Maasi Mara National Reserve Is one of the key popular tourism destinations in Kenya. Its located in the South-western Kenya along the Great Rift Valley, in Narok county and borders the Serengeti national park of Tanzania. “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Maasai language. When looked from an aerial view or from afar the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape bring out the spotted context. The reserve under the Narok county government management is one of the wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, with its populations of lion, leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant. It also hosts one of the Wonders of the worldThe Great wildebeest Migration-which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World.
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This famous park – a northern extension of Tanzania’s Serengeti – is responsible for perhaps more images of African animals than any other. And with good reason: it is chock-full of wildlife, and blessed with open terrain that makes game viewing easy.
No wonder Disney chose to film ‘African Cats’ in the Mara. This is Kenya’s finest big game reserve, 5,000ft above sea level and home to all kinds of animals, from 6-tonne elephants to tiny dik-diks.
We break down barriers so our teams can focus on what matters – working together to sustain and protect one of the world's best conservation areas..
Our reserve exists to help global visitors with an experience of a lifetime. We make every decision and measure every outcome based on how well it serves our visitors.
We’re honest, transparent, and committed to doing what’s best for our visitors and our reserve. We openly collaborate in pursuit of the truth. We have no tolerance for politics, hidden agendas, or passive-aggressive behavior.
Our reserve exists to help our global visitors to have an experience of a lifetime. We make every decision and measure every outcome based on how well it serves our visitors.
Being the world's leading wildlife conservation area requires unrivaled vision, innovation, and execution. We never settle. We challenge our ideas of what’s possible in order to better meet the needs of our visitors.
Integrity is the foundation for everything we do. We are admired and respected for our commitment to honesty, trust, and transparency.
We’ve created a positive and inclusive culture that fosters open, honest, and meaningful relationships.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve measuring 1,510 km2 (580 sq mi) is a component of the Greater Mara ecosystem that encompasses other conservation and disposal areas among them; Mara Triangle, Koyiaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Mara North, Olkinyei, Siana, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, Siana, Mara North and Nashulai. The National Reserve was first established in 1948 when the Mara Triangle, a 520 square kilometre area between the Siria escarpment, the Tanzanian border and the Mara River, was declared a National Game Reserve. The primary aim of the national reserve was to protect the spectacular wildlife in the ecosystem. In 1961, the reserve was brought under the control of the County Council of Narok and the core area was extended to the east to encompass an area of 1, 831 square kilometres. In 1984, parts of the reserve were set apart to provide access to watering points for livestock and the reserve was brought to its present size of 1, 510 kilometers. In 1995, following the creation of the Trans Mara District, the management of the Reserve was split between the County Councils of Narok (CNN) and County Council of Trans Mara (CCTM). CNN was responsible for the reserve to the east of the Mara River while CCTM was responsible for the reserve to the west of the river (also known as Mara Triangle). However, after the promulgation of the new constitution, the two county councils were defunct by the Narok County Government, which is now responsible for the management of the entire reserve. The reserve has seven entry points namely Sekenani, Talek, Musiara, Olalaimutiai, Sand River, Enoompuai and Oloololo for public road access while the air access entry points are Keekorok, Olkiombo, Musiara, Mara Serena and Kichwa Tembo.
The Narok county government has launched an ambitious plan to revitalise the world-famous Maasai Mara game reserve in a bid to double tourist numbers, by diversifying the options offered by the game reserve to avoid a very uneven trend where during its high season — between June and September — hotels record 100 per cent booking, only for visitors to dwindle so much that some facilities close during low seasons. The plan includes:- 1) The Maasai culture:- that the county banked on Maasai culture to sell the Mara to the world as a premier holiday destination, the Mara as the eighth wonder of the world due to its iconic wildebeest migration, and s a destination for filmmakers and as a place of choice and a bigger focus on the Maasai culture has been introduced, with culture tourism being boosted to have constant visits to the reserve. While the wildebeest migration in the Mara is iconic, the Maasai culture is just as spectacular, and mind-blowing 2) The improvement of the six airstrips in Mara:- The rebirth of the Mara through the launch a management plan, comes as local carrier, Silverstone Air, introduced daily flights between Nairobi and the reserve, raising competition for customers on the route that is already served by Fly-Sax, Safari link, Air Kenya and Blue Sky. The airline was until last October operating as a charter carrier. 3) Tarmacking of the Narok-Mara road to promote all year-round visits to the game reserve by both local and domestic tourist was achieved after completion of the road in 2016. Tourists including local tourists can drive up to the gate with their small cars and leave them at the gate, and board four-by-four vehicles for game drives.
Governor - Narok County
County Secretary
CECM Trade,Cooperative,Tourism & Wildlife
Chief Officer Tourism & Wildlife Management
Formulate laws regarding the conservation, management and utilisation of all types of fauna and flora. - Manage the game reserves, protect wildlife and visitors. - Strive to achieve the competence and fairness in the care and development of the reserve through conduct of research, deliberate acquisition, use and dissemination of relevant information from research and other sources.
Insights and words from visitors across the globe who have visited and experienced the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
This famous park – a northern extension of Tanzania’s Serengeti – is responsible for perhaps more images of African animals than any other. And with good reason: it is chock-full of wildlife, and blessed with open terrain that makes game viewing easy.
No wonder Disney chose to film ‘African Cats’ in the Mara. This is Kenya’s finest big game reserve, 5,000ft above sea level and home to all kinds of animals, from 6-tonne elephants to tiny dik-diks.
Nowhere else sums up the East African dream like the Masai Mara. Always the best place in Kenya to see huge herds of grazers and a seemingly endless procession of carnivores big and small the Masai Mara is the one place in East Africa I could return to again and again and never get jaded or bored.
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