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Mara
Lions
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The Masai Mara
Game Reserve is often called simply "The Mara" which is the Maa word
meaning "Mottled" - a reference to the patchy landscape. Both
spellings "Masai" and "Maasai" are acceptable although the latter is
more usual when referring to the people. The Masai Mara is a Game
Reserve (sometimes called a National Reserve) although an inner area
is treated as a National Park. Reserves are normally managed by
local authorities and allow lodges, camp sites and the settling of
some tribespeople with their cattle. National Parks are normally
managed centrally and do not allow any human inhabitation other than
for Park Rangers and people on safari.
Virtually
everyone who visits Kenya goes to this 320-sq. km. of open grassland
dotted with flat-topped acacia trees. A visit to Mara is truly a
staggering one, and which is likely to have a profound effect on
your own feeling of insignificance. This is the Kenyan section of
the Serengeti and animals are in abundant. All year round, the Masai
Mara, a living tapestry of grassy savanna, spreading thorn trees,
rounded hills and tall gallery forests with its abundant wild life
draw hundreds of thousands of photographers and visitors from all
over the world. The Mara is home to millions of wild game such as
wildebeest and gazelle among others and are continuously tracked by
Africa's great predators. The annual migration of these animals is
one of the most inspiring sights on earth, and this is the dramatic
life and death struggle that tourists come to see. Other animals
seen are lion, elephant, cheetah, leopard, zebra, antelope, impala,
Thomson gazelle, topi, giraffe, baboon, jackal, warthog, rhino and
hyenaThe Mara is superb game viewing at all times of the year and
one of the last places in Africa you can still see the huge herds of
game.
Short safaris
from the Mara include an early morning champagne balloon flight over
the plains, or flying to Lake Victoria to fish for the giant Nile
perch. |