The Maasai Mara
At the heart of Kenya is the Maasai Mara Game Reserve, widely considered to be Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve and the eighth wonder of the world. Believe it or not this is a sight to behold! If you aren’t careful you could spend a whole day just gazing at the wildlife, taking pictures from the comfort of your safari lodge and staring at the horizon as the African sun sets in the evenings.
The Maasai Mara comprises 200 square miles of open plains, woodlands and riverine forest. Contiguous with the plains of the Serengeti, the Mara is home to a breathtaking array of life. The vast grassland plains are scattered with herds of Zebra, Giraffe, Gazelle, and Topi. The Acacia forests abound with
birdlife
and monkeys. Elephants and Buffalo wallow in the wide Musiara Swamp. The Maasai Mara and Talek rivers are brimming with hippos and crocodiles.

Each year the Maasai Mara plays host to the world’s greatest natural spectacle, the
Great wildebeest migration
from the Serengeti. From July to October, the promise of rain and fresh life giving grass in the north brings more than 1.3 million Wildebeest together into a single massive herd. They pour across the border into the Mara, making a spectacular entrance in a surging column of life that stretches from horizon to horizon.
At the Mara River they mass together on the banks before finally plunging forward through the raging waters,creating a frenzy as they fight against swift currents and waiting crocodiles.
The wildebeest bring new life to the Mara, not just through their cycle of regeneration of the grasslands, but for the predators who follow the herds. The Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions and these regal and powerful hunters dominate these grasslands. Cheetahs are also a common sight in the Mara, as are Hyena and smaller predators such as Jackals.

The Mara is an awesome natural wonder, a place where Maasai warriors share the plains with hunting lions,a place of mighty herds and timeless cycles of life, death and regeneration.
The Maasai Mara
is probably the best serviced of all Kenyan Parks and Reserves with a wide range of accommodation for any budget. The Reserve is a popular attraction with Safari operators. The reserve is ideal for game drives, and somelodges and camps offer walks and balloon safaris.

Wildlife moves freely in and out of the reserve and through neighbouring Maasai lands. Outside the boundaries of the reserve there are many other small camps and lodges, some of which offer walking, horse riding and other safari options.The Loita Hills and the Nguruman Escarpment, both considered sacred to the Maasai, offer high forest trekking opportunities for the adventurous traveler.


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