Maasai Mara National Reserve
Kenya's most famous wildlife reserve, an open savannah of lions, elephants, giraffes and huge herds of grazers. From about July to October the great wildebeest migration arrives from the Serengeti.
Maasai Mara
Between July and October, wildebeest cross the Mara River in their yearly migration; big cats are also famous here, in Kenya's best-known safari reserve.
Attractive locations
Mara River
River winding through the reserve, famous for the dramatic crossings of wildebeest and zebra during the migration, with crocodiles and hippos in the water below.
Mara Triangle
Western section of the Maasai Mara along the Oloololo escarpment, managed by a conservation trust and known for river crossings and big cats.
Olare Orok Conservancy
Conservancy on community land next to the Maasai Mara reserve, home to savanna wildlife such as lions and elephants. Fewer vehicles are allowed than in the national reserve.
Airports
Mara Serena Lodge Airstrip MRE
It is about 17 km in a straight line from Maasai Mara.
Scams and safe taxis
Weather by month
Each month shows its average temperature in °C and its mm of rain per month.
- Jan20.9 °C106 mm
- Feb21.9 °C69 mm
- Mar21.7 °C148 mm
- Apr20.2 °C173 mm
- May19.2 °C103 mm
- Jun18.9 °C46 mm
- Jul19.4 °C26 mm
- Aug20.3 °C46 mm
- Sep21.2 °C55 mm
- Oct21.7 °C75 mm
- Nov20.8 °C137 mm
- Dec20.7 °C140 mm
Driest months: Jun, Jul, Aug. Wettest months: Mar, Apr, Dec.
Costs
Prices here are about 34% of US prices (World Bank, 2025). This compares a country's overall prices, not the cost of a trip.
Festivals and events
nature
Great Migration in the Maasai Mara
Peak safari season comes with wildebeest crossing rivers.
Who can help
Emergency
999 or 112.
ngo
Kenya Red Cross Society
Helps with: Kenya's national Red Cross society. Its contact page lists a head office in Nairobi, a main phone line and a toll-free number, 1199.
Who qualifies: People in Kenya who need Red Cross help or information.
Phone: +254 703 037 000
Address: South C (Bellevue), Red Cross Road, off Popo Road, Nairobi
un agency
International Organization for Migration (IOM) Kenya
Helps with: The UN migration agency, with a head office in Nairobi. Its work covers migration management and crisis response, and it lists a call centre and a medical enquiries line.
Who qualifies: Migrants and organisations working on migration in Kenya. It is not a help service for ordinary tourists.
Phone: +254 709 889 000
Address: Sri Aurobindo Avenue, off Mzima Spring Road, Lavington, Nairobi
embassy
Diplomatic Directory (Kenya Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Helps with: For a lost passport or serious trouble, contact your own country's embassy. The ministry's Diplomatic Directory (May 2025 edition) is the official list of foreign missions in Kenya.
Who qualifies: Citizens of each country, through their own country's embassy or high commission.
Address: Old Treasury Building, Nairobi
local government
Emergency number 999 (police, ambulance and fire)
Helps with: Reaches the police, ambulance and fire services in Kenya. The number comes from UK government travel advice.
Who qualifies: Anyone in the country, including visitors, can call this number.
Phone: 999