Using a land cruiser for safari in Masai Mara – Renting a car in Kenya for your safari – Why Land cruisers are the best for the Masai Mara terrain!
Using a land cruiser for safari in Masai Mara – The Masai Mara is one of the most iconic safari destinations in the world, and understanding its diverse terrain is key to ensuring a successful and comfortable safari experience. The soil composition, road surfaces, and weather conditions can vary significantly across the reserve, influencing the type of vehicle required for safe and efficient travel. In this guide, we’ll explore road conditions in different parts of the Mara, while detailing why vehicles like the Toyota Land Cruiser are perfectly suited for these conditions.
Many travelers nowadays prefer the flexibility of planning their own Safari itinerary, booking accommodation online and then hiring a vehicle for the tour. Nonetheless, car rental in Kenya for your safari is best well thought through for obvious reasons. First, you want to ensure you use or rent a reliable and suitable vehicle at a good price, easier said than done, as safari vehicles are inherently subjected to higher wear and tear. Second, the vehicle supplier from whom you rent the car ought to be established, licensed and above board. Lastly, keep in mind that self-drive car rental in Kenya is not for everyone. The process and paperwork is involving and deposits are required to cover for damage, accident or theft. Standards of driving in Kenya are vastly different to other parts of the world and roads are usually in poor state away from the main highways. Getting stuck, breaking down or risking an accident are not uncommon. The best option for many tourists is to hire a safari vehicle with a Driver-Guide included at a minor additional fee, as low as USD 30 per day, as this avoids you being responsible for damage, accidents or theft of the vehicle while offering the advantage of an expert Driver-Guide, making the trip stress free so you can sit back and enjoy the experience. Note also that self-drive cars typically do not have a game viewing roof while proper Safari vehicles have these built in, making all the difference in viewing wildlife in the parks.
The dominant type of Safari vehicle in Kenya and East Africa is the 4×4 Land cruiser Safari Jeep. These are often Toyota Land cruiser Jeeps converted into Safari vehicles with the addition of pop up game viewing roofs [front and main], safari customization, and addition of UHF radio calls and suitable seating. Some vehicles also come with air conditioning and electric cooler boxes. Safari Jeeps are more capable off road and marginally more comfortable as well over rougher sections of road, but will cost significantly more to hire than safari tour vans.
Seating varies from an optimal 6 passengers per vehicle to a maximum of 9 passengers with additional seats fixed into the vehicle to accommodate more people. It should be noted that there are 2 sub types of these vehicles, some that have closed sides, hence suitable for highway travel, and others that are open-sided, suitable for use only for game drives within various reserves and parks, meaning that they are stationed here permanently, and cannot be used for say travelling from Nairobi to Masai Mara. These open-sided jeeps are often a part of Fly-in Safaris, keeping in mind that not all lodges or camps have open-sided jeeps, as some still use closed vehicles even for their flying packages.
Land Cruisers are popular for Masai Mara safaris due to their robustness, reliability, and all-terrain capabilities, allowing comfortable and safe navigation of the diverse and often challenging terrain.