Masai Mara travel guide

The Masai Mara is a little Africa reserve with a big name. And rightfully so: this patch of savannah hosts one of the world's most impressive wildlife spectacles each summer, when over two million animals stampede across the landscape during their annual migration, culminating in the thrilling Mara River crossing - where crocodiles stalk the perilous waters. Find out more in our Masai Mara travel guide.

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Masai Mara travel guide

Two million wildebeest, zebra and antelope thunder for 1,000km across Tanzania’s Serengeti, bottlenecking at the border to cross the final frontier: the Mara River. A terrifying obstacle course of crocodiles, big cats, vultures and steep descents into the rapids, with a thousand other hooves waiting to trample any creature that takes a tumble, the green pastures of the Masai Mara lying across the north bank must really be something for the wildebeest to take this risk.

The Masai Mara’s great renown belies its diminutive size. This national reserve is one of Africa’s smallest – yet it hosts one of its greatest wildlife spectacles.

But it is worth it, as the Great Migration pours into the Mara every year, as do travelers from across the globe to witness this spectacle. But today’s travelers will find an experience quite different to those who visited in the 1970s – one where conservation is a community effort, education is as valued as observation, and you can bush walk with and be hosted by the charismatic Maasai – the Mara’s inhabitants for centuries, and now its guardians once more.

Read on in our Masai Mara travel guide.

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Things to do in the Masai Mara...

Go on a game drive. The Masai Mara’s raison d’etre is its incredible wildlife; it hosts the Big Five as well as the million wildebeest that thunder through on their annual migration from the Serengeti, joined by zebra and antelope. Vulture swirl menacingly above, while the Nile crocodiles – who only eat twice a year, during the river crossings – remain statue-still, awaiting their unlucky prey. Big cats are a Mara speciality – with cheetah joining leopard and lion in the savannah. Hippos snort in the rivers, while the highly endangered black rhino can be tracked up in the hills. While it can get busy along the Mara River at peak crossing times, there are plenty of meaning the wildlife experiences are exclusive and unspoiled by encroaching safari vehicles. Bring some stories. Kenyan culture involves a lot of sitting around a fire and telling stories; this is a land of oral history and folklore, and if someone shares the gift of a story, the best way to thank one is to tell one in return. So swot up on your storytelling skills to show gratitude to your hosts! Bring the kids! The Masai Mara is one of the most child-friendly safari spots in the whole of Africa, with family rooms in safe, welcoming lodges, wildlife experiences designed to inspire young minds, and the opportunity to learn how to track game through the bush. Children will also love meeting the Maasai and learning about their daily life, from milking goats to warrior spear throwing.

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Things not to do in Masai Mara…

Ignore the locals. For too long, local communities have been shut out of both tourism and conservation in Africa, when in truth they have a very valuable contribution to make to both. Employment created through tourism creates sustainable income – which deters poaching. And in the conservancies surrounding the reserve, Maasai land is leased to safari companies, meaning the Maasai can earn money while continuing to practice traditions on their ancestral lands. What’s more, visitors have much to learn from these custodians who have lived alongside the Big Five for centuries, and meeting them is as memorable as encountering the Mara’s wildlife.

View it all through a lens, as Andrew Appleyard, from our partner Exodus, explains: “My top tip for watching the migration would be to ban photography for an hour. Too many people just shoot Africa through a lens and come back with 7,000 images – but don’t actually just sit there and take it all in. So I make everyone put their cameras down, turn their engines off and just sit there and watch it.”

Stay in your vehicle. The Masai Mara’s status as a national reserve means that it’s not bound up in the same rules as a national park – and activities such as off-roading, night drives and walking safaris are permitted. You certainly can’t wander off into the bush alone – but a walk with a Maasai guide will let you experience the reserve from a whole different perspective, as you learn to track animals based on prints – and poo – and have the spine tingling thrill of being on foot around the Big Five.

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Written by Vicki Brown

Masai Mara travel guide