It must be made clear that Masai Mara is a reserve for mammals. Though the number of bird species is well above 450, the dispersed geography makes birdwatching here a less rewarding experience than in places where birdlife is more concentrated, such as Samburu or the great lakeside sanctuaries. In spite of all, in this section we will review as well the main bird species to be found.

In such a vast territory, it is useful to know where to look at and when. The second question has an easier answer. Dusk, and better dawn, are the best moments for wildlife watching. Specially at sunrise, nocturnal mammals are still active, while the diurnals enjoy the cool hours to move around or chase their prey. It is at this time when it is likely to witness a kill, or simply watch the big cats wandering around the grasslands, before the sun plummets over the plains and it is time to look for a shade to ease the day out.

During the central daylight hours, the excessive heat imbues the bush with a state of lassitude that shows up in the animals' behaviours. Movements are slow, racing is out of the question and wildlife flees for a shade beneath the nearest acacia. This is why safari companies schedule their game drives for dawn and dusk, leaving tourists at their lodges for the rest of the day. Albeit actually, the central hours are also very interesting for the wildlife watcher. First, the few tourists allows for a quieter enjoyment devoid of the hectic minibus races searching for lions at dawn. Besides, felines are the only diurnal animals you might find difficult to spot at full daylight (not actually true, scan the trees' shades). The remaining wildlife is visible also at this time and, unless you are only interested in watching the reality show of the kill -an attitude grossly similar to attending the bullfights or the "tablao flamenco" in Spain, making the gondola trip in Venice, or boarding the "Bateau Mouche" down the Seine in Paris, i.e. things that may be done but are not all these places have to offer-, you will enjoy your drives at any time of the day. Further, if this is not enough of an incentive, you can also witness a kill at daylight: many animals don't easily admit encroachment by human visitors and have modified their habits accordingly. It is becoming progressively frequent to watch cheetah killing at midday, which requires from them a much bigger effort and reduces the output of their races, but this is the only moment when these shy and solitary cats can perform their speedy chases without the annoying interference of vehicles.

We had a pending issue, where to look for animals. The answer to this question is not so straightforward, but here you will find some general guidelines both from my experience and from other sources. Obviously, it doesn't mean to be dogma, but just likely possibilities.

The plains from Mara river to Soit Ololol Escarpment (Esoit Oloololo or Siria), at the west part, is a favourite haunt for Masai Mara's famous black-maned lions, which usually walk these grasslands searching for prey and doze beneath the scattered acacia trees during the day. This area holds beautiful scenics, the flat topped trees vanishing in the haze before the backdrop of the far-off bluish mountains. Another place to find lions is Musiara Swamps, which actually remain dry for a great part of the year. Lions are probably the major attraction in Masai Mara: it is nearly impossible to leave the park without spotting some of them, since their population here is the largest in Kenya.

Cheetah can also be found between the Mara and Oloololo, as well as in the Talek area, along the Sekenani-Talek road. The solitary prairies near Sand River are also a good place to spot these beautiful animals lying beneath the acacia trees.

Leopards abound in Masai Mara, but their nocturnal and tree-climbing habits make them difficult targets, usually camouflaged among the high branches on top of the acacia canopy, not far away from the water courses. In Masai Mara there are uncountable trees and plenty of streams, reason why sightings are not an everyday routine. You may find their prints on the sandy Mara riverbanks at the north end, outside the limits of the reserve.

The spotted hyena's ungraceful silhouette can be seen romping about at anytime. They usually drop by the big herds, coveting the remains of the lions' or cheetah's banquets. But far from this cliché which has granted them the general dislike -partly enhanced by the Disney factory-, the truth is that hyenas also earn for a living, but usually kill by night. It wouldn't be atypical that the carcass you find at dawn surrounded by a lion pride really corresponds to prey killed by hyenas during the night. On the other hand, and despite their ugly look, watching the activity in a hyenas' den makes a very enjoyable while.

Herbivores can be seen anyplace at the reserve. Elephants feed on the foliage beside the rivers and they can be sighted in family groups marching through the plains, as well as around the Musiara Swamps. Black rhinos are a hard prey for the photographer, since they hide amongst the bush to browse the trees and shrubs, but it is possible to get a glance of their far-off silhouette standing out against the shrubbery over a hill at Rhino Ridge. Now the park also hosts a couple of white rhino imported from South Africa. Elands, with their corpulent ox-like aspect, can be observed around the bushlands and at the hills' slopes. Wildebeests, zebras, Thomson's and Grant's gazelles, Maasai giraffes, Coke's hartebeests or Kongonis, impalas, warthogs and buffalos inhabit nearly every region in the park.

Masai Mara is the home of some mammalian species sparsely found in other Kenyan parks. The topi, a bluish antelope with a glossy coat and resembling a Kongoni, is seldom seen in other parks except the Mara. Highly gregarious, topis make up big herds which usually appoint a sentinel on duty. Other species with limited distribution is Roan antelope, a voluminous animal with a proud standing and thick and long curved horns that in Kenya can only be seen at the southwestern sector of Masai Mara, at Shimba Hills reserve and at Ruma national park (formerly Lambwe Valley). Finally, the bat-eared fox, a nice pet with unmeasured ears, is quite a common sighting, since its bulky lairs are easily identified.

I mentioned above that I wouldn't forget the birds. Raptors monopolise the starring with more than 50 species. Vultures are omnipresent, flying in circles above the herds stalked by predators, on the ground at a cautious distance from the lions and their fresh prey, or finally dipping their beaks and their whole heads into the prey's viscera, once lions and hyenas have enjoyed the most exquisite portions. Marabou storks, probably the weirdest and ugliest birds in the universe, also prowl around carrion. Looking at their badly disfigured faces so strongly reminding the murderer of the wax museum's crimes, it is hard to believe that their feathers were once a luxury article for high-cradle ladies and high-bed starlettes. Other prey birds populating the grassy plains are the secretary birds, with their civil servant look wearing visor and oversleeves, wandering about with their "arms" at the back looking for reptiles. The crowned cranes roam around the marshes, as do many species of migratory waterbirds, specially during the rains. The riverbanks shelter beautiful Schalow´s and Ross's turacos, Pel's fishing owls and nervous flocks of crested Guinea fowls. The driest lands are the habitat for ground hornbills and Jackson's and Hartlaub's bustards.