Masai Mara National Reserve

Without match. If this is the one park you can visit for a safari, make it the Masai Mara.

The Mara is large enough that you can wander away from the endless stream of safari vehicles. And it is oh, so worth it! To witness the Great Migration in all it's dust and sound and smell and life. Do not miss it.

Fantastic on an organised safari, hard work on self drive. Lots of relatively cheap tented accommodation on the outside of the park near the gates. Otherwise very expensive. Compared to comparably sized southern African parks the Mara is hard to find your way around. Otherwise, it is amazing. Birds are great. We missed the migration but still saw loads of lion, cheetah, hyena (including one striped), rhino, elephant, and loads of other good stuff. Won't let you down. If you've got the money, stay at one of the swank lodges in the middle of the park and go on a hot air balloon.

Scenery can not match Samburu / Shaba, a bit crowded

What can I say. We've been through the Mara on three different occasions at three different times of the year at three different lodges. Spectacular animal viewing, excellent lodges or camps to stay at. A MUST SEE !!

For me this is the best wildlife park in the world. We were here for three weeks during the migration and saw something new and amazing each day. The Masai people at Riverside Camp were very hospitable and kind. Loved every moment.

Much to see during a short time.

In the summer of 2011 I worked as a volunteer in Kenya. During that time I and seven other volunteers went together from a Friday to a Saturday to Masai Mara and I must say that this was one of the highlights of my six weeks long stay in Kenya. I have heard before that this national park is a good one, but still it exceeded my expectations.

After entering the gate we saw a lot of gnus and zebras together in flocks. Two of the gnus butted each other and I immediately realize that this trip would be something special. The savannah of the park was open and because of that the sight of animals is good. It only took thirty minutes before we encountered lions. Then it was also possible to drive two meters close to them and I could shoot really nice pictures. During the time in Masai Mara we came to see many lions; flocks of lions, young lions, a lion eating gnu and even grown-up lion males.

However, we came to see a lot more and at the end we had seen almost all animals that one can imagine to see when going for safari. There was only exception; the rhino. Rhinos are the rarest animals in Masai Mara, but it happens quite frequently that they are observed in the park. Consequently, we had bad luck with respect to that, but because everything else was so good I am more than satisfied with the wildlife in the park. There is also a river, where we could see a lot of hippos and crocodiles. At some places it was possible to leave the vehicle and when we ate in free air, a baboon came and wanted our food. The driver did not let him come to close, but I went against his will quite close to the monkey anyway and this was really an amazing encountering. I also liked that we could face cheetahs and some leopards sitting in top of trees, but as I mentioned we saw every kind of animal except the rhino. As implied we were for three days in the park and I would recommend not be there less than that, because the park is huge and there is so much to see. I am interested in photographing and I must admit that the best photos ever taken by my come from this trip.

We lived in Entumoto Safari Camp. The camp consisted of sturdy tents, each suited for two people. I had no problems sleeping there, but I must say that the food was not good. One day we got Spaghetti Bolognese and unfortunately it only consisted of ground beef and water. I had expected some dessert, but we never got any. What I liked about the accommodation is that the camp is guarded by Maasai people. During first evening we sat around a camp fire and heard their stories and experiences of life. We also heard a lion roaring quickly the Maasai guards started to see what was going on. The last day we also got invited to visit a Maasai village. The guards took us there. I am not against paying 1000 Kenyan shilling for that, but I did not like that they did not tell us that before they started to take us there, but first at the entrance. There was also a market in the village, but sadly the same low quality souvenirs as anywhere else in the country were sold there. I think that the Maasais can be seen as real Maasais, but the thing is just that their presence in the park has become to commercialized.

The price for the trip was good and everything was included in the price. Unfortunately, the contact person from the travel company was rude. She told us that everything was included in the price, but when the driver noticed that the entrance fee was increased, we became forced to compensate for that. When we drove home, the driver stopped by the road and bought a sack of dried leaves as fuel for his stove at home. I found it unprofessional doing personal errands when being on duty.

To summarize I am very satisfied with the wildlife experiences of Masai Mara. I could really recommend other tourists to go to this park. Concerning food and accommodation I am not complaining, because we as volunteers chose a low-budget option and we got what we paid for. If you would like to also experience good food during the evenings and good accommodation, which I actually think could be a pleasant part of a safari trip, I would like to recommend you to investigate the offerings of hotels in the park or other camps.

I could experinces so much within only two days.

I would do it again

Wildlife, scenery, weather, accommodations, food, transport, our guide - all amazing. The guides knew where all the animals like to hang out. I was only here for 4 days, so I only saw a small portion of this reserve, and I would love to go back and spend more time on my own. I worry about the noise and pollution impact of so many diesel engines, the high number of tourists in the area, the seemingly high number of dirt roads, and water consumption due to tourism in a savanna setting that seems quite arid. The hotel we stayed at was very well maintained, the staff were wonderful, and the food was tasty. I loved the architecture, and thought it contributed to the "bush feel". I appreciated the commitment to electricity conservation and the fact that solar water heating was used. It was unfortunate that our drives happened in the mid-day when lighting is not very conducive to photography. I generally do not like being on organized tours - I prefer the freedom that going alone provides - but it was worth it to have a guide here since I wasn't well educated about the wildlife and it was my first time to Africa. I hope to visit this reserve again, as well as others in the region, and would like to do a walking safari. Our group's focus was on The Big Five and other large mammals so I didn't feel comfortable rating birding. I did see a number of pretty cool birds just by chance! Four days wasn't enough...I want to spend 4 months out here!

Lots and lots of wild animals, maybe the one with most wildlife of all parks. The landscape is savanna and not that varied. This is the most visited park and you sometimes find almost traffic jams around the animals. Then again it's a big park and you could sometimes go for quite some time without running into other tourists.