The Masai Mara National Reserve is probably the most famous and most visited Reserve in Kenya. It offers breathtaking views (as seen in the film “Out of Africa”, much of which was filmed here), an extraordinary density of animals including “the Big Five” (lions, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhinoceros) and may varieties of plains game.
An impressive feature is the annual migration of wildebeests, zebras and gazelles from the plains of the Serengeti that cross the Tanzanian border and rivers to reach the Mara’s grasslands from late June, tracked by predators: lion, leopard, cheetah, and hyena, and circled by vultures as their journey unfolds. Their dramatic river crossings are a reality for tourists visiting in early July-August.
Apart from the seasonal migration, gameviewing is excellent year round. Game includes elephant, black rhino, buffalo, plains zebra, hartebeest and big cats. The rivers are home to hippo and crocodiles. 452 species, 53 of which are raptors. Accommodation ranges from stone built lodges to luxury tented camps. The area to the North owned by the Maasai offers great game-viewing, game walks and night games. Safari operators set up private camps for small groups seeking exclusive and traditional safaris out of the Reserve. In the Reserve are four tented camps and two lodges. The Maasai Mara National Park is best known for one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles, the great migration of Wildebeest and Zebra. Covering an area of 650 sq miles in south western Kenya, the Masai Mara is bordered in the west by the Oloololo Escarpment of the Great Rift Valley and in the east by the Ngama Hills.The Maasai Mara is predominantly a vast open savannah but there are actually seven distinct habitats including permanent marshes, riverine gallery forest, and dense shrubland. The wildebeest migration is most evident when they move northwards from the Serengeti through Lobo or the Western Corridor over May to July, then concentrating in the Mara from August to October.The open rolling savannah grassland of the Mara is the home of numerous wildlife species including elephant, rhino, lion, cheetah, leopard, hyena, jackal, buffalo, eland, topi, impala, gazelle, warthog and zebra. From June to September, the annual Wildebeest migration takes place when thousands of these animals sweep across the plain and seek out new grazing areas
Seasons
The best time to catch the migration in the Mara is between August and October.
Wildlife
You should see: lion, hippo, crocodile, vulture, elephant, baboon, gazelle, giraffe, jackas, water buffalo, ostrich, topi, impala, Coke’s hartebeest, buffalo, bushbaby, bushbuck, Colobus monkey, dik-dik, duiker, eland, Grant’s Gazelle, Thomson’s Gazelle, genet, gerenuk, hares, hartebeest, spotted hyaena, klipspringer, mongooses, vervet monkey, oribi, serval, steinbok, suni, warthog , waterbuck and 500 species of bird.
You may see: cheetah, leopard, black rhino, Roan antelope, African wild cat, civet, bat-eared fox , striped hyaena, hyrax, pangolin, bushpig, porcupine, ratel, reedbuck, aardvark, aardwolf.
Precautions
Malaria area – minimize mosquito bites by wearing light, long sleeved clothing and using effective insect repellents (containing Diethyltoluamide DEET) on exposed skin. Sleep under treated mosquito netting or ensure that the doors and windows of your accommodation are screened against mosquitoes. Having a fan or air-conditioner on at night will further suppress mosquito activity. Currently, the three effective anti-malaria tablets are Mefloquine (Lariam or Mefliam), Doxycycline and Malarone (Malanil). It is still possible to contract malaria while on malaria prophylaxis. Note that Lariam may present serious side-effects – please test before you depart.