Kenya's Maasai Mara is one of the greatest
wildlife destinations on Earth and its profusion of plains game and
stealthy predators has made it synonymous with the safari. For decades
it has been a favorite location for film-makers producing nature documentaries
as well as feature films.
This is a diverse landscape harboring varied habitats within its majestic
plains, rocky outcrops, ancient woodland and life-giving rivers. It
adjoins the northern sweep of neighboring Tanzania's Serengeti plains
thus forming one huge ecosystem.
The Great Migration
The Mara lands are famous for the annual Wildebeest Migration (one of
the Natural Wonders of the World) which occurs from June to October
when the Mara becomes host to an almost unimaginable half a million
wildebeest seeking the grasses raised by the Spring rains of April and
May. Having exhausted the grazing in the northern Serengeti the wildebeest
head north en masse. This is an awesome sight in the true meaning of
the word which, when coupled with the sound of thousands upon thousands
of hooves pounding the earth, makes it an unforgettable spectacle.
There is also another Wildebeest Migration from Kenya's Loita Plains
to the Mara which moves into Ol Kinyei Conservancy earlier, usually
by January, and the calving takes place there during February and March
when the plains of the conservancy are teeming with wildebeest before
they move through Naboisho Conservancy and into Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
The Wildebeest are not the only tenants of the land. The Mara is also
the home to among others, zebra, elephants, and to the big cats; cheetahs,
lions and leopards. Hyena, jackal, buffalo, eland, topi, impala, gazelle,
warthog add to this huge diversity of wildlife.
Wildlife Conservancies of the Masai Mara
The Masai Mara region is comprised not only of the Masai Mara National
Reserve (the original, state-run park) but of a vast area to the north
of the Reserve, and for many years some of this has been set aside for
wildlife / land conservation. These are private areas of pristine wilderness
with strict controls on the number of visitors and vehicles permitted.
There are normally just a handful of small safari camps (sometimes just
1 camp) with their guests gaining exclusive access to thousands of hectares
of prime game-viewing land.
Nature doesn't recognize borders and as such Kenya's conservancies have
become an appealing sanctuary for many animals wishing to escape from
the National Reserve and its seemingly ever-increasing tourists and
traffic.
Guests staying on the conservancies also benefit from additional activities
not allowed in the main Reserve such as guided safari walks, meals in
the bush and night game drives to observe the area's nocturnal species.
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