Ilora Retreats
Stay Dine Safari Experience Journeys Footprints Journal Plan Your Stay
Category

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.

stories
Browse the Journal
What would you like
to read?
All Stories Masai Mara Ilora experiences Safari planning From the Founder Conservation Wildlife

Stories from
the field.

stories
Birds of Masai Mara
Masai Mara
Birds of Masai Mara
More than 450 species and 57 raptors. The birds you will notice, the ones worth looking for, and…
May 2025 5 min read
The small cats of the Mara
Masai Mara
The small cats of the Mara
African wildcat, serval and caracal share the Mara with the big cats and are far harder to find.…
May 2025 4 min read
Big Five of Masai Mara
Masai Mara
Big Five of Masai Mara
The Big Five is a hunting inventory, not a naturalist list. Where each animal is found in the…
Mar 2025 5 min read
Balloon safaris in the Mara
Ilora experiences
Balloon safaris in the Mara
A dawn balloon flight shows you the shape of the ecosystem rather than its inhabitants. What the hour…
Mar 2025 4 min read
The seasons of the Masai Mara
Ilora experiences
The seasons of the Masai Mara
Dry season, short rains and long rains in the Masai Mara: what changes month by month, and how…
Dec 2024 7 min read
What makes a game drive in the Mara different
Safari planning
What makes a game drive in the Mara different
Nothing on a game drive is scheduled. What actually separates one drive from another: the guide, the light,…
Oct 2024 3 min read
Five ways to be out in the Mara
Masai Mara
Five ways to be out in the Mara
Game drives, walking, photography, balloon and birding at Ilora Retreats, what each one is actually for, and how…
Oct 2024 3 min read
1 2 3