Masai Mara National Reserve

Ol Seki in Mara Naboisho
This was the last part of our Safari. The accommodation is very upmarket, in robust tents, embedded in the middle of the wilderness. It is a 10 min drive from the airstrip, and it is located in the heart of the Naboisho conservancy.
Run by a British Manager, this place is spotless, clean, very well looked after and the Manager (Melinda) looks after all guest very well. There are 6 tents, and all guests meet for breakfast, lunch and Dinner, depending on the safari arrangements, but if preferred the meals can be brought to the individual tents. Whilst we were here, all other guests were British and all were on honeymoon. This may alienate guests from other countries. There is electricity all day and decent Wifi to upload images. There is excellent hot shower (with extra boost in the evening).
Wildlife is excellent, we sighted a cheetah with a fresh kill, crocodiles, of course lions, giraffes and elephants and all the wildebeests, impalas, and gazelles. We had a one-day excursion to Masai Mara, which was to watch the large migrations, mainly zebras and wildebeest. David our driver was very experienced, and had lots of stories to tell. He knew the spots for photography and made stops when requested.
Overall this place was best for luxury, great food and service, great for wildlife, but less impressive for scenery than Meru.
Note, the masai mara has much less of a bush vibe than the Naboisho conservancy, where our lodge was. We made a day trip to the actual masai mara, which was full of minibuses, loaded with tourists and there was no feeling of solitude. The three stars for the bush vibe relate to that park, The Naboisho conservancy instead gets four stars for bush vibe!

An experience spoilt in one day.

Our visit to the Masai Mara was spoilt in one day by a visit to Observation Hill. Was a disgusting scene to behold. The area is used a toilet stop except that there are no toilets. Hundreds of people a day use this area as a viewing point and a makeshift toilet. As the only stop for the day, one had no option. I am told the female area was particularly disgusting. The area is a disgrace to the National Park system and to the Kenyan Government. Were does all the money collected as park fees go. One wonders.

The most famous national reserve of Kenya

Masai Mara is a great park with loads of wildlife. Lion sightings are basically guaranteed, cheetahs and leopards less so. The park is accessible around the year and more quiet and peaceful ourside the wildebeest migration, busiest months being July-September. Also, if you don't like seeing 20 cars chasing a cheetah, try to avoid going there on Kenyan holidays (esp. Christmas-New Year time), and even better, try to go in the middle of the week, when locals and expats in Kenya stay at work in Nairobi. The Mara Triagle is on the western side of the main park, accesible with the same ticket and more quiet.

Savannah. For real.

Masai Mara is the kenyan reserve to visit if you want to experience the large plains of the savannah. This is the bush, and it has a lot of "bush vibe". It offers a lot of animals, from elephants to cheetas, lions and hippos.
By the border and the river you can get escorted by armed KWS guards to watch hippos and crocodiles whilst out walking. Wonderful experience. Wonderful park.

The animals are great, but the travel companies could be better.

We had a short safari (2 nights) at Mara Intrepids, Masai Mara National Reserve. We loved the wildlife. Population density is high, and it was not hard to locate the big cats. Leopards, cheetahs, lions, elephants, and giraffes abound. On the first hour of the first day, we came 10m from a leopard! On the other hand, the people were less than stellar. Negotiating with the hotel manager and Wilderness Bookings was difficult, to say the least. Calls were not returned, agreed upon prices changed (and kept changing), extras crept onto our bill, and there was stampede to our wallets which put the wildlife to shame.

God's Gardne of Eden in Africa for Man and Beast To Love and Enjoy.

Jambo - the safari was a dream come true. The scenery is something no one can explain until one experience it first hand. The food was great and so was the accommodation. Loved the tenting lodges at Masi Mara Leisure camp and the people - a few of the high lights were going to the Masai Mara Village and being chased by a White Rhino at Lake Nakuru National Park and seeing the Hippo's come to graze at night time at Lake Nivasha Lodge. The two guides Simon and Eratus were the best. Their patients and knowledge of the parks was great and fantastic driving as well. The weather was cool at night and early morning which we never expected, that was great. We went in late April and early May 2014.

good birding

The Great Migration in the Masai Mara

A friend and I went to the Masai Mara for two days during the Great Migration. We booked a tour with Ket Safaris out of Nairobi. Our driver, Henry, picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi and drove us to our accommodation, which was a luxury tented camp. We saw plenty of wildlife, particularly wildebeest and zebra. All our guides were excellent. Definitely go during Migration if at all possible. Also, we booked a van instead of paying a little extra for a 4X4. If cost is not a significant issue for you, I highly suggest a 4X4 because the vans they use in the area don't have air con, and you are on very rough, dirt roads for the last two hours into the Mara. It can get quite uncomfortable.

The hundreds of thousands of Wildebeast keep the cat population well fed!

We saw 4 out of the Big five. The scenery was enjoyable. The weather was pleasant. The accommodations were much nicer than my own home. The menu alone had me salivating long before our meals arrived. Transportation was a standard Landrover set up. Our guide had learned from his father so, there were very few stones left unturned. Many, many Lions feasting on Wildebeast!

Exciting AND Beautiful!

The Masai Mara was amazing. Our guide was determined to find all the wildlife he could so he drove us many miles out. It felt very remote and special. We saw animals and birds I had never seen before and they were gorgeous. All the animals seemed to be in their natural habitat...even elephants climbing mountains??? My favorite were the giraffe. You could see them off amongst the trees with their heads sticking up high. We also saw a huge group of them just off the road. We saw many animals so up close it was crazy from our open top vehicle. Great views for great picture taking.

It was also very special to be able to see the local tribes people. They were in their native clothes, of course, and we could see their homes and small communities very nearby. We saw many natives from Masai warriors to Masai women who make beautiful trinkets for tourists. They're a bargain, great memorabilia and easy to pack.