Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Maasai Mara Game Reserve: Overview

Masai Mara National Reserve is one of Africa’s most famous parks and it’s undoubtedly one of the continent’s best places to see animals. The wildlife viewing is superb throughout the year. The grassy plains and regular rainfall support a huge population of herbivores, in turn attracting many predators. All three big cats are relatively easy to see. The yearly wildebeest migration coming through the park is one of the world’s most amazing wildlife spectacles.

Maasai Mara Game Reserve: Background Information

The Masai Mara is one of the best parks in Africa for seeing big cats, especially lions. Even leopards are quite used to vehicles and you can see their natural behavior, while cheetahs inhabit the open savannah, hunting or seeking their next meal. Of the other Big Five, elephant and buffalo are also plentiful, but black rhino is trickier and they only roam in the Mara Triangle area.

Grassland savannah dominates the landscape in the Masai Mara, but pockets of acacia woodland, riparian forest around the Mara River, and rocky hills intersperse the plains. The Maasai word ‘Mara’, meaning spotted, refers to these dots in the landscape. In the north, the Oloololo Escarpment (also called the Siria Escarpment) marks the northern boundary of the Mara. The stunning views from the top take in the whole ecosystem.

Wheather & Climate & Where to find the Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Due to the altitude, the climate in Masai Mara National Reserve is slightly colder and wetter than might be expected this close to the equator. Daytime is pleasant with temperatures in the mid to high twenties Celsius (mid seventies to low eighties Fahrenheit), while it cools off significantly at night.

Wildlife at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s flagship park. Three of the Big Five are commonly seen, but leopard sightings are more occasional and black rhino is difficult to find (they can sometimes be spotted in the northern section of the Mara Triangle). The reserve is one of the best in East Africa for big cats, and smaller predators such as bat-eared fox, black-backed jackal and spotted hyena are also present. Antelope include impala, reedbuck, Thomson's gazelle, eland and topi, while buffalo, elephant and giraffe are relaxed and easily spotted.

The legendary wildebeest migration is one of the world’s most amazing wildlife encounters. Every year is different, but sometime in July and August (and even as late as September), millions of animals leave northern Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and head into the Masai Mara. The crossing of the Mara River along the way is one of the most spectacular moments of the migration. Around October, the migration slowly heads back into Tanzania again.

Leopard at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve

Birdlife at the Maasai Mara Game Reserve:

With more than 500 bird species recorded, Masai Mara National Reserve is a world-class birding destination. It’s an excellent place to mark off a lot of Kenya’s savannah species from your bird list, and the park is particularly rich in raptors with 57 species present. Bateleurs often soar above the grassy plains and predator kills are a good place to find up to six species of vultures circling, roosting and scavenging. Migratory birds are present from November to April.