The word “Mara’’ refers to the patchy mosaic of bushes and trees that define the Mara plains. It is a beautiful landscape, with big skies and open savannahs, situated in south-west Kenya. The famous annual wildebeest migration, density of game, variety of birds, chance of a hot air balloon ride and interaction with the tall red-robed Maasai people (a traditionally nomadic people also very much found in Tanzania) all attract people to the Mara. The best time to visit is July to October.
Maasai Mara
Local villages combine with the national reserves and man and wildlife mostly co-exist in harmony. There is an incredible eco-system with large herds of elephants, buffalo, hippos and crocodile. In the Mara’s brown Talek rivers and their banks you can see giraffe, topi, grant and Thompson gazelle, zebra, many Nile crocodile, blue and red tailed monkeys and tree hyrax. The abundance of herbivores makes it ideal hunting ground for predators and the area is therefore also home to Africa’s famous ‘big cats’; lions, leopards, cheetahs, spotted hyena and jackals can be spotted.