Masai Mara is a national reserve of Kenya in the southwestern part of the country. It was founded in 1961 on an area of ​​1510 km2. The name of the reserve originated from the local captivity – the Masai, as well as the Mara River, which flows throughout the park.

The reserve borders on the Serengeti National Parks and is actually its continuation. The Masai Mara hosts the animal migration route in September-October. During the migration, almost one and a half million wildebeests pass through the park. The reserve is located on the huge East African rift system, stretching from South Africa to the waters of the Red Sea. The terrain is dominated by grassy savannas with acacia forests. In the west of the park there are swamps, because of which many animals are drawn here for a watering place. Tourists practically do not visit this part due to remoteness, the eastern part is located 220 km from the city of Nairobi and is visited by most travelers.
The Masai Mara reserve is home to all representatives of the “Big Five”, consisting of rhinos, elephants, leopards, buffaloes, and also lions, which live here in large numbers. Hippopotamuses live in large groups in the Talek and Tara rivers, and in the park you can also meet cheetahs, which are endangered, as tourists prevent them from hunting during the day.

A significant part of the animal world of the Masai Mara is wildebeest. Every year in July, the antelopes go north in search of food, and in October, with the advent of the rainy season, they return to the south. In addition to wildebeest, in the reserve you can meet Grant and Thomson’s gazelle, swamps, impala, miniature dikdik antelope. Also, huge herds of zebras roam here, there are 2 varieties of giraffes. No less rich is the avifauna, numbering 450 representatives of birds.
The reserve is managed by the Kenyan government. To prevent the destruction of animals, several detachments are deployed in the park to fight poachers.

The Masai Mara can be reached by car from Nairobi or Narok, or by light aircraft, as there are landing strips in the reserve. Travelers can choose from bungalows, loggias, campsites. Outside the territory of the hotels, you can only move by car, accompanied by a driver. Those who want to see everything and immediately should take a tour in a hot air balloon.