Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara National Reserve is the jewel of Kenya's wildlife heritage and one of the most famous wildlife areas on earth. Covering approximately 1,510 square kilometres of open golden savannah, rolling grassland, riverine forest, and acacia-dotted plains in southwestern Kenya, the Mara forms the northern extension of Tanzania's vast Serengeti ecosystem — together protecting the largest intact savannah ecosystem remaining on earth. The Mara is most famous internationally for the Great Migration — one of the world's most extraordinary natural spectacles — when over two million wildebeest, zebra, and Thomson's gazelle pour northwards across the Mara River between July and October, often in explosive, dramatic river crossings that represent a primordial struggle of life and death in its most raw form. Yet the Mara's wildlife excellence extends far beyond the migration season — year-round residents include the full Big Five, large prides of lion, exceptional leopard and cheetah populations, African wild dog, hippo, crocodile, and over 560 bird species. The reserve borders a ring of community conservancies that extend and enhance its protected ecosystem. The Mara has inspired more wildlife films and documentaries than arguably any other location on earth, and continues to set the benchmark against which all other safari destinations are measured.