Maasai Mara
마사이 마라
Maasai Mara is a large national reserve in Narok County, in south-western Kenya, joined to Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. It is one of the best places in Africa to see wild animals, with lions, leopards, cheetahs and African bush elephants living on its open grassland, which is dotted with small bushy trees.
See it on the 3D globe →At a glance
- Country
- Kenya
- Location
- Narok, Kenya
- Type
- Park
Quick answers
Where is Maasai Mara?
Maasai Mara is in Narok, Kenya.
A savanna reserve rich in big cats and home to the annual Great Migration of wildebeest.
It is best known for the Great Migration, when well over a million wildebeest, with many zebras and gazelles, travel across the Mara River from Tanzania, usually around July. The reserve is named after the Maasai people, who have lived here for generations, and "mara" means "spotted" in their language.
A reserve that changed size
The reserve was first set up in 1961 as a small wildlife sanctuary of about 520 square kilometres. It was soon enlarged to 1,821 square kilometres and made a game reserve, and later parts were returned to local communities. After changes in 1974, 1976 and 1984, the reserve is now about 1,510 square kilometres. The greater Mara ecosystem also includes the Mara Triangle and many conservancies, or protected areas on community land.
People and wildlife
The Maasai depend on the land for their cattle, and many were forced to leave their homeland when the reserve was set up. Today the Maasai are known for their tall stature, patterned shuka cloths and beadwork. When tourism dropped sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic, a rescue fund was created to help conservancies pay rent to landowners and protect the land.
Fun facts
- Each year more than a million wildebeest pass through it in the Great Migration.
- "Mara" means "spotted" in the Maa language because of the dotted trees.
- Over a million wildebeest take part in the Great Migration.
- It is joined to Tanzania's Serengeti National Park.
- The reserve has changed size several times, from 520 to 1,821 to about 1,510 square kilometres.
On the globe
The model shows the savanna with big cats and herds of wildebeest.
Nearby on the globe
Sources
Updated: 2026-10-14