Masai Mara National Reserve: Destination Guide

The Masai Mara is Kenya’s most renowned safari reserve and the premier location in East Africa for viewing big cats. If you only have time for one park on a first trip from the UK, this is typically the one to visit. It covers approximately 1,510 square kilometres of open grassland in south-west Kenya, borders the Serengeti in Tanzania directly and still surprises repeat visitors with the amount of wildlife it holds.

Most visitors are drawn by the Great Migration. Plenty return for everything else.

Why go to the Masai Mara?

The Mara offers high game density on open plains, making wildlife easy to find and easy to photograph. Lion prides are large and well studied, cheetahs hunt in daylight on the short grass and leopards are regularly seen along the riverine forest of the Talek and Mara rivers.

Here you can realistically spot four of the Big Five in one game drive: lion, leopard, elephant and buffalo. Black rhino are present but shy, and sightings are rare. Your best chance is in the Mara Triangle, the western part of the reserve.

The Great Migration

Approximately 1.5 million wildebeest, along with hundreds of thousands of zebra and gazelle, migrate each year between the Serengeti and the Mara, following the rains. The herds typically arrive in Kenya in July and remain until late September or October, depending on the rains.

The highlight is the river crossing. The herds gather on the banks of the Mara River, sometimes for hours, until one animal commits and thousands follow. Nile crocodiles lie in wait in the water, while lions and hyenas wait on the opposite bank. A crossing may last five minutes or an hour, and no guide can guarantee one on any given day. Patience pays off here. Three or four nights give you a much better chance than two.

Wildebeest, zebra, topi, eland, giraffe, elephant and Thomson’s gazelle are also year-round residents of the Mara. The predators stay when the migrating herds move on.

Other wildlife to look out for

• Lions: the Marsh Pride was the focus of the BBC’s Big Cat Diary, and the Paradise Pride lives near the Mara River.
• Cheetahs: coalitions of males move through the central plains and the conservancies to the north.
• Leopards: most commonly seen in the lugga (dry riverbed) areas and along the Talek River.
• Hippos and crocodiles: large pods are found in the Hippo Pools near the Mara Serena area and at the main crossing points.
• Birds: over 470 species have been recorded, including secretary birds, ground hornbills, lilac-breasted rollers and several vulture species.

The conservancies

Surrounding the national reserve are a number of private conservancies on land leased from Maasai landowners. The best known are Olare Motorogi, Mara Naboisho, Mara North and Ol Kinyei.

Conservancies limit the number of vehicles at each sighting, so you are seldom with more than four others. They also permit activities that are not allowed in the main reserve, such as guided walks, night drives and off-road driving. The money you pay to stay there goes directly to local families, and the land remains open to wildlife. We often suggest that UK guests combine the reserve with a conservancy for a more relaxed experience.

Activities other than game drives

• Hot air balloon safari: take off at dawn and float over the plains for about an hour, followed by a champagne bush breakfast. Expect to pay around US$450 to US$550 (about £340 to £415) per person.
• Maasai village visit: visit a nearby manyatta, meet a Maasai family, see traditional homes and learn about daily life. Ask your guide to arrange a community-run visit so the fee goes to the village.
• Walking safaris: offered in the conservancies with an armed ranger and a Maasai guide. You learn to read tracks, dung and plants in a way you can’t from a vehicle.
• Night drives: conservancies only. Look out for aardvark, bat-eared foxes, genets, spring hares and hunting lions.
• Bush dinners and sundowners: most camps set up drinks on a hill at the end of the day.

Accommodation in the Masai Mara

The Mara offers everything from simple tented camps to some of the most famous luxury lodges in Africa. These are among the most popular with our UK guests.

Luxury

• Angama Mara: perched on the Oloololo Escarpment above the Mara Triangle, with the view that featured in the film Out of Africa.
• Mahali Mzuri: Sir Richard Branson’s camp in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy, with 12 tented suites.
• Mara Plains Camp: a Great Plains Conservation camp in Olare Motorogi, known for its photographic guiding.
• &Beyond Bateleur Camp: a 1920s-style camp on the edge of the reserve below the escarpment.

Mid-range to upper mid-range

• Governors’ Camp: one of the Mara’s original camps, on the banks of the Mara River, with Little Governors’ and Il Moran close by.
• Mara Serena Safari Lodge: built on a ridge in the Mara Triangle overlooking the Mara River.
• Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp: in a private concession on the western boundary.
• Ashnil Mara Camp: a tented camp on the banks of the Mara River, well positioned for crossings.
• Basecamp Masai Mara: an eco camp beside the Talek River, known for its community work.

Value

• Mara Chui: comfortable safari lodge offering a peaceful setting, spacious accommodation and convenient access to the reserve for game drives.
• Mara Sopa Lodge: good-sized rooms and a pool close to Oloolaimutia Gate.
• Mara Enkorok:comfortable tented camp offering spacious accommodation, a peaceful setting and easy access to excellent wildlife-viewing areas.
• Several comfortable tented camps near the Talek and Sekenani gates offer good value in the low season.

When to go

• July to October: migration season. The best wildlife and the highest prices. Book lodges 9 to 12 months in advance, particularly for UK summer holidays.
• January to February: dry, warm and quieter. Great for predators and newborns.
• November to December: short rains and green scenery. Good value outside Christmas.
• April to May: long rains. Some camps close, but those that stay open offer the lowest rates of the year.

Daytime temperatures are around 24 to 28°C for most of the year. Early mornings and evenings are cool, so bring a fleece for game drives.

How to get there from the UK

Kenya Airways and British Airways both fly direct from London Heathrow to Nairobi in approximately 8 hours 30 minutes. Kenya is three hours ahead of GMT and two hours ahead during British Summer Time, so there is little jet lag. If you land early, a morning game drive in Nairobi National Park is an easy way to start your safari.

There are two ways to reach the Mara from Nairobi:

• By air: scheduled light aircraft from Wilson Airport reach the Mara’s airstrips in 45 to 60 minutes. Luggage must be in soft bags, with a maximum weight of 15kg.
• By road: approximately 5 to 6 hours in a 4×4 safari vehicle, with a stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint. This is the more economical option and works well with a night at Lake Naivasha or Lake Nakuru on the way.

Park fees

The Mara is managed by Narok County rather than Kenya Wildlife Service. At the time of writing, non-resident adults pay US$100 (about £75) per day in the low season and US$200 (about £150) per day in the high season, with children paying half. Fees are paid electronically, and no cash is accepted at the gate. Conservancy fees are separate and usually included in your camp’s rate. All park and conservancy fees are included in every one of our safari packages, so there is nothing extra to pay at the gates. Sterling figures are indicative and subject to exchange rates.

Useful advice for UK travellers

• UK passport holders need a Kenyan Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA), applied for online before travel.
• Consult your GP or a travel clinic at least six weeks before you travel about malaria tablets and vaccinations. The FCDO’s Kenya travel advice is also worth reading before you go.
• Wear neutral colours on game drives. Dark blue and black attract tsetse flies in some areas.
• Bring binoculars. One pair per person makes a real difference.
• US dollars are widely accepted for tips. Carry small notes.

How long to stay

We recommend a minimum of three nights. Four nights during migration season give you the best chance of a river crossing and time to enjoy the reserve at a leisurely pace. Many guests add two nights – one at Lake Nakuru National Park and the other in Lake Naivasha on the way to or from the Mara.