Maasai Mara Game Drive

A Masai Mara game drive lets you explore Kenya's most popular wildlife reserve in a specially adapted 4x4 Land Cruiser, guided by a driver who knows the area and its animals. You can reach the reserve by flying in or driving from Nairobi, but the highlight is always the game drive itself. You'll spend hours looking for lions, elephants, and the migrating herds that travel through each year. Here, you'll find information on how to get there, what wildlife you might see, how different package lengths compare, and what a night game drive in the Masai Mara can add to your experience.

Getting to the Masai Mara

You can get to the Masai Mara from Nairobi either by road or by air. Driving takes about five to six hours as you travel through the Great Rift Valley, with the exact time depending on traffic and road conditions. Flying is much quicker, with scheduled flights from Wilson Airport landing at airstrips in or near the reserve, so you can arrive in under an hour. This gives you more time for your first game drive on arrival day. If you choose to drive, you'll see the Rift Valley and pass through Maasai County, which many travelers enjoy as part of the journey.

Wildlife in the Masai Mara

The Big Five- lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino are all found in the Masai Mara, though rhinos are less commonly seen. You are also likely to spot cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, zebras, and hippos. If you visit between July and October, you can witness the Great Migration, when over a million wildebeest and zebras cross the Mara River. Even outside migration season, the wildlife remains active, and you can see predators like lions and leopards throughout the year.

Timing and what to expect

Morning game drives usually begin at 6:30 AM and last three to four hours, giving you a chance to see animals before the day gets too hot. Afternoon drives run from about 3 PM to 6 PM, when animals are active again as the weather cools. If you want to spend more time outside, you can choose a full-day drive that lasts six to eight hours. Most camps offer two drives each day, so a three-night stay often includes five or six drives.

Night game drives in the Masai Mara

Night game drives are not allowed inside the Masai Mara National Reserve, but some private conservancies next to the reserve, like Naboisho and Olare Motorogi, do offer them. On these drives, guides use spotlights to find nocturnal animals such as genets, bush babies, and hunting leopards that you won't see during the day. If you want to do a night game drive, ask your operator before booking whether your camp is in a conservancy or inside the reserve, as this affects whether night drives are possible.