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Maasai Mara in September
Great month: September is in the middle of the recommended season (July – October (migration), January – March). Plan around: Great Migration: Peak Season in the Mara.
The season runs to the end of October, next month. Long Rains: Muddy Roads, Some Camps Closed usually starts in April, 7 months away.
3 days in Maasai Mara in September · from ₹1,21,402 for two
Stay, food & local travel; getting there extra
Before you book September
Closures, crowds and rules at Maasai Mara this month.
Worth knowing
Great Migration: Peak Season in the Mara
The wildebeest and zebra are usually in the Mara from about July to October, and so is everyone else: camps fill 6-12 months ahead, prices are at their highest, and dozens of vehicles can gather at a river crossing. Crossings happen on the herds' schedule, not yours; allow at least three full days, and a camp in a private conservancy limits the crowds. The reserve fee is US$200 a person a day from July to December.
What it costs
For two sharing a room; 3 days on the ground, getting there not included.
Budget
₹1,21,402 for two
- Room a night₹15,390
- Food a day, each₹1,157
- Main sight entry, each₹19,240
Mid-range
₹2,04,938 for two
- Room a night₹48,100
- Food a day, each₹2,670
- Main sight entry, each₹19,240
Luxury
₹4,19,879 for two
- Room a night₹1,34,680
- Food a day, each₹6,230
- Main sight entry, each₹19,240
What September does to prices
- The wildebeest and zebra are usually in the Mara from about July to October, and so is everyone else: camps fill 6-12 months ahead, prices are at their highest, and dozens of vehicles can gather at a river crossing.
Totals cover the room (taxes included), food, local transport, entry and a 10% buffer: the figures the planner opens on. These are typical rates; Tourisma has no month-by-month rates for Kenya yet, so they don't move with the month.
Getting there
Fly into Nairobi (NBO), 188 km away
Then: Flight · 2h 30m (Safarilink / AirKenya, Wilson to the Mara airstrips)
Flights from India: from 9 cities, one way from ₹25,000
Fly into Mombasa (MBA), 578 km away
Then: Flight · 8h (Via Nairobi: Safarilink / AirKenya, Wilson to the Mara airstrips, and Kenya Airways / Jambojet (NBO–MBA))
Flights from India: from 3 cities, one way from ₹30,000
Routes compared
Entry rules
E-visa before you fly for up to 90 days, about ₹3,270
- At least 3 working days before you fly (you can apply up to 3 months ahead), apply for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) at etakenya.go.ke: passport photo page, a recent photo, your return ticket and hotel or safari booking. The fee is US$30 plus bank and processing charges (about US$34 in all), paid by card. Save the approval; airlines check it at boarding.
- At least 10 days before leaving India, get a yellow fever vaccination at a government-authorised centre (Airport or Port Health Organisation, or a listed hospital) and keep the yellow International Certificate of Vaccination with your passport. India asks for it when you land back from Kenya; without it you can be quarantined for up to 6 days.
- At immigration in Nairobi or Mombasa, show your passport, the eTA approval and your return ticket. The eTA is for a single entry; you are admitted for up to 90 days.
Carry: Passport valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive, with a blank page; eTA approval (printout or on your phone); Yellow fever vaccination certificate (the yellow card), needed by India on your return; Return or onward ticket; Hotel or safari bookings for the stay.
Kenya has no visa on arrival: without an approved eTA the airline will not board you. Kenya waived the eTA for most African nationals in 2025, not for Indians. Sources disagree on whether 90 days is the stay or the validity from approval, and on the processing charge: check the approval and the fee shown at etakenya.go.ke, and ignore look-alike sites.
Checked 2026-10; confirm with the embassy before you fly.
Elsewhere in Kenya in September
Also in season this month.
- Amboseli · great month
- Lake Naivasha · great month
- Lake Nakuru · great month
- Mombasa · great month
- Nairobi · great month
- Ol Pejeta Conservancy · great month
- Samburu National Reserve · great month
- Tsavo East & West · great month
Nearby in Rift Valley & Maasai Mara:
Want this as a real plan?
Maasai Mara in September, day by day, priced for your group.