MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
When you think about safaris in Africa and Kenya in particular, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is such an exceptional safari destination that should strike your mind. This reserve features as one of the most famous globally due to its distinct wildlife species and splendid landscapes. Maasai Mara National Reserve straddles within the mighty Rift Valley, in vast grassland in Narok County- southwestern Kenya and it features as an extension with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park in the Mara area. Its topography features largely by the vast savanna grassland with scattered acacia trees that thrive on the southeastern part of this protected area and Mara and Talek Rivers flow via the rolling plains of the Maasai Mara Reserve through numerous seasonal rivers appear during the wet season they dry out as soon as rains stop.
The park is a large game reserve in Narok County, Kenya contiguous with the Serengeti national park in Tanzania. The park is named in honor of the Maasai people; “Mara” means “spotted” in the local language of the Maasai people of the Maa, due to the many trees which dot the landscape. It is renowned for its exceptional populations of big cats like lions, leopards and cheetahs but it is also known for its large population of elephants and the annual migration of wildebeests, zebras, Thomason’s gazelle and other antelopes to and from Serengeti every year known as the Great Migration. The park is situated in the south-western Kenya and Africa’s greatest wildlife Reserve. Together with the Serengeti National park in Tanzania it forms Africa’s most diverse, incredible and most spectacular eco-systems and possibly the world’s to safari big game viewing eco-system. The national park offers an ideal climate and exceptional year-round game viewing. The average daytime temperatures remain quiet comfortable while the nights are much cooler. The average daytime temperature is around from June to August while the night time lows are around.
The big five are all present and seen with various degrees of ease. Elephants are very common, as are buffaloes, the latter being the favored prey of the reserves unusually large lion prides, which often number 15or more adults. Leopards are more elusive but quite easy to locate if you know where to look. Even outside of the migration season, ungulates are well represented, too. There’s no better place for close-up views of the elands, the world’s largest antelope, which seems to be less skittish here than in most of its range. Also likely to be seen are giraffes, Impala, gazelle, topi, Coke’s hartebeest, reedbucks, Defassa, waterbuck, hippo, and warthog. Masai Mara also provides a fine introduction to east Africa’s savanna birdlife, with more than 500 species recorded in and around its borders, including perennial favorites such as Lilac-breasted roller, superb starling, and little bee-eater. Large ground birds include Ostrich, southern ground hornbill, Kori bustard and the localized Denham’s bustard are also common. The riparian forest along the Mara and Talek River is an important habitat for niche species such as Ross’s turaco, Schalow’s turaco, and Grey Kestrel. The drama of wildebeest migration is encapsulated by the multiple river crossing that punctuates the great herd’s three- month tenure in the
The reserve was founded as a wildlife sanctuary in 1961 and covered an area of about 250square Kilometers that later expanded to the east and covered an area of about 1821 square kilometers that turned into a game reserve and a portion of it turned to be a national reserve in 1974. Maasai Mara National Reserve then further reduced to 1510 square kilometers and this is its current size, unlike the rest of the protected areas that are run by Kenya wildlife service, this reserve is run by the Narok County government. The reserve derived its name in remembrance of the Maasai tribe the indigenous people in this region where the protected area currently straddles. The Maasai were the ancient pastoralists who are famous for their warrior practices and were once required to kill a lion to prove manhood and strength. These people are also famous for their red robes and beaded jewelry and given their constant movement to look for pastures and water for their livestock. Although some people have adjusted from some of these practices and left pastoralism and adjusted to modern life, most of them still keep their traditions like the initiation rituals for boys to manhood and defined roles and responsibilities for women and men of every age within a society. Maasai Mara National Reserve features 4 major kinds of landscapes and they include the Mara triangle bordering Mara river with verdant grassland and acacia woodlands supporting vast wildlife species including the migrating wildebeests, the Ngama Hills to the east with sand soil and leafy bushes features most of the black rhinos, the central plains make up the most expansive portion of the national reserve with dotted bushes and boulders on the rolling grasslands and are loved by the plains wildlife and lastly the Oloololo escarpment which makes the western border area of the reserve and rises to amazing plateau. Maasai Mara National Reserve is very famous for its annual wildebeest migration where more than 2 million of the wildebeests, zebras, and antelope families move across the borders of the Serengeti National Park and the Mara. From the end of July to November, Millions of wildlife species scatter the great plains of the Maasai Mara hence one of the most jaw-dropping natural wonders. Maasai Mara National Reserve features more than 95 species of mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. The notable wildlife species include the big five game and these include lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes and other wildlife include cheetah, hippos, crocodiles, warthog, giraffes, bat-eared foxes, hyenas, jackals, baboons, and the antelope families especially the reedbucks, waterbucks, Thomson gazelles, Hartebeests, oribis, roan antelopes, duikers, impalas etc the reserve also has got variety of birds about 470 bird species thrive within thrive reserve making it one of the birders havens in Kenya, most of these are migratory species and over 60 raptor species. The other species include Jackson’s bustards, vultures, African pygmy falcons, Lilac-breasted rollers-the national bird in Kenya, black-bellied Harte Laub’s bustards, grey crowned cranes, guinea fowls, Pel’s fishing owls, red-winged Schawlow’s Turacos, secretary birds, ostriches, hornbills, long-crested eagles and many more. The reserve has got interesting, engaging, and amazing activities to carry out and these will give you a lifetime experience. The reserve can be visited any time of the year but the high season at this reserve occurs between July and October and November to February is also perfect for visitors to engage in game drives.
Accessibility
Maasai Mara National Reserve is situated about 241 km south of Nairobi Capital City and visitors can reach to this reserve by air and road. By road. You can use a bush, taxi or private means of transport from Nairobi to Maasai Mara and it takes about 4-5 hours. Visitors are encouraged to use a 4 wheel drive safari vehicles to help them navigate through the muddy routes to the reserve. For visitors who opt for scheduled flights, there are scheduled flights from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport or Wilson Airport in Nairobi to Keekoroko, Olkiombo, and Musiara airstrip.
Accommodations.
Maasai Mara National Reserve has got several lodging and accommodation facilities for you to spend a night while on your safari. Most of these include the Maasai Serena Safari Lodge, Cottar’s 1920 Safari Camp, Keekorok Lodge, Bateleur Camp, Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Governors Private Camp, Base Camp Maasai Mara, Mara Bush Camp, Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp, Mara Plains Camp, Acacia house, Mara west Chalets, Mara Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp and so many more.
