Big Cats, Vast Plains, Wildebeest River Crossings
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is Kenya's most celebrated wildlife area — 1,510 km² of open savannah in Kenya's southwest, forming the northern extension of Tanzania's Serengeti ecosystem. It is named for the Maasai people who have lived beside it for centuries and the Mara River that cuts through it carrying the lives of millions of animals each year.
The Mara is exceptional year-round. Lions are abundant — large prides with overlapping territories roam the open plains and have been studied here longer than anywhere else on Earth. Leopards drape themselves over acacia branches in the Mara Triangle. Cheetah mothers teach cubs to hunt on the short-grass flats. Elephant herds cross from the Serengeti. Hippos grunt through the night in the Mara River pools. The Big Five are present every day of the year.
The Great Migration River Crossings
From July to October, the northern migration arrives from the Serengeti and the Mara River crossings begin. A million wildebeest approach the steep banks, pace nervously, and then — in a moment of collective nerve — plunge in. The crocodiles are waiting. Some wildebeest make it; many do not. It is raw, dramatic, overwhelming, and unlike anything else in nature. Tour operators position vehicles along the best crossing points; our Kigali car rental driver knows exactly where to go.
Kigali Car Rental to Maasai Mara
The drive from Kigali to Maasai Mara takes two days via Uganda or Tanzania — typically Kigali–Kampala–Nairobi, then southwest to the Mara gate. Our Kigali car rental service provides a Land Cruiser V8 with roof hatch for game viewing, Kenya cross-border permit, and an experienced driver who knows the Mara. We can also arrange a Nairobi stopover for those flying in through JKIA airport.