A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Masai Mara vs. Pretoria for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Masai Mara or Pretoria?

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 Pretoria. 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 Pretoria?

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.

Pretoria

Located in Gauteng Province, Pretoria is the administrative capital city of South Africa, making it home to many government buildings and three universities. It is actually one of three capital cities, being home to the executive branch, with Cape Town as the legislative capital and Bloemfontein as the judicial capital. Within South Africa, Pretoria is also known as the "Jacaranda City" due to the thousands of jacaranda trees lining its streets, parks, and gardens.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Budget Safaris in Kenya, The Best Luxury Tours to Kenya, The Best Eco Tours in South Africa, and The Best Sightseeing Tours in South Africa.


Which place is cheaper, Pretoria 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.

The average daily cost (per person) in Masai Mara is $132, while the average daily cost in Pretoria is $64. 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 Pretoria in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Masai Mara $37
    Pretoria $27
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Masai Mara $74
    Pretoria $54
Compare Hotels in Masai Mara and Pretoria

Looking for a hotel in Masai Mara or Pretoria? 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.

Hotels in Masai Mara


Hotels in Pretoria


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: Masai Mara Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Masai Mara $47
    Pretoria $13

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 Pretoria

Also for Pretoria, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Airport transfers, door to door .private transfers: $41
  • Pretoria to Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport (JNB) - Departure Private Transfer: $43
  • Airport transfers,door to door shuttle: $53
  • Shuttle Transfer from Gauteng to Greater Kruger: $65
  • Sun City Private Transfer: $246
  • Sun City & Pilanesberg Transfers: $250

Is it cheaper to fly into Masai Mara or Pretoria?

Prices for flights to both Pretoria 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
  • Food Meals for one day
    Masai Mara $57
    Pretoria $27

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Masai Mara

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Masai Mara.

  • Carnivore experience Lunch Or Dinner (Optional Bomas of kenya ): $40

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Lesedi Cultural Experience + Lunch or Dinner: $113

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Masai Mara $60
    Pretoria $15

Tours and Activities in Masai Mara

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Masai Mara are as follows:

  • Airport Layover Tour to Nairobi National Park and Giraffe Center: $225
  • Amboseli national park full day tour: $160
  • Bomas of Kenya cultural Dance and Acrobatic Show Tour: $64
  • Day Tour To Mt. Kenya : $285
  • Fairview Coffee Farm Day Tour in Nairobi: $120
  • Full Day Tour Nairobi National Park, Elephant Orphanage & Giraffe Center: $275
  • Giraffe Center Half-Day Guided Tour from Nairobi: $75
  • Half Day Giraffe Center,Baby Elephant&Karen Blixxen Guided Tour: $38
  • Half Day Private Tour to Lake Nakuru National Park: $80
  • Nairobi African Shopping Tour: $55
  • Nairobi City Tour and Afternoon Visit to Bomas of Kenya: $80
  • Nairobi Museum KICC Tower Kobe and Bomas of Kenya Day Tour: $115

Tours and Activities in Pretoria

For Pretoria, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Harties Cableway Experience Ticket: $18
  • Soweto walking tour with a taxi ride: $31
  • Soweto Quad Bike and Tuk Tuk Tours : $45
  • Rietvlei Nature Reserve half-day tour from Pretoria, every TUESDAY: $51
  • Full Day Shopping Tour: Arts, Crafts, and African Garments: $55
  • Taste of Africa Food tasting Experience : $56
  • Half day Soweto Tour : $58
  • Apartheid Museum Guided Tour : $59
  • Johannesburg Walking Tours: $59
  • Soweto Walking Tour Mandela House And Street Food: $60
  • Pretoria Tour-Voortrekker Monument, Town, Union Buildings: $64
  • Soweto Half Day Private Tour 4 hours R 1250,00: $64

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Masai Mara $26
    Pretoria $33


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Masai Mara and Pretoria, we can see that Masai Mara is more expensive. And not only is Pretoria much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. So, traveling to Pretoria would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Pretoria 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 Masai Mara would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Masai Mara than you might in Pretoria.

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 Pretoria Expensive?.