Masai Mara National Reserve (Maasai Mara National Park)

The huge and diverse number of animals that reside in Maasai Mara National Reserve is due in large part to the steady flow of the Mara River. The river sustains life on the sometimes brutal plains of the Serengeti, supporting a range of migratory mammals like wildebeests, giraffes, and zebras. The Maasai Mara park and its river is also the final destination for impressive numbers of animals during the dry season’s Great Migration, the largest known migration of wildlife on the planet.

Most tours offer multi-day guided excursions throughout the park in 4-wheel drive safari vehicles. Many guides also offer insight into the culture of the indigenous Maasai, whose nomadic way of life allows them to live off the land and whose villages can be seen throughout the Serengeti.

• There are several well-equipped lodges and campsites located throughout the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

• Don’t forget to bring binoculars, a camera, a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen, as well as food and plenty of drinking water.

• Do not approach, pet, or feed the wildlife.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is close to the Kenyan shore of Lake Victoria, toward the southwest part of the country. Reach the reserve by car in about 6 hours from Nairobi. Small chartered flights land at a local airstrip.

The best time to visit is during Kenya’s dry season (July through October), which coincides with the Great Migration, and in January and February.

The Great Rift Valley runs throughout Kenya and helped form some of the country’s most striking landscape features. There is no shortage of national parks, protected reserves, and free-roaming wildlife to see, including flamingoes that flock to Lake Nakuru National Park.