Of course, the road conditions is another factor to take into account, and you can not tell this on the maps. Speaking generally, no access road to Masai Mara is in good condition. The range varies from acceptable to abominable. This without adding the rain factor, which during the wet season quagmires the tracks and makes driving even tougher.

Because of all, a large number of visitors chooses to travel to the Mara by plane. Air Kenya offers two scheduled flights daily from Wilson Airport in Nairobi. The trip lasts a mere 45 minutes, for the six hours plus that the road traveller will bear, obligatorily in a 4WD vehicle. Not to talk about buses, which only cover the distance to the town of Narok, still far off the reserve.

From Nairobi:

Don't be deceived by the 270 km distance from Nairobi: it will take you some six hours just to the eastern side of the reserve, to which you should add -if this is your case- the driving time within the limits. In Nairobi, take the A104 road toward Naivasha and Nakuru. After passing the Kikuyu Escarpment, holding your breath with the Rift Valley views and descending to the bed of Kedong Valley, at Maai-mahiu take the left turn-off toward Narok along the B3 road. Some 15-20 km past Narok, the road reaches Ewaso Ngiro, where there is a crossroad. From here there are two possibilities for accessing the reserve:

Option A: this is the most frequent route, leading to the eastern sector of the park, where Keekorok Lodge is located. At Ewaso Ngiro, turn left to the C12. Some 40 km ahead the road divides. Both tracks lead to Masai Mara, but to different gates, and converge within the reserve at Keekorok Lodge. The one at the right is the main access, leading to Sekenani Main Gate. The left route reaches Ololamutiek Gate crossing a collapsed bridge (1998), but it is passable for a 4WD vehicle.

Option B: less used because of its worse conditions and mud abundance after the rains. At Ewaso Ngiro, go straight ahead along the B3 some 40 km more up to Ngorengore. At this town turn left to the C13. From here there are two further choices. The first one is driving straight to Oloololo Gate and Kichwa Tembo Camp, at the western side of the reserve. The second option is turning left at Aitong to the E177. This track leads to the eastern sector through Talek Gate.

If you depart from Naivasha you have two main routes for reaching Ewaso Ngiro, from where the two options mentioned under "from Nairobi" apply.

Option A: take the main A104 road heading for Nairobi. At Maai-mahiu, turn right to the B3 towards Narok and Ewaso Ngiro. This is the preferred access because it uses a stretch of the main highway.

Option B: just south of the lake, take the right turn-off to the C88. This track crosses the Mau Escarpment and offers beautiful sights, but becomes heavily muddy during the rains. It finally reaches the B3, which you will take right heading for Narok and Ewaso Ngiro.

From Nakuru:

The Nakuru case is similar to that mentioned for Naivasha. Basically there are two possibilities, one is more straightforward and scenic but more complicated, and the other one uses a stretch of the main A104 highway to Nairobi. Both routes reach Ewaso Ngiro, at the B3. From here the route is the same as in "from Nairobi".

Option A: take the main A104 highway to Naivasha. See "from Naivasha".

Option B: in Nakuru, take the road heading south to Njoro and Mau Narok across the Mau Escarpment. This track is a quagmire during the rains. The road finally leads to the B3 at Narok, then turn right to Ewaso Ngiro.

From the north (Kericho):

Take the C23 southward heading for Kisii and turn left at Litein to the paved road that covers some 40 km before reaching Bomet. Here, turn left to the B3. From this track you can drive down to Masai Mara taking the C13 at Ngorengore (some 40 km off Bomet) or either the C12 at Ewaso Ngiro, as explained under "from Nairobi".

Option A: take the main A1 highway heading south for Tanzania. Past Migori, at Suna, little before reaching the border, there is a left turn-off toward Lolgorien and Masai Mara. This track crosses the Soit Ololol Escarpment and is very steep in places. You will enter the reserve through Oloololo Gate, at the western sector (Transmara).

Option B: from Kisii take the B3 eastward to Keroka and Sotik. Head on along this road passing Bomet and Kapkimolwa to drive down the C13 from Ngorengore or the C12 from Ewaso Ngiro, as explained under "from Nairobi".

From Tanzania:

This option is possible only if you travel in your own vehicle, since the renting companies do not generally allow for it unless there is a previous express agreement under special circumstances. There is in fact a gate to Masai Mara from Serengeti, Sand River Gate. This access is seldom used and there is a 12 km distance between both countries' border posts. If you enter Kenya from here, you will initiate the immigration paperwork that you will need to complete in Nairobi.

I've heard of some case in which someone has crossed the border in a rented car using what they call "green arguments", that is, plain and simple bribe. Please, avoid this practice, do not support corruption, otherwise you will lose the right to complain about it or about any abuse you might suffer.

A first important consideration is the location of your chosen lodging. Many visitors who opt for an accommodation outside the reserve don't even get to cross the limits. Masai Mara is one of the most expensive parks and, conversely to what happens in others, animals abound outside the protected grounds. The dispersal area north and east of the reserve is equally rich in wildlife, with the only difference that there are Maasai settlings. The only problem for those choosing this option is that south of the B3 road there are no communications connecting the different tracks leading to the gates, therefore a vehicle coming from Nairobi must make a detour to reach the northwest of Masai Mara without entering the reserve. In fact, the route from Kericho is frequently used in such cases, since remains passable even during the rains.

In any case, all roads lead to Masai Mara and within the reserve it is possible to pass easily from one sector to the other, albeit making a long detour, since the crossing is at the south limit of the reserve and the country. This New Mara Bridge is located along the reserve's main road, the E176, which connects Keekorok Lodge with Oloololo Gate. There is a second bridge over the Mara, but it lies outside the reserve, northwest of the limits shortly after Oloololo Gate.

Keekorok Lodge, where the E176 dies, is the main crossroads in Masai Mara. From here three roads spread to Talek Gate (E177), Sekenani Gate (C12) and Ololamutiek Gate (E301), respectively. The C12 comes from Ewaso Ngiro and does not end at Keekorok, but it follows southward past the lodge to Sand River Gate, at the Kenya-Tanzania border.

Apart from this main network, there is a web of minor roads in different conditions, some of them passable all the year round and others flooded during the rainy season, specially at the northwest. Off-track driving over the years, in addition to damaging the substrate, has caused the sprouting of wheel-track tangles that are hard to discern from the authorised roads. Though the maps available are generally far from perfect, this makes their utilisation even more complicated. This and the vast reserve's surface make it easy to get lost in Masai Mara, unless you use a GPS and you are armed with a good collection of waypoints. As a general advice, if you are convinced that you see a road, use it, but bear in mind that you might not find it in the map. Keep a record of your movements in a log book: if you get lost, you will want to be able to trace your steps back. Getting lost, but knowing how to "find yourself" again, is the best way to leave the beaten tracks for discovering landscapes and wildlife in solitude.

The extension of the regions to explore will depend on the time you devote to the reserve, but if your visit is short, you might pay special attention to the areas highlighted in the next section, according to your particular preferences.

In general, lodges are equipped with a filling station. They usually keep a good fuel provision, but drought might affect the regularity of supply.