5 Days Kenya Photographic Safari to Maasai Mara

Route Length: Approximately 270 kilometres
Estimated Travel Time: 5–6 hours
Photography Drive: Approximately 2½–3 hours
Areas Visited: Nairobi, Great Rift Valley viewpoint, Narok and Maasai Mara

Our Kenya photographic safari begins when our guide collects you from your Nairobi hotel, airport or agreed meeting point. You will travel through the Great Rift Valley, stopping briefly at a suitable viewpoint before continuing through Narok towards Maasai Mara. After checking into your midrange lodge or tented camp and enjoying lunch, you will enter the reserve for an afternoon photography drive. The warm evening light may provide excellent conditions for photographing elephants, giraffes, antelopes, lions and wide savannah landscapes.

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Jambo Mara Safari Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Lunch, Dinner

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Wildlife-Viewing Coverage: Approximately 80–120 kilometres
Time in the Reserve: Approximately 7–9 hours
Photography Zones: Central plains, river crossings, predator territories and open grasslands

You will leave after breakfast with a packed lunch for a full-day Kenya photographic safari across Maasai Mara. Our guide will follow wildlife movements and position the vehicle safely whenever conditions permit. You may photograph lions resting near the tracks, cheetahs scanning the plains, elephants travelling in family groups and wildebeests grazing across the grasslands. Lunch will be enjoyed at a designated site before your photography journey continues through another part of the reserve.

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Jambo Mara Safari Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Approximate Game-Drive Range: 70–110 kilometres
Safari Duration: Around 7–9 hours
Locations Explored: Mara River region, open plains, seasonal water channels and woodland edges

Your second complete day in Maasai Mara allows you to explore areas not fully covered on the previous drive. Our guide will search for different wildlife behaviour, including hunting activity, animals drinking, young calves, scavenger interactions and birdlife. Having an additional full day increases your opportunity to photograph animals under varying weather and lighting conditions. Your photographic safari may also reach the Mara River region, depending on road conditions and current wildlife activity.

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Jambo Mara Safari Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Road Span: Approximately 235–260 kilometres
Transfer Estimate: 5–6 hours
Optional Evening Drive: Approximately 1½–2½ hours
Places Covered: Maasai Mara, Narok, Rift Valley highlands, Nakuru and Lake Nakuru National Park

After breakfast, you will leave Maasai Mara and begin your journey towards Lake Nakuru. Our safari route will pass through the Rift Valley countryside, farming areas and busy regional towns before reaching Nakuru. When your accommodation is located inside Lake Nakuru National Park and arrival time permits, you will enjoy an afternoon photography drive. Guests staying outside the park will check into their accommodation and prepare for the extended wildlife experience the following morning.

Destination:

MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Overnight:

Ziwa Bush Lodge

  mid rage 3 star lodge

Meals & Drinks:

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Park Exploration Distance: Approximately 35–60 kilometres
Wildlife-Viewing Time: Approximately 4–6 hours
Return Journey: Approximately 160 kilometres
Driving Estimate to Nairobi: 3–3½ hours
Areas Visited: Lake shoreline, rhino habitat, acacia woodland, viewpoints and Nairobi

After breakfast, your final Kenya photographic safari drive begins inside Lake Nakuru National Park. You will search for white rhinos, black rhinos, Rothschild’s giraffes, buffaloes, zebras, baboons and numerous bird species. Our guide will also explore scenic viewpoints and woodland sections that provide a different photographic environment from Maasai Mara. After an extensive morning and early-afternoon drive, you will depart for Nairobi and arrive in the late afternoon or evening.