Getting to Tor’s Camp, and other advice on how to drive yourself to the Masai Mara

If you’re packed up and ready to go to the Mara, or if you’re deciding on whether a weekend away in the bush is what you want right now and you’re planning the logistics of it, you’ll want to know the best way of getting there.

Driving yourself to the Masai Mara: the best routes from Nairobi

Let’s do this in chronological order. Most of you that are looking to go on your own self-driving safari in the Masai Mara, will be starting from Nairobi so we’ll start our guide off here also.

From Nairobi there are two passable routes south and west to Narok. If you want to let Google Maps take the reins, it will take you down the rift valley road and through Mai Mahiu.

The rift’s road (as infamous as it is, I almost wonder whether this is new information to anyone) can be extremely hard work. On clear days, it can boast incredible views of the valley, with all the examples of human ingenuity that the valley floor now plays host to pressing up against the squat-standing Mount Longonot.

But it can also be bumper-to-bumper madness. Freight trucks frequently use the rift road and they often break down going both up and down. This can make for slow going on either your way out or your return. Break-neck driving and untimely overtakes can also make the rift road very dangerous so use caution if you intend to drive it.

With this being said, the rift road can also be incredibly easy and, on the days that it is, it is the quickest way of getting from Nairobi to Narok.

If, however, the rift road doesn’t strike your fancy (and on Fridays and Sundays, when it can be very busy, it doesn’t strike mine), the Suswa Road is a good alternative.

The Suswa Road

The Suswa road is an alternative route down into the rift valley and it takes you all the way from Nairobi (coming through

It is also a little bit more complicated (read as ‘adventurous’) to use. Google maps hasn’t yet calibrated for the Suswa road so driving down the it requires a little bit more attention paid to your route.

The reason why its not on Google maps is because the road, though useable is not entirely finished. You can still use it, and many people do, but there is a small stretch that is dirt as opposed to tarmac.

The rest of it is tarmacked though and it’s far less busy than the rift road. If you do want to give this route a go, below is a map that takes you from the Hub, in Karen, to the start of the untarmacked section.

Once you’ve got to the dropped pin (called Thigio on this map) the road continues as a dirt track for less than ten kilometres but it restarts as tarmac at the point indicated on the map below.

After you’ve arrived at this next point, there is another, much smaller stretch of dirt tracking before again you’re on tarmac. The dirt track breaks our Google map again but below you’ve got the last stretch which takes you on a brand new tarmac road all the way to Suswa.

From here it’s all tarmac, and easy going, straight to Narok. Just key Narok into your Google maps and you’ll be there in less than an hour (traffic permitting).

Narok to the Masai Mara National Reserve

From Narok to the Masai Mara National Reserve is a lot easier now than it has been in earlier years. The quickest and easiest way to the reserve is to head to Sekenani Gate. It’s tarmacked all the way to Sekenani from Narok and takes less than an hour and a half.

If you’re coming to Tor’s Camp, we tend to suggest coming through Sekenani. As we’ve said, it’s easier on the approach to the reserve and then it’s a nice game-driving route to camp once you’re in.

However, you can also get to Tor’s Camp by driving in through Musiara Gate. Musiara Gate is definitely closer to Tor’s than Sekenani is but its a harder drive on un-tarmacked roads that can be a bit wearisome.

Whether you’re choosing to enter through Sekenani or Musiara, however, Google maps won’t lead you astray. Just input their names, ‘Sekenani Main Gate’ or ‘Musiara Gate Masai Mara’, and you’ll get the quickest routes into the reserve.

From National Reserve Entry to Tor’s Camp

Despite that we’ve put ourselves on Google Maps, using it to get to camp doesn’t work very well.

Tor’s Camp is nestled amidst a thick forest of trees along the Olare Orock river at the northern edge to the Masai Mara National Reserve. The Olare Orock river runs south, through the town that has taken its name and all the way into the reserve until it joins with the Mara river, just east of Serena Lodge. Google Maps, unfortunately, will deposit you close to our camp but on the other side of the river. It will then ask you to walk the final five minutes which, obviously, isn’t an option.

Before the Olare Orock joins with the Mara, it also meets the Jagetiak river just below the well-known landmark ‘double-crossing’. If you’re ever lost in the Mara, and looking to find your way back to Tor’s camp, asking any other passing safari vehicle which way double-crossing is will be a huge help in finding your way back.

It is through double-crossing that you’ll have to pass in order to reach us. You’ll also cross one or other of the crossings on most of your game drives out of camp.

Below, we’ve created two custom maps that trace the best routes from either of the gates to our camp. Because many of the roads aren’t recognised on Google Maps, we’ve had to sketch these routes. If you follow the black lines on this map, you’ll arrive at Tor’s.