The Maasai Mara is a land that forever changes; lush green, stretched out plains gradually become golden waves of tall red oat grass, gently parted by herds of visiting wildebeest that clear the canvas for another painting.

A lack of fences allows this ecosystem to reach all the way down to Southern Serengeti and right across the entire Maasai Mara and Greater Mara Ecosystem. One morning you can wake up to a herd of five hundred elephant making their way slowly through the Ol Punyata swamp, the next day they’re gone.

Our large swamp, streams, salt lick, meandering Mara River, and a rainfall of up to 1,500 millimetres a year, means that there is enough food and water to keep wildlife in the Mara Triangle even during the dry months.

Wildebeest Migration

By the month of June a gentle wind ripples through the tall red oat grass, and the only animals easily visible are the slow moving elephants and giraffes, or a lone topi standing on an abandoned termite mound. A stillness sits across the savannah and the lions of the Mara lie in the shade of the acacias, waiting in anticipation. Read more…

The Big Cats

When the savannah turns a golden red in the month of July, and the zebra start pouring in across the river, the first herds of the wildebeest arrive and the feasting for the Maasai Mara’s predators, and scavengers, begins. Read more…

Black Rhino

In 1971 there were around 120 black rhinos in the Maasai Mara, but by 1984 this number had dropped drastically to just 18 individuals. When the Mara Conservancy started in 2001 there was only one known rhino left in the Mara Triangle; an aggressive female, very wary of people and vehicles, and very difficult to spot. Read more…

Mammal List

Below is a list of the mammalian species seen in the Mara Triangle from magnificent African elephant to adorable dwarf mongoose. Click on the name to find out more about each species.Read more…

Bird List

From the moment the day wakes until the sun has made her departure, birdsong can be heard across the Maasai Mara. Due to the wide variety of habitats more than 470 bird species have been recorded inside the reserve; from the oversized ostrich to the superb starling. Read more…

Reptile and Amphibian List

Below is a list of the reptile and amphibian species seen in the Mara Triangle. Click on the name to find out more about each species.Read more…

Mara Timeline

1750

Estimated arrival of the Maasai people to the Serengeti-Mara area.

1880s

Prolonged drought followed by epidemic of bovine disease pleuropneumonia; large numbers of wildlife and Maasai cattle lost.

1900

Maasai population leave traditional grazing grounds to concentrate around newly-developing centres like Nairobi.

1930s

Woodlands become more established, providing the perfect habitat for tsetse fly and close to uninhabitable for humans and livestock.

1948

The Mara Game Reserve is created and covers the area referred to today as the Mara Triangle. Hunting is regulated.

1950s

Immunisation campaign in cattle results in disappearance of rinderpest among buffalo and wildebeest, creating significant rise in populations.

1954

Lion, cheetah and rhino given total protection from hunting.

1961

The Mara Game Reserve is extended to become the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

1984

Three sections of the reserve are excised to give Maasai access to watering points.

1994

The reserve is divided between Narok and the newly formed Trans-Mara County Council, with the Mara Triangle now part of Trans Mara.

2001

Local leaders initiate the Mara Conservancy to manage the Mara Triangle on behalf of the Council.