What is the Masai Mara famous for?

The Masai Mara is renowned for hosting the Great Migration, and is known by many as one of the original African safari destinations. It is here and in neighbouring Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, where Wilderness Usawa is located, that the annual wildebeest migration takes place, considered one of the natural wonders of the world.

What animals are seen in the Masai Mara?

The Masai Mara hosts a diverse range of wildlife, including over 90 mammal species and 500 bird species. Within the Mara Triangle, where Wilderness’ camps are located, you’ll find exceptional concentrations of game, including all members of the iconic Big 5: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino.

What is the climate in Masai Mara?

Masai Mara experiences a mild climate with two distinct seasons. The dry season, from June to October, brings sunny days, cooler mornings and evenings, and excellent game-viewing conditions as animals gather around water sources and vegetation is less dense. The wet season runs from November to May. During this time, the plains transform into lush green expanses and birdlife is abundant. Days remain warm, while nights can be refreshingly cool. Overall, the Mara’s climate makes it a year-round safari destination, with each season offering its own unique appeal.

When is the Great Migration in the Masai Mara?

The Great Migration — the annual movement of over 1.5 million wildebeest and zebra through the Serengeti–Mara ecosystem — enters the Masai Mara from Tanzania approximately July to October. The Mara River crossing events, where wildebeest plunge into crocodile-filled waters, typically peak between August and September. Outside migration season, the Mara still offers outstanding year-round game viewing for lion, cheetah, leopard, and elephant.

Kenya

Masai Mara

Kenya is renowned for its exceptional wildlife experiences, and the Masai Mara National Reserve, known as ‘the Mara’, is the country’s flagship safari destination.

Home Africa Kenya Masai Mara

Africa’s original safari destination

Where spreading plains rise to meet the Oloololo Escarpment, the Mara River carves a timeless path through the ancient earth, and a wedge of wilderness beckons: the Mara Triangle. This remote section of Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve is celebrated for its extraordinary wildlife density, particularly during the Great Migration. Here, timeless wilds meet bold conservation. Fewer vehicles, fewer voices, and yet more life, more tension, more drama.

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Wildlife

Framed by the Oloololo Escarpment and the snaking Mara River, the Mara Triangle is a sanctuary of staggering biodiversity: home to iconic African wildlife including resident black rhino, vast herds of grazers, and more elusive species like servals and leopards. Managed by the Mara Conservancy, this remote section of the Masai Mara is exceptionally well-protected, and expertly managed.

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WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Masai Mara at a glance

Witnessing the Great Migration in the Masai Mara is a bucket-list African safari experience. Every year, millions of wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles migrate across the Serengeti and Masai Mara, creating one of the most spectacular natural events on Earth.

Key Facts

Habitats

Wildlife

Weather

Masai Mara key facts

The Mara Triangle, where Wilderness Mara is situated, is home to iconic African wildlife including resident black rhino, vast herds of grazers, and rarer species like caracal and oribi. ‘Mara’ means ‘spotted’ in the local Maa language, referring to the landscape’s patchwork of trees, shrubs, and cloud shadows across the plains.

GEOGRAPHIC SIZE

1,510km²

BIRD SPECIES

+/- 470

MAMMAL SPECIES

+/- 95

BEST TIME TO VISIT

All year round

WILDERNESS CAMPS

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Weather

The Masai Mara Reserve has a subtropical climate, characterised by distinct dry and wet seasons. These seasonal variations significantly influence the reserve's vegetation, wildlife behaviour, and overall experience. The Mara's climate is pleasantly warm, with cool nights throughout the year.

Short Dry Season

January–March

Long Rains

March to May

Dry Season

June to October

Short Rains

November to December

Key Facts

Masai Mara key facts

The Mara Triangle, where Wilderness Mara is situated, is home to iconic African wildlife including resident black rhino, vast herds of grazers, and rarer species like caracal and oribi. ‘Mara’ means ‘spotted’ in the local Maa language, referring to the landscape’s patchwork of trees, shrubs, and cloud shadows across the plains.

GEOGRAPHIC SIZE

1,510km²

BIRD SPECIES

+/- 470

MAMMAL SPECIES

+/- 95

BEST TIME TO VISIT

All year round

WILDERNESS CAMPS

1

Habitats

Wildlife

Weather

The Masai Mara Reserve has a subtropical climate, characterised by distinct dry and wet seasons. These seasonal variations significantly influence the reserve's vegetation, wildlife behaviour, and overall experience. The Mara's climate is pleasantly warm, with cool nights throughout the year.

Short Dry Season

January–March

Long Rains

March to May

Dry Season

June to October

Short Rains

November to December

THINGS TO DO

Masai Mara experiences

With fewer lodges and vehicles in the Mara Triangle, sightings on safari with Wilderness feel unhurried in this vast landscape. The Triangle pulses with life; there are predators aplenty, elephants, black rhino, and exceptional birdlife – set against a striking mix of open plains, riverine forest, and seasonal marsh.

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Birding

Birding with a knowledgeable Wilderness guide is spectacular across all our regions, with 930 different species for twitchers to tick.

Birding

Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Explore the desert from the skies in a hot air balloon

Hot air ballooning

Be a bird for an hour or so. Fly high in a hot-air balloon for an unparalleled perspective on the wildlife and landscape below.

Hot Air Ballooning

Namibia, Kenya & Tanzania

Guests trekking free-roaming black rhino at Wilderness Desert Rhino Camp in Namibia

Conservation experiences

Wilderness combines unforgettable wildlife encounters with positive impact experiences.

Conservation Experiences

Botswana, Namibia, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya

Game drives

Get closer to thrilling wildlife interactions and see creatures big and small on morning and afternoon game drives.

Game Drives

Botswana, Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Zambia

Nature drives

Get close to rare wildlife, explore otherworldly landscapes and immerse yourself in uncharted territory on a nature drive.

Nature Drives

Namibia

Discover the Masai Mara

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Wilderness Impact

For decades, Governors’ has worked closely with communities and conservation partners to ensure that wildlife tourism meaningfully benefits people and nature. This will continue under our own impact framework, always keeping our pillars Educate, Empower, and Protect in mind.

We recognise that meaningful conservation must ripple outward from our camps and concessions to surrounding communities and the wider national landscape, and that conservation must be practical, inclusive and community-anchored.

Impact

Our Children in the Wilderness partnership supports a school near Kawai, a deforestation-threatened catchment area. Through environmental education and tree planting, we equip the next generation to protect their environment and foster long-term ecosystem resilience.

We help protect a critical catchment area through support of initiatives like the Pangolin Project in Nyekweri Forest, home to Kenya’s only known Giant Pangolins. This vital biodiversity hotspot and water source faces pressure from land use change. Our support aids monitoring, forest protection, and climate resilience efforts.

We also contribute to national initiatives addressing some of Kenya’s most pressing conservation challenges, such as the Mara Raptor Project, a flagship initiative of the Kenya Bird of Prey Trust.

TRAVEL WITH US

Suggested safari tours & packages in Kenya

Discover the ultimate East African safari by combining some of our most award-winning camps across Rwanda and Tanzania. Pair gorilla trekking with a Serengeti safari, or the unexpected abundance of the Big 5 in scenic Akagera, for a journey as varied as it is unforgettable.

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