Masai Mara Safari

The Masai Mara rightly deserves its place as one of Africa’s most popular safari destinations, and the experience it provides is exceptional for first-timers, families, and aficionados alike! Wildlife is abundant, with the big five prevalent, and big cat sightings are particularly impressive - in fact, it is where the BBC's Big Cat Diaries was filmed and has been home to many David Attenborough clips.

When to go on your Masai Mara safari

Visit the Mara between July and October and you have every chance of witnessing the migration of wildebeest as they move between the Serengeti in neighbouring Tanzania, and the Mara in Kenya, in search of fresh pasture. Widely seen as the greatest show on Earth, the possibility of a ringside seat for a perilous river crossing draws thousands of visitors each year.
December to February is also a brilliant time to visit the Masai Mara as it is calving season, giving you a fantastic opportunity to see young, newly born animals. Whilst this is the wet season, it is not the peak of the wet season, so particularly in December, rains are short and seeing wildlife amongst the lush green grasses is a real treat.

Avoiding the crowds

There’s no denying that the popularity of the Masai Mara can become an issue with the number of vehicles in the main National Reserve, particularly during high season. The creation of private conservancies around the perimeter of the main reserve has somewhat eased this pressure and offers a more exclusive safari experience, away from the crowds, thanks to their stricter controls on visitor numbers. The beauty of staying in one of the private conservancies – Mara North, Naboisho and Olare Orok, to name just three – is that you can expect the same prolific levels of wildlife as there are no borders between the national and private reserves. These reserves are doing fantastic conservation work, making staying in one good for the environment and wildlife you want to see, as well as for your experience. As well as fewer visitor numbers in a private reserve, you also get the benefit that you can go off-road and enjoy night safaris, something that is not possible in the Masai Mara National Reserve.

Enjoy the sunrise from the skies

One of the most popular experiences on a Kenya Masai Mara safari is a hot air balloon safari. Floating silently over the plains at dawn is the perfect opportunity to get an idea of the vast scale of the reserve, before enjoying a bush breakfast on landing. A real bucket list activity.

Experience Masai culture

One of the biggest draws of the Masai Mara is the chance to have an authentic safari experience and to meet the Masai in their famed red-checked shukas. It is likely that your safari guide will be a warrior or tribe member, and as well as telling you about the wildlife, they will open up about local culture giving you a wonderful insight into Kenyan life. You can also visit Masai villages to get a true sense of Kenyan culture and the semi-nomadic lives some still follow.

Where to stay for your Masai Mara safari

You can choose to either stay in a Kenyan lodge, which is a permanent structure, often with swimming pools, etc and a similar experience to a luxury hotel or in a tented camp. If it is your first safari holiday, you may feel safer in a lodge, but if you choose to stay in tented accommodation, you'll get the full safari experience. Tents offer a luxury experience, with Persian rugs, large double and sometimes four-poster beds, and even hot-water bottles to keep you cosy at night. Camps are often nestled in prime wilderness locations, placing you right at the heart of the action. As night falls, the soft rustle of the African bush and distant calls of wildlife will lull you to sleep. Come morning, the first light reveals fresh paw prints near your tent, a reminder that the wild never sleeps. It’s not just a safari, it’s a true adventure lived from dawn ‘til dusk.

From bush to beach

The Masai Mara is easy to combine with another area of Kenya, such as Samburu, Laikipia or Lewa, or to combine with some relaxation on the beach with one of our safari and beach holidays, either by a quick microlight to the stunning Kenyan coast or by flying to Zanzibar.