Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara National Reserve covers about 1,510 km² in south-western Kenya and forms the northern end of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. It is Kenya's best-known safari destination and one of the finest places in Africa to see lions, leopards and cheetahs.

From roughly July to October the Great Migration arrives from the Serengeti, and hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra cross the crocodile-filled Mara River, the most dramatic wildlife spectacle on the continent. Outside those months the Mara remains outstanding, with large resident populations of elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo and all the big cats.

The reserve is surrounded by Maasai community lands, and a visit to a Maasai village can be added to most itineraries. The Mara is five to six hours from Nairobi by road or under an hour by light aircraft, and it combines well with Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli, or with the Serengeti on a cross-border safari.

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