Masai Mara

Kenya's most celebrated wildlife reserve, the Masai Mara is where the Great Migration reaches its dramatic climax each year.

The Masai Mara National Reserve sits in southwestern Kenya, an extension of Tanzania's Serengeti ecosystem across the border. Open savanna grassland dotted with acacia trees makes for exceptional visibility, and the reserve supports one of the highest densities of lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant and buffalo in Africa.

Between roughly July and October, over a million wildebeest and zebra cross into the Mara from the Serengeti, drawn by fresh grazing — the Mara River crossings during this period are one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles on the continent. Outside migration season, the Mara's resident wildlife and predator sightings remain excellent year-round.

The reserve is bordered by community-owned conservancies — Mara North, Naboisho, Olare Motorogi and others — which offer lower vehicle density, walking safaris, and night game drives not permitted inside the main reserve.