Last updated: 02 March, 2023
Alongside the neighbouring Serengeti just south in Tanzania, the Masai Mara is Kenya’s finest game reserve and the best place in East Africa for a Big Five safari.
The scenery is spectacular, fringed by an escarpment, dotted with hills, and split by the Mara River, inhabited by those famously enormous crocodiles. Big skies, grasslands stretching to the horizon, acacias silhouetted in the sunset – it’s the stereotypical African scenery most safari-goers dream of.
When the remarkable wildebeest migration passes through its 1,800 square kilometres (from August to October), grasslands heave with millions of wildebeest and zebra – and big prides of lion, as well as hyena, leopard and cheetah, enjoying the moving feast. It’s a great spectacle, but being among the creatures is like being in a big herd of cows – only millions of them. If they’re not there, it’s still brilliant.
There is no better way to see the vast expanse of wilderness than from the air – particularly in a floating balloon, at dawn. Expensive, yes, but worth the splurge.
The best way to feel the wild is to be on foot – not permitted in the main reserve. For bushwalking, stay in a neighbouring conservancy and walk with a Masai. You’ll also be able to visit a village to learn about how man, cattle and wildlife have adapted to live alongside one another – and see the ‘adumu’, the famous traditional jumping dance.
The main drawback – it’s uncomfortably touristy. Everyone wants to come here – in high season there will be as many vehicles as animals.