Maasai Mara
Overview
The Masai Mara National Reserve and its neighbouring conservancies form Kenya’s flagship conservation area and one of the top safari destinations in Africa. Its wide-open plains provide a sanctuary for an abundance of animals like elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, hyena and the Mara’s famous big cats: lion, leopard and cheetah.
And between about August and November every year, the Mara is a much-welcomed pit stop for unending masses of wildebeest that follow the rains on their death-defying, 2 900-kilometre (1 800-mile) circular journey.
Summary
Area
2 900-kilometre (1 800-mile)
Location
Narok, Kenya
Climate
As the Great Migration’s movements depend on the annual rains, so too can your safari be influenced by the weather conditions. It’s therefore important to take note of Kenya’s two distinct rainy seasons:
April to May (the ‘long rains’)
November to December (the ‘short rains’)
The long rains, as the name suggests, are far heavier, and a few lodges and camps may close over this period to attend to general maintenance and refurbs, and to give their staff a long and well-deserved break. Dirt roads turn to sticky mud, rivers flood their banks, and the almost persistent drizzle never really allows for a sunny gap for game viewing.
However, predicting rain is the most inexact of sciences and you may find that one year May is washed out, while the next is dry and the very first of the migrating wildebeest are arriving from the Serengeti. It’s this unpredictability of nature that makes a safari so intriguing. If you want to visit the Mara during this time, we recommend a fly-in safari.
The short rains are usually expected in November and break the dry mid-year winter, which is considered peak safari season. Clouds build up during the mornings – which can be very sunny and humid – and break in spectacular, but generally short-lived, downpours in the late afternoons. These showers have several benefits:
- They wash the air of dust.
- They cool everyone and everything down.
- They trigger the growth of fresh grazing.
- They help to fill near-moribund rivers, attracting animals to drink.
During this lush Green Season, migrant birds return and baby antelopes drop in their thousands. It’s a fantastic time for photographers, because you’ll often have massive tracts of land and sightings all to yourself, especially in the Mara’s private conservancies. A Masai Mara safari during the Green Season is well worth considering – game viewing is still great, the peak season crowds are absent, and you can take advantage of lower rates.
The short rains don’t really interfere with game viewing, even if you may occasionally have to enjoy ‘raindowners’ inside your safari vehicle rather than the more traditional ‘sundowners’. Your guide will also be very familiar with the concept of ‘localised rain’ – it may be pouring heavily in the distance, but he or she can usually ‘drive around’ the rain to keep you warm and dry.
Getting There
The park can be accessed by road and air. Road. Road conditions are poor in places with the last 75 kms to the reserve being on a bumpy gravel road. Flying to Masai Mara is a more convenient option, being only about a 1 hour flight from Wilson Airport in Nairobi to a variety of different airstrips in the Mara.
Air. The Masai Mara is not recommended as a self-drive destination. Most travellers fly into Nairobi’s major international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International, and catch a short-haul flight from nearby Wilson Airport to the Mara’s various airstrips. From there you’ll be transferred to your camp or lodge by 4×4.
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Safari book nowAttractions
The top major attractions in Maasai Mara are the key points which has made Mara to be among the top safari destination in the Africa such attractions include, the Masai triangle, swamps and the conservancy in the area.
Oi kinyei Conservancy
Oi Kenyai Conservancy is best known of its cool weather environment where one relax from because of its stunning breathtaking scenery with diverse terrain that offers open savannah grass land and rolling hills and many others .The conservancy measures over 18,700 acres of land for wilderness and it is owned by the Masai community who are the ancestral inhabitant of Kenya .
Masai Triangle
The Masia triangle looks in unique way though it is quite a sensitive environment that can survive through following the rules and regulations of the area. This is the rewardable place to visit as you can be welcomed with very many beautiful natures around, located in the center of the reserve. The triangle is well watered by the Mara River and it has a rewarding sightseeing of abundant vegetation, wildlife and rainfall and its ecology looks fantastic.
Due to the natural bio-geographical of this area, the huge number of visitors can create erosive effects and this is because of the delicate balance between the traveler’s number and high population of wildlife which cannot be properly cared for much longer as evidenced by the decrease in the protective vegetation cover and this must occur due to the series of dust that bowls. However, the reserve boosts with over 95mammals, amphibians and other reptiles plus 500 bird species which can be viewed in here such as vultures, secretary birds, ostriches, long-crested eagle, Africa pygmy falcons, sooty chat, Tawny eagle, Kori bustard and many more.
Mara River
Mara River is also a thrilled place to visit in Maasai Mara that gives travelers a great opportunity to sight see water animals like hippos, crocodiles, water birds many more and this can be encountered through driving to Maasai Mara and feel much more about the documentary of the National geography in the area.
Maps
Maps
