Masai Mara

On Friday we made a seven hour road trip to Masai Mara Reserve (known to most as just “The Mara”). It is the northern continuation of what is called the Serengeti in Tanzania. Visiting the Mara is the culmination of all safari experiences in Kenya (and probably East Africa). Despite several of the same types of animals inhabiting the Mara that are in Amboseli, the two are very different:

First, the Mara is huge. It covers a total area of 1,510 square kilometers. You realize how big it is when you spend almost two hours on a really bumpy road just to get from one end of the park to the other.

The Mara is also a Reserve while Amboseli is a Park. Reserves are owned by local authorities while parks are owned by the central government. As a result, we were able to save a lot of money at the Mara because our Special Passes got us resident rates. Special Passes didn’t do anything for us at Amboseli because it is run by KWS (Kenyan Wildlife Services).

Our accommodations were also very different at the Mara. We splurged and stayed at the Mara Serena. The view from the Serena is like nothing I have ever experienced. The pictures below do not do any justice to what you actually see when looking out at the African Savannah from the pool. The hotel provided full room and board meaning we enjoyed delicious breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.

Finally, the most unique thing about the Mara is the Great Migration that takes place between July and October. During the migration, millions of wildebeest, gazelles, and zebra migrate north from the Serengeti. It is known sometimes as the eighth wonder of the world because of how many animals migrate and over such a large distance. On a morning game drive, we were able to catch zebra migrating across the Mara River. Because the migration had already started a couple weeks back, we were also able to see zebra and wildebeest in huge groups covering most of the reserve. It’s really hard to describe the number of these animals you can see when you scan across the Mara during migration season.

I also added a few more new animals on my checklist of animals seen on safaris:
1. Topi
2. Water Buck
3. Vultures
4. Cheetah

(You can take hot air balloon safaris for about $500person/day if you would like a different view of the animals)

The cheetah was a parting gift from the Mara as we chased it down (literally) on our drive out of the park on Sunday. Our driver, Edwin, had heard a tip on the radio that there was a cheetah in the area and he tracked it down for us. This is really hard to do because of how rare and small cheetahs are. They are hardly visible through the tall grass of the Mara. As excited as we were to see him, the cheetah probably hated us because we ruined his cover while he was trying to hunt prey that morning.

My last safari (I’m getting pretty “safaried” out at this point), will be at Nakuru National Park in August. I’m still hoping to see a Rhino (which I heard are a sure thing in Nakuru), leopard (almost impossible to see), and a kill (equally as rare to see). That will make my safari checklist complete. Wish me luck.