Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara National Reserve (sometimes also spelt Maasai Mara), named after the indigenous Masai people and the Mara River, is located in the southwestern corner of Kenya, in the Rift Valley. The total protected area covers 2,000 square kilometres. The reserve is world-famous above all for the annual Great Wildebeest Migration, which takes place from June to September. During this period, more than one and a half million wildebeest move through the Maasai Mara. Over the course of three months, the vast herds of wildebeest and zebras graze the plains bare before moving on into the neighbouring Serengeti. For most visitors, the highlight of the migration season is the dramatic crossing of the Mara River — a crocodile-filled torrent that the wildebeest must brave in their thousands. It is one of the most extraordinary and often deeply moving spectacles in the natural world.

Beyond the migration, Masai Mara is renowned for its exceptional concentration of lions. The reserve is currently home to the largest lion pride in Africa. Leopards, cheetahs, servals, and caracals are also regularly sighted. Sadly, the cheetah population is under threat of extinction, and the reserve management is actively engaged in conservation efforts to protect them.

Masai Mara is equally dedicated to the protection of rhinos. A special programme is in place for their care and preservation. The reserve currently shelters around 50 individuals — the largest population of rhinos living in entirely wild conditions anywhere in Africa.

Other large mammals — elephants, buffaloes, and hippos — are encountered very frequently. Hippos are particularly plentiful in the Mara and Talek rivers, where they share the waters with large crocodiles.
Giraffes are a common sight as well, and large family groups of more than twenty individuals are not unusual. The reserve is home to several species of antelope, including Thomson's gazelles, dik-diks, impalas, wildebeest, and others.

In addition to its remarkable variety of mammals, Masai Mara is home to more than 400 species of birds.