Being immersed in a luxury safari in the wild would be an unforgettable experience, but it always comes with a high price tag. The good news is you can visit Masai Mara National Reserve now by staying at JW Marriott Masai Mara with miles and points. This post is about how to make your luxury safari trips with points.
Where Is JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge?
JW Marriott Masai Mara is in Kenya, Africa, overlooking the Talek River and the Masai Mara National Reserve. JW Marriott Masai Mara is the first luxury safari lodge in Marriott’s hotel and resort portfolio.
This lodge has 20 luxurious and expansive en-suite tents, all with their own private outdoor jacuzzi tub and deck. It is an all-inclusive accommodation, which means the following will be included:
- Full board (breakfast, lunch, high tea/sundowner, and dinner).
- Most alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
- Game drives
- Laundry service (5 items of laundry per person each day)
- Return transfer from Keekorok airstrip.
- A pair of Vortex Viper binoculars for use during your stay.
- Wi-Fi
- All statutory taxes
As you can see on the hotel’s website, the view is quite impressive!
How To Get There with Miles and Points
JW Marriott Masai Mara hotel was opened in February 2023. There is very few information about traveling to the lodge with miles and points. But don’t worry! We have done some research and it will be very helpful to make your safari dream come true.
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, is the destination where we start our search. Nairobi’s international airport (NBO) serves as a gateway to the Masai Mara National Reserve. First, let’s use “FlightConnections” to find out the possible flight routes. The results show Kenya Airways, a member of SkyTeam, provides direct flights between New York (JFK) and Nairobi (NBO). This is the fastest route for those living in the US east coast to kick off the travel.
How about the US west coast? It’s far more interesting. Although there are no direct flights to take you to Nairobi, there are plenty of choices you can choose from with connecting routes. Let’s look at these options:
| Airlines | Stopover | Airline Alliance |
| Emirates | Dubai (DXB) | |
| Qatar Airways | Doha (DOH) | Oneworld (https://www.oneworld.com/) |
| British Airways | London (LHR) | Oneworld |
| Turkish Airlines | Istanbul (IST) | Star Alliance (https://www.staralliance.com/) |
| Lufthansa | Frankfurt (FRA) | Star Alliance |
| Air France | Paris (CDG) | SkyTeam (https://www.skyteam.com/) |
| KLM | Amsterdam (AMS) | SkyTeam |
While “FlightConnections” identifies the possible routes based on origins and destinations, I have recently used AwardPlus, an award search tool developed by TripPlus, to find the most cost-effective option for these routes.
Enter the departure and destination airports and click search, and it will allow you to find out the top three “fewest miles required” redemption options. Take New York (JFK) as an example. Here are the top 3 fewest round-trip award redemptions:
| Mileage program | Miles required | Airline Alliance |
| ANA “Mileage Club” | 104,000 miles | Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, EgyptAir, and more. |
| Alaska Airlines “Mileage Plan” | 140,000 miles | British Airways |
| American Airlines “AAdvantage” | 150,000 miles | British Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc. |
| Cathay Pacific “Cathay” | 150,000 miles | British Airways, Qatar Airways, Royal Air Maroc. |
By using 104,000 All Nippon Airways (ANA) miles along with taxes, you can redeem business class tickets either on Turkish Airlines with an actual price over $3,400, or on Lufthansa with an actual price over $4,000 (as shown below). This means the value per point exceeds 3 US cents, making it an excellent redemption option. All Nippon Airways (ANA) is a partner of American Express Membership Rewards (Amex MR). Amex MR points can be transferred to ANA program at a 1:1 ratio. The caveat is the point-transfer isn’t instantaneous, which could take up to 72 hours to show up in your ANA account.
You can also redeem for British Airways (BA) metal by using 75,000 American Airlines miles to fly to Nairobi. As it shows, the fuel surcharge is extremely high, over $1,300 one- way. I suggest avoiding this option, even though the cancellation of award ticket is free.
Is there any other way to redeem BA flights? Yes, you can save a few hundred bucks by using Cathay Pacific’s miles to redeem BA flights! 90,000 Cathay’s miles one-way with $610 fuel surcharge and taxes seems more acceptable. “Cathay”, the refreshed frequent-flyer program of Cathay Pacific. It is a transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Capital One Miles.
Are there any other choices? Sometimes spotting an available award seat is daunting. I have searched on Air France’s website. Air France, a SkyTeam member, usually has a decent number of business class award seats for redemption (as shown below) – 95,000 miles one way from New York JFK to Nairobi (NBO) via Paris CDG. Air France uses dynamic award pricing that means award ticket price would fluctuate over time. Although the mileage seems higher than the other programs, our motto is “Real value comes from turning miles and points into real award tickets!”
What Are the Cash Price and Points Level of JW Marriott
The price tag in JW Masai Mara Lodge is steep, although it varies throughout the year. I randomly select a day in October which is high season to visit Kenya. It costs $2,300 ~ $2,400 per night for a 100 sqm river-viewed deluxe suite on Oct. 25.
Then I choose another day on early-October, and the price rises up to $3,600 and above.
The rate comes with plenty of items to provide you with a hassle-free stay.
Just a reminder, if you do need to cancel…The cancellation policy of member flexible rate is 45 days before your arrival.
How about booking by points? It costs 106,000 Marriott points per night on Oct. 25 for a 100-sqm deluxe king suite. The website doesn’t clearly mention if its redemption rate covers the all-inclusive items as cash price, but I’m guessing it should. I will keep all of you posted when more data points are available.
Marriott sells its points at 1.25 US cents/point. The cost of 106,000 points is $1,325, which is really a steal, compared to $2,400 in cash. Marriott offers promotion to sell points occasionally. You may get as low as 0.85 US cent/point.
Just be aware that Marriott’s Rewards Program (aka “Marriott Bonvoy”) uses dynamic award chart. The points can vary from night to night.
Again, for cancellation, it is 45 days before arrival if booking with points.
The Award Availability－How to book it?
Since its opening in April 2023, it has given the media, the points enthusiasts and Marriott Bonvoy loyalists a real buzz, and I have been eyeing the award availability. As I see from the award calendars between September and December, the lowest is 106,000 Marriott points per night.
Although the award availability has become scattered from September through February, I still manage to find consecutive 5 nights next March and April. When using Marriott points, I’m able to get “stay for 5 (nights), pay for 4 (nights)” benefit, which drives the total points down significantly.
Imagine redeeming a $2,400 suite with 106,000 Marriott points. The points are maximized to 2.4 US cents and more, not to mention the high cash price each night, and the inclusive experience at the hotel!
When I find award rooms on my preferred date(s), the process is easy. The system will also tell me about tax and other fees involved. Luckily, there is nothing on top of the points itself.
What Are The Eligible Credit Cards To Earn Marriott Points?
Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: 95,000 points after $6,000 in the first 6 months
- $650 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 3X on flights booked directly with airlines, 3X on restaurants worldwide, 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 85,000 points)
- $300 dining credit per membership year ($25/month)
- Marriott Bonvoy Platinum Elite status – which means free breakfast and access to executive lounge
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
- Unlimited Priority Pass Select membership with 2 guests
- $100 Global Entry fee credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Marriott Bonvoy Bevy™ American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: 85,000 points after $5,000 in the first 6 months.
- $250 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on restaurants & U.S. Supermarkets (up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year with $15,000 spending annually (up to 50,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold Elite status
- Annual 15 elite nights credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express® Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Award after $6,000 spend in 6 months (each Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 points)
- $125 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on restaurant worldwide, US gas stations, and wireless telephone, 2X on all other eligible purchases.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 35,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold Elite status
- Annual 15 elite nights credit
- Free premium internet at Marriott properties
Chase Marriott Bonvoy Bountiful® Credit Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 85,000 points after $4,000 spend in 3 months
- $250 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 4X on grocery stores, and dining (up to $15,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X everywhere else.
- Free Night Award each year with $15,000 spending annually (up to 50,000 points)
- Complimentary Gold status
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card
- Sign-Up Bonus: Earn 3 Free Night Awards after $3,000 in the first 3 months (each Award has a redemption level up to 50,000 points)
- $95 Annual Fee
- Bonus categories: 6X on Marriott properties, 3X on gas stations, grocery stores, and dining on (up to $6,000 in combined purchases each year), 2X on everywhere else.
- Earn Gold status when you spend $35,000 each year, 1 Elite Night Credit towards elite status for every $5,000 spending.
- Free Night Award each year upon renewal (up to 35,000 points)
- Complimentary Silver status
- Annual 25 elite nights credit
- $10 monthly GoPuff credit (through 12/31/23)
Our Thoughts
We love this exotic, luxury safari lodge which pushes the safari adventure to the next level, especially by the international hotel chain. Only Four Seasons and Kempinski have footprints in the Reserve. We are excited to see one more option, especially it is points-redeemable! It is still in its soft-opening stage, so we are not sure the redemption rate will be the same in the future.
Things to consider when planning a safari trip there:
- Location: Snagging an award ticket cannot secure your arrival at the resort. You still need to find ways to travel from Nairobi to Keekorok.
- Domestic carriers operates services to Keekorok. However, it isn’t from Nairobi International Airport (NBO). It is from another airport in Nairobi called Wilson Airport (WIL). The cost is $400 per person round trip. That means you need to manage to book a ride between NBO and WIL, which is about 30-minute ride.
- There is information about how JW Marriott Masai Mara can arrange round-trip NBO-WIL transfer at $140.
- Park fee: It’s $70 per person per night. If two people comes for 5 nights, the total park fee would be $700.
- Child Policy: The safari lodge will only accommodate the guests above 6 years old. It costs an extra $1,000 per night to add a child to a room with 2 adults. And yes, per night.
Questions and Answers (Q&A)
Q: Which months would be suitable to visit Masai Mara, Kenya?
A: July to October is considered the best time of year to visit Masai Mara, since it is the cool-dry season.
Q: Do I need to get any vaccinations?
A: Masai Mara is not in an area known for Malaria. The vaccination is recommended but it is not required as per CDC advises.
Q: Do I need a visa in advance?
A: Yes, you need an eVisa for Kenya which is $55 each. It is required to complete it online 30 days prior to your trip.
Q: Which airport do I fly into?
A: The major international airport serving international flights is Nairobi International Airport (NBO). You need to set your destination to NBO. Then it is more suitable to take a brush plan from another airport in Nairobi called Wilson Airport (WIL) to Keekorok airstrip where JW Marriot Masai Mara is located. It takes a 30-minute ride from Nairobi International Airport (NBO) to Wilson Airport.
Q: Can I book an award stay if I don’t yet have enough points?
A: Marriott has discontinued their “Points Advance” benefit as of March 28, 2023. Marriott would offer to sell you the required points at check-out.
Q: Can I get the “Stay for 5, Pay for 4” benefit if I pay for some of the 5 nights with cash or free night certificates?
A: No. To get this benefit, you must book at least 5 consecutive nights all with points.
This is a collaboration with TripPlus, titled “Making a $40,000 Luxury Lifetime Experience Possible by Booking a Safari Trip with Points (Our Ultimate Guide)”
