Providing the awe-inspiring backdrop for the Great Wildebeest Migration, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is Kenya’s most popular wildlife-viewing destination. It’s managed as a collaborative initiative between local councils and Maasai tribal communities. This makes it captivating not only for its natural wonders but also for its cultural heritage, with ancient traditions existing alongside progressive conservation measures.

Aside from being home to giraffe, impala, cheetahs and hippos, the reserve also provides a habitat for jackals, Thompson’s gazelle and elephants. During the Great Wildebeest Migration, it sees around 1.5 million wildebeest and huge numbers of zebras coming to graze on its fresh pastures, with opportunistic predators never far away.

Highlights of visiting the Maasai Mara National Reserve include witnessing the wildebeest herds making the precarious crossing of the Mara River as wily crocodiles lie in wait. Cultural encounters with Maasai communities will also leave a lasting impression, with the traditional adumu jumping dance never failing to impress.

If you want to experience the Maasai Mara’s wildlife-rich savannah with your own eyes, browse our selection of Kenya safari packages below.