Safari to Mara Keekorok

rather flat and less appealing landscapes

Mara Keekorok is a large sector of the main Maasai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya.

The area is less scenically varied than most parts of the reserve, with gently undulating grasslands backed by very distant hills to the east.

There are relatively few watercourses in the area, so a distinct lack of riverine forest and seasonal ‘luggas’. This means that wildlife populations are dominated by plains animals.

Although Keekorok Lodge is only one place to stay in the area, it’s an extremely large property, which pumps out a flood of vehicles into the surrounding areas.

Traffic is significantly increased by day time raiders coming in from the very busy Sekenani Gate immediately to the north, including lots of budget minibuses.

There’s a decent balloon safari operation in this area, which mainly services guests at the lodge itself.

The Maasai Mara tends to feature in almost all safari trips to Kenya. As well as being the best known reserve, it is also the most productive for wildlife.

The usual stay duration is 4-8 nights split between two camps, less frequently 3-4 nights in just one camp.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Maasai Mara is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the migration herds are likely to be around.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing and benefits from dramatically lower visitor numbers (except for the busy Dec-Jan holiday fortnight of course).

Where to stay

When looking for accommodation in this part of the reserve we would more commonly look at the adjacent Mara Confluence area, where there is a good range of options.

dominated by one old and very large lodge