MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE

Undoubtedly the best known of all the Kenya Game Reserves, the Maasai Mara lies along Kenya’s South West border where it offers visitors the unique spectacle of the great wildebeest migration, one of nature’s greatest shows. Generally between July and October, wildebeest and zebra migrate from the Serengeti in Tanzania, to Kenya's Maasai Mara and back, crossing crocodile-infested rivers and trying their best to survive predators lying in wait. The downside however is that the Mara National Reserve has become a little too popular over time and now you will find over 100 lodges there, which can make your experience a less personal one and especially in migration season you have to be prepared to find dozens of vehicles around you whilst you watch the spectacle.

Covering an area of 2700 square km, it and the conservancies bordering the Maasai Mara, is home to the greatest variety and largest numbers of wild animals in Kenya. It is difficult to think of any other safari destination that offers consistent and varied predator sightings such as lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, bat eared fox and jackal.
Zebra, giraffe, various species of gazelle including topi and eland can be found grazing in close proximity to large herds of buffalo, and elephant can be spotted meandering across the landscape.

Various lodge offer early morning balloon rides, which end with a champagne breakfast. The balloon drifts quietly over the landscape without disturbing the animals below, making the 1 hour flight across the Mara is a truly magical experience.

where to stay...

From our visits to the Maasai Mara, we have first-hand knowledge of the hotels and below you can find the ones we most commonly use. Those hotels include mainly our favourites sorted from low-key to deluxe, which are usually smaller hotels with very personalised service, but also some bigger places, if they are the best or only option available.
Open, close, then open each tab again to display the images fully.