Kenya guide
Read our Kenya travel guide which lifts the lid on what we rate & what we don’t as well as detailing a brief history of Kenya and how to travel like a local on your Kenya holiday.
Best time to visit the Masai Mara
It may sit virtually on the equator, but the Masai Mara has an altitude of around 1,500m. Bring warm layers and waterproofs.![]()
At night, and for early morning game drives, fleeces are needed – with woolly hats and warm gloves a bonus. Late March-May bring downpours and floods with scarpering wildlife; you’ll get some cheap deals though if you’re willing to brave it. The shorter rainy season is in November – with less disruption, a greener landscape and again, cheaper prices. The best time to visit the Masai Mara to see the migration is July-Oct; it’s incredibly popular though, so try late Sep-Oct, or even late June, to witness the wildebeest without the crowds.
Masai Mara Weather Chart
MIN °C
MAX °C
RAIN (mm)
JAN
12
25
57
FEB
12
26
49
MAR
13
26
93
APR
14
24
244
MAY
13
23
186
JUN
11
22
42
JUL
10
21
22
AUG
10
21
27
SEP
11
24
29
OCT
12
25
67
NOV
13
23
151
DEC
13
24
99
Masai Mara travel advice
The Mara vs. the Serengeti
Amanda Marks recommends the Masai Mara for families:
“What Kenya has over Tanzania in that sense is that there are more places that do specific child-friendly activities, in terms of the lodges. So you’d be better off in Kenya with kids. They do things like making molds of footprints, making elephant poo paper and making bows and arrows. There are lots of places offering activities like that.”
“What Kenya has over Tanzania in that sense is that there are more places that do specific child-friendly activities, in terms of the lodges. So you’d be better off in Kenya with kids. They do things like making molds of footprints, making elephant poo paper and making bows and arrows. There are lots of places offering activities like that.”
Andrew Appleyard helps travellers decide between Kenya and Tanzania:
“From the safari point of view, the biggest difference in somewhere like the Masai Mara compared to the Serengeti is the ability to drive off road. That’s a massive difference. In the Masai Mara you can drive off road which allows you to get much better game viewings from there, whereas in the Serengeti and Manyara you can’t. The other difference is that on the Kenyan side it’s far easier to watch the river crossings during the migration – you get far better viewings.”
“From the safari point of view, the biggest difference in somewhere like the Masai Mara compared to the Serengeti is the ability to drive off road. That’s a massive difference. In the Masai Mara you can drive off road which allows you to get much better game viewings from there, whereas in the Serengeti and Manyara you can’t. The other difference is that on the Kenyan side it’s far easier to watch the river crossings during the migration – you get far better viewings.”
Tips on when to go
Roman Biondic shares his thoughts on the best time to visit the Masai Mara:
“The wildebeest come from July sometimes to the end of October but July and August is when people travel. It’s just crazy. This year one of our drivers counted the cars waiting in the morning for the river crossing – he counted 180, 200 cars in the Masai Mara. It’s a really great thing to see – but the amount of people that come during those two months is too much. September is a better time to visit as there are not so many people, and in October too – even June they are already starting to cross. Just spread it out a little bit outside the school holidays!”
“The wildebeest come from July sometimes to the end of October but July and August is when people travel. It’s just crazy. This year one of our drivers counted the cars waiting in the morning for the river crossing – he counted 180, 200 cars in the Masai Mara. It’s a really great thing to see – but the amount of people that come during those two months is too much. September is a better time to visit as there are not so many people, and in October too – even June they are already starting to cross. Just spread it out a little bit outside the school holidays!”
Andrew Appleyard:
“I like to go from 5th to the 15th December. It’s seen as the end of the light rainy season and it’s just incredibly quiet – there’s no-one around. The grass is fairly short so the wildlife viewing is absolutely fantastic. Sometimes you can have 30 vehicles in July and in early December you’ll have two. Lots of people talk about the green season and the rainy season down there – but I’ve always gone on those weeks as it’s so much quieter.”
“I like to go from 5th to the 15th December. It’s seen as the end of the light rainy season and it’s just incredibly quiet – there’s no-one around. The grass is fairly short so the wildlife viewing is absolutely fantastic. Sometimes you can have 30 vehicles in July and in early December you’ll have two. Lots of people talk about the green season and the rainy season down there – but I’ve always gone on those weeks as it’s so much quieter.”
The Great Migration
Andrew Appleyard:
“For me, the migration is obviously one of the top five wildlife sights in the world – and it’s quite unbelievable. You can actually see the migration from miles away as you can see a huge spiral of vultures in the sky, so you can see where the river crossings are. Then you’ve got the huge Nile crocodiles there which only actually eat twice a year – which is during the river crossings. They have one of the lowest metabolism rates of any animal. They’ll even bury the wildebeest or zebra in log jams in the river so they nicely soften up, then just tear it off. You can actually smell it from quite a long way off – all the rotting carcasses in log jams on the river.”
“For me, the migration is obviously one of the top five wildlife sights in the world – and it’s quite unbelievable. You can actually see the migration from miles away as you can see a huge spiral of vultures in the sky, so you can see where the river crossings are. Then you’ve got the huge Nile crocodiles there which only actually eat twice a year – which is during the river crossings. They have one of the lowest metabolism rates of any animal. They’ll even bury the wildebeest or zebra in log jams in the river so they nicely soften up, then just tear it off. You can actually smell it from quite a long way off – all the rotting carcasses in log jams on the river.”
Getting out of your car
Roman Biondic:
“It’s all about guiding, walking, trekking – everything is on foot there. You come in; you’ve already been driving from park to park, spending long periods in the car. So here you have the opportunity to walk. You go up the hills, down the plains following the wildlife on foot. The guides can explain all about the medicinal use of the trees – the bush medicine. It’s very good for the kids – they just love it! The people there know how to handle kids. They love their own kids, and the love any other kids that come to visit them. Families always say that there they get some time to relax, while their kids hang out with the Maasai. The Maasai are grownups – but they behave like kids!”
“It’s all about guiding, walking, trekking – everything is on foot there. You come in; you’ve already been driving from park to park, spending long periods in the car. So here you have the opportunity to walk. You go up the hills, down the plains following the wildlife on foot. The guides can explain all about the medicinal use of the trees – the bush medicine. It’s very good for the kids – they just love it! The people there know how to handle kids. They love their own kids, and the love any other kids that come to visit them. Families always say that there they get some time to relax, while their kids hang out with the Maasai. The Maasai are grownups – but they behave like kids!”
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Tips from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Masai Mara travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Masai Mara travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
We found our head-torches invaluable - both for camping, and when we encountered power cuts - and I was pleased I'd packed some binoculars as well.![]()
- Hannah Smith
“The balance between the culture and the game drives was perfect. It made us realise that there is more to Kenya than the wildlife. The highlight obviously for many would have been the game drives, of which we saw 2 kills and much more but for us the overall warmth and passion of all African people that we met will remain in our memories forever.”– Dorian Oates
“I would have to rate the interactions with the Maasai tribes people as being the most surprisingly meaningful and educational components of the trip. I was expecting our interactions to feel awkward and "touristy", but that part of the trip was an eye-opener about the current issues and concerns of these people. We had frank, meaningful and very interesting discussions.”– Shelley Munro
“Spend time talking to everyone you meet, especially during the cultural tours, everyone has an interesting story and they will make you think hard about what you thought you knew about Africa.” – Mark Collier
“I would have to rate the interactions with the Maasai tribes people as being the most surprisingly meaningful and educational components of the trip. I was expecting our interactions to feel awkward and "touristy", but that part of the trip was an eye-opener about the current issues and concerns of these people. We had frank, meaningful and very interesting discussions.”– Shelley Munro
“Spend time talking to everyone you meet, especially during the cultural tours, everyone has an interesting story and they will make you think hard about what you thought you knew about Africa.” – Mark Collier
Believe that it will be cold in the evenings! My fleece was invaluable but I would have given anything to have had a pair of jeans or thicker trousers with me.![]()
- Clare Morley
"Bring some pictures of you and your family back home to show to people. I found that the people we met were generally curious about what our home was like. During the homestay, we were given several pictures of the host family's extended family to bring home with us. Unfortunately, we had no pictures to return.” - Erik Hadley
It is useful to stock up with a good supply of 100, 200 and 500 shilling notes before leaving Nairobi, because they are useful if you feel the need to tip people or even if buying beadwork etc from the Maasai or Kikuyo. They are unlikely to have change of very large notes.” – Raymond McEvoy
“Bring a wildlife guide book and have a look through before you arrive so you know what to look for (there is more to see than giraffes and big cats!). Bring a Swahili dictionary or phrase book. Just knowing a few words really helps relations with local people.” – Holly Foat
“Listen to your driver-guides! They are extremely knowledgeable and you will be amazed at how much you can learn from them, they have all studied for many years to be able to take groups out and tell you about a vast number of animals, birds and plants.” – Amelia Shepherd
It is useful to stock up with a good supply of 100, 200 and 500 shilling notes before leaving Nairobi, because they are useful if you feel the need to tip people or even if buying beadwork etc from the Maasai or Kikuyo. They are unlikely to have change of very large notes.” – Raymond McEvoy
“Bring a wildlife guide book and have a look through before you arrive so you know what to look for (there is more to see than giraffes and big cats!). Bring a Swahili dictionary or phrase book. Just knowing a few words really helps relations with local people.” – Holly Foat
“Listen to your driver-guides! They are extremely knowledgeable and you will be amazed at how much you can learn from them, they have all studied for many years to be able to take groups out and tell you about a vast number of animals, birds and plants.” – Amelia Shepherd
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The Masai Mara is a little African reserve with a big name. This patch of savannah hosts an incredible wildlife spectacle.
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