Best Time to Visit Masai Mara Reserve
The best time to Visit Masai Mara Reserve is from late June to early October – you’ll catch the wildebeest migration in full flow. Midsummer can get busy though, so come at the beginning or end of that period for full-on wildlife without crazy crowds. March to May is wet with scattered wildlife, but you can find some cheaper deals if you’re not bothered about the migration. The Great Plains, Maasai villages, and Big Five are reward enough in themselves. The Masai Mara offers great wildlife viewing throughout the year.
Your visit to Masai Mara may depend on your personal interest, such as avoiding crowd, budget, migration, and travel season. In high season, the lodges tend to be more expensive than in low season, as their demands shoot up, due to many tourists coming to the park and view the migration as well.
High Season
July to November, January, and February (Some of the parks get very crowded especially the Masai Low Season
March to May (Some lodges and camps in high rainfall areas close down)ara, Amboseli and Lake Nakuru)
Best Weather
June to October (Little to no rainfall)
Worst Weather
March, April and May (Peak of Wet season)
Masai Mara is known to have excellent wildlife viewing all year round. However for those looking for an opportunity to watch as the great wildebeest migration unfolds the best time to visit the Mara is from July to October.
The interlude between the short and long rains (January and February) and the Dry season proper (June to October) are the times to visit Masai Mara. The roads haven’t yet deteriorated because of rain, and thirsty animal’s crowd around the local waterways. The last two months of the Dry season are often when the spectacular annual wildebeest migration passes through.
Lion Season
From January to March
The lion season falls when most big plain game wildlife like the wildebeest, zebras are giving birth to their young ones. A few weeks at the start of the year, Maasai Mara is dotted with young ones tagging along after their mothers. Along with the overwhelming numbers of newborn calves come the predators. Masai Mara Game Reserve and Mara Naboisho play host to one of the highest concentrations of predators including the lions in Africa. During this time, you can expect to see lions regularly and often by pride. With the absence of rain, the vegetation is less dense, so animals are easier to observe.
Wildlife Season
From October to November
From mid-October to December, the herds pick up the pace as the short rains lure them southwards. The grass on the Mara plains is short due to the constant grazing by the large herds of zebra and wildebeest. As the rains decrease and the grass begins to dry up, the wildebeest head south in search of greener pasture. After passing through Naboisho Conservancy the Northern Migration arrives in the Mara just in time to greet their Southern sisters and brothers- a family reunion with more than 1.5 million attendees! On their way back to Lolita the Northern Migration once again roam through Naboisho, staying with us until the end of the year. This is a great time to watch the Migration gradually spilling from the Masai Mara back into the north-east Serengeti.
The Masai Mara is a year-round Kenya safari destination, so even if the migration is not your interest, the game viewing is still outstanding.
For a great safari planning to Masai Mara National Park, combined with other parks, kindly get in touch with Enclose Africa Safaris, for a great safari planning and tailoring based on your travel interest and budget.