Maasai Mara National Reserve

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The Maasai Mara is Kenya distilled: 1,500 square kilometres of rolling savannah where the Great Migration crosses the crocodile-filled Mara River each year and big cats are seen with a reliability no other reserve on earth can match.

Highlights

From July to October the wildebeest pour in from the Serengeti, and the river crossings — thousands of animals plunging past waiting crocodiles — are wildlife television made real. Year-round, the Mara’s lion prides, hunting cheetah and riverine leopards make every drive count, and dawn balloon flights drift over it all.

Best Time to Visit

July to October for the migration (reserve fees peak at $200 per adult per day in this window); January to March brings superb resident big-cat viewing at $100 a day with a fraction of the vehicles.

Where to Stay

We favour the private conservancies bordering the reserve — fewer vehicles, night drives, walking — from Mahali Mzuri in Olare Motorogi to Angama Mara on the escarpment above the Triangle.

Start with our Masai Mara Explorer, or browse all our Kenya safaris.