Skip to content
Citrus Tour Safaris
Lions resting in long golden grass
Budget3 days · 2 nightsKenya

3 Days Maasai Mara Safari — Budget

This 3-day route links Maasai Mara, using value accommodation so that more of the budget goes into game viewing. 2 nights on safari, priced on request.

Maasai Mara

About this safari

The route opens in Maasai Mara — big cats, open plains and the northern stage of the Great Migration — and works through 0 further destinations over 3 days. It stays within Kenya; the final proposal will confirm transfer times and the balance between travel and game viewing. Accommodation is at the budget standard: value camps and simple lodges chosen for position rather than polish. This is the practical way to see the route: the same parks, the same guiding and the same game drives, with the savings taken on accommodation rather than on time in the field. Like every safari in this catalogue, it is priced on request rather than sold at a published rate, because park fees, permits, group size and contracted accommodation all change the figure.

Highlights

  • Maasai Mara: exceptional predator density, with large lion prides, resident leopard along the river courses and cheetah on the open grassland.

Day by day

Your 3-day itinerary

Written out in full before you book, so you can see exactly how the days are paced and where each night is spent.

  1. Day 1

    Nairobi to Maasai Mara

    Nairobi is the working gateway for this itinerary, with the first day's timing to be agreed around the confirmed travel arrangements. Leaving the highlands behind, the descent into the Rift Valley opens onto a view that runs for fifty kilometres, with the floor spread out below and volcanic cones breaking the far skyline. Beyond Narok the tarmac thins and the country turns to rolling grass and scattered acacia, Maasai herders moving their cattle along the verges, until the reserve gate brings you into the ecosystem itself. Beyond the big cats, the reserve holds an extraordinary supporting cast. Bat-eared fox and black-backed jackal work the short grass, secretary birds stalk through it hunting snakes, and ground hornbill move in slow procession. Your guide will stop for these as readily as for lion, and they are often what people remember once the trip is over. This planning outline places the night at a value property near the route. Availability and the final choice are confirmed before booking.

    Overnight: Maasai Mara

    Vast herds of wildebeest and zebra spread across open grassland

  2. Day 2

    A full day in Maasai Mara

    With a whole day in the reserve there is time to go further than the popular circuits. Your guide can push towards quieter sectors where vehicle numbers thin out and sightings are shared with nobody, returning through the afternoon as the light softens. The middle of the day is often spent with a packed lunch under a tree near the river, watching hippo shift and resettle in the shallows. Today is given over to the reserve, and how it unfolds depends on what your guide finds. Radio traffic between vehicles helps, but the best mornings often come from reading tracks and working a hunch. Lion are the most reliably seen of the big cats here; cheetah favour the open ground where they can use speed; and leopard, though present in good numbers along the watercourses, still ask for patience and a bit of luck. The suggested standard is simple and location-led. The quotation will name the property and specify what the stay includes.

    Overnight: Maasai Mara

    Vast herds of wildebeest and zebra spread across open grassland

  3. Day 3

    Maasai Mara to Nairobi

    The last morning remains flexible until the departure point and timing are agreed. Leaving the Mara means retracing the route through Narok and back up the escarpment. The landscape runs in reverse — open grassland to grazing land, grazing land to smallholdings and maize — and the market towns along the way are busy with the day’s trade. There is usually a stop for lunch and a chance to stretch before the final stretch of road. The planning route returns to Nairobi; the final drop-off and timing will be agreed around the confirmed onward arrangements.

    Safari ends

    Vast herds of wildebeest and zebra spread across open grassland

Where you stay

Suggested accommodation

Accommodation below is the suggested standard for this package, taken from the Citrus catalogue. Where an entry describes a standard rather than a named property, we confirm the exact camp or lodge with your quotation. Named properties are suggestions and are substituted with comparable alternatives if they are unavailable for your dates.

Source catalogue listing

Miti Mingi Eco Camp

This is reproduced exactly from the catalogue. The written quotation will allocate nights and confirm each available property before booking.

Typical safari arrangements may include

These are planning examples, not confirmed inclusions for this package. Your written quotation will confirm exactly what is included.

  • A private or shared safari vehicle may be proposed, depending on the route and quotation
  • Guiding, transfers and game drives may be included where they are itemised in the written quotation
  • Park, reserve and permit costs may be included or quoted separately; the quotation will say which
  • Accommodation may be quoted at the suggested standard or at an agreed alternative
  • Meals, drinking water and taxes vary by supplier and will be itemised or described in the quotation

Costs that may be separate

The quotation will identify every separate cost before you confirm.

  • International or domestic flights and airport charges may be separate
  • Visas, travel insurance and health requirements are normally the traveller's responsibility
  • Gorilla and chimpanzee permits may be included or billed separately
  • Optional activities, drinks, tips, laundry and personal purchases may be separate
  • Any cost not addressed by the draft itinerary should be checked before the booking is confirmed
  • Optional extras on this route: balloon safari and Maasai community visits

Important notes

  • Accommodation shown is suggested rather than contracted. The exact property is confirmed in your written quotation and may change with availability.
  • Wildlife sightings, migration movements, river crossings and clear mountain views depend on season, weather and chance and cannot be guaranteed.
  • Activities described as optional are excluded unless the written quotation expressly includes them.
  • The day-by-day text is a planning outline derived from the catalogue route. Your quotation will confirm exact transfers, activities, meals, permits and accommodation.

Where this safari goes

Destinations on this route

Kenya

Maasai Mara

Big cats, open plains and the northern stage of the Great Migration

Explore

Before you ask

Planning questions for this route

What does price on request mean for this safari?

The catalogue sets the route and travel standard, but it does not publish a fixed price or a contracted inclusion list. Citrus will prepare a written quotation for your dates, party and rooming, showing the exact transfers, activities, accommodation, meals, fees and permits before you confirm.

Is the listed accommodation guaranteed?

No. It is suggested accommodation from the source catalogue. Availability and any proposed alternative are confirmed in the written quotation before a booking is made.

You might also consider

Related safaris

Ready when you are

Let’s shape this safari around you

Tell us your dates and who is travelling, and we will come back with availability, honest advice on timing and a written quotation for this route.

WhatsApp
WhatsApp