The Maasai Mara is Kenya's best-known reserve, and the northern end of the same ecosystem as Tanzania's Serengeti. Open grassland, scattered acacia, and the Mara River running through it make it one of the most reliable places in Africa to see large predators and big herds in the same day.
Wildlife
- •Wildebeest and zebra herds, over a million strong during the Great Migration
- •One of the highest lion densities in Africa, alongside healthy cheetah and leopard populations
- •Elephant, buffalo, and rhino, completing the Big Five
- •Hippo and crocodile along the Mara River, concentrated at the crossing points
Best Time to Visit
July to October
Peak of the Great Migration. Wildebeest and zebra herds cross the Mara River from the Serengeti, with the largest numbers typically through August and September.
January to February
A short dry spell outside migration season. Good general game viewing, with fewer vehicles at the river crossings.
November and April to May
The rainy months. Herds are mostly back in the Serengeti and some roads get difficult, but the Mara is quieter and greener.
