Mara Serena Safari Lodge
Large hilltop lodge · Mara Triangle, on a hilltop · Serena Hotels
Mid-range
Inside the park
Safari company
Mara Serena is a Serena Hotels lodge on a hill inside the Mara Triangle, and with Wilderness Mara it is one of only two permanent lodges there. That matters: the Triangle is the quieter, cashless western half of the reserve, and from here you are on the plains without passing a gate. It has 74 rooms, eight of them interconnecting family rooms, and runs on solar power since 2019 by its own account. The website shows 'from USD 377' without saying per room or per person. Its activity list includes night drives, which the reserve's management plan does not allow, so confirm what is offered. Choose it for a big, family-friendly lodge inside the Triangle; skip it if you want a small camp.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Inside the Mara Triangle, one of only two permanent lodges there
- Eight interconnecting family rooms, babysitting on request
- Solar-powered since 2019
- Lowest published starting figure of any lodge inside the reserve
Cons
- 'From USD 377' does not say per room or per person, or what meals it buys
- 74 rooms: a hotel, not a camp
- Night drives on its activity list conflict with reserve rules; ask
- We found no published child age bands
What's here
- Restaurant
- Family rooms
- Spa or massage
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Community visits
Read from Mara Serena Safari Lodge's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Masai Mara National Reserve charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe non-resident rate from 1 July to 31 December; $100 from 1 January to 30 June.
- $200per person, per day
- VehicleKSh 1,000 a day for a car under six seats, about $8 at KSh 129 to the dollar.
- $8per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $1224 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The figure above uses the July to December rate. From January to June the same sum halves for the people. A day is 06:00 to 18:00, and guests in the conservancies outside the reserve pay only on the days they drive in.
The full fee schedule for Masai Mara National ReserveRates at Mara Serena Safari Lodge
From $377 (basis not stated). Serena's own page shows 'from USD 377' for a standard room and USD 577 for the suite (read 6 Oct 2026). It does not say whether that is per room or per person, or which meal plan it buys, so ask before you compare it with anything else. The reserve ticket is extra at $100 per non-resident adult per 12-hour day from January to June and $200 from July to December (Narok County Finance Act 2023). Whether VAT is included is not stated.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked on 6 October 2026 against each operator's own website or 2026 rate sheet, in US dollars per person per night sharing unless the entry says otherwise. One figure is a reseller's, not the owner's: Olonana Lodge's $2,450 (safari.com, 6 Oct 2026), because A&K's own page would not load. Angama's rates come from a January 2026 copy of its site, since the live site blocks automated reading. On top of nearly every rate sits Narok County's reserve ticket: $100 per non-resident adult per 12-hour day (6 am to 6 pm) from January to June and $200 from July to December, $50 for a child of 9 to 17, free at 8 and under. Conservancy camps add their own nightly fee, $130 per adult in Mara North, Olare Motorogi and Naboisho in 2026 and $116 in Mara Siana, unless the entry says it is included.
Questions about Mara Serena Safari Lodge
Is Mara Serena Safari Lodge inside the Masai Mara reserve?
Yes. Serena heads its address with the Mara Triangle and the national reserve, and the Mara Conservancy, which manages the Triangle, names it among the only accommodation inside the Triangle. The other permanent lodge is Wilderness Mara, the former Little Governors' Camp.
How much does Mara Serena cost per night?
Serena's site shows from USD 377 for a standard room and USD 577 for the suite (6 Oct 2026), without stating per room or per person or the meal plan. The reserve ticket of $100 (January to June) or $200 (July to December) per non-resident adult per day is extra.
Is Mara Serena good for families?
It has eight interconnecting family rooms, babysitting on request and a children's buffet, according to its own page. We found no published child policy with age bands or child rates, so ask when you book.