The Masai Mara

Ranging over a span of approximately 25,000 square km, the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem stretches north from the Ngorongoro Conservation area in Tanzania to the Loita Plains in Kenya. This vast plain in hemmed in to the west by the Oloololo Escarpment and to the East by the Ngama Hills, the Mara is split in two by the river of the same name, forming the Central Plains and the Mara Triangle, arguably the greatest safari region on the planet.

The Masai Mara Reserve

Approximately 1,800 square kilometers of designated animal reserve, the park contains a stunning array of big mammal wildlife, in particular the big cats and the Great Migration that visits annually. The terrain of the reserve is primarily open grassland, with clusters of the distinctive acacia tree in the south-east region. Along the western border is the 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. The easternmost border is 224 km from Nairobi, and hence it is the eastern regions which are most visited by tourists.

The Greater Maasai Mara

The region that surrounds the park itself also makes up part of the game viewing possibilities and is a fine example of how game conservation could work for the future. Traditionally the whole area falls under the ownership of the Maasai, a Nilotic faming community, and they have slowly learned that the game that roams the area is better seen rather than run off the land. This increased awareness has mattedred greatly to the animals of the region as they were once hunted and killed. Today it is possible to visit one of these local, and still predominantly subsistence, communities, while guided Masai walks are a speciality in this area.