: 2 nights at Masai Mara Sopa Lodge and 1 night at Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort, sharing a double room
• Full board meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, including a picnic lunch on the full game-drive day
• En route lunch on the last day before your airport drop-off
• All park and reserve entry fees for the Masai Mara National Reserve
• Activity fees: Maasai village visit, Lake Naivasha boat ride and Crescent Island walking safari
• Transport in a private 4x4 pop-up roof Land Cruiser
• Services of a professional English-speaking driver-guide
• Drinking water in the vehicle during the safari

Not Included

• International and domestic flights
• Kenya Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) and travel insurance
• Drinks at the lodges, tips and items of a personal nature
• Optional activities such as a hot air balloon safari or a visit to Hell's Gate
• Room upgrades, suites and festive or Easter season supplements

Before you travel, apply for your Kenya eTA and read our Kenya visa guide.

Seasons and When to Go

The price table at the top of this page shows rates for three seasons, based on the dates used by the lodges:

• Low season: 1 April to 31 May, the green season during the long rains.
• Mid season: 2 January to 31 March, 1 to 30 June and 1 November to 21 December.
• Peak season: 1 July to 31 October and 22 December to 1 January.

Masai Mara reserve fees are higher from July to December, so guests travelling between 1 November and 21 December pay a small supplement per person, shown in the note under the price table. The best time for a Masai Mara and Naivasha safari depends on your priorities: July to October for the Great Migration, January to March for dry weather and calving season further south, and April to May for lush scenery and fewer vehicles. Lake Naivasha is pleasant all year round.

See our guides to the best time to visit the Masai Mara and the best time to visit Kenya.

Tips for Your Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

• Arrive in the morning: the drive to the Mara takes about five to six hours, so a morning flight lets you enjoy the afternoon game drive on day one.
• Wear comfortable shoes: you will walk on Crescent Island, so closed shoes are best.
• Bring layers: mornings in the Mara and evenings at Naivasha can be cool.
• Protect against the sun: a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen are essential, especially on the boat.
• Keep your distance from hippos: follow staff instructions at the lakeside resort, especially after dark.
• Bring a zoom lens: useful for big cats in the Mara and birds on the lake.

For a complete checklist, read our Kenya safari packing list.

Why Choose This Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

A Masai Mara and Naivasha safari offers more than game drives alone. Many short safaris spend all their time in the vehicle. This Masai Mara and Naivasha safari balances classic game drives with experiences on foot and on the water, giving you a fuller picture of Kenya's landscapes. The route is planned so that Naivasha breaks the long drive back to Nairobi, making the journey more comfortable.

A private Land Cruiser means your group travels at its own pace, with a pop-up roof for clear views and photography. Your driver-guide stays with you throughout, from the airport pick-up to the final drop-off, so you always have someone to answer questions and look after you.

The cultural visit to a Maasai village and the walk on Crescent Island add personal, memorable moments that many travellers say they value as much as the wildlife sightings themselves.

A Day in the Life of Your Guide

Your driver-guide is the heart of every Masai Mara and Naivasha safari. Before you wake, they have checked the vehicle, packed the cool box with drinking water and spoken with other guides about where animals were seen the evening before. During game drives they read tracks in the dust, listen for alarm calls from birds and monkeys, and watch the behaviour of grazing animals for signs that predators are nearby.

They also take care of practical details, from park permits to meal times, so you can simply enjoy the experience. Do not hesitate to ask questions about animals, plants, Kenyan culture or conservation. Guides love to share their knowledge, and their stories often become a favourite part of the trip.

Extend Your Safari

If you have more time, you can extend this trip in several ways:

• Add Lake Nakuru's rhinos and flamingos with our 5 Day Kenya Safari: Naivasha, Mara and Nakuru
• Add Amboseli and Kilimanjaro with our 6 Day Amboseli and Masai Mara Safari
• Add a morning at Hell's Gate National Park, known for cycling and dramatic gorges
• Finish on the beach using our Kenya safari and beach holiday guide

Frequently Asked Questions

How long are the drives on this Masai Mara and Naivasha safari? JKIA to the Mara takes about five to six hours, the Mara to Naivasha about four to five hours, and Naivasha to JKIA about two to three hours, depending on traffic.

Is the Crescent Island walk safe? Yes. There are no large predators on the island, and you walk with a guide who knows the animals well.

Why is the boat ride included? Crescent Island is visited by boat on this package, so the boat ride across the lake is included together with the island's entry fee.

Can children join this safari? Yes. The lodges offer reduced rates for children sharing with adults. Contact us for a family quote.

Can I add a balloon flight to my Masai Mara and Naivasha safari? Yes, a sunrise balloon flight over the Mara can be added on day two at extra cost.

Is the vehicle private? Yes. Your group has its own 4x4 pop-up roof Land Cruiser and driver-guide throughout.

When should I book my Masai Mara and Naivasha safari? Book several months ahead for peak season, especially July to October and the festive period.

Book Your Masai Mara and Naivasha Safari

Ready for big cats, hippos and a walk among giraffes? Check the price table above for your travel dates and group size, then send us a booking request using the form below, or contact us with any questions. You can also explore more Kenya safari packages.