Maasai Mara National Reserve
12Days Maasai Mara Safari
When you think about safaris in Kenya, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is such exceptional safari destination that should strike your mind. This reserve features as one of the most exceptional travel destinations and the most famous globally due to its distinct wildlife species and splendid landscapes. Maasai Mara National Reserve straddles within the mighty Rift Valley, along the fault line of 5600 kilometers long stretches from Ethiopia's Red sea via Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania and Mozambique in vast grassland in Narok County-southwestern Kenya and it features as an extension with Tanzania's Serengeti National Park in the Mara area. Its topography features largely the vast savanna grassland with scattered acacia trees that thrive on the southeastern part of this protected area and Mara and Talek Rivers flow via the rolling plains of Maasai Mara Reserve though numerous seasonal Rivers appear during the wet season but they dry out as soon as rains stop.
This reserve was founded as a wildlife sanctuary in 1961 and covered an area of about 250 square kilometers and later expanded to the east and covered an area of about 1821 square kilometers that later on turned into a game reserve and a portion of it turned to be a national reserve in 1974. Maasai Mara National Reserve then further reduced to 1510 square kilometers and this is its current size and unlike the rest of the protected areas, this reserve isn't run by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) but it is run by the Narok County government. Its eastern side which features as the frequently visited area is run by Narok County Council while the western side also known as the Mara Triangle is run by the Trans Mara County Council that is also the contracting management to Mara constituency.
The Maasai Mara National Reserve derived its name in remembrance of the Maasai tribe the indigenous people in this region where the protected area currently straddles. The Maasai were the ancient pastoralists who are famous for their warrior practices and were once required to kill a lion to prove manhood and strength. These people are also famous for their red robes and beaded jewelry and given their constant movement to look for pasture and water for their livestock. While some of these people have left pastoralism and adjusted to modern life, most of them still keep their traditions like the initiation rituals for boys to manhood and defined roles and responsibilities for women and men of every age within a society.
Maasai Mara National Reserve is very famous for its annual wildebeest migration where more than 2 million of the wildebeests, zebras and antelope families move across the borders of the Serengeti National Park and the Mara. At the end of July to November, millions of wildlife species scatter the great plains of the Maasai Mara hence one of the most jaw dropping natural wonders. Maasai Mara National Reserve features more than 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles.
The notable wildlife species include the big five game in Africa-Cape buffaloes, leopards, African elephants, African lions and black rhinos, cheetahs, hippos, crocodiles, zebras, warthogs, giraffes, bat eared foxes, hyenas, jackals, baboons and antelope families especially the reed bucks, water bucks, Thomson gazelles, hartebeests, Oribis, roan antelopes, duikers, impalas, grant's gazelles, elands, topis and others. More than 470 bird species thrive within this reserve making it one of the birders havens in Kenya, most of these are migratory species and over 60 raptor species.
The other bird species include the Jackson's bustards, vultures, African pygmy or pygmy falcons, lilac breasted rollers-the national bird in Kenya, black bellied hart laub's bustards, grey crowned cranes, guinea fowls, pel's fishing owls, red winged Schawlow's Turacos, secretary birds, Ostriches, hornbills, long crested eagles and many more. For visitors on safari to this reserve, the notable tourist activities for you to engage in include the night game drives, game drives, birding, hot air balloon rides, wedding photography, bush meals-breakfast, lunch and dinner, visit to the Maasai cultural villages and many more.
