Masai Mara National Reserve is located in south west Kenya and is a vast scenic expanse of gently rolling African savannah plains measuring 1510 square kilometers in area and bordering the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the south. Masai Mara is a unique wildlife conservation haven famous for its spectacular natural diversity of wildlife and is the premier Kenya Safari location in East Africa, offering visitors numerous reasons to visit this animal paradise. Large numbers of Lions, Cheetah, Elephant, Rhino, African Buffalo, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Zebra and many more animals are found in the park in their natural habitat, unconfined and free to roam the vast Kenyan wilderness stretching for miles on end. It is no surprise that tourists from the world over travel here to experience a Masai Mara Safari tour, more so as the reserve has been voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. Regarding the origin of the name, the word 'Masai' comes from the Maasai tribe, nomadic inhabitants of the area and the word 'Mara' is their word for 'spotted', referring to the ubiquitous flat topped acacia trees, shrubs and bushes that dot the landscape across most of the reserve.

The reserve has a magnificent collection of wildlife and it is quite possible to spot not just the 'Big Five' as often mentioned widely, but also infact the 'Big Nine', to include the Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Rhino, Buffalo, Girrafe, Zebra, Cheetah and Hippo. It is quote possible that due to the nature and richness of flora and fauna in the national park, one can see all of the above animals not just in a single 2-3 hour game drive, but also with a little more luck, within an hour of your drive in the reserve. The section above lists photos and brief information on some of the amazing wildlife and animals that you will find in Masai Mara including a list of Birds commonly seen here. The game reserve is quite the animal kingdom and likely the very best place to see an amazing Eco system of African wildlife in the wilderness.