Masai Mara

What you gain

• ↑The Great Migration (July–October, peak August–September): 1.5 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra and gazelle move through the Mara ecosystem in the largest terrestrial animal migration on Earth. The Mara River crossing events — where herds of tens of thousands cross simultaneously through 5-metre Nile crocodiles — are one of the most dramatic wildlife spectacles anywhere on the planet.
• ↑The Mara consistently delivers Big Five sightings (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, black rhino) year-round. The resident lion prides — Marsh Pride, Paradise Pride, and Rekero Pride — are habituated to vehicles and regularly viewable on morning and afternoon game drives. The Tano Bora cheetah coalition (five male cheetahs operating as a group) is one of the best-documented and most-photographed wildlife phenomena in Africa.
• ↑Premium Mara camps — Angama Mara, Mahali Mzuri (Richard Branson's camp on the Mara North conservancy), AndBeyond Bateleur Camp, Sanctuary Olonana — offer all-inclusive experiences at a standard that equals or exceeds the world's finest hotel resorts: private game drives, walking safaris with armed guides, bush dinners under the stars, and sundowner stops on escarpment viewpoints looking out across the full Mara valley.

What you sacrifice

• ↓The Masai Mara is among the most expensive wildlife destinations in the world during peak season (July–October). Fully inclusive camps run $800–$1,500 per person per night. Budget safari options in the main reserve (group game drives from Narok-based budget operators) do exist at $200–$350pppn but offer a fundamentally different experience from the private conservancy camps.
• ↓Getting to the Mara requires either a 5–6 hour drive from Nairobi on roads of variable quality, or a scheduled or charter flight to one of the Mara's grass airstrips (45 minutes from Nairobi Wilson Airport on Safarilink, Air Kenya, or charter). The charter flight cost adds $200–$500 return per person but is strongly recommended for camps located deep in the conservancies.