Signature Journey · Kenya · 8 days
The Mara, privately: five nights in a conservancy with the freedom the reserve cannot offer, one deliberate reserve day when the season justifies it, and no convoy logic anywhere.
The shape of the journey
Unhurried, with one wilderness chapter held for five nights
Chapter by chapter
7 nights in 3 chapters, with 2 flight sectors. Read down the chapters; the map keeps pace.
Day 1 · 1 night
Nairobi
Arrive to a private transfer and a base in the Karen district, where the city becomes gardens and forest edge. Depending on the hour, the first day can hold the giraffe sanctuary or the elephant orphanage, or simply rest before the flight north.
By air · Nairobi to the Maasai Mara, about 45 minutes
Days 2 to 6 · 5 nights
Maasai Mara
Five nights let weather, cats and river logic lead instead of a daily checklist. The conservancy carries the mornings and evenings; the reserve is entered once, whole, for a river day when it earns its place. Nothing is promised about crossings.
By air · the Maasai Mara to Nairobi, about 1 hour
Day 7 · 1 night
Nairobi
A scheduled flight returns to Wilson airport, followed by a private transfer with realistic timing. A final night in Karen gives the journey a proper close rather than an airport dash.
By road · private transfer to the airport with time in hand
Day 8
A private transfer to the airport with time in hand. International departure timing is checked against the live schedule before anything is confirmed.
Two expressions, one journey
The Most Exclusive Addresses and the Distinguished Camps and Lodges preserve the same route, purpose and Sail operating standard. The expression changes the addresses, never the soul of the journey. Every property is a current decision set, not guaranteed inventory; availability, opening and access are confirmed live.
| Chapter | Nights | The Most Exclusive Addresses | Distinguished Camps and Lodges |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nairobi | 1 | Giraffe Manor (The Safari Collection) | Hemingways Nairobi |
| Maasai Mara | 5 | Mara Plains Camp (Great Plains) | Kicheche Valley Naboisho |
| Nairobi | 1 | Hemingways Nairobi | Nairobi Serena Hotel |
From price, 2027 season
From US$7,515 per person in the low season, 15 March to 31 May and 1 November to 15 December
Distinguished Camps and Lodges, two adults, per person sharing, confirmed at quotation.
Prices are per person for two adults sharing; a party of four or six changes the vehicle and guide cost per person, and Sail prices that at quotation.
Recommended months: Year-round; July to October for the migration, January to March for quiet resident game. Where these fall in the high season, 1 June to 31 October and 16 December to 14 March, the Distinguished expression starts from US$9,930 per person on the same basis; where they fall in the low season the figure above applies. Individual properties may price festive and peak weeks above the high-season rate.
Includes the 2 scheduled flight sectors at US$500 per person on 2027 fares, carried at cost.
The Most Exclusive Addresses expression, single travellers, families and dates that straddle the two seasons are priced on request. Published from prices are public rates; travel advisors receive nett rates at quotation.
Every figure is confirmed once permits, air sectors and lodge availability are held for your dates. Park, conservancy and permit fees are charged at the rates published by the authorities that set them, confirmed at booking.
Discuss this journey for your datesAt a glance
The Sail standard
Plan with a clearer frame
Best fit. First safaris and honeymoons that need wildlife confidence without surrendering space or guide attention.
Choose another route when. Choose Mara in Depth if photography leads and a fifth night should go to the field rather than Nairobi, or The Green-Season Mara for January to March value.
| Travel band | Two travellers | Four travellers | Six travellers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green seasonApril to May and selected November dates Open landscapes, strong birding and greater camp flexibility, with local rain shaping daily access. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
| Shoulder seasonJanuary to March, June and early December Resident wildlife, activity choice and lower pressure than the principal migration months. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
| Peak seasonJuly to October and festive dates Highest demand around the migration; reserve, conservancy and flight decisions are made early. | The private vehicle, guide and fixed route costs are shared by two, so the per-person investment is usually highest. | Four travellers usually create the clearest private-journey efficiency while preserving one vehicle and a close group dynamic. | Six travellers can share more fixed costs, subject to luggage, room mix and whether one or two vehicles best protect comfort. |
Current working range
Public journey figures are not treated as live quotations. Sail checks current contracted rates, permit and flight availability, room mix and vehicle logic before putting a dated working range in writing.
Ask Sail to place your datesJourney framework designed by Nulu Kamuntu, Founder and Lead Safari Specialist · Reviewed 1 September 2026.
A Sail planning perspective
Conservancy fees protect capped beds and fewer vehicles, which is what the higher rate pays for. A crossing is never promised; the reserve day is planned around possibility. July to October needs early action, and January to March is the underrated window.
Every final journey is built around confirmed availability, the current season, your preferred pace and the character of places you want to stay. No fixed departure is implied by this journey; the from price is a starting point for the Distinguished expression, not a package.
Tailor this journeyPrefer to talk it through first? Book a planning call with Nulu at a time that suits you.
Designed and reviewed by Sail Safaris' East Africa specialists · Founded in 2016 · Last reviewed 8 September 2026. Our planning standards
Same collection, different reason
Plan with depth
