The Mara Hilltop team has started a Kenya tour company, RafikiGo
If you've ever emailed me about a stay at Mara Hilltop, my reply might have ended with something like this:
"I'll also help suggest a nice itinerary for your group, not just for our place but in general."
Or this one:
"Not just for Mara, but I can also give recommendations for other parts of Kenya if you'd like (I hope you're visiting Naivasha as well)."
I used to add "I'm not a travel agent myself, but I've helped a lot of friends visiting Kenya." The same team that runs Mara Hilltop now plans and runs whole Kenya trips, under a separate, licensed company called RafikiGo. I wrote about why we started it on the RafikiGo blog.
What we usually suggest around the Mara
A popular route is Nairobi → Naivasha → Maasai Mara → Nairobi. You can also include Aberdare National Park or Amboseli if you have the time.
If you haven't been to Naivasha and Hell's Gate before, I'd suggest stopping there for a night before coming to the Mara. It breaks up the drive from Nairobi, and there are boat rides on the lake to see hippos.
If Amboseli is on your list too, there's an example of how we'd route it in the RafikiGo post.
For the beach, from the Mara you fly. From Nairobi you can take the train (the SGR) to Mombasa and go on by road, or fly.
And for the Mara itself, two days is what we recommend for most people. If you're still deciding how to get here, there's a whole post on flying vs driving to the Mara.
What changes if you're staying with us
Nothing changes for a stay at Mara Hilltop, and you book us the same way you always have.
If you want help with the rest of the trip, RafikiGo can plan it around your stay here. Having your transfers, your safaris in the Mara and Amboseli and your bookings at the other lodges all handled by one team is a huge benefit and convenience. It's also the same WhatsApp number as Mara Hilltop, so you don't have to start over with someone new.
RafikiGo is the brand of Venture Valet Tours & Travel Ltd, licensed by Kenya's Tourism Regulatory Authority as a tour and safari operator (licence TRA6/33/C01/93147). Who does what is on a page on this site: RafikiGo is run by the team behind Mara Hilltop.
If you're planning more than the Mara, the RafikiGo planner is the quickest way to see a price for your route. Or just message us on WhatsApp, same as always.
— NJ
