Masai Mara National Reserve

Background
Masai Mara National Reserve (MMNR) is one of the best known and most popular reserves in the whole of Africa. It is Kenya’s most prominent wildlife sanctuary and covers about 1530 sq km having been reduced from 1672 sq km in 1984. Original inhabitants, the Masai people live within the dispersal area with their stock and they have, over centuries, developed a synergetic relationship with the wildlife. Named for the Masai people (the traditional inhabitants) and the Mara River, which cuts across it, is famous for its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson’s gazelle and the wildebeest from the Serengeti every year from July to October, a migration so immense it is called the Great Migration. This is a Reserve rather than a National Park and it belongs to the Masai people.

Overview
The Masai Mara also spelled Masai Mara, is a bulky park reserve in south-western Kenya, which is effectively the northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park game reserve in Tanzania. It lies in the Great Rift Valley, which is a fault line some 5,600km long, from Ethiopia’s Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, and Malawi and into Mozambique falling in the northern-most section of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem, and covers some 25,000 sq km. The reserve is bounded by the Siria escarpment to the west, the Serengeti Park to the south, and Masai pastoral ranches to the north and east with The Sand, Talek and Mara being the major rivers draining the reserve. Shrubs and trees fringe most drainage lines and cover hill slopes and hilltops. Most game viewing activities take place on the valley floor, although some lodges carry out walking tours outside the park boundaries in the hills of the Oloololo Escarpment.

The Masai Mara Reserve area is administered by Narok County Council and the Mara Conservancy, a local nonprofit organization formed by the local Masai with a number of anti-poaching units. The Conservation area is overseen by the Group Ranch Trusts of the Masai community who also have their own rangers for patrolling the park area. The wildlife roams freely across both the Reserve and Conservation areas which are a continuous wildlife ecosystem.

Topography
The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland, with seasonal river lets. In the south-east region are clumps of the distinctive acacia tree. The western border is the Esoit Oloololo Escarpment of the Rift Valley, and wildlife tends to be most concentrated here, as the swampy ground means that access to water is always good and tourist disruption is minimal. But in general, there are four main types of topography in the Mara: Ngama Hills to the east with sandy soil and leafy bushes liked by black rhino; Oloololo Escarpment that forms the western boundary and rising to a magnificent plateau; Mara Triangle bordering the Mara River with verdant grassland and acacia woodlands supporting masses of game especially migrating wildebeest; Central Plains forming the largest part of the reserve, with scattered bushes and boulders on rolling grasslands favored by the plains game

Masai Mara wildlife
In a short stay during the wildebeest migration you could see thousands of animals, at other times there are still hundreds. The plains are full of wildebeest, zebra, impala, topi, giraffe, Thomson’s gazelle. Also regularly seen are leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetah, jackal and bat-eared foxes. Black rhino are a little shy and hard to spot but are often seen at a distance.

Hippos which usually submerge at the approach of a vehicle only to surface seconds later to snort and grumble their displeasure are abundant in the Mara River as are very large Nile drowsy crocodile sunbathe on the river banks, mouth agape, and waiting with subtle cunning for prey at which to strike with lightning swiftness.
Every July / August the wildebeest travel over 960km from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains, northwards to the Masai Mara and the Mara River is the final obstacle.

All members of the “Big Five” are found in the Masai Mara, although the population of black rhinoceros is severely threatened, with a population of only 37 recorded in 2000. Hippopotami are found in large groups in the Masai Mara and Talek rivers. Cheetahs are also found, although their numbers are also threatened, chiefly due to tourist disruption of their daytime hunting.
As in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Masai Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions.
Numerous other antelopes can be found, including Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, impalas, topis and Coke’s hartebeests. Large herds of zebra are found through the reserve. The plains are also home to the distinctive Masai giraffe as well as the common giraffe. The large Roan antelope and the nocturnal bat-eared fox, rarely present elsewhere in Kenya, can be seen within the reserve borders. The Masai Mara is a major research centre for the spotted hyena.

Birdlife
Over 450 species of birdlife have been identified in the park among them 57 species of birds of prey, including vultures, marabou storks, and hornbills, crowned cranes, ostriches, long-crested eagles, and African pygmy-falcons. These birds are prolific and come in every size and color including common but beautiful ones like the lilac breasted roller and plenty of other large species like eagles.

Wildebeest Migration
This Great Migration in the Masai Mara is one of the most impressive natural events worldwide, involving an immensity of herbivores some 1,300,000 wildebeests, 360,000 Thomson’s gazelles, and 191,000 zebras. These numerous migrants are followed along their annual, circular route by a block of hungry predators, most notably lions and hyena.
There is nowhere else on earth to compare with this wildlife marvel. It is estimated that more than half a million wildebeest enter the Mara joined by another 100,000 from the Loita Hills east of the Mara.

The herds draw ravening packs of predators, especially hyenas and lions, and thousands of the lame, laggard and sick never complete the cycle. More die, by drowning or by the teeth of the cunning crocodile, whilst trying to cross the swirling muddy waters of the Mara and Talek rivers.
Although July, August and September are the months when the Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is much resident wildlife year round. Once the Mara’s grass has been devoured and when fresh rain in Tanzania has brought forth a new flush there, the herds turn south, heading hundreds of km back to Serengeti and the Ngorongoro plains. But the trek is costly.

Weather
Rainy Season; It rains in April and May and again November and this can cause some areas of the Mara to be inaccessible due to the sticky ‘black cotton’ mud. June and July are the coldest months. The rains in the ecosystem increase markedly along a south-east-north-west gradient, varies in space and time, and is markedly bimodal.
Dry Season; July to October is dry and the grass is long and lush after the rains. This is a good time to come and see the huge herds of migratory herbivores. The warmest time of year is December and January.
The combination of a gentle climate, scenic splendor and untold numbers of wildlife makes the Masai Mara Kenya’s most popular inland destination.

2 Responses to “Masai Mara National Reserve”

1. Kenya National Parks Africa says:

   April 23, 2010 at 7:49 pm

   [...] a visit; next you can’t escape Masai Mara to see the red-clad, spear-wielding Masai warriors and Masai Mara National Reserve. Masai Mara National Park Often described as the greatest of nature’s stages, the Masai [...]
2. Kenya Safari Tour Africa Africa says:

   April 26, 2010 at 5:22 pm

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