Maasai Mara National Reserve

Maasai Mara National Reserve

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is located in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya and consists mainly of open grassland. It borders the Serengeti National Park and together they host Africa’s best-known wonder – the annual great migration. The name Masai Mara was chosen in honor of the Maasai people.

The reserve has a magnificent collection of wildlife and it is quite possible to spot not just the ‘Big Five’ as often mentioned widely, but also in fact the ‘Big Nine’, including the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Giraffe, Zebra, Cheetah, and Hippo. It is quote possible that due to the nature and richness of flora and fauna in the national park, one can see all of the above animals not just in a single 2-3 hour game drive, but also with a little more luck, within an hour of your drive in the reserve. The section above lists photos and brief information on some of the amazing wildlife and animals that you will find in Masai Mara including a list of Birds commonly seen here. The game reserve is quite the animal kingdom and likely the very best place to see an amazing eco system of African wildlife in the wilderness

Meet the Maasai tribe in the Masai Mara

The Maasai have been living in this area ever since they migrated here from the Nile Basin a long time ago. Mara means ‘spotted’ in Maa, the local Maasai language. It refers to the many short bushy trees you see dotted over de savannah plains when you drive through the park. To see how the Maasai tribe lives, you can visit one of their villages in the Masai Mara.

Great Migration

The National Reserve is home to more than 95 animal species and over 400 species of birds. The wildlife is usually based on the escarpment of the reserve. Between August and mid-October, you can visit Masai Mara to see the great migration of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, antelopes, and impalas. By that time they have most likely crossed over from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park on the other side of the border. This annual wildebeest migration involves over 2.5 million animals. The animals are crossing the dangerous Mara River in herds of thousands of animals to find fresh grass on the other side. Crocodiles are already waiting in the waters. This is an exciting spectacle you shouldn’t miss!

Maasai Mara – Mara Triangle region

Visitors come to the Masai Mara Triangle because it is one of the best destinations in the world to spot wildlife. The Mara River runs through the Mara Triangle.  It is the first area the great migration reaches once they come from Serengeti to the Masai Mara. You have an excellent chance to see lots of animals here. The famous Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and buffalo) are habitants of the Masai Mara. And with a bit of luck, you can see cheetahs, servals, hyenas, bat-eared foxes, and black-backed and side-striped jackals. The Mara Triangle is also home to hippos, crocodiles, baboons, warthogs, topis, elands, Thomson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, impalas, waterbucks, oribis, reed-bucks, zebras many more animals.