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Kenya Masai Mara

The Masai Mara is one of the best-known reserves in the whole of Africa. It is globally renowned for its exceptional wildlife.

© Basecamp Explorer

Masai Mara at a glance

The Maasai Mara lies in the Great Rift Valley, which is a fault line some 3,500 miles long stretching from Ethiopia’s Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, and into Mozambique. 

There can be as much wildlife roaming outside the park as inside. Many Maasai villages are located in the ‘dispersal areas’ and they have, over centuries, developed a close and beautiful relationship with the wildlife.

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Experiences in Masai Mara

Here are some of the amazing experiences you can enjoy whilst staying in the Masai Mara as part of your trip. Game viewing, camping, night game drives, visits to Masai cultural villages, ballooning, bush dinners, lunches and breakfasts in fabulous locations - there is so much to choose!
A morder Safari Camp in the Wilderness

Leopard Hill

A morder Safari Camp in the Wilderness

General Information

Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant, and it is for this reason a traveller hardly misses the chance to see the big five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino). There have been some 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 birds species recorded on the reserve and the Masai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas. The annual wildebeest’s migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November and rightfully deserves its standing as one of the natural world’s most astonishing spectacles.

Currency

Kenyan Shilling

Language

Swahili and Maa

Area

1,510 km2

Best time to visit

July to September for the annual migration.

Food and Drink

Destinations in Masai Mara

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Masai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara ecosystem contains some 25% of what is left of Kenyan wildlife. The estimate says that around 70% of Kenya’s wildlife lives outside national parks and reserves.

  • Mara and Serengeti parks are interdependent wildlife havens. This is where the world’s largest multi-species migration takes place. The movement is, centered around the wildebeest migrating from Serengeti into Masai Mara during the dry period in Tanzania, crossing the mighty Mara River on their way.
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Naboisho Conservancy

For most travellers, a safari is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and if you’re looking for a different wildlife experience, then Mara Naboisho Conservancy bordering the Maasai Mara National Reserve is the best place to experience exclusive safari adventures in a truly authentic way.

  • Safaris in Naboisho Conservancy are more exclusive due to the limited number of vehicles per game drive, it is possible to experience the African wilderness without the crowds.

Travel Facts

Learn more about flights, climate and geography for this destination.

To reach the Masai Mara you will need flight bookings to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Kenya (IATA code – JKIA). Major airlines worldwide have direct flights to and from Kenya on a regular basis.

Once in Kenya you will take a short domestic flight of approximately 1 hour to the Savannah and onwards to your camp.

Please remember that, to travel to Kenya, all visitors need to go through the passport control system. The identity of all travellers to Kenya will be checked both upon arrival and departure. Keep your passport safe and secure during your stay in Kenya. You also need a Visa, which you can get upon arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport alternatively you can apply for an online visa.

The Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big 5, cheetah, serval, hyena, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippo, crocodile, baboons, warthog, topi, eland, Thompson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, oribi, reed-buck, zebra.

  • Lion Season – From January to March
    • The lion season falls when most big plain game animals like the wildebeest, Zebras are giving birth to their young ones. During this time, you can expect to see lions regularly and often by the pride.
  • Green Season – From April to June
    • Early spring, usually referred to as the Green Season, is a particularly magnificent period to visit the Mara. These are the months that typically receive the largest amounts of rainfall. The Savannah becomes clear, free of dust and haze making Africa’s stunning landscapes look at their absolute best. This is also the best time for bird watching when migrant birds arrive in their thousands to take up colourful residence on the Savannah.
  • Migration Season – July to September
    • The Great Wildebeest Migration rightfully deserves its standing as one of the natural world’s most astonishing spectacles. Comprising more than 1.5 million wildebeest, zebras, and antelopes, the Great Migration constitutes the last surviving multi-species migration on the planet.
  • Wildlife Season – October to November
    • This is a great time to watch the Migration gradually spilling from the Masai Mara back into the north-east Serengeti.
  • Festive Season – December
    • From December to beginning of January. Rather than being whitened by snow, the Maasai Mara plains are covered with rich wildlife species. More than any other time of the year, Christmas is a time for celebration, for reflection, for family, and for friendship.

There are four main types of terrain in the Mara – the Ngama Hills to the east with sandy soil and leafy bushes favoured by black rhino; Oloololo Escarpment forming the western boundary and rising to a magnificent plateau; Mara Triangle bordering the Mara River with lush grassland and acacia woodlands supporting masses of game, especially migrating wildebeest; and the Central Plains, forming the largest part of the reserve with scattered bushes and boulders on rolling grasslands favoured by the plains game.

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