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‘Mara’ means ‘spotted’ in the Maa language, which is spoken by the area’s indigenous people, the Maasai. It refers to how the Mara is speckled with acacia trees, indentations, and craters when viewed from the distance. Its vast open plains provide an oasis-like habitat for a variety of animals, including elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, hyena, and the Mara’s famed big cats: lion, leopard, and cheetah. And, from July to November each year, its savannah offers food for massive wildebeest herds.
Every year, thousands of travelers flock to the Mara for some of Africa’s most authentic safari experiences. This blog will walk safari enthusiasts through everything they need to know about the Masai Mara.
The Masai Mara National Reserve comprises approximately 370 000 acres in south-western Kenya, an area somewhat larger than Greater Los Angeles, and shares unfenced boundaries with a number of private conservancies managed by the Maasai. It is the northernmost component of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem and is well-known for the yearly Wildebeest Migration. The topography is studded with thorn trees, kopjes, and craters, and the reserve is drained by three major rivers: Sand, Talek, and Mara. The Mara’s topography is primarily open grassland with tiny seasonal rivers.
The Mara River is the primary impediment for wildebeest herds to cross around mid-year, but smaller breakaway groups also cross the Talek and Sand Rivers. Outlying stragglers have crossed the Talek as late as November!
Verdorosafarisuganda collaborates with safari partners in the national reserve and various conservation areas. Visitors to the conservancies can enter the reserve, but people residing in the reserve cannot, making the conservancies a significantly more exclusive and intimate experience, particularly during the peak of the Migration. The Mara Triangle, Olare Orok, Naboisho, and Ol Kinyei conservancies provide some of the nicest accommodations. Because these are tribal terrain, you’ll come across the odd Maasai manyatta or hamlet, as well as enormous herds of gorgeous and cherished Maasai cattle. The conservancies are excellent examples of areas where humans, wildlife, conservation, and domestic cattle coexist.
Nairobi, Kenya’s capital and primary transportation center, is approximately 224 kilometres (139 miles) from the Mara’s eastern border. Safari visitors often fly into Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and then take connecting flights from Wilson Airport to the Mara’s several airstrips.
It also features tiny pockets of riverine forest and clusters of trees; elephants have done an excellent job of clearing most of the Mara of trees and forests throughout the years, giving it its distinctive openness.
It’s difficult to provide accurate expenses for a Masai Mara safari. There are numerous budget-influencing factors, such as the time of year you travel, how luxurious you want your stay to be, whether you fly or drive between camps and lodges, whether you go private and exclusive, and which extra activities you want to include in your itinerary, such as spa treatments, hot-air ballooning, and cultural tours.
Verdorosafarisuganda creates safaris that are tailored to your specific budget and travel preferences. We don’t provide cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all packages; instead, we construct personalized adventures that are tailored to your specific needs, so no two Mara safaris will ever be the same.
The Masai Mara is one of Africa’s most popular wildlife attractions and Kenya’s flagship conservation region. It provides superb year-round game watching opportunities because to its diversified population of elephant, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, hyena, eland, gazelle, and the Mara’s famed big cats.
Every year, the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem serves as the stage for one of the world’s finest performances. Around July, two million wildebeest cross the Mara River into the Masai Mara National Reserve to feast on fresh, juicy grassland. The herds stay in the Mara until they’ve consumed the grasses (about November), then return to the Serengeti to continue mowing East Africa’s mega-lawns.
Keep the following in mind if you wish to watch the wildebeest migration:
Although some rhinos still remain in the Masai Mara, they are tough to locate. The other renowned members of the Big 5—lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo—are considerably simpler to identify.
The Mara’s flat, broad, and open plains are ideal for cheetahs, and this is an excellent site to watch them. Although they are not members of the Big 5, seeing these lightning-quick and agile big cats hunt their prey in the Masai Mara is always a delight.
Because of the abundance of animals and moderate temperature, there is no ‘ideal time’ to visit the Masai Mara for general game viewing purposes. It is well-known as a year-round safari destination due to the abundance of wildlife on the Mara’s vast plains. The only period it’s not recommended to travel is during Kenya’s ‘long rains’ (from April to June). Some safari hotels and camps are closed during this time.
These excursions sometimes include a ‘fly-in’ itinerary to maximize safari time. The Masai Mara is not a suggested self-drive location.
Most visitors arrive at Nairobi’s main international airport, Jomo Kenyatta International, and then take a short-haul aircraft from neighboring Wilson Airport to the Mara’s many airstrips. The more cheap alternative is a road transfer from Nairobi, but keep in mind that it is a 270-kilometer (168-mile) trek to the Masai Mara Reserve’s nearest entrance, which can take four to five hours.
