Two million wildebeest, zebra and antelope thunder for 1,000km across Tanzania’s Serengeti, bottlenecking at the border to cross the final frontier: the Mara River. A terrifying obstacle course of crocodiles, big cats, vultures and steep descents into the rapids, with a thousand other hooves waiting to trample any creature that takes a tumble, the green pastures of the Masai Mara lying across the north bank must really be something for the wildebeest to take this risk.

But it is worth it, as the Great Migration pours into the Mara every year, as do travellers from across the globe to witness this spectacle. But today’s travellers will find an experience quite different to those who visited in the 1970s – one where conservation is a community effort, education is as valued as observation, and you can bush walk with and be hosted by the charismatic Maasai – the Mara’s inhabitants for centuries, and now its guardians once more. Read on in our Masai Mara travel guide.

The compact boundaries of the Masai Mara shelter a variety of habitats – each with their own sweeping landscapes and wildlife specialities. Most of the reserve is blanketed by the classically East African expanse of the central plains – a vast grassland dotted with scrub, bushes and boulders, with easy-to-spot plains game. You’re more likely to encounter the vegetation-loving black rhino up in the bushland of the Ngama Hills, while the Mara Triangle, cut off by the Mara River, enjoys few visitors and abundant wildlife. At around 280km from Nairobi, many visitors choose to fly in to the Mara – although the 5-6 hour journey by road is a great way to watch the landscapes transform outside the window, with Maasai manyattas and glorious views from the Rift Valley Escarpment.