Plan your safari
A lioness and her cubs resting in the golden grass of the Maasai Mara, Kenya

Maasai Mara Safaris

The Maasai Mara: big cats, river crossings and some of the finest year-round game viewing in Africa.

Plan your safari Highlights

The Maasai Mara is the Serengeti’s northern reach and, acre for acre, some of the richest big-cat country on the continent. From July to October the migration masses here and the Mara River crossings draw visitors from around the world, but the Mara is magnificent in any month. We also cover the timing and the best vantage points in our guide to the Mara River crossings. See how the Mara fits a Big Five safari in Africa.

However, the real secret is the private conservancies bordering the reserve. This is Maasai-owned land, where the conservancies cap vehicle numbers and also allow off-road driving, night drives and walking. We place most guests there because, while the wildlife is the same, the experience is completely different.

Wildebeest on green savannah in Narok County, Kenya, during the green season
The Mara in green season: the months most travelers never see

Highlights of Maasai Mara

The river crossings

July to October: wildebeest braving the Mara River’s crocodiles in their thousands.

Explore The river crossings →

The private conservancies

Naboisho, Olare Motorogi, Mara North: exclusive traversing, night drives and walking.

Explore The private conservancies →

Big cats every day

The Mara’s lion prides, cheetah on the open plains and leopard along the river lines.

Balloon over the Mara

Dawn flight over the plains, then a champagne breakfast on landing.

Where you’ll stay in Maasai Mara

We select where you stay privately around your journey. We recommend each camp, lodge or villa according to its location, season, guiding, privacy and suitability for the people traveling. You’ll see the places we suggest, and why, in your itinerary.

Plan your private safari

Practical details,
in one place

Money, health, connectivity and packing work the same way on every safari we plan, so they live in one place rather than on every page.

Best time for a Maasai Mara safari

Jul–Oct

Migration season and the river crossings. Book camps 9–12 months ahead.

Jan–Mar

Dry, green and quiet, with superb big-cat viewing and no crowds.

Nov–Dec

Short rains bring dramatic skies, newborn gazelle and excellent value.

Quieter seasons, considered

In the green months, however, rates ease at many of these camps, the plains empty of vehicles and the light turns dramatic. What each season gives, and what it trades, is set out in our Safari Planning Guide.

Planning & cost

Safari cost

Priced to your budget, and built around your camps, the season and how you like to travel. There are no fixed packages.

How we travel

Above all, every journey is privately designed, with private guides and vehicles arranged where specified, the finest lodges, and a specialist on call throughout. At fly-in camps, game drives may be shared unless a private vehicle is reserved.

Maasai warriors in traditional red shukas and beaded jewelry

The Mara is Maasai land, and has been for four centuries

Maasai Mara FAQs

For most guests, a conservancy. In short, the game viewing matches the reserve, with a fraction of the vehicles plus night drives and walks. During crossing season we often combine both.

Roughly July to October, especially August and September. Crossings are unpredictable day to day, so patience and a great guide are everything.

A 45-minute scheduled flight from Nairobi Wilson airport lands you at an airstrip minutes from camp. Generally, morning arrivals from the US connect the same day.

Getting to Kenya: flights, visas and health

Correct when we wrote it. Before you travel, we check every requirement for your exact route and tell you what to apply for and when.

AirportsJomo Kenyatta International, Nairobi (NBO) is the gateway; light aircraft to the Maasai Mara and the northern conservancies leave from Wilson Airport, a 30–45 minute drive across the city. Moi International, Mombasa (MBA) serves the coast.
Getting thereKenya Airways flies nonstop from New York JFK (about 14 hours). From other US cities, connect through JFK, Amsterdam, Doha, Istanbul or Addis Ababa.
Visa: US citizensUS citizens need an electronic travel authorization (eTA, about $30) before departure. This applies to everyone traveling, including infants and overnight transit passengers. Apply only at the official portal: etakenya.go.ke.
HealthYellow fever certificate required if arriving from a country with risk of transmission. Malaria prophylaxis is advised for the Mara, Samburu and the coast. Country guidance: CDC Travelers’ Health.
PassportSix months’ validity beyond your return date, with at least two blank pages. Travel insurance including medical evacuation is required on every journey we plan.
Full flight guidePlan your safari

Plan your Maasai Mara safari.

We can time a Maasai Mara safari for the crossings or for the quieter months on either side.

So tell us how you like to travel and start with a complimentary consultation.

Plan your safari

For official reserve fees and rules, see Narok County, which manages the Maasai Mara National Reserve.