Masai Mara National Reserve: entry fee, wildlife and best season
The Masai Mara National Reserve, in south-west Kenya, is the country's most famous safari park: vast plains of golden grass dotted with acacias, the Mara River, and an exceptional density of lions, elephants, giraffes, zebras and cheetahs. It continues Tanzania's Serengeti to the north, which is where the wildebeest of the great migration arrive from each year. It lies 240-270 km from Nairobi, a 5 to 6 hour drive, or about 45 minutes by light aircraft. The reserve is managed by Narok County, except the Mara Triangle sector west of the river, which is run by the Mara Conservancy. Around it lie private conservancies that limit the number of vehicles and sometimes allow night drives and walking safaris.
Highlights
The Mara plains
Open savannah and red tracks: this is the typical Kenyan safari landscape; the best times to see animals are sunrise and late afternoon, when the light is soft and the predators are active.
The big cats
Lions, leopards and cheetahs can be seen all year in the Mara; lions are easy to spot in the short grass, leopards more often in trees along the watercourses. Driver-guides share predator locations by radio.
Elephants and the big herbivores
Herds of elephants, buffalo, giraffes, zebras, hippos and crocodiles (in the Mara and Talek rivers) round out the "Big Five": only the black rhino is missing, rare and very discreet.
The great migration
From about July to October, more than a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras cross the Mara River; see our page on the great wildebeest migration.
Meeting the Maasai
Maasai villages offer paid visits with dances and crafts; ask the price beforehand and prefer a community-run village.
Practical info
Tips
- The entry fee is paid per person per day. The sources we consulted in October 2026 give, for a non-resident adult, US$100 a day from January to June and US$200 a day from July to December, about half for children; these amounts and their dates are not confirmed by an official source: ask your agency or Narok County in writing before booking. Reputable agencies include the park ticket in their price (check it on the quote). For a stay of 2 to 4 days, see a safari to the Masai Mara from Nairobi and a 3-day safari in Kenya; to choose between two parks, read Masai Mara or Amboseli, and for the seasons the best time for a safari. Outside the migration season the Mara is quieter and lodges are cheaper. Stay in the vehicle except where your guide allows otherwise: the animals are wild.
How to get there
From Nairobi allow 240 to 270 km and 5 to 6 hours by road (the last stretch is bumpy) in a 4x4 or safari minibus, or about 45 minutes by light aircraft to the reserve's airstrips. The main gates are Sekenani, Talek, Oloolaimutiek, Musiara and, in the west, the Mara Triangle gates.
Opening hours
Our guides that feature it
Nearby
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