What Does a Kenya Safari Cost from the UK?

Kenya safari pricing is deliberately opaque in much of the industry. Quotes arrive as a single figure, with no indication of what drives the cost or where the value lies. This guide does the opposite: it breaks the numbers down.

All figures below are per person, based on two people sharing, and are accurate for travel in 2027.

The headline numbers

• Five nights, one park, mid-range camp: £2,400 – £3,200
• Seven nights, two parks, good camps: £3,200 – £4,500
• Ten nights, three parks, luxury camps: £5,000 – £7,500
• Twelve nights including the coast: £5,000 – £7,500
• Peak migration season in the Maasai Mara: add 20 – 40%

What drives the cost

International flights

Return flights from London to Nairobi range from around £450 in low season to £900 or more in peak summer. Booking eleven months ahead usually secures the best fares. British Airways and Kenya Airways both operate direct overnight services from Heathrow.

Internal flights

Light aircraft flights between parks cost roughly £180 to £350 per leg. They save enormous amounts of time, a flight from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara takes 45 minutes against a five-hour drive, and we use them in almost every itinerary.

Accommodation and camps

This is the largest single component, and the range is vast. A comfortable mid-range tented camp on a full-board basis costs from around £250 per person per night. A premium camp with outstanding guiding and location runs £450 to £700. The most exclusive conservancy camps and private villas exceed £1,000 per person per night.

What you are paying for at the top end is rarely thread count. It is position, a camp beside a river crossing, or in a conservancy where only its own vehicles may drive, and the quality of the guiding.

Park and conservancy fees

Maasai Mara National Reserve entry is around £160 per adult per day in peak season. Conservancy fees are typically similar, but include off-road driving, walking safaris and night drives. Amboseli and Samburu are lower. These fees are usually included in a quotation but are a significant line item, expect £700 to £1,200 per person across a ten-night safari.

Game drives and guiding

A private vehicle and guide costs from around £200 to £350 per day per vehicle. We include a private vehicle in every itinerary we build, because sharing a vehicle with strangers is the single biggest compromise most operators ask guests to make.

The extras people forget

• Kenya electronic travel authorisation (eTA): around £25
• Travel insurance covering safari activities: £60 – £150
• Vaccinations and malaria prophylaxis: £80 – £200
• Gratuities: £15 – £25 per day for your guide, and £5 – £10 for camp staff
• Hot air balloon flight: £400 – £500
• Drinks, spa treatments and premium wines

How to reduce the cost without ruining the trip

Travel in January or February. The short dry season gives you dry-season wildlife and clear skies at twenty to thirty per cent below peak rates.

Travel in November. The short rains are brief afternoon showers, the parks are green and quiet, and prices are at their lowest.

Choose conservancies over reserves. Conservancy camps often cost less than reserve camps in peak season while offering off-road driving, walking and night drives, and a fraction of the vehicles.

Stay longer in fewer places. Every internal flight and transfer has a cost. Three nights in two parks is better value than two nights in three.

Book early. Peak-season Mara camps sell out nine to twelve months ahead. Late bookers pay more for worse rooms.

What we include

Every quotation we issue is itemised in full. It lists each camp, each flight and each fee separately, so you can see exactly where your money is going and choose where to spend more and where to save.

We do not add compulsory extras after you have committed, and we do not take hidden commission from camps. If a camp is right for you, we will recommend it. If it is not, we will say so, even when it costs us more.