Honestly, I've been hearing about this beautiful event for a long time. I know that it's special. It's very rare that all the Maasai clans from the different regions come together and celebrate in such a way. Because it's such a fantastic opportunity for photography, and for getting to know the culture even better, I think this should be one of the top events in Kenya. Unfortunately, not too many people know about it. So I'm doing my part by making this post and telling people they should try to visit.
The basics:
- It's from 10 to 14 November 2026, just inside Sekenani Gate, the main gate of the Maasai Mara (The Standard).
- It moves to a different county every year (Samburu in 2024, Kajiado near Amboseli in 2025), so this is the first time it's back in the Mara since the first one in 2023.
- President Ruto is expected at the closing ceremony on Saturday 14 November, which will be the busiest day.
- November is the short rains, so pack a rain jacket.
I wrote up everything we know so far about the festival itself (the dancing, the beadwork, what happened at the earlier ones) on the Mara Hilltop blog. This post is about how to build a trip around it.
Samburu women, one of the Maa communities that come to the festival. Photo: Joseph KimaniT, CC BY-SA 4.0.
A 5-day trip: Naivasha, the Mara, back to Nairobi
This is the trip I'd do. Lake Naivasha first, then three nights in the Mara so you're there for the last three days of the festival, including the closing.
- Wednesday 11 Nov: your driver meets you at the airport in Nairobi, and it's about two hours to Lake Naivasha, depending on Nairobi traffic. In the afternoon you take a boat across to Crescent Island and walk among the giraffe and zebra. Crescent Island is one of my favourite places. Night at Lake Naivasha Resort.
- Thursday 12 Nov: about four hours to the Mara, in time for lunch at Mara Hilltop. Afternoon at the festival, which is five minutes down the road.
- Friday 13 Nov: sunrise game drive in the reserve, back for breakfast, festival in the afternoon.
- Saturday 14 Nov: another morning game drive, then the closing day of the festival. It'll be the busiest day with the President there.
- Sunday 15 Nov: back to Nairobi, about five hours on the road.
Crescent Island at Lake Naivasha, where you walk instead of drive. Photo: Peter Dowley, CC BY 2.0.
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For two people sharing, our planner prices this at about $2,960 to $3,070 in total, so roughly $1,480 to $1,540 each. That includes
- full board at Lake Naivasha Resort and Mara Hilltop (Standard Room),
- a private car and driver for all the road legs (usually a Toyota Noah, with air conditioning),
- two days of game drives with a local guide,
- the park fees for the game-drive days.
No entry price for the festival has been announced yet. We'll update this as soon as we know.
You can open this exact trip in our planner and change it. The team confirms the final quote on WhatsApp, usually within two hours (7am to 10pm Kenya time). If you'd like a luxury tent at Mara Hilltop it costs more, ask us and we'll price it.
More time? Add Amboseli, then the coast
If you have more time, you should probably try to add in Amboseli as well. It's the park with the big elephant herds and Kilimanjaro right across the border, and last year's festival was there too, at Kimana Gate. Two nights is good.
And if you have more time from that, I would recommend you do a trip to the coast as well, Diani or Watamu. The easiest way down is from Nairobi, by the train or a short flight.
Mara Hilltop is in the festival's backyard
The festival is happening right in the backyard of Mara Hilltop, our lodge, which is run by the same team as RafikiGo. It's 2.5 km from Sekenani Gate. Our team is very excited to be hosting a lot of guests during this time to attend this event.
Mara Hilltop from the air at sunset.
It'll be a busy week around Sekenani, so if you're thinking about it, book early. WhatsApp us or start in the planner, and we'll plan the week with you.
— NJ
Cover photo: Samburu women in traditional dress, by Marta Panco, CC BY-SA 4.0.
