Throughout the year, the Masai Mara ecosystem undergoes several transformations, changing the nature of the game-viewing experience and the beauty of the landscape. Each phase of this constant metamorphosis has an appeal in it’s own right, attracting different species and providing new opportunities for great photography.
Perhaps one of the best times of the year to visit the Mara is in June. June is the beginning of the low season for tourism in the Mara as the grasslands dry up after the long rains of April and May. The long green grass has usually already attracted tens of thousands of wildebeest from the Loita plains to the North East, and often by the end of the month, many of the Serengeti wildebeest are making their way across the Sand River, into the Mara. Being low-season, the game densities are on the rise, but the tourist numbers are still low, allowing for great sightings without too many other vehicles around.
From July to October (and sometimes into November), the Serengeti wildebeest dot the Masai Mara plains as far as the eye can see. With all the plains-game, comes many more predators as well. As the wildebeest trample and eat the long grass, finding wildlife becomes easier. It is, however, important to note that this is also high-tourism season in the mara, and higher densities of vehicles, especially in the Masai Mara National Reserve, can be expected. In Mara Naboisho Conservancy, strict limitations on visitor numbers are enforced, and your guides are well-qualified, ethical guides who follow a strict code of conduct, ensuring vehicle numbers at sightings are kept to a minimum and the wildlife is not harassed. Please see our separate page dedicated to the wildebeest migration season for more details.
Historically, Kenya’s short rainy season has taken place at the end of October and into November. If the long rains in April and May have been good, the wildebeest will often still be around at this time. However, from the second half of October until mid-December tourist numbers drop, as it is low season, and the quality of sightings, with less vehicles around, often benefits. Even when the main migration has begun making its way back to the short-grass plains of the Serengeti, the Loita wildebeest are often still around, enjoying the new growth in the Mara, knowing their Loita homeland is still dry. The high plains of Mara Naboisho afford guests great view of the entire Masai Mara ecosystem, from the Oloololo Escarpment in the West to the Siana Hills in the East, all-the while surrounded by the grunting Loita gnus.
By mid-December and into January, the rain has usually long gone, and the long grass begins to turn gold. As the areas outside Mara Naboisho dry up and the Maasai livestock grazes the grass short, the plains-game which had dispersed in times of plenty begins to return to the core area of the conservancy. In 2011, however, the short rains continued much longer than expected, and by early January, the grass growth had exceeded all previous years. This brought in record numbers of elephant, and sightings of more than 100 elephants in a day were not uncommon. With the long grass also came a huge variety of birds, all in their breeding plumage, with several species of Widowbird and Bishops floating up and down in their mating displays above the rolling plains. The long grass made it challenging to find some of the big cats, but predator sightings were still often great, with lion, cheetah, and leopard continuing to provide quality sightings on game-drives. Although sightings of big cats can never be guaranteed, especially in difficult conditions such as these, regular predator research has shown high numbers of Lion within the conservancy.
