Serengeti Vs Masai Mara – Which one should you visit?
September 11, 2024
Serengeti Vs Masai Mara – Which one should you visit?
In this article, we shall be able to give some comparison between Serengeti and Masai Mara and reasons why you will never regret visiting either of them.
Serengeti and Masai Mara, which one is better or worse than the other? Both Serengeti and Masai Mara belong to one ecosystem of Mara Serengeti separated by an international boarder. They both have incredible aspects that attribute them to being some of the most visited destinations in east Africa and Africa as a whole. Other than just wildlife, both Serengeti and Masai Mara attract visitors who have so much interest in witnessing the great wildebeest migration that is an annual occurrence that takes place in the Mara Serengeti ecosystem.
Great Wildebeest Migration
The great wildebeest migration is an annual occurrence in the Mara Serengeti ecosystem that sees millions of land animals that is; wildebeests, zebras and gazelles storming in large numbers in search of running water and green grass. This annual event occurs in both parks, however given the size of Serengeti national park, the great wildebeest migration takes longer in the Serengeti than in Masai Mara.
With January and February as the time when the migration is in southern Serengeti, the best time to witness this mesmerizing mind-blowing event is then. At this time, the wildebeests interrupt their migration to focus on giving birth. Thus, its also the peak of the calving period which attracts lots of predators until around the end of April when the young calves have become strong enough to start their very first migration.
In the months of June to July, the wildebeests are crossing the Grumeti river, another striking sighting during the great wildebeest migration. This usually occurs in the western circuits of the Serengeti. The survivors of predators are seen crossing the Mara River in Maasai mara during the months of July to August. They only stay here for a period of two months after which they head south to northern Serengeti.
Landscape
Given that both Serengeti and Masai Mara are found in the the same eco system that is; Mara Serengeti ecosystem and attract a lot of visitors all over the world all together, one might think they have the same terrain, landscape and topography.
Serengeti is much bigger with a total land area of 14,763km2 on an altitude of 1,140-2099m. Serengeti is majorly consisted of open grassland protected by other habitats like Kopje (rocky out crops) , woodlands and forests. The landscape south of Serengeti change to a hillier and more wooded terrain as you keep travelling north and eventually reaching Masai Mara.
This in comparison makes, Masai Mara with a total land area of 1,510km2 that is way smaller than Serengeti hillier than Serengeti. Although the topography is quite hilly, game drives in Masai Mara are rather interesting than expected and so many visitors across the world yearn to have a Masai Mara experience.
Wildlife in Serengeti and Masai Mara.
Both Masai Mara and the Serengeti offer quite a number of wildlife and they are pretty much similar. They are both famously and wildly known for the great wildebeest migration which sees millions of land animals (wildebeests, zebras and gazelles) move through the Mara Serengeti ecosystem looking for fresh water and green grass. They are both home to the African big five namely lions, buffalos, rhinos, elephants and leopards as well as other animals like cheetahs, antelopes, zebras among others.
Although they both offer quite the same wildlife and can easily be spotted any traveler, given the small size of Masai Mara and high density of animals, it is much easier to have crowd sightings of animals than it is in Serengeti National Park due to its much bigger size.
So, if you are planning a short African safari and want to see as many animals as possible then Masai Mara is a more viable option for you simply because its small size and high density of wildlife animals guarantees more animal sightings in the shortest time possible
Accommodations
Both parks have incredible and affordable accommodations ranging from budget to high end luxury accommodations to cater for all travelers needs. These accommodations are usually tented camps whose walls and roof are made of canvas which can range from fully furnished units to no frills stand alone twin or double bed and nothing more and hotel and resort chains that can either be located inside or outside the park.
Serengeti National Park offers more variety of accommodations that is budget, standard and luxury accommodations compared to Masai Mara which on the other hand has more of mid range accommodations making it tricky and a bit hard for budget travellers especially to find descent accommodations catering to their needs in all seasons of travel like low, high and peak seasons.
Cost
Cost is one of those factors considered when planning a safari to either Serengeti or Masai Mara. Up until 2023, safari to Masai Mara was way where cheaper than it was in Serengeti. This is because to go to Serengeti national park you have to pass through Ngorongoro conservation area which requires payment to access.
Since the beginning of 2024, entrance to Masai Mara was increased by a very significant amount making it more expensive than Serengeti. Besides, entrances, Masai mara offers most of its cheaper accommodations in the eastern circuit which results to crowding and they mostly cater to needs of mid range travelers. If you are interested in a more quiet stay, you need to pay more money to stay in the western and central circuits making an overall safari to Masai Mara more expensive.
Best to visit the park
The best time to visit either park all depends on your needs.
Generally speaking, if you are interested in possible sightings of as many wildlife animals as possible especially the predators in either park, the best time to go for a safari is in the dry season. This is because all animals are drawn to the available sources of water in the dry season and since the green lush vegetation weathers out in the dry season, it is a guarantee to spot these animals that usually hide away in content and comfort in the bush during the wet season.
However, if you are more interested in the great wildebeest migration then the best time differs for each of these parks. The exact timing actually is dependent on rainfall but you have higher chances of witnessing it in Serengeti from the months of January to July with June and July being the best time to sight see or witness the Grumeti river crossing since the surviving calves born during the time when the wildebeests interrupt the migration to give birth will have become strong enough to go for their very first migration.
The great wildebeest migration however is witnessed in the Masai Mara from the months of either July or August to October where they stay in the Mara region for only two months and later head south to the Serengeti again.
Recommended Safari packages
How to get there.
The gate way to Masai Mara is Nairobi the capital city of Kenya. It has international airports like Jomo Kenyatta International Airport which has daily departures and arrivals of flights from all over Europe, America, Asia and other African countries. One way to get to Masai Mara is through a scheduled flight to one of its airstrips after which you will be picked up and driven to your accommodation or time permitting, for your very first game drive in Masai Mara.
The other way is through a game drive considered the most adventurous way to go to Masai Mara due to possible sighting of the animals enroute not forgetting the hilly terrain which makes the game drive a thrilling and rather a more memorable one.
On the other hand, Arusha city is the way to Serengeti National Park. With Kilimanjaro international airport as the main entry point for international flights from Europe, America, Asia and Africa at large. One could choose to fly to one of the seven airstrips of Serengeti National Park with Seronera airstrip as the main airstrip from Arusha Airport that has scheduled local flights operated locally. You could opt for a game drive to Serengeti National Park allowing yourself the pleasure of viewing lots of animals like elephants and antelopes among others enroute.
Both these award-winning parks have quite similar attributes to each other as elaborated above however, below is a synopsis of similarities and differences between these two amazing parks.
First off, we start with the similarities of these two incredible parks.
Both parks are found in the same ecosystem (Mara Serengeti ecosystem)
Both parks are famous for wildebeest migration
Both parks are home to the African big 5(lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos and leopards)
Both parks are best to visit in the dry season
Both parks are found in eastern Africa.
However, below is a table outlining the differences between Masai Mara Game Reserve and Serengeti national park.
| Characteristics | Serengeti National Park | Maasai Mara Game Reserve |
| Great wildebeest migration | Takes place from January to July | Takes place from July or August to October |
| Landscape | Composed of open grassland and endless plains | It is made of a hilly terrain |
| Cost | Cheaper | More expensive |
| Size | Much bigger with total land area of 14,763km2 | Much smaller with total land area of 1,510km2 |
| Accommodations | Offers a variety of accommodations that suits needs of budget, mid range and luxury travellers | It majorly has more of mid range accommodation options leaving needs of budget travellers unmet |
| wildlife | Due to its size and low density of animals, its hard to sight see animals especially during the wet season | Its much easier to view wildlife throughout the year due to its small size and high density of animals |
Conclusion
In a nutshell, both Serengeti and Masai mara have so much to offer to its travelers given the fact that they are all found in the same ecosystem, they are quite similar and different at the same time. The detecting factor of which one you should visit all depends on your needs and capabilities. On the other hand, you can choose to visit both parks at the same time of your safari in east Africa.
Reach out to us at Serengeti Mara experts to have an in-depth insight and have your safari to these wonderful award winning parks planned in the best way possible at any time of your interest.
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Low season
Oct, Nov, Mar, Apr, may
Peak season
Jun, July, Aug, Sept, Dec