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Maasai Mara
Kenya's most celebrated wildlife reserve, and the stage for the migration
- Type
- National Reserve, Narok County
- Size
- ≈1,510 km² (greater Mara far larger)
- Altitude
- ≈1,500–2,180 m
- Established
- 1961
- Best for
- Big cats & the Great Migration
- Migration
- Typically July–October
The Maasai Mara is the northern reach of the same vast ecosystem as Tanzania's Serengeti, a rolling expanse of open grassland in southwestern Kenya named for the Maasai people who have lived alongside its wildlife for centuries. For most travellers it is the heart of a Kenyan safari — and with good reason. The Mara holds some of the densest concentrations of big cats in Africa, with resident lion prides, cheetah on the open plains and leopard in the riverine forests along the Talek and Mara rivers.
Between roughly July and September, the Mara becomes the final act of the Great Migration, as more than a million wildebeest and zebra push north from the Serengeti and brave the crocodile-filled Mara River in a series of dramatic crossings. But the reserve rewards a visit in any month: its resident wildlife, birdlife and sheer openness make every game drive productive, migration or not.
What you come here for
Big-cat country
Established lion prides, cheetah hunting the open plains, and leopard in the river forests — the Mara is one of the best places on earth to see all three.
The river crossings
In season, the wildebeest and zebra of the Great Migration brave the Mara River in their thousands — one of wildlife's great spectacles.
Balloon at sunrise
An optional hot-air balloon flight lifts off at dawn for an aerial view of the plains, followed by a champagne breakfast in the bush.
Maasai culture
A visit to a Maasai manyatta offers an authentic insight into the pastoralist life that has shared this land with its wildlife for generations.
The wildlife of Maasai Mara
Lion
Among the highest lion densities in Africa, with several established resident prides.
Cheetah
The open plains are classic cheetah country, often seen hunting by day.
Leopard
Secretive but regular in the riverine forest along the Mara and Talek rivers.
Elephant
Resident breeding herds move through the reserve and surrounding conservancies.
Wildebeest & zebra
Over a million arrive with the migration; resident herds stay year-round.
Crocodile & hippo
Pack the Mara River — the crocodiles stage the famous crossings.
Black rhino
A small, closely protected population; a sighting is a real privilege.
Plains game & giraffe
Topi, impala, Thomson's gazelle, eland and Maasai giraffe in good numbers.
Ways to experience the park
Game drives
Morning, afternoon and full-day drives across the plains — the heart of every Mara safari, with expert local guides.
Migration river crossings
In season, your guide positions for the wildebeest's dramatic Mara River crossings — patience rewarded with one of wildlife's great spectacles.
Hot-air balloon safari
An optional dawn flight drifts over the plains as the light comes up, followed by a bush breakfast on landing.
Walking & night drives
On the private conservancies bordering the reserve, walk with a Maasai guide or head out after dark for nocturnal wildlife — neither is permitted inside the reserve itself.
Maasai cultural visit
Spend time in a Maasai village to understand the people who have shared this land with its wildlife for generations.
The best months, and the weather right now
July to September for the migration river crossings. The dry season from June to October gives the strongest all-round game viewing; January to March is quieter, green and good for predators.
Indicative pattern for Kenya's safari circuit. The long rains (around March–May) and short rains (around November) shift year to year.
Reached by a scenic road transfer from Nairobi through the Great Rift Valley, or by a short scheduled flight to one of the Mara's airstrips for travellers short on time.
Camps and lodges
Accommodation ranges from classic tented camps inside the national reserve to exclusive, low-density camps on the surrounding Maasai conservancies — Mara North, Naboisho, Olare Motorogi, Ol Kinyei and others — where vehicle numbers are capped and walking and night drives are allowed. Jacob matches the camp to your budget and the journey you want, from family-friendly to honeymoon-private.
Where Wildtouch puts you in Maasai Mara
Hand-picked places, from honest-value comfort to the region's finest. Every stay is quoted as part of your safari — never a fixed nightly rate.
Mara Sopa Lodge
Sound value in the Oloolaimutia Hills just outside the reserve's south-eastern gate, with a large pool and rondavel-style rooms — a practical, budget-conscious base for travellers who want to keep costs down without camping.
View this lodge →ComfortBasecamp Masai Mara
A pioneering eco-camp on the Talek River, widely recognised for community-led conservation, a tree-planting nursery and Maasai cultural programmes, offering good value at the reserve's edge.
View this lodge →ClassicSarova Mara Game Camp
A long-established, reliably-run tented camp on rising ground in the eastern Maasai Mara, near Sekenani Gate with a swimming pool, spa and a strong reputation for catering to families and larger groups — a dependable mid-upper Mara pick.
View this lodge →ClassicMara Serena Safari Lodge
Perched on a hill inside the Mara Triangle with commanding views over the Mara River — one of the few lodges genuinely positioned to watch the Great Migration river crossings from its own ridge.
View this lodge →ClassicGovernors' Camp
The Mara's original luxury tented camp, founded in 1972 on a private forested bend of the Mara River beside the game-rich Musiara Marsh, putting guests in the heart of the reserve's big-cat country.
View this lodge →ClassicMara Intrepids Tented Camp
A long-running Heritage Hotels camp on the Talek River at the meeting point of the reserve's four main game areas, with the Ol Kiombo airstrip just minutes away.
View this lodge →LuxuryLittle Governors' Camp
Reached only by a short boat crossing of the Mara River, the camp encircles its own resident-game waterhole and marsh, an intimate alternative to its larger sister camp.
View this lodge →LuxuryandBeyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp
Sits at the foot of the Oloololo Escarpment on a private concession at the edge of the Mara Triangle, with sweeping views over the plains where the migration crosses.
View this lodge →LuxuryAsilia Naboisho Camp
A relaxed Asilia camp on a wooded hillside in the high-density-wildlife Mara Naboisho Conservancy, one of the Mara's strongest lion areas, with walking safaris and night drives permitted.
View this lodge →LuxuryAsilia Rekero Camp
Pitched on a bend of the Talek River metres from a major wildebeest crossing point, so the migration spectacle can be watched from the camp deck in season.
View this lodge →LuxurySaruni Mara
A boutique lodge of stone-and-thatch cottages tucked into a forested valley beside the Mara's only remaining indigenous forest, home to colobus and Sykes' monkeys, in the Mara North Conservancy.
View this lodge →Ultimate luxuryAngama Mara
Suspended on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment with floor-to-ceiling glass framing 'Out of Africa' views over the entire Mara Triangle — a design-led, owner-run lodge with a beadwork studio and its own photographic guiding.
View this lodge →Ultimate luxuryCottar's 1920s Camp
A family-owned, vintage 1920s-styled safari camp in its own private conservancy on the Mara's south-eastern boundary, offering night drives, walking and an authentic old-world safari atmosphere away from the crowds.
View this lodge →Ultimate luxuryMahali Mzuri
Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Limited Edition camp, a striking contemporary design perched on a ridge in the exclusive, low-density Olare Motorogi Conservancy with private off-road and night driving.
View this lodge →Ultimate luxuryMara Plains Camp
An ultra-exclusive Great Plains Conservation camp of only seven canvas suites, founded by film-makers Dereck and Beverly Joubert, on a private stretch beside the Ntiakitiak River.
View this lodge →Protecting Maasai Mara
Much of the Mara's wildlife range lies outside the national reserve, on community land. Over the past two decades Maasai landowners have leased their land into wildlife conservancies that border the reserve — creating low-density, tourism-funded wilderness and a direct, reliable income for thousands of Maasai families. Choosing a conservancy camp puts your visit to work: it keeps land open for wildlife, funds anti-poaching, and supports the communities who are the Mara's long-term guardians.
Journeys through Maasai Mara
Classic Kenya
Wild and Magical Kenya
Wilderness Classic Kenya
Adventures of Kenya
Kenya Honeymoon
Parks that pair well with Maasai Mara
Questions about Maasai Mara
- When is the migration in the Maasai Mara?
- The wildebeest migration typically reaches the Maasai Mara between July and September, with river crossings often continuing into October. Exact timing varies year to year with the rains; travelling within that window gives the best chance of the crossings.
- How many days do you need in the Maasai Mara?
- Three nights is the comfortable minimum — enough for several unhurried game drives and a fair chance at the big cats and, in season, a crossing. Many travellers stay longer, or split nights between the reserve and a conservancy.
- Is the Maasai Mara worth visiting outside the migration?
- Yes. The Mara's resident lion, cheetah, leopard, elephant and plains game are present all year, and the green season (roughly November to May) brings lush scenery, superb birding, newborn animals, fewer vehicles and better value.
- What is the difference between the reserve and the conservancies?
- The national reserve is government-managed and open to all; the conservancies are community-owned land bordering it, where camps cap vehicle numbers and permit walking and night drives. Many itineraries combine both for the best of each.
Build Maasai Mara into your safari
Sketch a route around it with the Wildtouch Safari Designer, then hand your plan to Jacob to make real.