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Kenya · Safari destination

Maasai Mara

Long grass plains, the Mara River and, in most years, the great wildebeest herds that spill over from Tanzania’s Serengeti.

Plan a safari to Maasai MaraSee 37 journeys
Wide grassland plains stretching to the horizon in the Maasai Mara
Wide grassland plains stretching to the horizon in the Maasai MaraPhotograph: Big Time Safaris · Credits
Country
Kenya
Protected area
Maasai Mara National Reserve, including the Mara Triangle
Migration months
Usually from June–July until November, varying with the rains
Best known for
The wildebeest migration and Mara River crossings
Managed in part by
The Mara Conservancy, which runs the Mara Triangle
Our journeys here
37 journeys in the catalogue
Is Maasai Mara right for you?

Who it suits.

Best for
First-time visitors, photographers and anyone who wants the classic open-plains safari. It suits short trips too: our Mara journeys run from 2 to 10 days in Kenya.
How it connects
The migrating herds come from the Serengeti. On our routes the Mara is most often paired with Lake Nakuru, Amboseli and Lake Naivasha, and ten journeys continue into Tanzania.

Maasai Mara in our Kenya guide, with the places around it.

Why visit Maasai Mara

One of the great gatherings of wildlife on earth.

For a few months each year the Mara fills with animals on the move. The Mara Conservancy counts the migration in the hundreds of thousands: around 1.2 million wildebeest travelling with some 200,000 zebra, 18,000 eland and 500,000 Thomson’s gazelle, their columns shifting across valleys and hills. Many visitors come only for the river crossings, but the Conservancy’s own view is that this whole moving landscape is the real spectacle, which is why unhurried days in the reserve are often the most rewarding.

Outside migration season the reserve has a quieter beauty that is easy to overlook. Before the herds arrive in June, the Conservancy describes red oat grass moving in the wind, elephants and giraffes, a lone topi standing on an old termite mound and lions waiting out the heat beneath the acacias. Those residents are here all year, which is why a Mara safari is worthwhile in any month, not only when the herds are in.

Landscapes & wildlife

Grass, rivers and escarpment.

The Conservancy’s account of the migration follows the herds from the Sand River, across towards Look-Out Hill and down to the Mara River, the place most people picture when they think of a crossing. The Conservancy manages the Mara Triangle within the reserve, maintaining its roads and ranger stations, and along the Siria Escarpment it employs community scouts to manage the reserve’s border and reduce conflict between people and wildlife.

Not every wildebeest here is a visitor from Tanzania. The Mara once had its own resident herds that migrated in from the Loita Plains; the Conservancy notes they have declined as farming has narrowed their routes, and many now stay in the conservancies outside the reserve. The great migration itself is recent in its present form: it grew from the early 1970s, when a vaccination campaign in cattle was followed by the disappearance of rinderpest from wildebeest and buffalo, and the herds could multiply.

  • Wildebeest, zebra, eland and Thomson’s gazelle in migration season
  • Lions, elephants and giraffes
  • Topi on the open plains
  • The Mara and Sand rivers

Wildlife moves freely and sightings are never guaranteed.

Wildebeest walking in a line across the plains in the Maasai Mara, with hills on the horizon
Photograph: Big Time Safaris
When to visit

Timing the migration, honestly.

The Mara Conservancy says the migration usually starts around June or July and continues until November. Herd movements follow the rain, so the timing shifts from year to year and no date can be promised. Crossings happen often in season but are hard to predict: a gathering of agitated wildebeest on the bank is the best sign that one may follow, and patience is usually rewarded more than racing from one rumour to the next.

Kenya’s main rainy seasons are the long rains of March to May and a second season from October to December, according to the Kenya Meteorological Department, though rain varies by region and year. Kenya Wildlife Service describes July to March as the main season for wildlife viewing across its parks, when shorter grass makes animals easier to see, and April to June as the low season, when the long rains can make roads harder going.

Migration season
Usually June–July to November. Crossings are frequent but unpredictable.
Before the herds
Long grass, elephants, giraffes and resident lions.
Long rains
Around March–May: Kenya’s main rainy season. Timing and amounts vary.
Short rains
Around October–December; the second rainy season of the year.
Signature experiences

Ways to spend your Mara days.

Where to stay

Named in our Maasai Mara safaris.

Where you stay depends on the safari and comfort level you choose. These properties are named in our catalogue for Maasai Mara:

Practical advice

Watching a crossing responsibly.

  • Stay inside the vehicle: in the reserve you may only get out at designated points.
  • Standing on the roof or sitting in the window to photograph is not allowed.
  • Keep quiet and back from the crossing point, and never block moving herds. Herds pushed by vehicles have crossed at unsafe banks, and hundreds of animals have died.
Questions travellers ask

Maasai Mara, answered.

When is the wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara?
According to the Mara Conservancy it usually begins around June or July and continues until November. The herds follow the rains, so timing varies every year and cannot be guaranteed.
Will I see a river crossing?
Crossings happen often during the migration but are difficult to predict. Herds massing on the bank and appearing agitated may cross — or may move on. No one can promise a crossing on a given day.
Can I get out of the vehicle to photograph a crossing?
No. In the reserve you may leave the vehicle only at designated points, and standing on the roof or sitting in the window is not allowed.
Related destinations

Sources

Facts on this page were checked against these sources in October 2026. Park rules, fees and conditions change, so always check the latest before you travel.

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