Maasai Mara National Reserve’s rolling grasslands and roaming herds

Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok, south-west Kenya, stretches across open savannah along the Serengeti border, where wildlife moves across a vast shared ecosystem.

Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok County is a protected sweep of open grassland where wildlife moves across a wide plateau linking Kenya with Tanzania’s Serengeti plains. Established as a wildlife sanctuary in 1961 and upgraded to a national reserve later in the twentieth century, it forms part of a larger Serengeti–Mara ecosystem that bridges the international border.Maasai Mara National Reserve

Grassland, rivers and a shared ecosystem

Maasai Mara National Reserve lies in south-western Kenya in the Great Rift Valley region and is contiguous with Serengeti National Park across the border in Tanzania.contiguous with the Serengeti National Park The reserve covers about 1,510 km² (580 sq mi) of mainly grassland and savannah, with scattered trees punctuating the plains.covers an area of 1,510 square kilometers

The land undulates between roughly 1,500 and 2,100 m (4,920–6,890 ft) above sea level, crossed by rivers such as the Mara and the Talek that run through the grasslands towards the Tanzanian frontier.elevation between 1,500 and 2,100 m The reserve is largely unfenced, so animals move between the protected core and the surrounding Maasai community lands, creating a continuous wildlife landscape rather than a sharply bounded park.the reserve is largely unfenced

Wildlife on the move across the plains

Maasai Mara National Reserve is known for its high density of herbivores and predators, with lions, cheetahs and leopards sharing the plains with antelopes, zebras and giraffes.high density of herbivores and predators The terrain is mostly open, so animals can be seen moving across long distances, with occasional acacia trees and termite mounds providing perches and shade on the horizon.made up of primarily grasslands and savannah

The reserve forms the northern part of the Serengeti–Mara system, which supports a vast circular movement of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles across Kenya and Tanzania.an annual circular journey across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem During part of the year, large herds cross the Mara River and spread over the grasslands, sharing the reserve with resident wildlife that stays in the area throughout the seasons.the Mara is the northern terminus of the annual migration

Human presence and conservation in Narok County

The reserve stands within Narok County and is managed by the county government, which administers different sectors including the Mara Triangle, run on its behalf by the Mara Conservancy.managed by the Narok County Government It is not classified as a national park under Kenyan law but as a national reserve, a category that reflects its links to community lands and grazing areas in the wider landscape.not a national park but a reserve

The wider Greater Maasai Mara ecosystem extends beyond the reserve into conservancies that surround its boundaries, where agreements between landowners and conservation bodies maintain connected habitat.Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem spans across the southern parts of Narok Maasai communities live around the reserve and use the region for pastoralism, sharing this stretch of the Rift Valley with the wildlife that moves between the protected area and community lands.local Maasai community has been involved in conservation efforts

Visiting Maasai Mara National Reserve: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• Maasai Mara National Reserve lies south-west of Narok town in Kenya’s Great Rift Valley and is usually reached from Nairobi by road or by domestic flight to airstrips near the reserve.
• The terrain consists largely of open grasslands with some river valleys, so vehicle tracks can be uneven and dusty and game drives take place on unpaved surfaces.
• Wildlife moves freely between the reserve and surrounding community conservancies, so visitors encounter open savannah rather than fenced enclosures and should expect long distances between different parts of the reserve.
• The official language is English and the currency is the Kenyan shilling.
• Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.

Searching for Maasai Mara National Reserve on social platforms

These links open searches for Maasai Mara National Reserve on each platform.

Frequently asked questions about Maasai Mara National Reserve

Where is Maasai Mara National Reserve?

Maasai Mara National Reserve is in Narok County in south-western Kenya, along the border with Tanzania and adjacent to Serengeti National Park.

What should visitors expect on a visit?

Visitors travel in vehicles across open grasslands and river valleys, watching wildlife move over long distances in a largely unfenced landscape shared with surrounding community lands.

What makes Maasai Mara National Reserve distinctive?

Maasai Mara National Reserve stands out for its open savannah linked directly to the Serengeti and for the large herds of migrating and resident animals that cross its plains each year.