Masai Mara National Reserve

The best wildlife in Kenya.

The animals are great, but the travel companies could be better.

We had a short safari (2 nights) at Mara Intrepids, Masai Mara National Reserve. We loved the wildlife. Population density is high, and it was not hard to locate the big cats. Leopards, cheetahs, lions, elephants, and giraffes abound. On the first hour of the first day, we came 10m from a leopard! On the other hand, the people were less than stellar. Negotiating with the hotel manager and Wilderness Bookings was difficult, to say the least. Calls were not returned, agreed upon prices changed (and kept changing), extras crept onto our bill, and there was stampede to our wallets which put the wildlife to shame.

Savannah. For real.

Masai Mara is the kenyan reserve to visit if you want to experience the large plains of the savannah. This is the bush, and it has a lot of "bush vibe". It offers a lot of animals, from elephants to cheetas, lions and hippos.
By the border and the river you can get escorted by armed KWS guards to watch hippos and crocodiles whilst out walking. Wonderful experience. Wonderful park.

Heaven on earth !!! ..One of the seven wonders of the world ..you get to see everything from birds to Leopards,Cheetah's,Lions,crocodiles ,Hippos,Buffaloes,Hyenas,Elephants, Rhinos.Vultures,Eagles, Serval cats and I love the stunning sunsets.

The birds, animals, people, food - all a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Gorgeous reserve, and so much to see here. Animals everywhere, you will see half of the big 5 before you even reach your destination in Masai Mara!

The Masai Mara safari experience is breathtaking!

The wildlife and scenery at the Masai Mara national reserve are simply phenomenal. Thankfully we were able to witness the migration which was truly the icing on the cake! The landscape is stunning, there's plenty of opportunity to see the big cats (we spotted lions and cheetah) as well as a lovely sprinkling of herbivores in the Mara landscape. I would highly recommend staying at the Serena Mara lodge. The rooms are lovely and the views are amazing. The hotel staff are extremely friendly and welcoming and the food is delicious with plenty of choice for both vegetarians and meat lovers. We went on safari rides twice a day and the weather at both times was great for both the ride and photography. Our guide was great at bringing us to the right spots at the right time and that is key for a fulfilling safari experience. It is important to note that one must not disturb the wildlife while on safari and I think that is every tourist's responsibility. So please respect nature and just follow your guide's instructions. The highlights of the trip included watching the herbivores cross the Mara river, a Cheetah hunt, a lion pride feeding on an early morning kill and watching a lion and lioness in honeymoon! If you're going on safari you should be prepared for all kinds of weather from hot to cold and rainy and also remember that this is a physically challenging holiday, but also extremely rewarding. I promise you that if you go to the Masai Mara, you will not be disappointed.

Have been three times in different regions of the park which all felt and looked different as far as scenery, and numbers and types of wildlife and habitats. Not to be missed. The only negatives with this park can be congestion of safari vehicles at locations of big 5 animals, aggressive drivers disobeying park regulations by driving off-road, getting to close, and disturbing animals and cutting other vehicles off who were there previously in order to get their clients close enough to snap pics with their point and shoot cameras and smart phones. Another negative I just thought of—at a certain lodge that I stayed at about eight years ago there were nightly hyena feeding shows where the lodge put kitchen scraps out to entertain the guests. Disturbing, since this reminded me of when Yellowstone National Park had bear feeding shows which was banned over a half century ago.

It was amazing and something that I will never forget!

We had an awesome time and the weather was perfect. We saw lots of animals and were surprised at how many
animals we were able to get close to. Our guides were wonderful and found great spots to view the animals. We had lunch out in the Mara and that was a cool experience. We were pleased with the overall safari and scenery too.

great national park with abundant wildlife and beautiful sceneries