MASAI MARA NATIONAL PARK
Masai Mara National Reserve is the most famous and most visited Reserve in Kenya, everything about this reserve is outstanding. It lies about 270 km from Nairobi and takes approximately 5 hours by road. Having been reduced from 1672 sq km in 1984, it is about 1510 sq km .It is an extension of the Serengeti National park of Tanzania, and is cushioned by the Loita Hills in the east, Itong Hills in the North and Siria escarpment in the west. The climate is gentle; rarely too hot and well spread rainfall year round. It usually rains in the late afternoon or night between July and October. The landscaped is mostly open Savannah grasslands and acacia shrub land.
The first sight of Masai Mara is breathtaking because it is a natural wonderland. Herds of shuffling elephants move among the rich tree-studded grasslands and the ill-tempered rhino is sighted occasionally. Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, topi and eland and many more species of plains' game offer a rich choice of food for the dominant predators; lion, leopard and cheetah which hunt in this pristine wilderness. In the Mara River, hippos submerge at the approach of a vehicle only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure. Drowsy crocodiles sunbathe on the river banks, mouth open, waiting with subtle cunning for prey. The gentle rolling grasslands ensure that animals are never out of sight. Birds, too, are plenty; over 450 species have been recorded, these include; red winged schalow's turaco, white-tipped crest, ross turaco, orange buff pel's fishing owl, wary guinea fowl, Jackson's bustard, black-bellied hartlaubs bustard .57 species of them are birds of prey.
At the end of June, a large number of wildebeest and zebra enter the Masai Mara after exhausting the grazing in Tanzania's northern Serengeti. Almost more than half a million wildebeest enter the Mara and are joined by another 100,000 from the Loita Hills east of the Mara. Once the Mara's grass has been finished and when there is fresh rain in Tanzania, the herds turn south, heading hundreds of kilometers back to Serengeti and the Ngorongoro plains. Driving in the midst of these great herds is a great experience.
Accommodation ranges from stone built lodges to luxury tented camps. The lodges are Keekorok lodge 265km (165m) from Nairobi, Mara Serena lodge on the west of the park, East African Wildlife safari camp and the Governors camp. The Northern part owned by the Maasai offers great game-viewing, game walks and night games. Safari operators set up private camps for clients seeking exclusive and traditional safaris out of the Reserve. Inside the Reserve, there are four tented camps and two lodges.
