To visit Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve is to step into another world. A world where the fight for survival is a constant one and scenes from television nature documentaries play out before your very eyes.
Feel the thud of hooves reverberate across the plains as the massed ranks of up to two million wildebeest, zebra, and impala take part in the Great Wildebeest Migration. Often termed ‘the greatest show on Earth,’ some of its most dramatic moments take place along the banks of the Mara River between July and October of each year, when frantic crossings take place beneath the watchful eyes of crocodile, lion, hyena, leopard, and cheetah.
But that’s not to say visiting the Masai Mara National Reserve at other times of year is any less captivating. One of a decreasing number of protected areas in Africa able to lay claim to the Big Five species, the Mara’s acacia-studded plains don’t just support leopard and Kenya’s largest population of lions, but also elephant, buffalo, and rhino.
The best chance of catching sight of the latter are in the Masai Mara’s conservancies, privately-owned and operated zones continuous with the reserve, including Mara North, Siana, and Kimintet. Often boasting greater animal densities, and advantages such as night game drives and off-road safaris, they fund schools and other essential services for local Masai communities.
The Mara Triangle to the southwest of the reserve is similarly run, and has a reputation for crowd-free game drives by some of the best guides and rangers in the business. Nevertheless, the government-run reserve areas still manage to have 90 mammal species as permanent residents, alongside 470 bird species, 57 of which are raptors such as the Bateleur eagle.
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Top Kenya Travel Destinations
Amboseli National Park / Laikipia Plateau / Meru National Park / Mombasa / Nairobi / Samburu National Reserve / Tsavo East National Park / Tsavo West National Park
The Big Five
African Elephant / Cape Buffalo / Leopard / Lion / Rhino
