The national reserve is the core, with the highest game densities and the classic Mara scenery. It is also the busiest: a good sighting can draw a crowd of vehicles, and off-road driving, night drives and walking are not permitted.

The Mara Triangle, managed separately by the Mara Conservancy, covers the west between the Mara river and the Oloololo escarpment. Rules are enforced more tightly and vehicle numbers are lower, which for many visitors makes the same wildlife a better experience.

The conservancies — Naboisho, Olare Motorogi, Mara North and others — cap the number of beds per hectare and permit what the reserve does not: off-road driving to a sighting, night drives, and guided walking. You pay a nightly conservancy fee on top of your accommodation, and in exchange you often have a leopard or a cheetah to yourself.

The Mara river is where the crossings happen, roughly July to October. Herds gather at traditional crossing points and may wait hours or days before one animal commits; the rest is chaos, current and crocodiles. It cannot be timetabled, so give yourself several days.

Big cats are resident year-round and do not depend on the migration — lion prides and cheetah on the open plains are as reliable in February as in August. First and last light are decisive, and cheetah in particular hunt earlier in the morning than most people expect.

Practicalities

Reserve entry is charged per person per day and rises steeply in the July-to-December high season; the Mara Triangle charges the same rates but is cashless, taking cards and mobile money only. Note that the fee covers a 12-hour day rather than a full 24 hours, which matters if you are staying outside the gates. Nairobi is a 45-minute flight or a five-to-six-hour drive away.