4 Days Masai Mara Budget Camping Safari - 3 Nights of Camping at Masai Mara

The Detailed, 4 Days, 3 Nights Masai Mara Budget Camping Safari Itinerary

A camping budget safari in Kenya is the best way to get close to nature and animals without spending much. AjKenyaSafaris.com tailor makes your safari to meet your needs whether you are a solo or group traveler. 

Day 1: Pick up from Airport, Transfer to Masai Mara, & Evening Game Drive

Our professional safari guide will pick you up in the morning from JKIA or Nairobi hotel, if you are already in Kenya. He will brief you about your camping safari and then welcome you to your exclusive budget-friendly 4WD safari van. 

You will start the 6-hr drive to Masai Mara, stopping one hour later at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. The viewpoint offers drool-worthy peeks into the very delightful Rift Valley, the highlights being the valley’s escarpments and the captivating Mt. Longonot at a distance.

The Great Rift Valley presents surreal photography and bird viewing opportunities. There are several curio shops along the Viewpoint, but don’t exhaust your pockets. You will have multiple chances to buy souvenirs in Narok and Masai Mara. 

Your next halt comes 2 hours and 108 km later when you stop at Narok town to visit the bathroom, stretch your legs, and shop for anything you might need. You then continue with the remaining 161 km of the journey.

Upon arrival, the safari guide and the Aruba team will help you set up your tent at Aruba Camping Site, take lunch, and relax. The best Masai Mara safari packages should have an evening game drive from 3 pm to 6 pm on day 1. 

You will head out for this game drive. Watch out for various animals and enjoy the magnificent sunset before returning to the camp for dinner and a night’s rest.

 Day 2: Full-Day Game Drives in the Mara with Picnic Lunch

The Mara is like fine wine; it gets fascinating by the day and always manages to surprise the visitor. You will start day 2 of your 4 Days Masai Mara Budget Camping Safari with breakfast followed by a full-day game drive. 

The plan is to venture deeper into the Masai Mara to uncover its freshly rejuvenated animals looking for food in the densely thicketed grasslands. Quite a lot goes on in the mornings, and experiencing this brilliance against the backdrop of the sunrise is truly magical.

Our guides know the wildlife’s go-to spots; with this knowledge, you are provided a one-on-one experience with thousands of species. The scenery here begs for a photo, and the view of the savannah is somewhat unreal.

Hot afternoons see the animals head to the Mara River seeking to cool off and quench their thirst. The cats take advantage of this to prey on their targets. You follow them to the river and have your picnic lunch near this river. 

You continue with the game drive after lunch; soon, the afternoon turns into the early evening.  The evenings see animals, the reptiles most especially, out of their hideouts in search of food and some final sun-basking. 

Hundreds of wildebeests, buffalos, species of antelopes, and other animals scatter in the open plains for rest and grass. You will later head to the camping site for dinner and a night’s rest. 

Day 3: Optional Hot Air Balloon Ride/Morning Game Drive, Visit a Maasai Village, & Evening Game Drive 

Our Masai Mara holiday packages include a visit to the Maasai village and an optional hot air balloon at an extra cost of USD 450. Masai Mara’s morning game drives never get old. They help to set the pace for the rest of the day. 

You will start the day with breakfast and be at the reserve by 6:30 am. Get your binoculars ready to explore the day away at the Mara. The thousands of animals, remarkable scenery and bird life are always a fabulous treat. 

Nothing complements Masai Mara more than a hot air balloon safari. It lets you take to the sky and sink all the drama as it unfolds below you. The safari is an iconic way to experience the Mara and by far the grandest way to do it. 

You soar over the thousands of animals, ascending to reach only second to paradise. With the majestic ride comes surreal views of some of the Mara’s most hidden, out-of-the-way parts. 

From it, the landscape of the Mara is outlined. The hot air balloon safari ends with a sumptuous breakfast and champagne. The safari guide will take you to a Maasai village at around 10 am. 

The Masai are a people rich in culture and jungle experience. From them, you hear of their existence in the park that boasts the largest lion population in the world. You share their laughter, song, dance, and art before returning to the camp for lunch.

The day is not over until you have the afternoon game drive. Some of the most exhilarating splendors of the Masai Mara are the pristine riverine woodlands and savannah grasslands speckled black by the exceedingly vast numbers of wildlife population. 

Our experienced Masai Mara camping safari guides are experts at spotting the rarely spotted, with rarities such as lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas, making a cameo.

The Thomson’s gazelle, giraffes, zebras, buffalos, rhinos, and jackals are a few of the 450 different animal species you will spot during your 4 Days Masai Mara budget camping safari. Birders are brought to the 500+ avian species that reside in Masai Mara.

You drive on through the ridiculously incredible landscape, highlighting every turf and curve of the striking Mara until evening. 

Day 4: Morning Game Drive at Masai Mara & Transfer to Nairobi

Sunrise accentuates the Mara in ways that leave you speechless. You start the day with an early game drive that brings you close to this great reserve. 

The Mara River becomes your next stop. Adorned by dangerous amounts of crocodiles and hippos, the Mara River has managed to keep audiences across the world entertained through its annual wildebeest migration.

The migration from July to October sees over 2 million wildebeests and zebras struggle across the Mara River on their long and arduous voyage to Masai Mara National Reserve from Serengeti National Park.

The morning game drive ends around 10 am, the ideal time to start the drive back to Kenya’s capital. You stop at Narok town for quick lunch and arrive at Nairobi in the early evening. Our safari guide will take you to the airport for your international flight.

Things Included in 4 Days Masai Mara Budget Camping Safari Price

• Pickup from JKIA on day 1
• Service of a professional safari guide during the safari
• Bottled mineral drinking water
• Exclusive use of a 4WD safari van 
• Park fees and government taxes
• Full-board accommodation at Tents 
• Evening game drive at Masai Mara on day 1
• Full-day game drive at Masai Mara on day 2
• Morning and evening game drive at Masai Mara on day 3
• Visit a Maasai village on day 3
• Morning game drive at Masai Mara on day 4
• Lunch at Narok town on day 4
• Transfer to Nairobi (JKIA) on day 4

Things Excluded from the Budget Camping Safari Price

• Hot air balloon safari at USD 450 Per Person 
• Laundry service 
• Money transfer fee
• Local and international flights 
• Flying doctor cover
• Tips and gratuities to safari guide 
• Money transfer fee 

4 Days Masai Mara Camping Safari Price Per Person