3 Days Maasai Mara Lodge Safari is a personalised private tour. It is an action-packed wildlife theatre in one of the most popular game parks in Africa.
Overview
The world-renowned Maasai Mara Game Reserve is a northern extension of the Serengeti National Park, which is located in Tanzania. Maasai Mara covers an area of 1,510km². The Maasai Mara ecosystem is composed of two rivers, i.e. Talek River and the Mara River. They are the main water supplies for the ecosystem.
The Mara River is a hurdle to wildebeest migration, as the wildebeests have to cross the river from Serengeti. Most of them, however, perish in the jaws of crocodiles and big cats. In the western part of Maasai Mara lies the Siria escarpment, Loita plains, and Maasai pastoral land.
The Maasai Mara game reserve is owned and run by the county council of Narok, which is the richest county council in Kenya due to the revenue collected as park entrance fees. Part of the Maasai Mara, which is called the Mara Triangle, is contracted out and privately run. Park fees are paid by the number of days one spends in the Mara Conservancy.
The Maasai Mara lies at an altitude of 1500 to 2100 metres. It rains twice a year in the game reserve. The long rains fall in the months of March and May. The short rains fall in the months of October, November, and part of December.
Rain seasons
June and July are the coldest months, and January and February are the hottest months. Temperatures during the day rarely exceed 85°F (30°C), and during the night they hardly drop below 60°F (15°C). Maasai Mara is a mosquito-prone area, but the campsite is sprayed with mosquito repellents. The tents have treated mosquito nets.
Maasai Mara has a large population of wildlife. All the big five can be seen in this reserve, and a large number of ungulates are also easily visible. They include the wildebeest, Thomson gazelles, grant gazelles, buffalos, rhinos, impalas, topis, elands, zebras, giraffes, and duikers. The common predators include lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, jackals, and foxes. Maasai Mara has over 450 identified species. Some common birds include the common ostrich, secretary bird, Kori bustard, hornbills, storks, eagles, and vultures.
The great migration
The wildebeest migration happens annually; this spectacle is considered one of the seven (7) wonders of the world. More than a million wildebeests, accompanied by topis, zebras, gazelles, and elands, make their journey from Serengeti National Park to Masai Mara Game Reserve. Many of them perish while crossing the Mara River, where crocodiles and big cats make a kill on the vulnerable ungulates.
The migration happens every year during the month of July, shortly after the long rains. At this time the grass is big and plenty. For the next three months, the wildebeests will clear the lush grass of the Maasai Mara. The migration varies annually due to climate change. If the climate changes and it doesn’t rain as usual, the wildebeest may delay crossing over. They may wait since there isn’t grass to feed on.
The Maasai
The Masai people, who by definition speak the Maa language, hence the name Maasai, have held on to their culture even in these times of modernization. A Maasai’s home is called a manyatta, where he lives with his wives and children. From childhood, boys are obligated to look after their father’s cows, while girls are obligated to do house chores, fetch water, and milk the cows.
After every fifteen years, there is an initiation where boys are circumcised and they become young morans, and the existing morans graduate to junior elders. The Maasai enjoy eating meat and milk mixed with blood during rituals such as initiation and marriage. The use of herbs as medicine is still embedded in their day-to-day life. The Maasai are an attraction in Kenya since they have managed to stick to their culture.
Day 1: Nairobi – Maasai Mara
We depart Nairobi after breakfast, stopping at the viewpoint of the Great Rift Valley. Soon after checking in at our camp or hotel, lunch will be served. As the heat of the day subsides, we proceed for an evening game drive in this park. This is an extension of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, as an artificial border only separates the two. Dine and stay overnight at the Maasai Mara Sopa Lodge.
Day 2: Maasai Mara Game Drive
An early breakfast is followed by a full day of game drives within the reserve. The Maasai Mara is famous for its lions, elephants, and buffalo, making three out of the ‘big five’ though luck is essential for spotting the other two, namely the park’s animal concentration and abundance, which are second to none.
We will take our picnic lunch by the hippo pool, whereas, with luck, you may spot crocodiles basking on the rocks. Numerous plains game, including antelopes, wildebeests, zebras, and Maasai giraffes, can be seen. You may as well see scavengers like hyenas and vultures. In the late afternoon (at an extra cost), go for optional activities like having a nature walk, swimming in the nearby lodges, or visiting Maasai villages. It is in the villages that you learn about the nomadic lifestyle. Dine and stay overnight at the Maasai Mara Sopa Lodge.
Day 3: Maasai Mara – Nairobi
As soon as we wake up, we do a pre-breakfast morning game drive at 6:00 a.m. We return afterwards for a full breakfast. Then depart the Mara region for Nairobi. Lunch can be arranged at Kiambethu tea farm; an old colonial home established by the early settlers and the pioneers of tea growing in Kenya. There will be a talk on tea: its arrival in Kenya, the growing, processing and up to when you put it into your cup. A short walk in the tea plantation and a small remaining part of the indigenous forest completes the tour. We have a healthy farm lunch and thereafter transfer to Nairobi.
Options are, of course, many and varied, and in many cases, we can be flexible about the itinerary for accommodation facilities and the extension of the safari destinations.
