Situated in the southwest of Kenya, covering an area of 1 510 square km (583 square miles), the Masai Mara National Reserve is a land of breath-taking vistas, abundant wildlife and endless plains. . It is about 270 km from the capital city Nairobi and takes about 5-6 hours by road or 40-45 minutes by flight.
The quintessential Masai Mara safari delivers many attractions, as the reserve is home to an excellent year-round concentration of game, including the more than two million wildebeest, zebras and other antelopes that make up the famous Great Migration.
The reserve is a photographer’s and naturalist’s paradise, with abundant elephant, buffalo, giraffe, lion and cheetah alongside the migratory wildebeest and zebra. Leopards are frequently encountered, endangered black rhino hide in the dense thickets and large rafts of hippo and enormous crocodiles are found in the Mara River
The terrain of the reserve is primarily grassland and riverine forest with clumps of distinctive acacia trees. The wildlife of the Masai Mara is world-renowned, with the so-called “Big Five”- buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion and rhinoceros – evident throughout the year. The “Big Nine” – including cheetah, zebra, giraffe and hippo – extends this experience.
Finally let us not forget the colourful inhabitants of this exceptional landscape. The Masai are a proud semi-nomadic cattle-rearing people with a fascinating culture, divided into a number of sub-tribes some of which share the Mara region. The Masai are an ever-present reminder of the history and cultural heritage of this sublime and enigmatic landscape, and will surely leave a lasting impression for all.