Experience the Magic of the Masai Mara in December
Visiting the Masai Mara in December is a unique and rewarding safari experience. The recent brief rains turned the plains into a vivid green haven, drawing in sizeable groups of elephants, antelopes, and buffalo, as well as offering ideal cover for predators like lions, cheetahs, and leopards hunting prey. Calving season is also here, and it is when many baby gazelles and wildebeests take their initial steps, which results in touching wildlife moments. Migrating birds fill the skies, making December ideal for birdwatching. Fewer tourists mean more exclusive game drives, plus dramatic sunsets offer amazing photos. Native Africa Tours customizes your December Masai Mara safari to your preferences, ensuring thrilling predator encounters, peaceful landscapes, and cultural experiences with the Maasai.
As per the Masai Mara travel calendar, December marks the start of the short rains. But what is interesting is that the occurrence of rain doesn’t disrupt normal game-viewing excursions. Afternoon rain showers may occur, but the weather stays warm and humid. The temperatures can vary from 15 to 27 degrees Celsius. The rains also bring new life to the Mara savanna plains with lush greenery, vegetation, and abundant animals, including newborns and varied bird species.
Around December, most wildlife on the Mara plains, including topis, impalas, gazelles, and warthogs, would have already given birth. Males re-establish their territories, often after a rain shower. At the Musiari marsh area, woodlands, and plains near the Governors’ camp, visitors can enjoy sights of lions. Most of the lions hunt warthogs, buffalo, waterbucks, and Grant’s gazelles around this area. You can spot leopards on the lush forest side at the Mara Camps.
What can you see in the Masai Mara at the end of the Year?
Amazing encounters await nature lovers in December, including newborns, predators, birds, and resident wildlife. The main wildlife highlights in December include the calving season for zebras, wildebeest, and various antelopes.
The diverse predators found in the Masai Mara in December include cheetahs, lions, and others. You can spot them in large numbers while they hunt newborn animals, providing you with an incredible game viewing experience.
Most of the resident species found on the plains of Masai Mara include elephants, buffalo, and giraffes, plus diverse antelope families. Different migratory birds also join the various resident species, making December the prime time for bird-watching.
Top things to enjoy in Masai Mara at the End of the Year
Visiting Masai Mara in December comes with diverse experiences for you to be part of. They include hot-air balloon tours, game drives, walking safaris, and Maasai village visits.
- Game drives: December stands out as one of the best months of the year to enjoy guided game drives. Most wildlife can be active this month, and sightings include zebras, lions, elephants, buffalo, cheetahs, wildebeest, rhinos, leopards, hyenas, honey badgers, and gazelles. Besides the astonishing wildlife encounters, the reserve’s landscape is lush, offering an incredible natural appeal.
- Hot-air balloon experiences: Rise above the plains on a hot-air balloon tour as you explore Masai Mara differently. Hot-air balloon tours offer a unique wildlife encounter from the normal guided game drives. Visitors can choose to take part in the sunrise and sunset balloon tours.
- Walking safaris: Guided nature walks offer a more intimate wilderness experience to nature enthusiasts. Unlike the rest of the activities, bushwalking safaris offer adventure-packed experiences. You have time to penetrate deeper into the wild while monitoring a variety of wildlife that surprisingly comes your way. Masai Mara offers safe and memorable bushwalking safaris. You can spot a variety of wildlife on a guided bushwalking excursion in the Maasai Mara, including zebras, gazelles, wildebeest, elephants, and predators. You can safely sight predators from a distance.
- Birding: Yes, Masai Mara is ideal for birding in December. Birders can enjoy sights of the migratory and resident birds. The variety of migratory birds comes from Europe and North Africa. The Masai Mara Reserve is home to approximately 470 bird species. They include Kori bustards, secretary birds, woolly-necked storks, goliath herons, saddle-billed storks, Ross’s turacos, lilac-breasted rollers, Ayres’s hawk-eagle, African fin foot, yellow-throated sandgrouse, tabora cisticola, Schawlow’s turacos, rufous-necked wryneck, Southern ground hornbill, and grey penduline tit.
Popular Accommodations to Stay in Masai Mara
Masai Mara National Reserve features a variety of comfortable accommodation options ranging from budget to luxury. Here are the top safari lodges and camps to consider for an overnight stay;
- Mara Plains Camp: This luxury lodge is in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy and is in a game-rich spot. It is an ideal place to stay, especially for nature lovers interested in intimate safaris.
- Angama Mara: Angama Mara offers more than just comfortable accommodations; it provides an immersive and unforgettable safari experience. This exceptional safari lodge, perched atop the Oloololo escarpment, allows guests to enjoy breathtaking panoramic views of the sprawling Masai Mara plains stretching out below. From this vantage point, you can witness the drama of the African wilderness unfold, with opportunities to spot wildlife right from the lodge itself.
- Mara Serena Safari Lodge: This is a perfect place to retire for the night on a Kenya safari in Masai Mara. This is exceptional accommodation to consider for an overnight stay, especially for guests interested in a blend of safari adventure and luxury stay.
- Sanctuary Olonana Safari Lodge: This is an ideal spot for families or couples to embark on a retreat. This lodge features a swimming pool and glass-sided suites offering an excellent wildlife viewing experience.
- Elewana Sand River Camp is suitably set in the remotest region of the Masai Mara. Other places to consider for overnight stay include &Beyond Bateleur Camp, Cottar’s 1920s Safari Camp, Saruni Mara, Sala’s Camp, Mara Kempinski, Elephant Pepper Camp, &Beyond Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Ol Seki Hemingway’s Mara Camp, Eagle View Camp, Basecamp Masai Mara, and Richard’s River Camp.
How to get to Masai Mara
- By road: using a 4×4 safari vehicle, drive off from Nairobi for about 5-6 hours, or you can also connect from the nearby parks, including Lake Nakuru and Amboseli National Park. At Masai Mara, you can have access through the entry gates, which include Sekenani, Sand River, Oloololo, Musiara, and Talek. The park entry fee stands at USD 200 per day, and you must have clearance to enter to kick-start your wilderness expeditions.
- By air: start your flight from Wilson Airport to the airstrips accessible within 45-60 minutes. The main airstrips that serve the Mara Reserve include Musiara airstrip, Keekorok, Serena, Siana, and Ol Kiombo.
Packing for a Masai Mara tour
The packing list for Masai Mara should comprise a pair of socks, long-sleeved shirts, comfortable walking or hiking shoes, a camera for photography, all relevant travel documents, a torch, cargo pants, a rain jacket, and insect repellents. Other essentials include sunscreen, sunglasses, a safari hat, a pair of binoculars, and more.
Visiting Masai Mara in December is a secret treasure for Kenyan safaris. This is the ideal month for travelers seeking adventure and peace, with verdant scenery, plentiful wildlife, calving season events, and fewer people. December in the Mara presents unforgettable moments, from thrilling hunts to peaceful birdwatching and vibrant cultural encounters.
Native Africa Tours designs custom December safaris with guided game drives, select lodges, and cultural activities. We make sure every detail is perfect, and every memory lasts, whether for a romantic trip, family vacation, or a photography adventure.
Are you ready to see the best of the green-season Masai Mara?
Reach out to Native Africa Tours if you are planning on visiting Masai Mara in December for a safari.
