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Samaka MaraSafari
An acacia silhouetted against sunrise on the East African plains

Kenya · Tanzania · Since 2014

The Mara, the mountain, and everything between.

Small-group and private safaris run by Kenyans who grew up with these parks — from a three-day Mara break to a twelve-day crossing into the Serengeti, and guided treks on Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro.

Browse safarisPlan a custom trip
Years guiding
12+Years guiding
Itineraries
30+Itineraries
Average review
4.9Average review
Reply time
24hReply time

Who we are

A small Nairobi outfit that would rather run twenty good trips than two hundred average ones.

Samaka Mara Safari was started by guides, not by an office. Between us we have driven most of the roads in this country more times than we can count, and we know which lodge has the view, which gate is quicker in the rain, and where the cats have been seen this week rather than last season.

What that buys you is judgement. We will tell you when three days is not enough, when a lodge is not worth its price, and when the month you have picked is the wrong one for what you want to see. Then we will build the trip properly and run it ourselves.

More about usTalk to a guide
A lion pride resting together in the Maasai Mara

Why book with us

Four things we will not compromise on

Guides who have done the miles

Every trip runs with a professional driver-guide who knows the parks, the roads and the animals — not a driver who happens to be free that week.

One price, honestly quoted

Park fees, accommodation, transport and meals are in the quote from the start. We would rather lose a booking than surprise you at the gate.

Built around you

Every itinerary here is a starting point. Shift the nights, change the lodges, add the coast — we will rework it and requote the same day.

Reachable while you travel

You have a phone number that reaches a person in Nairobi, not a ticketing system, for the whole time you are in the country.

Popular trips

Where most people start

Six itineraries that between them cover almost everything visitors come to East Africa for. Every one can be lengthened, shortened or rebuilt around your dates.
3 days · 2 nights

Kenya Safari

3 Days Maasai Mara Safari

The classic short break into Kenya's most famous reserve

Maasai Mara
From NairobiView itinerary
4 days · 3 nights

Kenya Safari

4 Days Maasai Mara & Lake Nakuru

Big cats on the plains, rhino and flamingo in the Rift Valley

Maasai MaraLake Nakuru
From NairobiView itinerary

Where we go

Eight places worth crossing the world for

Each of these does something the others do not. Tell us which of them matters most and we will build the route around it.

  • Maasai Mara

    Big cats and the river crossings

  • Amboseli

    Tuskers under Kilimanjaro

  • Samburu

    The arid-country specials

  • Lake Nakuru

    Rhino and flamingo

  • Serengeti

    Endless plains, endless herds

  • Ngorongoro

    A whole ecosystem in one caldera

  • Tsavo

    Red elephants and lava country

  • Kilimanjaro

    The roof of Africa

Short on time

Day trips and overnights

A free morning in Nairobi or a week on the coast is enough for a proper wildlife day. These run at short notice, and we collect you from your hotel.

In their words

What people say afterwards

We had six days and no idea what to do with them. Samaka Mara built the route, moved two nights when our flight changed, and our guide found us a leopard on the last morning when we had given up on it.
Hannah & TomBristol, United Kingdom
Booked the Amboseli trip for my parents, who are in their seventies. The pace was right, the vehicle was comfortable, and someone checked in with them every day. That mattered more than the game viewing, honestly.
Priya S.Toronto, Canada
Eight days on the Lemosho route. Well-fed, well-paced, and the guides watched our oxygen numbers properly. All four of us summited. I would not climb it with anyone else.
Marco B.Milan, Italy

Tell us roughly what you want. We will send back a real itinerary.

Dates, budget, how long you have, and what you most want to see. That is enough for us to come back with a costed plan — usually within a day.

Start planningCall +254 722 651 149