Masai Mara Reserve

The Mara probably rates as the number one reserve in Africa for sightings of unbaited leopard. The area is also superb cheetah country and the profusion of small-size antelope, especially gazelles, ensures a ready food supply. Cheetah hunts and kills are regularly witnessed in the Mara. Game tends to concentrate in pockets where grazing is at its best at any particular time.

Herds of topi, Grant’s & Thompson’s gazelles, zebra and impala often mix together on favoured open plains. Defassa waterbuck are also common. Buffalo frequent places of higher, tougher grass. Giraffe can be encountered anywhere. The riverine forests are particularly good for birding and the river itself has many excellent hippo pools with high banks for excellent viewing. ‘Mara’ means ‘spotted’ or dappled, a reference to the acacia dotted savannahs of Southern Kenya where the Maasai live.