For the ultimate African wildlife safari experience
The Maasai Mara is home to an incredible diversity of wildlife, providing visitors with the opportunity to witness some of Africa's most iconic and elusive creatures. The Masai Mara is part of the exclusive club of African destinations that offer the chance to see the Big Five - lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhinoceros. The rhinoceros is the most challenging of the five to spot due to their declining numbers, but the other four are regularly sighted within the reserve.
The legendary wildebeest migration is one of the world’s most amazing wildlife encounters. Every year is different, but sometime in July and August (and even as late as September), millions of animals leave northern Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and head into the Masai Mara.
Wildlife viewing in the Masai Mara is good throughout the year, but the months from June to October are relatively dry and offer the best general wildlife watching. The best months for the wildebeest migration are August to October. It should be noted that, although the pattern is well known, the exact timing of the migration varies from year to year as the animals move with the rain looking for greener pastures.
With more than 500 bird species recorded, Masai Mara National Reserve is a world-class birding destination. It’s an excellent place to mark off a lot of Kenya’s savannah species from your bird list, and the park is particularly rich in raptors with 57 species present. Bateleurs often soar above the grassy plains and predator kills are a good place to find up to six species of vultures circling, roosting and scavenging. Migratory birds are present from November to April.