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Situated in southern Kenya, close to the Tanzanian border, the Maasai Mara National Reserve protects an expanse of untouched grassland. Its fauna includes hippos, zebras, elephants, lions, and cheetahs. As part of their annual migration, wildebeests cross its plains. The Mara and Talek rivers cut across the undulating hills and green plains that make up the scenery.
Best time to visit the Maasai Mara
The Maasai Mara is rewarding year round, because its resident wildlife does not migrate away and big cat viewing stays excellent outside the migration window. The Great Migration river crossings are a seasonal event driven by rainfall and grazing rather than a fixed calendar, so if the crossings are your priority the timing needs to be planned around herd movement.
What makes the Maasai Mara different
The Mara is the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem, and the two form a single landscape divided only by an international boundary. It is one of the best places in Africa for big cats, with lion, leopard and cheetah all resident and comparatively visible thanks to open savannah and long sightlines. The surrounding Maasai conservancies now play a central role in protecting the wider ecosystem.
Is the Maasai Mara a good first African safari
The Mara is one of the best first safaris in Africa. Wildlife density is high, the open savannah makes animals easier to spot than in forest reserves, and access from Nairobi is straightforward by road or by light aircraft to airstrips inside the reserve. Junglore runs short Mara expeditions, longer Kenya circuits and dedicated Great Migration departures.