Narok County
Maasai Mara
Source: Kenya Biodiversity — National Clearing House Mechanism (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
The source states the reserve is managed by the Narok County Government.
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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About Maasai Mara
A reserve in southwestern Kenya, the northern part of the Mara–Serengeti ecosystem shared with Tanzania, known for the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebras.
Sources: Kenya Biodiversity — National Clearing House Mechanism (opens in a new tab); Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board) (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Highlights
- The Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino
- The Great Migration of wildebeest and zebras
- Cultural visits to Maasai villages
Sources: Kenya Biodiversity — National Clearing House Mechanism (opens in a new tab); Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board) (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
More photos of Maasai Mara
See all 14 in the gallery ›
Suggested time
At least 2 days
KenyaPlus editorial guidance for a comfortable visit, not an official rule.
Confirm before booking
- Conservancy fees, which are separate from the reserve's (KenyaPlus holds the reserve's fees only), and current reserve rules
- Where the herds are in the week you travel — migration timing varies from year to year
- Road conditions and flight schedules to airstrips
KenyaPlus does not yet hold verified data for these.
When to go
Rain affects travel in Kenya, especially on unpaved roads. Here is the yearly pattern and the current forecast for Maasai Mara, both from the Kenya Meteorological Department.
- January: between the rains.
- February: between the rains.
- March: long rains.
- April: long rains, expected peak.
- May: long rains.
- June: between the rains.
- July: between the rains, migration river crossings usually happen.
- August: between the rains, migration river crossings usually happen.
- September: between the rains, migration river crossings usually happen.
- October: short rains, migration river crossings usually happen.
- November: short rains.
- December: short rains.
- Long rains
- Short rains
- Between the rains
- Expected peak (2026 outlook)
- Migration river crossings (usually)
A summary of Kenya's national rainfall pattern from the Kenya Meteorological Department: long rains March to May (with the peak in April inland and May on the coast, as KMD expected for 2026) and short rains October to December. Other months are shown as between the rains. Rain varies by year and place, and between-the-rains months can still be wet.
In Maasai Mara
The most dramatic part of the migration — when wildebeest and zebras cross the Mara River into the Maasai Mara — usually happens between July and October.
Information status: VerifiedSources: Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board) (opens in a new tab); Kenya News Agency (kenyanews.go.ke) (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
The herds return to the Serengeti from around December, and calving is reported between March and May.
Information status: VerifiedSource: Kenya News Agency (kenyanews.go.ke) (opens in a new tab) · checked 16 Oct 2026
Forecast: October–December 2026
For Narok County, the Kenya Meteorological Department expects above-average rainfall in October–December 2026, with rains already falling from September and continuing into January.
Source: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
A seasonal forecast, not a guarantee. KMD also issues monthly and weekly updates.
Kenya's rainy seasons
March to May is the main rainfall season — the “long rains” — over most parts of Kenya.
Information status: VerifiedSources: Kenya Meteorological Department: Climate outlook for the 'Long Rains' (March–May) 2026 season (KMD/FCST/01-2026/SO/01) (opens in a new tab); Kenya Meteorological Department: Climate outlook for the 'Long Rains' (March–May) 2025 season (KMD/FCST/01-2025/SO/01) (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
For the 2026 long rains, the Kenya Meteorological Department expected the peak in April over most regions, and in May along the coast.
Information status: VerifiedSource: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
October to December brings the “short rains”, a major rainfall season in Kenya.
Information status: VerifiedSource: Kenya Meteorological Department (opens in a new tab) · checked 23 Oct 2026
More in our guide: Best time to visit Kenya.
Park entry fees
Information status: VerifiedMaasai Mara National Reserve — visitor entry
Per person. The Act sets reserve hours as 6.00 am to 6.00 pm; it does not say how long one payment lasts. Children under 9 enter free.
| Visitor | Season | Adult | Child |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-resident / foreign visitor | High season (July–December) | USD 200 | USD 50 |
| Non-resident / foreign visitor | Low season (January–June) | USD 100 | USD 50 |
| Kenyan citizen | High season (July–December) | KES 3,000 | KES 500 |
| Kenyan citizen | Low season (January–June) | KES 1,500 | KES 300 |
| East African resident | High season (July–December) | KES 5,000 | KES 2,000 |
| East African resident | Low season (January–June) | KES 2,500 | KES 1,000 |
| Local county resident | High season (July–December) | KES 2,000 | KES 500 |
| Local county resident | Low season (January–June) | KES 1,000 | KES 200 |
The Narok County Finance Act, 2023 (Kenya Gazette Supplement No. 7), checked on 23 Oct 2026. The county's draft Finance Bill, 2024 proposed no change to these fees. We found no later Act; confirm with Narok County before you pay.
- Child rates are for ages 9–17; children aged 8 and under enter free.
- “Local county resident” means residents of Narok County.
- Students, school groups and conservation clubs have their own rates in the Act.
- Vehicle entry, camping, balloon flights and the separate conservancies around the reserve are charged on top.
Guides for Maasai Mara
Planning a Maasai Mara safari
Who runs the reserve, when the migration usually arrives, how to get there by air or road, and what to confirm before you book.
Kenya park entry fees explained
Who pays which rate at Kenya's national parks and the Maasai Mara, how seasons and children's ages change the fee, and what costs extra.
Best time to visit Kenya
Kenya's two rainy seasons, when the wildebeest migration usually reaches the Maasai Mara, and what that means for planning.
Getting around Kenya
The Nairobi–Mombasa train, domestic flights from Wilson Airport, and realistic road times between Kenya's main destinations.
Nairobi: the city and its national park
Nairobi National Park on the city's edge, the National Museum, and arriving by air or train.
Lake Naivasha and Hell's Gate
A Rift Valley lake that is a Ramsar wetland, and Hell's Gate National Park next door — what sources confirm.
Things to do in Maasai Mara
Photo: Charles J. Sharp · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Wildlife encounters
Watch the Great Migration river crossings
Herds of wildebeest and zebras plunging into the Mara River.
Where: Maasai Mara
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Adventure and the outdoors
Float over the Mara in a hot air balloon
A dawn flight over the plains, ending with breakfast in the bush.
Where: Maasai Mara
Photo: Daniel Case · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Journeys
Fly into the Mara on a light aircraft
From Nairobi's Wilson Airport to a bush airstrip in under an hour.
Where: Nairobi · Maasai Mara
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Where next from Maasai Mara
Close by
Photo: Bett Duncan · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Naivashaabout 5 h by road (estimate)
Photo: Syllabub · CC BY-SA 3.0 · original
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Lake Nakuruabout 5 h by road (estimate)
Photo: Alexmbogo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Nairobiabout 5 h by road (estimate)
If you like Maasai Mara
Photo: Matteo Frigo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · original
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Aberdare National ParkAlso good for wildlife, safari
Photo: Ninaras · CC BY 4.0 · original
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AmboseliAlso good for safari, wildlife
Photo: Richard Mortel · CC BY 4.0 · original
Resized to 1,920 px wide and metadata removed; displayed cropped to fit. All photo credits
Tsavo West National ParkAlso good for safari, wildlife
Thinking of visiting Maasai Mara?
Add it to a plan and run the Trip Reality Check.
Sources
- Kenya Biodiversity — National Clearing House Mechanism (opens in a new tab) — Maasai Mara National Reserve (checked 16 Oct 2026)
- Magical Kenya (Kenya Tourism Board) (opens in a new tab) — Maasai Mara (checked 16 Oct 2026)
Spotted something out of date? Tell us — we check corrections against the source before changing anything.