The Maasai Mara Game Reserve National Reserve in the south western part of Kenya forms part of the greater eco-system that encompasses the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is named for the Maasai people and the Mara River, which divides it but does not confine wildlife within the reserve's boundaries. The reserve is famous for its exceptional population of game and the migration of the wildebeest, which occurs here every year between July and October, depending on the arrival of the rains. There are many private conservancies to the north and east of the Maasai Mara Game Reserve where, over centuries, an almost symbiotic relationship has developed between the Maasai people and the wildlife, extending the Maasai Mara Game Reserve eco system's size.

Private conservancies were created by local Masai villages and lodge owners, who reached an agreement to lease land and employ the locals, ensuring upliftment in the Masai villages. The entire area of the park is nestled within the enormous Great Rift Valley. The Maasai Mara Game Reserve consists of open savannah, rolling grasslands and undulating hills. The western border is the Esoit Olooloo Escarpment of the Rift Valley, and wildlife tends to be most concentrated here as the swampy ground means that access to water is always good and tourist disruption is minimal. The easternmost border is 224km from Nairobi and hence it is the eastern regions which are most visited.