Masai Mara Safari Vacation
The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the most well known, if not the most well known, wildlife parks in the world. Easy to access, combining easily with the coastline of Kenya, with some excellent camps and lodges and stunning game viewing the Masai Mara is hard to beat as an all round safari destination.
The attraction of Kenya is in its various landscapes, cultural influences and awe-inspiring wildlife viewing; all of this mixed with some leading conservation work and eco-friendly camps and lodges makes this the ideal destination to visit on your first vacation to Africa. A number of the attractions listed are all evident in the stunning Masai Mara as it encapsulates how one imagines Africa's wildlife and scenery to be.
The Mara-Serengeti eco-system is the most northern reach of a vast eco-system that stretches down across the border into Tanzania and the Serengeti National Park. It is this eco-system that principally forms the range of the world famous Wildebeest Migration, a wildlife spectacle that can only be seen to be believed. The Masai Mara consists of wide open grasslands with riverine woodlands following the Mara and Talek Rivers through the Reserve. It is these rivers that are home to huge pods of hippos and Nile crocodiles and are also the perfect habitat for leopards. One of the closest and most highly spoken of lodges in this region is the Governor's Camps where Big Cat Diaries was filmed which is not far from the Mara River.
The Wildebeest Migration and Best Times to Visit:
The Talek and Mara Rivers, as well as providing perfect leopard habitat in the surrounding riverine woodland, are also the crossing points for the huge migratory herds that pass through the Masai Mara every year. These herds also attract predators (lions, leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, etc) and the two together form one of the most exciting wildlife experiences on the African continent.
Consisting of approximately 1.3 million, 300,000 Thomson's Gazzelle and 200,000 zebra, this is talked about as the "greatest wildlife show on earth!" with huge herds moving from the southern reaches of Serengeti National Park into the Masai Mara. The best times to see the migration in the Masai Mara does vary dependent on the arrival of the rains each year, however, the herds can be seen on the move from July through to October with some of the best Mara river crossings being between August and September. It is during these crossings that all the action happens with huge Nile Crocodiles feasting on the weaker animals as they cross the river, tired and relieved to have reached the other side the herds are often then met by lions and other predators, taking advantage of them whilst they are in their weakened state.