Kenya
Maasai Mara
Kenya's top reserve, famous for big cats and the Great Migration's river crossings. Stay 3 to 4 nights. We have mapped 1 activity, 4 outdoor spots and 2 places to eat here, each with a reason to go.
- Places
- 8
- Curated routes
- 1
- Best season
- Jun – Oct
- Warmest month
- February
- Coolest month
- May
- Wettest month
- April
1 Do · 4 Outdoors · 2 Eat · 1 Drink
Kenya & Tanzania Safari
from our route notes
30°C / 85°F avg high
25°C / 77°F avg high
about 173 mm rain
Climate: NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages.
Things to do in Maasai Mara
8 places from our curated routes, grouped by what you will do there. Each one has its own page with the address and full notes.
Do
Hands-on ways to spend time in Maasai Mara in Musiara.
Photo: Governors' Balloon Safaris · GoogleDoGovernors' Balloon Safaris
Dawn hot-air balloon flight over the reserve, finished with a champagne bush breakfast.
Tip Book well ahead in migration season; flights are weather-dependent.
Outdoors
Trails, views and open space in and around Maasai Mara.
Photo: Arr Qarpeng · GoogleOutdoorsMaasai Mara National Reserve
Rolling grassland with lions, cheetahs, elephants and, from July to October, the wildebeest migration.
Tip Full-day drives with a packed lunch reach the river and the far plains.
Photo: Fay kuto · GoogleOutdoorsMusiara Marsh
Northern marshland known for resident lion prides and big herds of buffalo and elephant.
Photo: Günther Hofmann · GoogleOutdoorsOloololo Escarpment
Steep western rim of the Mara Triangle with sweeping views over the plains below.
Photo: Benson Ndunyu · GoogleOutdoorsMara Naboisho Conservancy
Community-owned conservancy bordering the reserve, allowing walks and night drives with fewer vehicles.
Tip Only guests of conservancy camps can drive here.
Eat
2 places to eat across Musiara and Mara Triangle, picked for groups who care about the food.
Photo: Governor's Camp · GoogleEatGovernors' Camp
Classic tented camp on the Mara River in Musiara, serving meals with hippos below the bank.
Photo: Angama Mara · GoogleEatAngama Mara
Lodge on the Oloololo escarpment 300 m above the Mara Triangle, with farm-grown food.
Tip Ask about lunch at the guest area if staying elsewhere in the Triangle.
Drink
1 bar or café in Mara Triangle for coffee, a round or a nightcap.
Photo: Mara Safari Lodge · GoogleDrinkMara Serena Safari Lodge
Hilltop lodge in the Mara Triangle whose terrace bar overlooks the Mara River plains.
How to fit Maasai Mara into a trip
Maasai Mara is stop 2 of 4 on our Kenya & Tanzania Safari route. Follow it as-is or lift Maasai Mara into your own plan.
Stop 2 of 4
Kenya & Tanzania Safari
Maasai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
- Trip length
- 11 days
- Best season
- Jun – Oct
- Pace
- moderate
Getting here and onward
- Maasai Mara to SerengetiSerengeti is about 100 km / 62 mi away in a straight line
- Nairobi to Maasai MaraNairobi is about 188 km / 117 mi away in a straight line
Distances are straight-line estimates between destination centers, not road distances.
Maasai Mara month by month
Average daily highs run from 25°C / 77°F in May to 30°C / 85°F in February. April is the wettest month, with about 173 mm of rain. Outlined months fall in the best season on our routes.
- Jan28° / 82°F average high
- Feb30° / 85°F average high
- Mar29° / 84°F average high
- Apr26° / 79°F average high
- May25° / 77°F average high
- Jun25° / 78°F average high, in our recommended season
- Jul27° / 80°F average high, in our recommended season
- Aug28° / 82°F average high, in our recommended season
- Sep29° / 84°F average high, in our recommended season
- Oct29° / 85°F average high, in our recommended season
- Nov28° / 82°F average high
- Dec27° / 81°F average high
Average daily highs, NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages. Maasai Mara weather and the best time to visit →
Near Maasai Mara
3 other destinations from our guides within about 200 km (124 mi), measured in a straight line.
Maasai Mara questions, answered
How many days do you need in Maasai Mara?
Our route notes suggest 3–4 nights in Maasai Mara. On our Kenya & Tanzania Safari route it is stop 2 of 4 in a 11-day trip. The listed visit times for our 8 places add up to roughly 25 hours, before travel between them, so you will need to choose.
What is Maasai Mara best known for?
Kenya's top reserve, famous for big cats and the Great Migration's river crossings. Stay 3 to 4 nights. Standouts on our list: Maasai Mara National Reserve (Rolling grassland with lions, cheetahs, elephants and, from July to October, the wildebeest migration); Musiara Marsh (Northern marshland known for resident lion prides and big herds of buffalo and elephant); Oloololo Escarpment (Steep western rim of the Mara Triangle with sweeping views over the plains below).
When is the best time to visit Maasai Mara?
Our Kenya & Tanzania Safari route is best Jun – Oct. NASA POWER 2001–2025 averages put the warmest highs in February (30°C / 85°F), the coolest in May (25°C / 77°F) and the most rain in April (about 173 mm).
What are the best things to do in Maasai Mara?
Start with Maasai Mara National Reserve, Musiara Marsh, Oloololo Escarpment, Governors' Balloon Safaris and Mara Naboisho Conservancy. Our guide lists 8 places in all, from 1 activity, 4 outdoor spots, 2 places to eat and 1 bar or café.
Where should a group eat in Maasai Mara?
Our picks: Governors' Camp (Musiara); Angama Mara (Mara Triangle). Ask about lunch at the guest area if staying elsewhere in the Triangle (Angama Mara).
What is near Maasai Mara?
The closest destinations in our guides are Serengeti (about 100 km / 62 mi), Nairobi (about 188 km / 117 mi) and Ngorongoro (about 194 km / 121 mi). Distances are straight-line estimates, not road distances.
Plan Maasai Mara with your crew
Open the Kenya & Tanzania Safari route in TripsCircle, invite friends with a link, settle which of these 8 places make the cut with a quick poll, then split costs and share one packing list.