Budget
What a Mara camp actually costs
Priced per person per night, fully inclusive. Here is what each level buys, and what sits outside the rate.
| Level | Per person per night | What it buys in the Mara |
|---|---|---|
| Fine lodges and classic camps | US$800 – 1,200 | Established camps in genuinely good locations, a private vehicle throughout, light-aircraft hops between parks rather than long road transfers, and guiding that is a profession rather than a job. The entry point to a safari that does not compromise. |
| Private conservancy | US$1,200 – 1,800 | Camps on private land, where the rules change: off-road driving to a sighting, night drives, walking with an armed guide, and a cap on how many vehicles may attend anything. Usually the point at which people stop comparing safaris on price. |
| Owner-run and design-led | US$1,800 – 2,500 | The camps people name when they get home. Six to ten tents, an owner or manager who is present, a guide assigned to you for the stay, and food that would hold its own in a city. |
| Exclusive-use and private-guided | US$2,500 – 4,000 | A guide who travels with you from park to park rather than being handed over at each one, private charters on your own schedule, and small camps taken whole for your party. |
| Whole-camp and villa | US$4,000 and up | Exclusive-use houses and villas with their own staff, mobile expedition camps built for your route, and private aircraft between countries. Bought for privacy and control rather than for thread count. |
Per person per night sharing, fully inclusive: accommodation, meals, park and conservancy fees, guiding, and transport between parks. International flights are not included. Indicative 2026/27 rates. Your quote confirms exact pricing for your dates.
What moves the number most
- Season. The same tent can differ by a factor of two between April and August.
- Conservancy or reserve. The conservancy fee is a real, per-person, per-night cost. It is the land lease.
- Private vehicle. The best value upgrade, and a large line item if there are only two of you.
- Group size. Vehicle and guide are costed per vehicle, so four sharing pay much less each than two.
- Camp size. A six-tent owner-run camp cannot spread fixed costs the way a forty-room lodge can.
- Single travellers. Single supplements are real. Some camps waive them in low season, always worth asking, and we do.
What is outside the rate
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Reserve entry fees | If you sleep outside the boundary, charged every time you enter. Ask how many entries your itinerary involves. |
| Flights to the Mara | Roughly 45 minutes from Nairobi Wilson. Priced per person, per leg. |
| Balloon safari | A significant per-person extra. Worth it for many people; budget it separately. |
| Tips | Customary for guide and camp staff. Ask for a suggested range. We give one. |
| Premium drinks | Most camps include beer, house wine and soft drinks. Champagne and premium spirits are charged. |
How a cheap Mara quote is usually made cheap
Four ways, none of them illegal and none of them obvious from a total: a shared vehicle instead of a private one; a camp outside the boundary with entry fees excluded; a long road transfer instead of the flight; or low-season rates quoted against high-season dates.
That is why we itemise. You can see which of those four a quote has chosen.
More from our Kenya guides
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