Masai Mara National Reserve
The Masai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s leading wildlife sanctuary. Established in 1961, the reserve was designed to protect animals from hunters and although it is relatively small at 1,510 square kilometres, the beauty of the landscape and the diversity of the wildlife is amazing. An excursion to the Masai Mara is included on many Overland Tours to Kenya.
The park’s open grasslands harbour lions, leopards, cheetah, hyenas, giraffe, impala, wildebeest, topi, baboons, warthogs, buffalo, zebra and elephants. Hippos and crocodiles inhabit the Mara River and many of the reserve’s 450 bird species live in forests along its shores. The reserve forms part of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, with the Serengeti plains of Tanzania ranging along its southern boundary.
Best time to visit the Masai Mara National Reserve
The best time to visit is between August and October when the wildebeest and zebra are at their highest number and offer plenty of food for lions, cheetahs, and leopards. During your safari you may have the opportunity to meet Maasai tribesmen at a traditional village or enkang. The Maasai people are distinctive for their traditional scarlet robes and have grazed their cattle in the Mara and Serengeti regions for thousands of years.
