You can hear the whisper of the trees, the sound of the crickets, you are peaceful among the calm, entrancing forest. But…what’s that? A roar. Yes. Definitely, a roar. The lions are just outside our tent! Did something scratch the tent cloth…
Yes. Kenya is this unpredictable and wild. Amidst this wilderness, we find peace, the place where humans are caged and wilderness roams free. Pack your bags for we are about to enter the reserve of goosebumps.
So, my friends, today I am taking you to one of the wildest part of the world where you may lose yourself in the vast and vivid grassland with the companionship of grazing gazelles, antelopes, impalas, giraffes, zebras, wild boars , baboons and water buffaloes, commonly. You may come face to face with the biggest mammal of the land or you may have an interaction with the king of the jungle, Simba, the lion, lioness and our little lion cub, while you may have to chase a cheetah for ten to twenty kilometres!
A brief note about this place – Maasai Mara , also sometimes spelled Masai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, continuous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honour of the Masai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from a far: “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Masai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape.
- Masai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, renowned for it’s exceptional population of lion, African Leopard, Cheetah and African bush elephants.
- It also hosts the great Migration, which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World .
- The greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the:
- Masai Mara National Reserve
- The Mara Triangle
- Several Masai Conservancies including Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Mara North, Olkinyei , Siana , Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien and Kimintet.
Wildlife of Masai Mara – This is the most important aspect of this place.
Wildebeest, topi , zebra, and Thomson’s gazelle migrate into and occupy the Mara reserve, from the Serengeti plains to the south and Loita Plains in the pastoral ranches to the north-east , from July to October or later. Herds of all these species are also resident in the reserve.
All members of the “Big Five ”( lion , leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo, black and white rhinos) are found here all year round.
The Masai Mara is the only protected area in Kenya with an indigenous black rhino population, unaffected by translocations, and due to it’s size, is able to support one of the largest populations in Africa.
Hippopotamuses and crocodiles are found in large groups in the Mara and Talek river. The plains between the Mara River and the Esoit Siria Escarpment are probably the best area for game viewing, in particular regarding lion and cheetah.
There are many large carnivores found here in the reserve.Lions are the most dominant and are found here in large number.
Spotted hyenas are another abundant carnivore and often compete with lions for food.
Leopards are found anywhere in the reserve where there are trees for them to escape to.
Cheetahs are also found in high numbers on the open savanna, hunting gazelles and wildebeests.
African wild dogs are quite rare here due to the widespread transmission of disease like canine distemper and the heavy competition they face with lions.
Smaller carnivores that don’t directly compete with the latter including African golden wolves, black – backed Jackals, African striped weasels, caracals, servals, honey badgers, aardwolves, African wildcats, side-striped jackals, bat-eared foxes, gorillas, African civets, genets, several mongoose species 🦦!
Wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Masai Mara which are millions in number. Around July of each year, these animals migrate north from the Serengeti plains in search of fresh pasture, and return to the south around October.
The great migration is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide,involving some 1,300,000 blue wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson’s gazelles, 97,000 topi, 18,000 common elands, and 200,000 Grant’s zebras.
Antelopes can be found, including Grant’s gazelles, impalas, duikers and Coke’s hartebeests. The plains are also home to the Masai Giraffe. The large roan antelope and the nocturnal bat -eared fox, can be seen within the reserve border.
More than 470 species of birds have been identified in the park, many of which are migrants, with almost 60 species being raptors. Vultures, Marabou Strokes, secretary birds, hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long crested eagles, African Pigmy Falcons are the lilac -breasted roller, which is the national bird of Kenya.
- When to visit – The long cool dry season from July to October is considered by most to be the best time of year to visit.
- How many days to be needed – Ideally, a minimum of three days and two nights is perfectly okay.
- How to get to Masai Mara -The most common way to travel to the Masai Mara by road is by booking a guided drive in Safari.
- How much time to be needed to reach Masai Mara from Nairobi- At about fifty minutes is the average flight time from Nairobi to Masai Mara. There are several domestic airlines that to be booked priorly and these are like charted flights with ten to twelve sitting capacity.
A few words about the Maasai – The Masai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting, northern,central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dresses. The Masai speak the Maa language, except for so elders living in rural areas, most Masai people speak the official language of Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili and English. They are almost two millions in number. Many Masai tribes throughout Tanzania and Kenya welcome visits to their villages to experience their culture, traditions and lifestyles, in return for a fee.
- Importance of wild life conservation- As global citizens it is our duty to save the rapidly vanishing greenery, the wildlife, the environment and thereby rescue Mother Earth from its present crisis. If we fail to do so, betrayed Nature would inevitably seek her revenge and we would have to brace for our doom in the not -so-distant future.
Essential things to keep in mind while visiting Kenya –
- Recent protocol with Covid vaccination certificate and yellow vaccination certificate is mandatory while visiting there.
- Kenya visa is valid for three months from the date of issue. So it must be checked before visiting there.
- Passport, travel visa and National ID card is inevitable at the time of departure and arrival.
- It is suggested keeping to light , natural colours, but not white – it will get dirty and dusty very quickly. Avoid blue or black clothings – the tsetse flies are drawn to these colours and their bite can give you African Sleeping Sickness.
- Maintaining the Covid rules wear a face covering on your journey or arrival.
So, my friends keep travelling as a concept in your mind always and be a traveller not a tourist. 😊
