4 days · From $1580 per person · Easy pace · 2-8 guests

Overview

This is the trip for anyone who wants the Mara the way it actually looks in your head before you’ve been: grass running flat to the horizon, a single acacia holding the whole frame, light that turns everything gold for twenty unhurried minutes at each end of the day. We base the whole four days from one lodge on the reserve’s edge rather than moving you between camps, which means less time repacking and more time simply watching a stretch of plain do what it does across a full afternoon. The Mara holds one of the densest predator populations left in Africa across roughly 1,510 km2 of grassland, and four unhurried days from a fixed base is enough to properly work the Mara Triangle, the Talek river line, and Rhino Ridge without the trip feeling like a checklist.

Highlights

• One lodge for the whole stay, so no travel days are lost to repacking and relocating
• Morning and late-afternoon game drives timed to the light, not a fixed clock
• Small-group vehicles with a guaranteed window seat for every guest
• A sundowner stop on Rhino Ridge, weather and wildlife permitting
• Built-in rest hour at midday, because a safari should have some slow time in it

---

Itinerary

Day 1: Nairobi to the Mara

Fly in on a scheduled morning flight (45 min) or drive via Narok (approx. 5-6 hrs). Afternoon game drive on arrival, first sundowner as the light drops.

Day 2: The Mara Triangle

Full day working the reserve’s western Triangle, the highest-density predator ground in the ecosystem. Picnic breakfast out on the plain, back to the lodge for a long lunch and rest before an evening drive.

Day 3: Talek and Rhino Ridge

Morning along the Talek river line tracking whichever pride holds territory that week. Afternoon at leisure at the lodge or an optional Maasai village visit, evening drive out to Rhino Ridge for sundowners.

Day 4: Last light, departure

Short dawn drive back toward the airstrip or the Narok road. Breakfast before you leave, Nairobi by early afternoon.

---

What’s Included

• 3 nights at a permanent lodge on the reserve’s edge, full board
• All game drives in a 4×4 safari vehicle with a pop-up roof and guaranteed window seat
• Professional English-speaking driver-guide throughout
• Maasai Mara National Reserve conservation fees
• Airstrip or road transfers within the itinerary

What’s Not Included

• International or domestic flights to/from Kenya
• Visa fees and travel insurance
• Drinks beyond the lodge’s included house selection
• Hot-air balloon safari (available as an add-on, approx. $450pp)
• Gratuities for your guide and lodge staff

---

Frequently Asked Questions

Why stay in one lodge instead of moving around the Mara?

Because a lot of what makes a slow safari worth it is not spending half a day driving between camps. Staying put means every hour is either on a drive or genuinely resting, not repacking a bag.

Is four days enough for the Mara?

For the core wildlife and a proper rhythm of drives and rest, yes. If the river crossing itself is the goal, look at our Migration Season Safari instead, which is timed and paced specifically around it.

---

Interested in the Maasai Mara Open Plains Safari? Get in touch and we’ll help you plan it.