Masai Mara Safari Guide
Kenya's most famous reserve — rolling grasslands hosting the Great Migration's dramatic river crossings and one of Africa's highest concentrations of big cats.
Top Highlights
Best Time to Visit Masai Mara
July to October for the Great Migration and river crossings. January to February for quiet, excellent game viewing. The Mara is a year-round destination with resident wildlife populations.
Masai Mara Safari Budget Guide
Mara National Reserve fees $80/adult/day. Conservancy fees $70-120/day additional. Budget camps from $100/night. Mid-range lodges $250-500/night. Luxury conservancy camps $500-2,500/night. Balloon safaris $400-500/person.
Getting to Masai Mara
Bush flights from Nairobi Wilson Airport (1hr) to multiple Mara airstrips. Road transfer from Nairobi (5-6hrs). Most luxury camps include airstrip transfers.
The Masai Mara is Kenya's most celebrated wildlife destination — a vast expanse of rolling grassland, acacia woodland, and the winding Mara River that together support one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Africa. The reserve and its surrounding conservancies cover over 1,500 square kilometres of prime savanna habitat.
The Great Migration reaches the Mara from July to October, with over two million wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle crossing the crocodile-infested Mara River in chaotic, dramatic crossings that have become some of the most photographed wildlife events on Earth. But the Mara's appeal extends far beyond the migration — resident populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs, elephants, hippos, and an extraordinary variety of plains game ensure excellent wildlife sightings throughout the year.
The private conservancies surrounding the national reserve have transformed the Mara experience, offering exclusive game viewing away from the crowds, night drives, walking safaris, and deeper cultural engagement with Maasai communities — activities not permitted within the national reserve itself.
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