The Mara is the northern end of the Serengeti ecosystem, and the single best place in Africa to watch big cats hunt. Between July and October around a million and a half wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara River into it. The rest of the year it is quieter, cheaper, and still holds the highest density of lion, cheetah and leopard in Kenya.
Every one of these is something we run here, not a stock list.
Prices are per person and include your vehicle, guide, park fees and accommodation. Every one of these can be changed — they are starting points.
3 Days
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11 Days Exploring Kenya and Tanzania
Originally established in 1948 as a wildlife sanctuary, converted to a Game reserve in 1961. In 1995, the TransMara County Council was formed in the western part of the reserve, and shares control with the existing Narok County Council. In May 2001, the not-for-profit Mara Conservancy took over management of the Mara Triangle.
Area: 1,510 square kilometres (583 sq miles)
Geography/Habitats: The Mara is mostly open flat grassland with long but thin grass and spotted with acacia trees. The Western edge of the Mara is formed by a geological fault throwing up the Esoit Escarpment. Three main rivers drain the area, the Sand, Talek and Mara. It is at the crossing of these rivers that many of the famous images of the great migration are seen
Animals: All of the 'Big 5'; Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Black Rhino. Wildebeast, Zebra, Gazelle, Topi, Eland, Impala, Giraffe, Hippo's, crocodiles, hyena, cheetah, jackal, fox, Vulture, Stork, Crane, Ostrich, Eagle, Roller and more.
Of Interest: The most famous events in the Mara revolve around the great migration and especially the river crossings where the migrating animals are concentrated and prayed upon by predators both on land and from the waters. However, Safaris can see a huge array of wildlife at any time of year and indeed enjoy the wild and expansive landscape.
Most safaris here combine two or three of these.
Amboseli is where you photograph elephants with Kilimanjaro behind them. The swamps fed by meltwater off the mountain hold big herds year round, the plains are open and dusty so nothing hides, and it is close enough to Nairobi to be worth three days on its own.
Samburu is the dry north, and the wildlife is different for it. Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich live here and almost nowhere else in Kenya — guides call them the Samburu Special Five. The Ewaso Nyiro river keeps it all alive and draws elephant down to drink all afternoon.
Naivasha is the freshwater lake in the floor of the Rift Valley, ninety minutes from Nairobi. You get out of the vehicle here: a boat among the hippos, a walk or a cycle on Crescent Island among giraffe and zebra with no predators to worry about. It is the day that breaks up a driving safari.
Tsavo West is the handsome half of Tsavo — hills, lava flows and green scrub instead of flat red plain. Mzima Springs pushes fifty million gallons of clear water out of the ground every day, and an underwater chamber lets you watch hippo and crocodile from below the surface. The rhino sanctuary here is one of the few places in Kenya to see black rhino.
Tell us roughly when you can travel and how long you have. We will tell you honestly whether Maasai Mara is the right call for those dates — and what it costs.
