Which place is cheaper, Cape Town or Masai Mara?
These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations. These travel costs come from the actual spending of real travelers.
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Should you visit Masai Mara or Cape Town?
Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?
Which city should you visit? Read on to compare the activities as well as the prices of travel for Masai Mara and Cape Town. We'll break down costs for accommodation, food, transportation and more to help you learn more about these two destinations. Then, you can figure out if either of these two places are accessible based on your travel budget, schedule, and interests. So, let's dig into it.
Where Should I go: Masai Mara or Cape Town?
Masai Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful, scenic, nature reserve in southwest Kenya, just west of the capital city, Nairobi. The reserve belongs to the Masai people and was created in order to protect the land and the people and animals living on it. Masai Mara is considered to be one of the best reserves in all of Africa, offering the quintessential African safari experience.
Cape Town
Picture your travel bucket list. Is Cape Town on it? Yes, most people dream of visiting the "Mother City" of South Africa. As one of the most iconic places in the world, Cape Town is a world-class cosmopolitan city full of bustling nightlife, historical backdrops and a large gay community.
Cape Town is the most southern city in Africa with seasons turned upside down. In the southern hemisphere they experience the summer from December to February. During these months days can be hot and dry so be sure to gather in the shade and wear plenty of sunscreen. The winter from June to August is full of rainy days and cold nights.
For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best Camping Tours in South Africa, and The Best Romantic Tours for Couples in South Africa.
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Masai Mara Prices
Kenya PricesCape Town Prices
South Africa Prices -
Average Daily Cost Per person, per dayMasai Mara $133Cape Town $189
The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $133, while the average daily cost in Cape Town is $189. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Masai Mara and Cape Town in more detail.
Accommodation
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Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one personMasai Mara $37Cape Town $88
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Accommodation Typical double-occupancy roomMasai Mara $74Cape Town $176
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Cape Town
Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Cape Town? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.
Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.
Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Cape Town Hotel Prices.
Local Transportation
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Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.Masai Mara $47Cape Town $19
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Masai Mara
Some specific examples of transportation prices in Masai Mara:
- Nairobi Airport (NBO) Private Transfer to Nairobi City/Hotels: $17
Hired Cars and Shuttles in Cape Town
Also for Cape Town, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Port to Cape Town Airport (CPT): $19
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Airport (CPT) to Cape Town Port: $19
- Cape Town Cruise Terminal to and from Hotels Transfer: $20
- Airport Transfer (Cape Town ) Bus: $20
- Private Transfer from Cape Town Hotels to Cape Town Cruise Port: $21
- Cape Town Airport and Hotel Private Transfers: $21
- Airport Shuttle Transfer to City Center: $22
- Transfer from Cape Town International Airport to Cape Town Areas: $22
- Private Airport Transfers:Cape Town Airport | 4-13 Seater Minibus: $22
- City Center Shuttle Transfer to Airport: $23
- Cruise Terminal Transfer to Airport: $23
- Cape Town Cruise Terminal to Hotels, Lodges vv Transfer: $25
Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Cape Town?
Prices for flights to both Cape Town and Masai Mara change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.
Food
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Food Meals for one dayMasai Mara $57Cape Town $81
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara
Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.
- Nairobi Private Carnivore Dinner Experience: $125
- Nairobi National Museum and Carnivore Restaurant Food Tour: $275
Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:
- African Cooking with a Chef Founder: $32
- From African Dinner and Drumming Experience: $63
- Authentic African Cuisine Cooking Experience: $63
- Cape Town Dinner Experience with local family: $68
- Private Indonesian & Cape Malay Cultural Cooking Class: $76
- Cape Plates Food Tour with 15+ Tastings: $79
- South African Cooking Class in Cape Town with a Local Family: $82
- African Dinner Experience from Cape Town: $87
- Sunset At Signal and Dinner Privat: $88
- Cruise and Dine Dinner / Sunset Champagne Cruise and 3-Course Dinner: $88
- Cape Town African Taste-Safari & Live Entertainment Dinner Experience: $95
- Cape Town Historic Centre Food Tour with 15 Local Dishes and Wine: $97
Entertainment
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Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.Masai Mara $60Cape Town $26
Tours and Activities in Masai Mara
Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:
- Amboseli N Park Day tour with optional Maasai village visit: $200
- Amboseli national park full day tour: $160
- Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
- Cultural Day Tour to Bomas of Kenya Nairobi: $51
- David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Half-Day Tour in Nairobi: $55
- Day Tour to Amboseli National Park: $300
- Day Tour to Maasai Mara Reserve From Nairobi: $225
- Day tour to Giraffe center and Karen Blixen Nairobi: $95
- Giraffe Center Guided Tour from Nairobi: $65
- Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage Tour: $72
- Guided "Matatu" Experience Half Day Tour Within Nairobi.: $60
- Half Day Giraffe Center,Baby Elephant&Karen Blixxen Guided Tour: $38
Tours and Activities in Cape Town
For Cape Town, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:
- Cape Town Self-Guided City Walking Tour & Scavenger Hunt: $3.50
- Skip the Line: District Six Museum Admission Ticket: $4.08
- Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Up): $4.98
- Kirstenbosch Gardens: An Audio Tour by Botany Expert: $5.00
- Cape Point Flying Dutchman Funicular Ticket (One way Down): $5.01
- Half Hour Seal and Harbour Cruise from Cape Town: $5.06
- Muizenberg to Kalk Bay: Amble along the amazing False Bay Coast on an audio tour: $5.20
- The Village in the City: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Bo-Kaap: $5.34
- Slavery in the Cape: A Self-Guided Audio Tour of Cape Town's Slave History: $5.40
- Cape Town live guided Urban Safari: Inner City Tour: $5.65
- Cape Town 30-minute V&A Harbour Cruise: $5.97
- Hop-On Hop-Off Cape Town Canal Cruise: $6.00
Alcohol
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Alcohol Drinks for one dayMasai Mara $26Cape Town $23
Sample the Local Flavors in Cape Town
Also in Cape Town, these are the prices for nightlife and alcohol related activities from various tour providers:
- Experience South African Craft Rum tasting and distillery tour in Cape Town: $14
- Craft Gin Tasting Experience and Distillery Tour: $15
- Urban Wine Tasting: $32
- Cape Town Hop- On Hop -Off Tour and Groot Constantia Wine Tasting: $34
- Indigenous Food and Wine Tasting: $38
- Cape Point, Penguins & Wine Tasting In Constantia Full Day Tour: $47
- Cape Town Wine Tour: 3 Wineries — Babylonstoren, Fairview & Spier: $48
- Wine Tour at Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, and Paarl: $49
- Uncork the Cape : Stellenboch Half Day Wine Tour: $57
- Wine Tour: Paarl, Franschhoek & Stellenbosch incl 3 wineries: $57
- From CapeTown: Stellenbosch Half Day Wine Tour: $59
- Half-Day Wine Tasting Tour in Stellenbosch: $60
When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Cape Town, we can see that Cape Town is more expensive. And not only is Masai Mara much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Masai Mara would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Masai Mara and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Cape Town would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Cape Town than you might in Masai Mara.
If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Masai Mara Expensive? and Is Cape Town Expensive?.
Budget Your Trip is all about finding out how much everything costs so that you can travel cheaper and longer. Created by avid travelers Laurie and Bryan, our goal is to help you plan your next trip on the right budget. With average daily travel costs that are calculated from the budgets of real travelers, plus an analysis of hotel and tour prices, you can find out how much money you need to plan your next adventure. We also have plenty of travel advice, accommodation reviews, and activity suggestions.