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Field notes from the guides, naturalists and hosts who live and work inside Kenya's Maasai Mara. We write about the wildlife at our doorstep, the people and culture of the Mara, and the daily work of protecting one of Africa's last great wildernesses.

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The Great Migration
Wildlife
The Great Migration
What is actually happening out there – and what nobody can promise you Three things people believe about…
Aug 2026 7 min read
The Beautiful Five: the birds worth stopping the vehicle for
Masai Mara
The Beautiful Five: the birds worth stopping the vehicle for
Lilac-breasted roller, malachite kingfisher, grey crowned crane, saddle-billed stork — and an honest answer about the fifth, which…
Aug 2026 7 min read
The Small Five, and why they are better company than the Big Five
Masai Mara
The Small Five, and why they are better company than the Big Five
Elephant shrew, buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, ant lion and rhinoceros beetle. A joke list that turns out to…
Aug 2026 7 min read
Beyond the river crossings: the Mara’s hidden micro-migrations
Masai Mara
Beyond the river crossings: the Mara’s hidden micro-migrations
The Loita wildebeest, elephants moving to the forest and back, grazing succession and the hippo commute. What moves…
Aug 2026 7 min read
Indigenous Conservation: Lessons from the Maasai
Conservation
Indigenous Conservation: Lessons from the Maasai
Reserved pasture, fire, water rights, sacred trees and osotua. How the Maasai actually managed this land for four…
Aug 2026 8 min read
The Geography of the Maasai Mara’s Best Wildlife Spot
Safari planning
The Geography of the Maasai Mara’s Best Wildlife Spot
The most typical mistake when planning a high-end African holiday is succumbing to aesthetic displacement. Travelers spend months…
Aug 2026 9 min read
Stargazing in the Savannah: Navigating Southern Skies from the Equator
Ilora experiences
Stargazing in the Savannah: Navigating Southern Skies from the Equator
Due to the increased screen time, we have stopped gazing and dwelling deeper into the night’s “low-fi” sky…
Aug 2026 10 min read
The silent safari: what the Mara sounds like with the engine off
Masai Mara
The silent safari: what the Mara sounds like with the engine off
Engine noise masks the alarm calls that tell you what is about to happen. What the Mara sounds…
Jun 2026 7 min read
The Ugly Five, and why the Mara would collapse without them
Masai Mara
The Ugly Five, and why the Mara would collapse without them
Warthog, vulture, marabou stork, hyena and wildebeest were named as a joke. Remove any one of them and…
Mar 2026 5 min read
The best time to visit the Masai Mara, if you prefer fewer people
Safari planning
The best time to visit the Masai Mara, if you prefer fewer people
Four months in the Mara are quieter, greener and cheaper than peak season, and no worse for resident…
Mar 2026 3 min read
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