Ultimate Masai Mara Travel Guide
When you dream of visiting Africa, you are very likely to dream of adding Maasai Mara National Reserve among your destinations. Spanning over 1,510 km2, this reserve is covered by gentle rolling grassland, acacia trees tread on and crushed by large herds of wildebeests and Zebras.
History of the Masai Mara National Reserve
The Masai Mara National Reserve reserve is one of the most visited places in the region. It was a wildlife sanctuary in the 1960s during the colonial times. The area has over the years collected more land from the community to expand and provide a wider area to conserve the wildlife here. The conservancies here have done a very big job in improving the wildlife population growth in the area.
The Game reserve has over the years been a very important part of the corridor that joins the Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro conservation areas to support the movement of wildlife between these areas.
The Narok country was given the responsibility to run and manage this wildlife reserve together with the Trans Mara which has the mandate of running the wildlife in western and eastern parts of Kenya.
The reserve is now largely held as one of the leading wildlife conservation areas in the world, known for the famous wildebeest migration.
Masai Mara 4K Video
Masai Mara is also made up of various community conservancies and Masai villages that add a blend of culture to your trip.
However, the Mara shouldn’t be your sole aim of booking trips to Kenya. The country has other great parks like Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Aberdare, Amboseli, Tsavo, Samburu and more.
You could extend your tours to these destinations as well.
Weather & Climate of Maasai Mara
Most people would want to visit the Masai Mara when the area is dry and the skies are clear. There are some that would prefer to visit the Masai Mara National reserve in the rainy season.
Most people would expect the Masai Mara National Reserve to be hot throughout. This is wrong; the altitude of the Masai Mara National reserve is a bit cool due to the altitude of this area.
The Masai Mara national reserve is standing at an altitude of between 1500 and 1900 meters above sea level. The temperatures here are always hot during the day and cool during the night.
The Masai Mara national park receives rain of about 55 inches per year. The wet seasons usually are in the months of Mach to Mid June and then October to November. The dry season is in the months of December to February and mid June to September.
Experiencing Masai Mara vacation holidays in the dry season
Experiencing vacation holidays in the dry season is amazing. The dry season is what we commonly refer to as the high and peak seasons.
The dry season months are January, February, June, July, September, August and September.
This is the best season for wildlife viewing as animals over roam the park in search for water sources; unlike in the wet season when they can easily access water from whatever they might be.
However, the only downside with the high and peak seasons is the surge in trips.
So may tourists visit the park that you hardly get a sense of privacy on your game drives. Most facilities and services also get sold out in advance; making it hard to book any last minute trips.
If you plan to travel in the high season, endeavor to book your trip several months in advance so that you get the best facilities and services.
Experiencing Masai Mara tour packages in the wet season
Experiencing vacation tours in the wet season can be bad and enjoyable at the same time. It all depends on preference. The wet season is what we commonly refer to as the low season in the tourism industry.
The wet season months are March, April, May, October and November. These months are usually rainy and because of this, so many tourists do not prefer to visit at such a time.
To contradict this, traveling in the low season will not only save you a lot of money, but is equally enjoyable too. During these months, so many accommodation facilities and service providers drop their prices due to minimal number of tourists visiting the country hence, making it easy for you to book affordable trips.
However, the actual beauty is the low number of tourists in the park. You get to experience a near-complete sense of loneliness during your game viewing drives which is absolutely amazing.
Masai Mara Safari Cost
The cost of your Maasai Mara safari will depend on the kind of experience you want, how long you want your vacation to last, the level of accommodation and type of vehicle you prefer to use.
Engaging in numerous travel activities means more expenditure and so does traveling for many days. Luxury Maasai Mara safari lodges will make you pay more where as settling for budget tented camps will save you lots of money.
Land cruisers are charged higher than mini-vans when it comes to transportation. Generally, your total tour cost depends on so many factors with some mentioned above.
With all this being said, we as an operator try so hard to ensure our clients get the most affordable tours irrespective of their class of travel.
We get the best bargain on lodges and extend such offer to you despite committing to conditions that keep our contracts binding. We strongly believe in exceptional service deliveries and will always offer you a comfortable tour package for less.
Clients who book many days or rather travel in big groups get more discounts on their travel packages. Please get in touch with us to know the total cost of your trip. We shall send you a quotation will corresponding details within the shortest time possible.
Why we guarantee the best prices for your Masai Mara safari package
All our Maasai Mara safari packages are price sensitive. Some of them have extensions to other national parks where as other are experiential.
When you book your Kenya safari tours with us, we price match your request and tailor for you an itinerary that matches your requests.
We only choose the best lodges for our trips, organize the best tour guides and include the best experiences in all our packages.
We bargain on accommodation prices and use our own fleet of vehicles to run our trips hence, you are certain of getting rates irrespective of your style of travel; budget, mid-range or luxury.
How to reduce your Masai Mara safari cost?
There are several ways to reduce your safari cost. If you can make your Kenya tours very affordable, you will get to save up money that you can use to explore other African travel destinations or engage in more tour activities.
The best ways to reduce your trip cost is by booking a budget tour, traveling in a large group, join scheduled group tours if you are s solo traveler, booking shorter trips or traveling in the low season.
All these considerations will have a huge price impact on your Kenya tour holidays. If you combine a few of them, you will make your Kenya tour even more cheaper.
Park entry Fees in the Masai Mara
Entry fees for Masai Mara National Reserve depend on how long you stay and where you sleep. If you stay inside the park, adults pay $200 and children under 12 pay $100 for 24 hours. From July 2023, park entry is valid for 12 hours (6am to 6pm). Extra charges apply if you stay longer.
You can pay in Kenyan Shillings or US Dollars, by cash, card, or mobile money. Proof of identity is needed. Tickets can also be bought in advance through KAPS at the KATO office on Longonot Road in Upper Hill, Nairobi.
Top Activities & Things to do in Masai Mara
There are several things you can do in the Masai Mara National reserve and this makes it one of to the most desired destination on the Kenya Safari. The main activities in the Masai Mara National Reserve are:-
- Game drives
- Birding
- The Great Wildebeest Migration
- Nature Walks/Walking Safaris
- Horseback Safaris
- Hot Air Balloon Safari
- Sun-downers and Bush breakfast/dinner
- Masai Cultural Encounter
Top Attractions & Things to see in Masai Mara
There are several things you can do in the Masai Mara National reserve and this makes it one of to the most desired destination on the Kenya Safari. Masai Mara National Reserve has several important nature and wildlife attractions located inside the park:-
- Ol Choro Oirouwa Conservancy
- Mara Triangle
- The Mara River
- Mara North Conservancy
- River crossings during the Great Migration
- Musiara swamp in Masai Mara
Masai Mara Park Rules & Regulations
Kenya national parks guidelines, rules & regulations for visitors on game viewing drives for sustainable wildlife and nature conservation.
- Try as much as possible to respect the privacy of the animals and their habitat.
- Animals are very unpredictable therefore try to be aware of surroundings while in the wild.
- Try not to make noise while close to the animals. Switch off your engine in most cases.
- Don’t feed the animals, it upsets their diet and leads to human dependence.
- Give chance to everyone to view the wildlife.
- Try to keep in the car all the time except when the guide has advised you otherwise.
- Drive every slowly in the park since animals are always crossing. The average speed should be 40 Kilometers per hour.
- Drive from the trails otherwise you will be fined for off track exploration.
- Keep over 20 meters from the wildlife as the animals are unpredictable and can charge anytime.
- Try to keep all your litter in the can and dispose it while at the lodge. Some of the materials are very dangerous to the animals.
- Ask for person to take pictures especially of the local people and some national monuments.
- The Park opens at 6am and closes at 6pm. Make sure if you are not lodging within the park, that you leave the park before that time.
Sectors of Masai Mara
The sectors of Masai Mara National Reserve include:
Maasai Mara Gates
The Masai Mara has several access routes. The Masai Mara National Reserve gates include;
- Oloololo gate
- Oloolaimutia gate
- Sekenani Gate
- Musiara gate
- Talek gate
Masai Mara Conservancies
You are advised to visit the conservancies in order to support the community and in turn you will also be supporting the conservation of wildlife in the Masai Mara area.
- Nyekweri Kimintet
- Mount Suswa Conservancy
- Enarau Conservancy
- The Olerai Conservancy
- Mbokishi Mara Conservation
- The Pardamat Conservation
- Olderkesi Conservancy
- Ol Kinyei Conservancy
- Olare Motorogi Conservancy
- Mara Naboisho Conservancy
- Lemek Conservancy
- Enonkishu Conservancy
- Ol Choro Oirouwa Conservancy
- Mara North Conservancy
How to choose the best Masai Mara safari packages
Choosing the best Masai Mara packages will make you visit the park once and hardly feel like coming back in the future. So many tourists rush their visits to this prime wildlife reserve; only to come back in the future to have a more complete visit.
You can avoid this by making the most of your visit; having a complete experience.
The best Masai Mara package should last for at least 5 days and 4 nights if you are solely visiting this reserve. In these 5 days, you will obviously experience normal game drives, a nocturnal game drive, a walking expedition, a Maasai cultural experience and a hot air ballooning experience.
On your game drives, you will visit various sectors of the park and feel the uniqueness in them.
Planning for the Masai Mara migration experience
The best Masai Mara migration experiences are got from July through September; with August being the best month. Visiting earlier or later than this might not reward you with the best experience. However, due to the high surge in bookings for these months, we recommend you book your trip at least 6 months or even 1 year prior to enable us book you in the best facilities.
Also, in terms of accommodation; we book all our clients in facilities much closer to the migration; to give you a complete feel of the natural occurrence. The only challenge with these months is the prices also surge due to the huge influx of tourists in the reserve; implicating it might not favor a budget travel unless an advance booking is made.
Booking Masai Mara budget safaris or luxury packages
The best Kenya tour experiences are undoubtedly got from booking luxury Kenya holiday packages. Staying in luxury camps/lodges and traveling in VIP land cruisers adds a huge spark to your adventure.
You get to real feel how travel is supposed to be! You get to feel a sense of luxury in the camps you stay in; which will definitely make you enjoy your vacation more.
The level is service in luxury accommodation facilities is very high but it all comes at a cost.
Booking budget Kenya tour packages might not get you the best services but you still get to enjoy the same game viewing drives. To make budget travel in Kenya more affordable, we have partnered with mid-range lodges to offer their facilities to our budget clients.
This way, even the budget travel gets to enjoy a high level of comfort.
Packing List for a Masai Mara Safari
Try not to have very tight clothes while in the Masai Mara National Reserve. Loose clothes will give you a chance to manage both heat and the cold.
Don’t carry unnecessary clothes, you can wash and redo some of them.
Most hotels and camps will give you laundry services. Make sure the clothes you carry can work for the different weather conditions in the Masai Mara National Reserve; it can shine or rain anytime of the day.
- Full sleeved shirts
- T-shirts
- Sweatshirt
- Sets of undergarments
- Fleece lined shirt
- Pairs of cotton pant or trousers
- Cargo pants
- Pair of comfortable shorts
- Pair of socks
- Passport and Stamped visa
- Return tickets
- Medical and Travel insurance papers
- Details of emergency contact
- Digital copy of passport pages
- Camera
Best time to visit Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
With game viewing being the brightest star in the Tourism Industry, you ought to book your trip for the best months; the driest months of the year.
Animals become difficult to spot during rainy seasons because they can easily access water from wherever they are unlike during dry seasons where they have to move as they search for water.
So when is the best time to visit Kenya? Visiting in between late June to October is fine. This is the best time to schedule your Maasai Mara safari packages but unfortunately, the most competitive of all. You ought to book your accommodation early enough to get availability as planned.
You can also visit the reserve from December to February but just in case your work won’t permit you to do so, you could try visiting outside the recommended months.
Some clients book their tour holidays for months with rainfall but end up carrying out the trip without seeing a drop of rainfall. The country is an all year round destination and so is Africa as a continent.
You can visit at any time of the year and still enjoy your vacation. Its very uncommon to have rainfall for the whole day or days.
Rain can fall for a few hours, and the sun will eventually come out to dry the soil.
Location of Masai Mara
Getting there by road: Traveling by road to the Masai Mara National reserve is such a great adventure as it will allow you to interact with the community as you make stops in areas that interest you. The drive will be about 4 to 6 hours to cover the 230 Kilometers from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara.
The drive is however a bit hectic. Park of the road especially as you approach the Masai Mara National Reserve, the road is a bit bumpy and rough
Getting there by flight: Flying to the Masai Mara National Park will also give you a smooth ride and an aerial view of the Masai Mara National reserve as you approach here. Most domestic flights will use the Wilson Airport in Nairobi which is located along the Langata area. You can also have flights leave the Jomo Kenyatta international airport as well. There are several airstrips that you can land in when you get to the Masai Mara National reserve.
Masai Mara Map
Should you start your Masai Mara safaris from Nairobi or Mombasa?
Starting your Kenya safaris from Nairobi or Mombasa depends on what activities you have in your tour package. Most people visit Mombasa for beach holidays and to experience the coastal Arabic side of the country.
Should you have this in your plans and maybe intend to do a wildlife drive in any of the wildlife parks, you can begin your tour from either place.
However, we always recommend having a wildlife travel experience first and a beach holiday after. Its just a common convention in the industry and to some extent makes your holiday even more fun and enjoyable.
While planning for this, consider using domestic flights to transfer from Mombasa to Nairobi or any other wildlife park or vice-versa.
Starting your Masai Mara safari from Nairobi
With the emergence of Nakuru City International Airport, there has been a common question where you should start your Masai Mara safari from Nairobi or Nakuru. The journey is about 2 hours shorter if you arrive through Nakuru Airport and is more rewarding in terms of sights as you drive through so many beautiful valleys and other points of attraction.
However, starting your Masai Mara safari from Nairobi is more reliable; considering its the country’s capital city. So many flights are available at the main international airport in Nairobi (Jomo Kenyatta International Airport) and in case of any last minute uncertainties, it becomes easier to switch outbound flights – something that could be costly if done from Nakuru City International Airport.
As you plan to visit, endeavor to always arrive and depart from its capital of Nairobi.
Distance from Nairobi to Masai Mara
The distance from Nairobi to Maasai Mara National Reserve by road is approximately 6 hours and 30 minutes. This journey is usually not direct and has a few stops at certain sights in between. This is to make your journey more enjoyable and also give you a chance to explore the outskirts of Nairobi in a little bit of detail. Depending on what time you leave Nairobi, you can even have a lunch stop.
The distance from Nairobi to Maasai Mara National Reserve by domestic flights takes an average of 1 hour depending on which airstrip you are landing on. The airstrips in Maasai Mara include Keekorok Airstrip, Serena Airstrip, Musiara Airstrip, Kichwa Tembo Airstrip, Siana Conservancy Airstrip, Ol Kiombo Airstrip, Ngerende Airstrip, Olare Orok Airstrip, Mara North Airstrip, Angama Airstrip and Olseki Airstrip.
Choice of Masai Mara safari lodges
We always choose the best Kenyan lodges & hotels for our Kenya tours, but how do we get to this? The Kenyan tourism industry is very dynamic and we know it as a fact.
One lodge might be good this season and worse the next or vice versa, so we have to to keep updated and flexible enough to identify the best Kenyan lodges for a particular year.
Irrespective of your travel class (Budget, Mid-Range or Luxury), we guarantee you the best Kenyan lodges in terms of accommodation, location and service as these three factors are very crucial when it comes to lodge selection.
However, in scenarios where clients request for their own lodges, we can incorporate them as well in the packages so long as it doesn’t mess with the plan.
