Masai Mara
Kenya's half of the great migration, the Mara River where the herds cross between July and October, tented camps in the conservancies, and gravel airstrips about an hour's flight from Nairobi.
- Arrival
- Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta · NBO
- To the reserve
- About an hour's flight from Nairobi Wilson
- Private jets
- Into NBO; gravel airstrips in the Mara
- Best time
- July to October
The city
The river and the herds.
The Maasai Mara is the Kenyan end of one great ecosystem shared with the Serengeti in Tanzania. Millions of wildebeest and zebra move between the two, and the Mara River is where they cross, down steep banks into water held by crocodiles, with lions and hyenas waiting on the far side. Beyond the reserve lie private conservancies such as Naboisho, where a camp of nine tents keeps its game drives free of convoys.
Magical Kenya, the national tourism board, places the most dramatic part of the migration between July and October. Highs stay between 25 and 28 °C all year. The long rains fall from March to May and the short rains in November, and the drier, slightly cooler months run from June to September.
Arriving
Nairobi first, then the airstrips.
Long-haul flights land at Jomo Kenyatta International in Nairobi. The last leg leaves from Wilson, the city's smaller airport, backing on to Nairobi National Park, and takes about an hour to the Mara.
- Kigali 1 h 05
- Addis Ababa 1 h 55
- Cape Town 5 h 30
- Zurich 8 h 05 long-range jet
- Singapore 10 h 10 long-range jet
When to go
July to October.
Warm in every month, with highs of 25 to 28 °C, and rain in all of them, heaviest from March to May and again in November. July to October is the season: the herds are in the Mara and the drier months of mid-year are under way, though October brings the first showers back.
- 27° J 97
- 28° F 99
- 27° M 145
- 26° A 208
- 25° M 155
- 25° J 94
- 25° J 58
- 25° A 81
- 27° S 97
- 27° O 102
- 27° N 152
- 27° D 114
What to see and do
Days in and around Masai Mara.
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Landmark
The Mara River
Where the herds plunge across, watched by crocodiles in the water and lions on the banks.
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Landmark
Naboisho Conservancy
Private land beside the reserve, with small camps and unhurried drives away from the crowds.
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Landmark
The Talek River
Inside the reserve, its banks home to one of the two camps in the Mara that hold two MICHELIN Keys.
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Wildlife
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Game drives across these 1,510 square kilometres, protected since 1961, can find lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino.
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Wildlife
Mara Triangle
Run by the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy, this western sector of 510 square kilometres lies between the Mara River and the Oloololo Escarpment.
Official site -
Wildlife
Governors' Balloon Safaris
Since 1978 this family company has flown hot air balloons at dawn along the Mara River, landing for a champagne breakfast on the plains.
Official site -
Wildlife
Musiara Marsh
Scenes of the BBC series Big Cat Diary were filmed around this marsh in the north of the reserve, along with Leopard Gorge and Fig Tree Ridge.
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Wildlife
Mara Olare Motorogi Conservancy
Only guests of its dozen or so small camps may explore these 133 square kilometres, on foot, off road or on limited night drives.
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Wildlife
Mara North Conservancy
Over 800 Maasai landowners formed this conservancy of about 30,000 hectares in 2009, where guided walks and night drives are allowed.
Where to stay
Two camps with two Keys.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
Elsewhere in Kenya
More reasons to come.
- Nairobi A national park on the edge of the city, and Wilson airport for the bush flights.
- Laikipia Private conservancies on the plateau north of Mount Kenya.
- Amboseli Elephants against the snows of Kilimanjaro, across the border.
- Lamu A Swahili town without cars, of dhows and old stone houses.
- Diani A beach south of Mombasa, of white sand and coral.
Flying to Masai Mara?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.