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Masai Mara National Reserve is considered a "must see" for any new and repeat visitor traveling on a safari to Kenya. It is on the "to do" list for many Kenyans and visitors alike because the park is graced by a wide variety of unique and exquisite wildlife and birds. Masai Mara National Reserve is situated within the Great Rift Valley in the southern part of Kenya. Measuring approximately 1510sq. kilometres (approx. 938sq. miles) in size, this unfenced savannah grassland is roughly 150 miles southeast of Nairobi.
Maasai Mara derives its name from the indigenous people of Kenya - the Maasai tribe - and the Mara River that cuts through the park. The Masai Mara provides the best view of the famous wildebeest migration as the animals cross the Mara River between July and September. It is also home to the richest concentration of wildlife, including the "Big Five" (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffalo), population of black rhinos is severely threatened with only 37 black rhinos left as of 2000.
Herds of plains zebras are found throughout the park, as well as Masai giraffes, common giraffes, jackals, white-bearded gnus, Oribis, warthogs, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, hartebeests, hyenas, bat-eared foxes, rare Topi antelope and beautiful rone antelope, as well as hippos and crocodiles in the Mara River. The park has the largest concentration of African lions, including the black-maned lion. Birdlife is as plentiful as wildlife at the Masai Mara, which boasts over 400 different birds species. The park experiences a hot and dry climate with a regular rainfall season twice a year. The reserve's topography is mainly open savannah (grassland) with clusters of acacia trees along the southeastern area of the park. The Mara and Talek rivers grace the rolling plains of the reserve. Myriad seasonal rivers appear during the rainy season but dry out once the rains are gone.