Trip overview
Five days in the Mara during the most spectacular wildlife event on Earth. Fly in to maximise time with the herds, river crossings, and predators in their element. July–October.
The Great Migration, properly
Every July, more than 1.5 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 350,000 gazelle thunder north from Tanzania's Serengeti into the Mara, chasing rain and fresh grass. They'll cross the crocodile-infested Mara River repeatedly, tested by predators every step. It's evolution playing out at industrial scale, and to witness a river crossing is to understand exactly why so many people fall in love with Africa.
This itinerary is built around maximising time in the field:
- Fly in from Nairobi to Mara (1 hour vs 5 hour drive)
- Conservancy stay for the first two nights (Olare Motorogi or Naboisho), fewer vehicles, walking and night drives
- Two nights inside the reserve at a riverside camp for the river crossings
- Final game drive before flying back
Best for travellers who've done the basics and want serious wildlife. Photographers, repeat safari-goers, romantic couples.
Day-by-day itinerary
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Day 1
Fly to Maasai Mara
Morning flight Nairobi (Wilson Airport) to Olare Motorogi airstrip in the Mara conservancies. Lunch at camp, then afternoon game drive in the conservancy, far fewer vehicles than the public reserve.
🏕 Stay: Porini Lion Camp / Mara Naboisho Camp · 🍽 L/D
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Day 2
Conservancy game drives & walking
Sunrise game drive when predators are most active. Walking safari with armed Maasai ranger (only possible in conservancies). Afternoon drive looking for lion, cheetah, leopard, elephants. Sundowners on the plains.
🏕 Stay: Porini Lion Camp / Mara Naboisho Camp · 🍽 B/L/D
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Day 3
Transfer to the main reserve
After breakfast, transfer south into the public Maasai Mara reserve to a camp on the Mara River, front row seats for the migration crossings. Afternoon drive in search of the herds.
🏕 Stay: Mara Engai / Sentinel Mara · 🍽 B/L/D
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Day 4
Full day chasing crossings
Full day on the move with packed lunch, your guide will react to wildebeest behaviour, predator activity and radio updates from other guides. With luck, you'll witness a river crossing, the most adrenaline-pumping wildlife spectacle on Earth.
🏕 Stay: Mara Engai / Sentinel Mara · 🍽 B/L/D
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Day 5
Final drive · Fly to Nairobi
Sunrise game drive then breakfast at camp. Mid-morning flight to Nairobi (Wilson Airport). Day-use room or transfer to JKIA for international departure.
🏕 Stay: None · 🍽 B
What's included
Included
- All park & conservancy fees
- 4 nights tented camp accommodation
- Full board meals + drinks at camp
- Return flights Nairobi-Mara
- Shared 4x4 game drives
- Driver-guide & camp guide
- Sundowners and bush breakfasts
- Airport transfers
Not included
- International flights
- Kenya eTA
- Travel insurance
- Premium spirits
- Optional balloon safari
- Tipping
- Personal expenses
What guests say
I am a wildlife photographer and I have travelled across Africa for twenty years. Afriroam's knowledge of the conservancies and their relationships with the guides made this the most productive safari I have ever done. The lighting, the patience, the access, exceptional.
Our second safari, but our first with a Kenyan-owned operator, and it's the only way we'll travel here from now on. The conservancy stay was a revelation. We watched a leopard hunt at twilight from our tent. The Afriroam team handled every logistic from JFK to JKIA seamlessly.
Three generations of my family, me, my daughter and her two teenagers, and somehow Afriroam designed a trip that thrilled all of us. The kids loved cycling through Hell's Gate, my daughter loved the lodges, and I loved that everything just worked. Honest, kind, and brilliant at what they do.
