ENCOUNTERSAFRICA
6-Day Nairobi & Mara Triangle Safari

Kenya - Fly-in safari

6-Day Nairobi & Mara Triangle Safari

Duration
6 days
Countries
Kenya
Suited to
2-8 guests
Pricing
From USD 8,680

The journey

Updated on 23 August 2026

Most Mara itineraries treat Nairobi as an airport with a hotel attached. This one gives the city two proper nights, which is what it takes to see the things worth seeing and to arrive in the Mara without a long-haul flight still in your legs. Hemingways sits in Karen, all white colonnades and lawns under the Ngong Hills, twenty minutes from the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage, the Giraffe Centre and Karen Blixen's farmhouse. It is a soft landing with a very good bar. Then the 45-minute flight west into the Mara Triangle, the reserve's western third, managed separately since 2001 with capped vehicle numbers and a firm ban on off-road driving. The camp is classic tented Mara, canvas under trees with the Mara River within reach, and the drives are conspicuously less crowded than the eastern sector's. From July to October the migration crosses the river inside the Triangle. The rest of the year the resident lion, cheetah, leopard and elephant carry the days on their own, at rates that are noticeably kinder.

Your camps, day by day

Stay 1

Arrival in Karen

You are met at Jomo Kenyatta and driven forty-five minutes out to Karen, where Hemingways stands white and colonnaded with the Ngong Hills behind it. The suites are large and the beds are exactly what an overnight flight requires. If you land early enough, the afternoon can take in the Karen Blixen house fifteen minutes away.

Stay 2

Elephants and Giraffes

The Sheldrick orphanage opens to visitors for one hour late morning, and watching orphaned elephant calves shoulder each other around a mud bath is worth arranging the day around. The Giraffe Centre follows, where Rothschild's giraffe take pellets from a raised platform. The afternoon is free for the Kazuri bead workshop or the hotel's pool.

Stay 3

Into the Triangle

A transfer across to Wilson and the 45 minute flight southwest over the Rift wall. The camp sits under trees in the Mara Triangle, canvas and wood with the river not far off. Lunch, a shower, then the first drive out onto the plain, where topi stand on termite mounds and the lion are somewhere close.

Stay 4

The Full Mara Day

Out at first light with lunch packed, working the Triangle from the escarpment foot to the river. Lion prides hold the water line, cheetah use the short grass toward the border, and elephant families cross the marshes late on. In season the guides sit at the crossing points, sometimes for hours, waiting on the herds.

Stay 5

Cats and the Community

The morning drive follows whatever the camp radio is excited about, usually a leopard in a fig or a pride with cubs. The afternoon can take in a neighbouring Maasai village on terms the community sets, or a balloon flight if booked before dawn. The farewell dinner is around the fire with the plain going dark.

Stay 6

Mara to Nairobi

A last short drive to the airstrip with the plain waking up, then 45 minutes back to Wilson and a transfer to Jomo Kenyatta for evening international departures. Five nights that gave Nairobi its due and then spent three of them in the least crowded third of the Masai Mara, which is the right order to do it in.

Safari highlights

  • Two nights at Hemingways in Karen, Nairobi
  • The Sheldrick elephant orphanage and Giraffe Centre
  • Three nights in the Mara Triangle's western third
  • Capped vehicles and no off-road driving in the Triangle
  • Mara River hippo, crocodile and season crossings
  • A gentle two-stage arrival, not an airport dash

What is included

Included

  • 5 nights accommodation, per person sharing
  • Return light-aircraft flights Wilson-Mara Triangle airstrip
  • All Nairobi road transfers including airport arrival
  • Bed and breakfast at Hemingways Nairobi
  • All meals and house drinks in the Mara
  • A guided Nairobi day with the elephant orphanage and Giraffe Centre
  • Twice-daily game drives and Masai Mara reserve fees
  • Emergency medical evacuation cover while on safari

Not included

  • International flights to and from Africa
  • Kenya electronic travel authorisation and entry permits
  • Comprehensive travel and medical insurance
  • Lunches and dinners in Nairobi
  • Balloon safaris over the Mara
  • Gratuities for guides, drivers and hotel staff
  • Items of a personal nature and telephone calls

Frequently asked questions

How much does a 6-day Nairobi and Mara safari cost?

From USD 8,680 per person sharing, rising to about USD 10,280 in the July to October peak. That covers two bed-and-breakfast nights at Hemingways Nairobi, three full-board nights in the Mara Triangle, a guided Nairobi day, twice-daily game drives, Masai Mara reserve fees, the return light-aircraft flights and all transfers. International flights to Africa are excluded.

Is Nairobi worth two nights?

If you land off a long-haul flight, yes. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's elephant orphanage opens for one hour a day and is genuinely affecting; the Giraffe Centre puts Rothschild's giraffe at eye level; and Karen Blixen's farmhouse is fifteen minutes from both. Two nights also means you reach the Mara rested, which materially improves the first two game drives.

Why the Mara Triangle rather than the main reserve?

The Triangle is the western third of the Masai Mara, run by the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy since 2001. It caps vehicles at sightings, bans off-road driving and patrols hard. The wildlife crosses freely between the sectors, so you see the same lion, cheetah and elephant, but a big sighting here draws a handful of vehicles rather than a scrum.

When can you see the migration?

Roughly July to October, when the herds move up from the Serengeti and cross the Mara River, often within the Triangle. Crossings cannot be scheduled: animals gather on a bank for hours, then commit or turn back. Guides go out early and wait. August and September are the most reliable, though resident game is excellent all year.

Are international flights included?

No. International flights to and from Africa are excluded and booked separately, arriving at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta airport, where you are met and transferred. The Mara flights operate from Wilson Airport on the other side of the city and are included, along with that transfer. Light aircraft carry a 15 kg soft-bag luggage limit per person.

Is this a malaria area?

The Masai Mara is malarial and prophylaxis is recommended for that leg. Nairobi sits at about 1,700 metres and is considered low risk, but most clinics advise cover for the trip as a whole. Arrange it about six weeks before departure. The Mara camp provides nets and repellent, and a yellow fever certificate is needed only if arriving from a transmission-risk country.