Masai Mara National Reserve

Masai Mara National Reserve sits in that useful middle ground between “too obscure to bother with” and “too famous to enjoy.”

Getting there is straightforward if you plan around the road access and the weather window for the season.

On a strong day in the right season you can work your way through the open savanna and riverine acacia and tick off most of the headliners before lunch.

My default advice is to go july through october for the migration. Outside that window there are still good days here, but the baseline quality drops.

On crowds: expect company on weekends and in golden hour. On weekdays outside golden hour the place is close to yours.

The best single image I’ve made at Masai Mara National Reserve was an accident I reached for without thinking; the ones I set up for are the ones I’ve half-forgotten.

Anyone who tells you Masai Mara National Reserve is an easy place hasn’t been on a day where the wind picked up by nine.

If you go, take nothing, leave nothing, and be quieter than you think you need to be.