What to do and see in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Rift Valley Province: The Best Things to do Good for Adrenaline Seekers

January 21, 2022 Hana Mouser

Maybe your local zoo has lions, leopards, zebras or elephants. Maybe they even have wildebeest. But we bet they don't have 1.3 million wildebeest—never mind 1.3 million wildebeest in migration, with predators in hot pursuit. It's one of the most awesome sights in nature, and you can see it at Masai Mara in southwestern Kenya.
Restaurants in Maasai Mara National Reserve

1. East Africa Adventure Tours and Safaris

Maasai Mara National Reserve Kenya +254 722 106172 [email protected] http://www.adventureeastafrica.com/
Excellent
86%
Good
9%
Satisfactory
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Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 256 reviews

East Africa Adventure Tours and Safaris

Welcome to East Africa Adventures Tours and Safaris. We have 10 years experience as tour operators in Kenya.We offer trips or safaris tailor-made to your specifications, allowing you to explore this wild and beautiful land in any way you desire. The possibilities are limitless: from the familiar National Parks and Reserves to the more unknown and remote locales, from popular game lodges to exclusive boutique ranches, from balloon tours to camel-back safaris.

Reviewed By ramadeyrao

We chose the 14 days trip (exclusively for us) with Fred (East Africa Adventure Tours and Safaris). Overall an excellent never-to-be-forgotten vacation with 3 boat safaris, 7 national parks, including travel by road, and small aircrafts. 5 countries in all. The exquisitely good, the not so good... but MOSTLY the FABULOUS...... 1) Exclusive safaris planned and unplanned out for the two of us with excellent vehicles and executed with relative ease causing least anxiety to us. Lake Naivasha was unplanned and we are so grateful to Leonard for diverting us for a few hours there . Peaceful yet full of diversity in fauna -boat safari. Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara have to be experienced. Unique. The long drives were safe and fine EXCEPT the middle of the road stop between Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara for lunch. THAT stop needs to be taken off the agenda for all future clients. The food is awful , there are flies and there is really no need. Better a packed lunch. I am not a fan of the hot air balloon ride because it scared the animals when close to the ground but it was a rare experience so I am glad I did it. Expensive. Also due to our own fault we broke our camera right here and so the rest of the trip was with our phone cameras and Bryson's camera that he lent us to use. Oh well.... hakuna matata! The wait for 3-5 hours at the airport in Masai Mara Park to catch the flight to Migori could have been avoided if the front desk could have been queried about whether the plane was going to be on-time. A lunch could have been packed knowing that the plane was late. We did not get to eat till late afternoon when Bryson picked us up at Seronara airport in Tanzania and we bought some biscuits. Leonard made a quick drive into the forest during the delay time to try and get us to see a leopard and I will give him kudos for trying. But it was awkward.Travel glitches do happen and we were ready to weather them. I have to also comment on Leonard's excellent instincts as a naturalist. As we were driving out of Nakuru a full grown male baboon entered our 9 seater jeep through the open top. Quite aggressive. Picked up bag, picked out lens, dropped it... Leonard stopped. Faced the baboon and we stayed silent in our seats. Leonard did not speed away as I might have expected but calmly and forcefully faced the baboons ( the first was followed by 3 : all full grown males) one by one and they climbed out. Only after that did we drive on. I was extremely impressed and wanted him to know how much we appreciated that episode. To know that yes we are always dealing with animals in their habitat and it is not our place to scream and yell but to deal with circumstances the best we can and hope for the best outcome. That was a wild encounter perhaps a bit too close for comfort but we were heartened to see no harm come out of it and the strength of being with an excellent naturalist guide. 2) Knowledgeable naturalist guides with experience in both spotting and tracking. 3) Friendly 5 star tented resorts and lodges. Special thanks to Flamingo Hill Tented Camp in Lake Nakuru, Sopa Lodge outside Masai Mara Nat Park , Sound of Silence (a fabulous 5 star tented camp last minute alternative with exclusive dinner prepared for each guest ) at Serengeti Nat Park, Ngorungoru Farm House (most impressed to know that all food products were produced within the campus), and Ol Tukai Lodge at Amboseli. The best by far (by way of service) was Protea Hotel Livingstone, Zambia. I am biased because it was our wedding anniversary and although I had requested a surprise for my husband they went ALL OUT with champagne, fruits, flower decorations et al. Thank you ALL. I left little personal gifts in most places and I am hoping they were appreciated. The massages at Flamingo and FarmHouse are appreciated much and I hope the gifts were liked. It might be a good idea to inform your guests that there are resorts inside the parks. We would have absolutely chosen that. It cuts down the driving to the park, although we saw a whole lot even in those drives. So no worries about that. 4) The safaris were comprehensive. The best were at Serengeti and Ngorugoru where Bryson made sure of the packed breakfast and lunches and we were in the forest from 6am to 6pm. That is the way to maximize on what we experienced in the forest. (I hope you wife made use of the tiny gifts Bryson) All other guides could take a page from Bryson. Some guests might like the more relaxed lunch at resort, sleep in afternoons but it is a good idea to gauge right away who your guests are and what they want. Forcing them to return to lodges to have lunches is not always the best choice. Our water and land safaris at Chobe National Park, Botswana which we planned ourselves with the help of the Protea Hotel concierge at Livingstone , Zambia were spectacular. Not only did we get our very close encounter with leopard #4 but it was guarding a recently dead elephant which was a scene never to be forgotten. We spotted the rare sable antelopes which were spectacular. But they are so shy that we could not capture them in photos. Neither did we capture the many dik dik we spotted for the same reason or the ant-lion in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park in Livingstone, Zambia. Victoria Falls was very dry, although we could appreciate the immensity of what must be during season: we were happy to be in it's presence at all. Each National Park was better than the one before in diversity of flora and fauna. Each was special. I was interested in the flora since I am a botanist by training. So every tree had to be named. (Sorry!) and the diversity in Mosi-oa-Tunya especially was delightful. Whether watching the caldera through dried LeonOtis in Ngorungoru or spying the Euphorbia candelabra far away or the sausage tree (Kigelia), Adansonia (my favorite) , Coffee Bauhinia , Mopane , Rain tree, monkey-bread (piliostigma) Mungongo nut which our guide picked up delightedly from the elephant dung and cracked one for me to eat (delicious!!) or the Impala midden from which he picked out the perfectly sized poop to demonstrate them and talked of the poop spitting competitions they had when boys. It was just delightful. For biologists it is a dream come true. If you can... you MUST. Rama Dey-Rao, PhD

2. Governors’ Balloon Safaris

Excellent
94%
Good
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5.0 based on 407 reviews

Governors’ Balloon Safaris

Governors Balloon Safaris offer Hot Air Balloon Safaris over the Mara River, forests and plains of the Masai Mara National Reserve. The adventure begins just before dawn. Departure is from a perfect natural launch site behind Little Governors' Camp, and flames from the hot air balloon burners light the darkness as the crews inflate their craft. The first, pink tongues of sunlight flicker across the skies as the hot air balloon fills, then rises. Suspended in a basket beneath the rainbow-coloured canopy, you're off for a wildlife viewing adventure with an entirely different perspective. What amazes most first-time balloonists is the absolute stillness: the silence as you float above the plains, the forest and the rivers of the Masai Mara. Even if you've flown elsewhere, this is a unique experience. The flight lasts an hour or so, drifting wherever the air currents take you, and with ample opportunities for photography and video filming. Then your Kenyan Hot Air Balloon Safari finishes with a flourish. In the time honoured tradition of balloon flights the world over, you toast your return to earth with a champagne breakfast, cooked wherever you land. The Balloon Safari ends with a transfer back to camp. We can collect from other nearby camps in the Masai Mara. Governors has been pioneering immersive and transformational safaris in the Mara since 1972. We were the first operators to be permanently based inside the Mara, our site was chosen for its prime location and was the designated “getaway” for the Governors of Kenya. Unfenced and right in the heart of the action. Our camps are Located in some of the best and most precious Wildlife Locations in the world. We are a family with a colourful cast of characters that embodies the spirit of safari, while placing the care of the environment, community and conservation at the heart of everything we do.

3. Mara Triangle

83 Muthaiga Road, Maasai Mara National Reserve 00619 Kenya (254) 3749-632 [email protected] http://www.maratriangle.org/
Excellent
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5.0 based on 809 reviews

Mara Triangle

The Mara is a beautiful but sensitive environment that can survive only if properly respected. Well-watered by the Mara River, enjoying abundant vegetation, wildlife and rainfall, its ecology would appear, at first sight, to be relatively resilient. It also appears to have withstood the erosive effects of huge numbers of visiting tourists extraordinarily well. There are signs, however, that the delicate balance between tourist numbers and wildlife populations cannot be properly maintained for much longer as evidenced by the reduction in the protective vegetation cover and the emergence of a series of dust bowls. Meanwhile, the Reserve is host to 95 species of mammals, amphibians and other reptiles and 485 species of birds. During the dry season (July to October) it also hosts a major concentration of migratory herbivores including about 250,000 zebra and 1.3 million wildebeest. Amongst the list of easy-to-view species are: gazelle, elephant, topi, buffalo, lion (Kenya's largest population), black rhino, hippo, hyena, giraffe, leopard and mongoose.

Reviewed By flexivelkenyasafaris - Nairobi, Kenya

Mara triangle is among the best parks within Masai Mara.you get to find that their roads are well maintained,signs on the roads with speed limits e.t.c I can not hesitate to recommend to any traveler to choose the Mara triangle. Game viewing is perfect especially when the great wildebeest migration is on. While watching the animals,you are allowed off-road driving in a supervised manner,where by sometimes the rangers will supervise that. Thanks for that Mara triangle management.

4. ToKenya.com

Excellent
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5.0 based on 144 reviews

ToKenya.com

At ToKenya we pride ourselves in safaris that are authentic, intimate and ethical. Because we know a safari is a rare and intrepid journey, we keep all our tours completely customizable without charging a penny more. This isn’t a fable, this is our Africa. Let us paint a picture; Sunrise game drives in a private vehicle – the rich colors of the Savanah, and only the big cats and wild herds to share it with. Gourmet picnic baskets beside the river, watching in wonder at wide mouthed hippos wallowing in the mud. Afternoon plunges in your private pool, walking with Masai tribes and sundowners in sight of Kilimanjaro. Evening bush walks with your personal guide, watching leopards hunt by the first slither of moonlight. Silver suppers beneath the stars, and a blissful sleep in a feather bed…

5. Mara River

Maasai Mara National Reserve 00200 Kenya
Excellent
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4.5 based on 1,953 reviews

Mara River

Reviewed By cdiet - Albuquerque, United States

AfricanMecca Safari scheduled the most wonderful safari I ever had. AfricanMecca Safari is very accommodating to your individual plans and schedule. I had a wonderful trip. Everything was perfectly organized by AfricanMecca Safaris to my entire satisfaction. This trip not only met my expectations, but was even better than expected. I stayed at the Little Governors' Camp. I loved the personalized attention, the tents, the food, the service. Everything was fabulous. Above all, of course, were the safari rides. My driver and guide was Joseph who was awesome. I was able to obtain very close photographs and videos of many animals. The highlight of this trip was watching the Great Wildebeest Migration. We could see the first crossing of the Mara River in 2018 taking place right in front of our eyes. We were the third Jeep to arrive to the scene, so we had an excellent viewpoint. Thousands and thousands of wildebeest, and many zebras kept crossing the river. We were there watching one of the best wonders of nature during almost 2 hours. Unbelievable! Unforgettable! Awesome! I highly recommend visiting the Masai Mara National Reserve which is is best place to watch the Great Wildebeest Migration with hundreds of thousands of wildebeest crossing the Mara River.

6. Skyship Co. Balloon Safaris

Excellent
81%
Good
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4.5 based on 91 reviews

Skyship Co. Balloon Safaris

An amazing experience flying over one of the best preserved areas of the planet. Our equipment is what's best on the market in security matter, and our pilots have extensive flight experience in the "Mara Triangle." At the end of the flight join us at the "coffee savanna," where our chefs prepare a delicious meal, accompanied by a toast with champagne ... You deserve it!

7. Kenya Walking Survivors Safaries

Excellent
82%
Good
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4.5 based on 549 reviews

Kenya Walking Survivors Safaries

The only way to appreciate Africa is to walk or cycle on its earth, watch birds in its bushes, lakes and plains, track animals in their natural habitats in an impossible way. Let's Explore the African rich biodiversity with the wilderness Expert. Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris is a professional Tour Operator based in Nairobi Kenya who shares with you the incredible sights, sounds and the taste of africa. Our Mission Is to promote tourism in the world, starting with Africa by providing tourists from all over the world diversified tourist products and services through a team of highly qualified tour operators. Therefore our major concern is to provide all level of personalized services built on your budget, passion, dreams and time. Our Goal Our goal is to satisfy our customers by giving the best services, according to their demands. To us the customer is supreme. The safaris we offer are dedicated to provide you with a legendry journey which will lead you to magical and mystical places of Nature's wonderland and to show you East Africa in an African Perspective.

8. Adventures Aloft Balloon Safari

Excellent
61%
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4.0 based on 135 reviews

Adventures Aloft Balloon Safari

The Masai Mara Kenya's most precious jewel and there is no better way to enjoy the magic of the park than from the air ! Adventures Aloft flies daily from Fig Tree Camp and Siana Springs in the Masai Mara game reserve. Flights take off at 6.30 Each morning in time with the sunrise and allow one to experience an eagle's view of the Masai Mara and all it's beauty. To complete the celebration a champagne breakfast is served on the Mara plains after the flight , complete with butler service and an open bar. Adventures Aloft organizes pick up services from most Mara camps and lodges.

9. Hot Air Safaris

Excellent
76%
Good
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4.5 based on 152 reviews

Hot Air Safaris

10. Transworld Hot Air Balloon Safaris

Excellent
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4.5 based on 48 reviews

Transworld Hot Air Balloon Safaris

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