For wildlife lovers, the Kenya Maasai Mara safari is a dream come true. Very few places in the world offer the variety and sheer numbers of animals that you can spot on a game drive in this African adventure. The vast ruggedness of the beautiful savannah will capture your heart with its rich tapestry of colours, textures, sights, smells and sounds. Read on if you are curious about the jungle experience but don’t know where to start planning. Our guide will help you get the best from your Maasai Mara safari.
Kenya Maasai Mara safari – location
The 1,510-sq-km Maasai Mara National Reserve is in southwestern Kenya, bordered on the south by the vast Serengeti in Tanzania. With open savannah grassland and rolling hills, it also boasts the perennial Mara River. At an altitude that ranges between 1,480-2,280 metres above sea level, its temperature generally stays between a pleasant 12-31°C, depending on the season.
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How to reach
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, can be reached by air from major cities across the world. After landing at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (NBO), Kenya’s main international airport, you could choose to spend a few days in Nairobi before heading out to the wildlife reserves. To reach the Maasai Mara safari, you can go by air or by road. Several airlines like Air Kenya, Safarilink, and Governors Aviation have regular flights from Nairobi’s Wilson Airport. These take about an hour, depending on which airstrip you are landing at (Angama, Keekorok, Kichwa Tembo, Musiara, Ngerende, Olare Orok, Ol Kiombo, Ol Seki, Siana, or Serena). If you’re a light traveller (there’s a luggage limit of a total of 15 kg per head on these flights) with deep pockets, this is the fastest way to reach your destination.
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A road trip may make more sense if you prefer to spend less money, take the scenic route, and have heavy suitcases. The drive from Nairobi to one of the many gates of the Maasai Mara takes 5-7 hours, with the last hour on a rough track that will get you to shake, rattle, and roll! We found the route interesting, ranging from arid regions, with dust spinning in columns, to lush and refreshing areas. At the heart of this very fertile part of Kenya is the Central Rift Valley. As we gazed across the green bowl of the valley from a vantage point above, the thought that this could be the birthplace of all humankind swirled around us and took our breath away. In reality, it might just be one of the many starting points of human civilisation, but the out-of-Africa theories are tantalising indeed.
The best time to go on a Kenya Maasai Mara safari
November to March is the best time to visit for pleasant, dry weather and clear skies. This region has two rainy seasons a year; April to May, and September to early November. While the rainy season from April to June is the low season, it’s also the most budget-friendly time to visit. The Maasai Mara safari experience is generally great throughout the year. However, the most ideal (and the costliest) time to visit is between mid-July and early September, as this is when the Great Wildebeest Migration occurs in this period.
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This awkward-looking antelope (also known as a gnu) moves from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Kenya Maasai Mara in huge numbers. The Great Migration is often called ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ with good reason and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Following the rains and the lush grass they provide, over 1.5 million wildebeest (along with thousands of zebras) travel in a circle around the Serengeti in May and June. They then head northwest into the Maasai Mara, passing through the Grumeti Reserve, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, and the Loliondo Game Controlled Area before returning in August and September. August is the ideal month to visit Kenya Maasai Mara to watch this migration. The exact date of the start varies from year to year, but you’re most likely to witness at least part of the exciting event, which takes place over several weeks.
History of the Kenya Maasai Mara safari
Fossil finds suggest the eastern part of Africa may have been home to early humans dating back 20 million years. The area that is Kenya today has since had a host of peoples moving here, be it a Cushitic-speaking population coming from northern Africa in 2000 BC, Arab traders sailing in around the First Century AD, Persians settling here around the Eighth Century, and later the Nilotic and Bantu tribes who now form the majority in Kenya. The Portuguese, the Omani, and finally the British came to this coast. It was a few years before Kenya’s independence from British rule that Maasai Mara was designated a wildlife sanctuary (1961).
But even before this, it was known for its incredible wildlife. In 1952, when the late Queen Elizabeth was only a princess, she was on a safari at Aberdares National Park (337 km from the Maasai Mara National Reserve) with her husband, staying at the Treetops Hotel, which still exists today. It’s said that after spending a day photographing wild African elephants at a watering hole, she went to bed a princess, and woke up as the Queen of England, as her father, King George VI, passed away that night. Jim Corbett (former hunter and later ardent wildlife conservationist), who was also at Treetops at the same time, wrote in the lodge’s register: “For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and after having what she described as her most thrilling experience, she climbed down from the tree next day a Queen.”
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Things to do at Kenya’s Maasai Mara safari
Spot the Big Five: Lions, leopards, elephants, African buffaloes, and rhinos will be quickly checked off your list, but you’ll also see a whole host of many different species here. We saw zebra, two types of giraffes, various varieties of deer, gazelle, hippo, hyena, baboon, ostrich, and unique birds aplenty. It’s interesting to watch the dynamics of the various groupings of these wonderful creatures as much as it is to witness their natural beauty and splendour. And, just like we did, you’ll probably get to experience lions in many different moods too. Huge ones with massive manes sleeping on the top of spindly acacia trees that seem like they can barely take the weight. A pride of 10 sleepy ones dozing in the shade, only one or two bothering to wake up to look at you. Or the exciting spectacle of a group of sprightly lionesses planning and executing a high-energy hunt together as the sun reaches the horizon and the males wait lazily on the sidelines to see what will be served for dinner.
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Catch the gnus: If you’re there during the Great Migration, there are many spots where the wildebeest cross the rivers, and your driver/safari guide will be able to advise you on the ideal site to position your car for optimal viewing. The river crossings are especially dramatic, while seeing things such as predator encounters, or births of wildebeest calves can be a life-changing experience on your Kenya Maasai Mara safari.
Hot-air balloon safari: Apart from the game drives for your Maasai Mara safari, there’s also the option of a hot-air balloon safari. This allows you to see the animals at a leisurely pace from up in the air. This is especially popular during the time of the great wildebeest migration.
Hotels near Maasai Mara
From luxury Mara-facing rooms at Muthu Keekorok Lodge in Narok to Savannah Tents at the PrideInn Mara Camp & Cottages in Talek to the five-bedroom house called the Authentic Mara Bush Home in Sekenani, there are several great stays near the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Book your stay at PrideInn Mara Camp & Cottages via Booking.com
Book your stay at PrideInn Mara Camp & Cottages via Agoda.com
Restaurants around Maasai Mara
The hotels and resorts usually have superb restaurants and offer an all-inclusive package that includes meals. The Gazelle Coffee House & Meeting Place is a popular cafe serving quality international cuisine en route to the Sekenani section of Kenya Maasai Mara. The beautiful Isokon restaurant inside the Sarova Mara Game Camp serves African cuisine and has vegetarian and vegan options.
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(Feature Image Credit: teachandlearn/Flickr)
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The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
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FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
From tented camps to safari lodges to private homestays in budget to mid-range to high-end luxury options, there are many different types of accommodation available.
Including the Big Five or even the Big Nine – lions, leopards, elephants, African buffaloes, and rhinos, plus cheetahs, giraffes, hippos and zebras – you have a chance to spot almost 90 species of mammals, over 500 species of birds (including ostriches and secretary birds), 100 types of reptiles, and scores of insects.
Apart from the safaris in special vans or the 4x4 Safari Landcruisers and hot-air balloons, you can also visit a Maasai tribal village to see how they lie, taste their food, and buy some of their handicrafts. You can also indulge in bush walks, night safaris and horse-riding safaris in private conservancies outside the main game reserve.
Sturdy clothes in muted colours like sand, camel, khaki or olive green are advisable. Light cottons or linens for the warmer months, a light wrap or jacket for the nights when it gets cooler. A hat or cap, closed and comfortable footwear, rain gear, binoculars, cameras, and insect repellant sprays are recommended.
These are the routine vaccines you should be up to date on before your trip: Chickenpox (Varicella), Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis, Flu (influenza), Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR), Polio, and Shingles. You should also be inoculated against Covid-19 Chikungunya, Hepatitis-A, Hepatitis-B, Meningitis, Rabies, Typhoid and Yellow Fever. Anti-Malaria medicine is also a good precaution to take.
As with any other wildlife reserves, stay safe by staying inside the safari vehicle at all times, not using flash photography, and not teasing or trying to feed the animals you encounter.
The cost will depend on how many people you are travelling with to share costs, whether you decide to fly in or travel by road, the type of accommodation you choose, and the kind of safari vehicle you hire. But on an average, you should allocate USD 100 per day for a shoestring-budget Maasai Mara safari, and at least USD 500 a day for a more lavish experience.
If you’re flying in and out, you could easily do it in three days, enjoying two full days of Maasai Mara safari and one day of total travel to and from Nairobi. But if you want more experiences and to soak in the savannah life for longer, a week works well.
As of January 1, 2024, foreign nationals, regardless of nationality, can enter Kenya without a visa for tourism or business travel for stays up to 90 days. Travellers must obtain a new Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) online. For this you require a valid passport, a recent passport-sized picture, and be ready to furnish your contact details, travel information and flight itinerary, proof of hotel booking or letter of invitation from friends with whom you will be staying while in Kenya, yellow fever vaccination certificate if coming from endemic countries (a full list is available on the WHO website).
Written By
Priya Pathiyan
A chronicler of all things culture and lifestyle. Priya\'s forte is fresh perspective on everything. ..Read More
