The Masai Mara is not just a safari. It is the greatest wildlife show on earth

Big Five. Great Migration. Big cats year-round. 
Kenya’s savannah at its full, unfiltered scale.

Big Five

All present in Masai Mara

1.5 million

Wildebeest in the Great Migration

Year-round

Big cat sightings in the Mara

2 countries

Rwanda + Kenya expertise

Masai Mara — the world's greatest wildlife spectacle

The Masai Mara is not a park. It is a living, breathing ecosystem — 1,500 square kilometres of open savannah where the ancient rhythms of predator and prey play out daily, without interruption, without a script.

The Big Five are all here. Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino — not as occasional sightings, but as permanent residents. The Mara has the highest density of predators of any reserve in Africa. On a single morning game drive you may track a leopard through the acacia scrub, watch a lion pride on a kill, and find a herd of 200 elephants moving across the plain in the late light. This is not luck. This is simply what the Mara delivers.
The atmosphere is unlike anywhere else on earth. Ochre dust rising behind a Land Cruiser. Acacia silhouettes against a copper sky. The low grunt of a lion at dusk. The savannah has a sound, a smell, a quality of light that stays with you long after you leave.
For any Kenya safari itinerary, the Mara is not optional. It is the centrepiece — the experience everything else is built around.

The Great Migration — Jul to Oct.

Over 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra cross the Mara River in a
spectacle that has no equal in the natural world. Book well in advance.

At a glance

Permit USD 1,500 PP
Duration Full day
With gorillas 1 hour
Group Max 8 visitors
Min age 15 Years
Best season June-Sep, Dec-Feb
Fitness Moderate

Three reserves, three distinct experiences

Masai Mara National Reserve

Southwest Kenya · Flagship
The benchmark. Big Five, highest predator density in Africa, Great Migration Jul–Oct. Exceptional year-round big cat sightings.

Tsavo East

Kenya's largest park. Vast open plains, huge elephant herds with distinctive red dust. Raw, open landscape. Less crowded than the Mara.

Tsavo West

Volcanic landscape, Mzima Springs (hippo and croc), more intimate. Pairs naturally with Tsavo East for a full Tsavo experience.

4 Kenya Wildlife itineraries experiences

3 Days Wild Akagera
Explore Rwanda’s savannah, spotting lions, elephants, hippos and giraffes, with a Lake Ihema boat safari.

5 Days Masai Mara Classic

Experience the Masai Mara’s predators, open plains and migration, with exceptional game drives throughout daily.

7 Days Mara & Amboseli

Combine Masai Mara predators with Amboseli elephants, Kilimanjaro views and unforgettable Kenyan safari landscapes together.

8 Days Kenya Safari Circuit

Journey through the Mara, Amboseli and Tsavo for predators, elephants and dramatic changing landscapes daily.
Your adventure starts with a conversation.

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Akagera National Park - without crossing into Kenya

RWANDA OPTION

Akagera offers a wonderful and distinctly Rwandan safari experience, with open savannah, lakes, wetlands and rolling hills creating a landscape very different from the Masai Mara. Lion and rhino have been successfully reintroduced in recent years, restoring the park’s Big Five status and giving visitors a genuine chance to see some of Africa’s most iconic wildlife.

The park is also known for elephants, buffalo, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles and a wide variety of birdlife, especially around Lake Ihema and the surrounding wetlands. Akagera is ideal for visitors who want to combine gorilla trekking or a Kigali stay with a relaxed savannah safari without leaving Rwanda. It is not a substitute for the scale and density of wildlife in the Masai Mara, but it is an excellent Rwanda-only add-on with beautiful scenery, shorter travel distances and a more intimate safari atmosphere.

Practical information

Practical information

Safari style
Private game drives with no shared vehicles
Accommodation
From comfortable tented camps to luxury safari lodges
Physical rating
Easy — mainly game drives with limited walking
Best base
Mara Triangle or Mara North Conservancy for fewer vehicles
Flying option
Domestic flights between Nairobi and the Masai Mara are available
Visa
Kenya electronic travel authorisation required before departure
Health
Ask your doctor about malaria precautions for Kenyan safari areas
Currency
Kenyan shilling; US dollars are widely accepted at safari lodges
Ready to plan
Request your itineary

When to go

Kenya offers excellent wildlife viewing throughout the year. The best period depends on migration activity, visitor numbers and game-viewing conditions.

J F M A M J J A S O N D
Peak
Good
Possible
Great Migration

Jul–Oct

Best for large herds, migration activity and possible river crossings in the Masai Mara.

Calving season

Jan–Feb

Excellent for young animals and predator activity across the wider Serengeti ecosystem.