Hanging out with the Masai in the Masai Mara

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
9
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
8
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
7
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
6
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
9
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
9
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
77 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
71st/454
Top 20%
continent
Africa
country
Kenya
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$250 (typically $160 - $350)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Local villages Safari Wildlife - Lions
All Tags
4WD Camping Wildlife - Crocodiles Wildlife - Eagles Wildlife - Elephants Wildlife - Leopards
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

The Masai Mara immediately conjures up images of being a kid watching your first David Attenborough wildlife documentary, with lions, leopards and cheetahs chasing gazelles, impalas and wildebeest . . . and indeed that is the immediate thought.  But the Masai Mara is also home of the Masai who run all things around here and who, themselves, are one of the highlights.  Spending the time with them in their bright red and black shukasas as they take you for a wander around the plains and through their villages is a magical experience and, if in Kenya, unmissable.

What was particularly interesting / funny for me was how the traditional living still bumps into the modern world – I remember distinctly being woken up one morning very early in my tent by one of the Masai Warriors to then be taken on a walk to see the animals in their morning routines.  We started off the conversation about how he lived, how he wants to be one of the leaders of the village so needs to learn how to jump high, and how he killed a lion when he was younger in his brutal initiation.  Felt full blown colonial adventurer with world’s colliding.  By the time I came back, we were discussing Manchester United’s preferred midfield and he was showing me his fantasy football team on his smart phone!  Amazing stuff.

Highlights

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#1 Hanging out with the Masai and seeing the way that they live. In the world of smart phones, its not always the way you expect!

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#2 Getting to see the sheer number of lions across the Mara . . . and knowing that the right of passage for a Masai Warrior is to kill one

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#3 Seeing the hundreds and hundreds of elephants roaming

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#4 Those classic Africa savanna backdrops, especially as it's just about to rain

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#5 Learning some of the techniques for how the Masai live. Basic stuff at times, but just a great insight into their every day lives

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#6 Seeing the hundreds of hippos that guard so many of the rivers. Hint - don't go anywhere near them

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#7 Heading out on a walk through the Mara with the Masai warriors as you guide

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#8 Seeing, and avoiding, the pesky but quite terrifying baboons

Travel Tips

I visited the Masai Mara as part of an overland tour from Victoria Falls to Nairobi, so my tips for this experience will be very short as everything was organised for us.  But a few high level points to consider before you make your trip there:

 

  • Terminology – the Masai Mara, Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Conservation Area are all distinct national parks, but they all sit within the broader Serengeti ecosystem.  The Masai Mara is in Kenya, whereas the other two are across the border in Tanzania
  • Masai Mara or Serengeti – firstly, they are both fantastic experiences.  I know that sounds like a bit of a cop out but they really are – do both if you can!  That being said, I think your choice comes down to:
    • Resident animals compared to migrators – the Serengeti is more dependent on the migrations of the herds which are determined by the time of year (see below), whereas the Masai Mara (and Ngorongoro Crater) have more resident animals
    • Time of year – if visiting in August to October, the choice is simple – go to the Masai Mara because that is where the Great Migration of Wildebeest (and the other grazers and predators) will be happening with the world-famous, and daunting, crossing of the Mara River.  January to March (calving season) and June to August (see the Great Migration in Tanzania), make more sense for the Serengeti National Park.  April to June, the herds will be in the west of the Serengeti but it will be wet
    • Culture vs nature – the Masai Mara offers the opportunity for staying with and learning from the Masai, which you will not find as an option in the the Serengeti.  In comparison, the Ngorongoro Crater, which you will naturally want to visit as part of your Serengeti National Park trip, is the world’s largest unbroken crater and offers stunning views that outclass anything in the Masai Mara
    • Kenya or Tanzania – with the Serengeti being in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya, it’s worth thinking which more appeals to you.  I’d probably lean more towards Tanzania because, when looking outside of safari-style options, the trip to Zanzibar is something Kenya can’t offer (and you can see Zanzibar’s 5 highlights in this travel entry).  Of course, its better just to visit both
    • For tips on a the Serengeti, see this travel entry – Safari in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater
  • Stay with the Masai and take your time to research the options – they will look after you, feed you, show you their way of life and take you out for walks in the reserve.  Again, this is their place – makes sense to have them host you.  We were fortunate enough to have all of our time planned ahead for us, but I’ve heard many friends who visited with different experiences, so do some research on best villages to stay in.  You want a genuine feeling of being with the Masai, not a classic package tour
  • Staying in the Masai Mara is expensive – but bear in mind that everything will be included in that price, like food, tours etc
  • It’s traditional living, but you’re still connected to the modern world – I remember distinctly being woken up very early in a tent by one of the Masai Warriors to then be taken on a walk to see the animals in their morning routines.  We started off the conversation about how he lived, how he wants to be one of the leaders of the village so needs to learn how to jump high, and how he killed a lion when he was younger as his initiation to being a warrior for the tribe.   By the time I came back, we were discussing Manchester United’s preferred midfield and he was showing me his fantasy football team on his smart phone.   Can never truly escape it, but then again I think that added to the overall experience

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The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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