The Maasai Mara or “The Mara” (as the locals call it) is just plain magnificent. Bordering on the Serengeti National park in the southwest of Kenya, it forms part the migration route that zebra, topi, wildebeest and Thomson’s gazelle follow every year. The Mara-Serengeti ecosystem spans roughly 25 000km2 and is a once-in-a-lifetime, bucket-list safari destination.
The savannah of the Maasai Mara is spotted with acacia trees and scrub, and has an abundance of game with a notably high concentration of lion, cheetah and leopard. Home to the Big Five, hippo, crocodiles, hyenas, jackals, bat-eared foxes and more, for game viewing, birding and wildlife photography it is a wilderness wonderland.
Bird watchers are bound to twitch more than usual, as more than 470 species of birds make their nests within the game reserves borders. Remember the scene in Out of Africa where they fly over great flocks of flamingo? Well, it’s pretty much really like that.
Many visitors to the park have a yearning to have first row seats for the migration, watching as the animals thunder across the grasslands and Mara River. But any time of year offers unique possibilities to connect with nature. Game drive, night drive, or walking safari; any way you choose to explore the bush will be rewarded with different sightings and differing perspectives.
Days in the Masai Mara begin early and end late – to catch the game before they retreat from the heat of the day, and to hear the last guest tell their safari story by the light of a campfire. But in-between sunrise and the sunset, there will be plenty of time for R&R.
Accommodation is always luxurious in some way. Always integrated into the surrounding landscape, the place where you rest your head will be tranquil and secluded. Only the sounds of animals calling in the night will filter into your dreams.
Sometimes 5-Star in ranking, sometimes 5-Star in location, bush camps, luxury tented camps, lodges and chalets all offer something different. But whatever you choose, just choose to come. Because the Maasai Mara is an unspoilt, pristine paradise.
