Trip Summary:
The tour takes you to experience wildlife in Masai Mara Game Reserve for 2 nights; Masai Mara extends southwards to the Great Serengeti National Park in Tanzania where thousands of wildebeest and zebra migrate around the two park for green pasture and water.
You will enjoy and experience nature, wildlife, habit and habitat of the fauna and flora in the natural areas, also peoples and culture. Availability 90%
Minimum Rate Per Adult: US$
Departing From: Nairobi
Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights Masai Mara Lodge Safari
Departure Time: 0800 Hrs (possible to leave earlier than)
Departures: Daily
Minimum Persons Required: 2
Accommodations: Luxury lodgeBest Time: All round the year
Trip Itinerary:
Masai Mara Lodge Safari (5 Days, 4 Nights)
Masai Mara Migration Safari:
Day 1: Arrival- Nairobi
Today, you arrive at Nairobi, Kenya's vibrant capital city. Met and
assisted. Transfer to your overnight city deluxe hotel, The Stanley
Hotel on bed and breakfast.
Day 2: Nairobi - Masai Mara, Kenya
Depart Nairobi at 07:30am on your 3 night Masai Mara Safari tour through
The Great African Rift Valley and Narok Town. Arrive in time for lunch
at your preferred lodge to include leisure. An afternoon game drive will
follow to explore Hemingways country and Lion, Cheetah, Elephant,
Buffalo and other animals of the same order. Located within the world
famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Sarova Mara Game Camp's 75 tents
capture the true spirit of the Kenyan wild, in Kenya's richest game
reserve. Greatly renown for its annual wildebeest migration, Big Five,
Sarova Mara offers a breathtaking view of the plains aloft a hot air
balloon. Dinner and overnight rest at Sarova Mara Game Camp, L,D.
Day 3 & 4 : Masai Mara, Kenya
This natural wonder of Masai Mara is to be explored now which includes
the extensive plains which include not only the well known predatory
animals but also with Zebra, Wildebeest, Giraffe, Hippo and the
dangerous Crocodiles. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and overnight at Sarova
Mara Game Camp, B,L,D.
Optional activities:
-Visit to a local Maasai village for a Maasai cultural tour: US$ 25
per person
-Hot air balloon ride: US$ 450 per person
Day 5: Masai Mara to
Nairobi, Kenya
Early morning game viewing. After breakfast, drive back to Nairobi to
arrive in the afternoon. Lunch at The Carnivore Restaurant. Transfer to
the airport for your flight to the next destination where the tour ends,
B.
Tour Cost Includes:
-Guarantee price/guarantee safari on confirmation
-Ground transport whilst on safari in a comfortable safari van equipped
for game viewing, photography and touring
-Full board accommodation whilst on safari and meal plan as described,
B=Breakfast, L=Lunch and D=Dinner
-One night accommodation at The Stanley Hotel on bed and breakfast
-Accommodation in double/triple room
-All park entrance fees to include government taxes
-Service of an English speaking professional driver/guide
-All game drives as detailed in the itinerary
-Bottled water whilst on safari
-Carnivore lunch
-Start and end in Nairobi
-Return airport transfers
-Personalised service
Tour Cost excludes:
-Tips
-Laundry
-Beverages/Drinks
-International flights
-Visas
-Items of a personal nature
-Optional activities and any other extras not detailed in the above
itinerary
Masai Mara
Masai Mara is the most famous wildlife conservation area in Kenya and
indeed the world. This game reserve is home to an amazing variety of
wildlife in a natural and untouched state.
Masai Mara has a rolling savannah landscape dotted with patchy shrubs
and bush thickets,and is the Kenyan part of the large ecosystem
stretching south to Serengeti in Tanzania.
The wildlife in Masai Mara is varied, ranging from the big cats to
elephant, rhino and vast herds of herbivores such as wildebeest. A true
animal kingdom if there ever was one.
Masai Mara Safari
There are several safari options by road to the Masai Mara. Usually,
these start from Nairobi, and include a scenic 5 to 6 hour drive down to
the Sekenani gate or to the North West part of the reserve.
Accommodation is in lodges which offer quality service, rooms, and
usually excellent buffet meals on a full board basis. Safaris are
usually for a minimum of 2 nights and 3 days, although it is possible to
have a quick one night safari here as well, although this is too short
to really sample the magic of the Masai Mara. Flying Safaris to Mara are
also available.
3 Masai Mara Day Safari || 4 Masai Mara Day Safari
Maasai children - behind them is a mud hut known as a "manyatta"The
Maasai Tribe
This warrior tribe of nomadic pastoralists are descendants of Nilotic
and Cushitic people originally from north of Lake Turkana over 10
centuries ago. Their life is dominated by their herds of their cattle
and livestock.
They often move hundreds of kilometers with large herds of livestock in
search of water and rich pastures. The Masai diet is based on fresh
curdled milk and meat from their livestock.
Centuries ago the Maasai were feared as ruthless conquerors and cattle
rustlers who invaded other tribal areas in search of bigger grazing land
and more cattle. The Maasai are also famous for drinking a mixture of
cattle blood and milk during ceremonial rites. An arrow is shot at close
range to punture the jugular vein of the cow...More...
Cheetahs spot prey on a mound -s.shoorConservation in the Masai Mara
The Masai Mara has a strong but vulnerable eco system with thousands of
tourists annually visiting the reserve , putting huge pressure on the
environment. Conservation in the Mara is of paramount importance, and
has been targetted at preservation of the wildlife and environment.
Like most third world countries, Kenya has growing land pressure issues,
with the increasing population ever searching for more land to live and
cultivate on. The Mara has it's share of land-animal-population
conflict.
This is an issue being taken up by government, conservation bodies and
NGO's. Funds are a major problem when it comes to conservation and
often, organizations involved in conservation bodies.
Masai Mara Lodge
Masai Mara Game Reserve
Masai Mara Holidays
THE MASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE
The Masai Mara is one of the best known and most popular reserves in the
whole of Africa. At times and in certain places it can get a little
overrun with tourist minibuses, but there is something so special about
it that it tempts you back time and again.
Seasoned safari travelers, travel writers, documentary makers and
researchers often admit that the Masai Mara is one of their favourite
places. So why is that? Perhaps it is because of the 'big skies', the
open savannahs, the romance of films like 'Out of Africa' and certainly
because of the annual wildebeest migration, the density of game, the
variety of birdlife and the chance of a hot air balloon ride.
Also because of the tall red-robed Masai people whose lifestyle is
completely at odds with western practices, and from whom one learns to
question certain western values.
A combination of all these things plus something to do with the spirit
of the place - which is hard to put into words - is what attracts people
to the Mara over and over.
The Masai Mara lies in the Great Rift Valley, which is a fault line some
3,500 miles (5,600km) long, from Ethiopia's Red Sea through Kenya,
Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique. Here the valley is wide and a
towering escarpment can be seen in the hazy distance. Most of the game
viewing activities occur on the valley floor, but some lodges conduct
walking tours outside the park boundaries in the hills of the Oloololo
Escarpment. The animals are also at liberty to move outside the park
into huge areas known as 'dispersal areas'. There can be as much
wildlife roaming outside the park as inside. Many Masai villages are
located in the 'dispersal areas' and they have, over centuries,
developed a synergetic relationship with the wildlife.
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 forming the western boundary and rising to a magnificent
plateau; Mara Triangle bordering the Mara River with lush 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 favoured by the
plains game.
ANIMALS & BIRDS
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 are abundant in the Mara River as are very large Nile crocodiles,
who lay in wait for a meal as the wildebeest cross on their annual quest
to find new pastures.
Cheetah on 4x4 vehicle. Pic: David Anderson.
Every July (or sometimes August), the wildebeest travel over 600 miles
(960km) from Tanzania's Serengeti plains, northwards to the Masai Mara
and the Mara River is the final obstacle. In October or November, once
they have feasted and the grass has all but gone, they turn around and
go back the other way.
The Mara birds come in every size and colour including common but
beautiful ones like the lilac breasted roller and plenty of large
species like eagles, vultures and storks. There are 53 different birds
of prey.
Wildebeest Migration River Crossing. Pic: David Anderson. SEASONS
Altitude is 4,875-7,052 feet (1,500-2,170 metres) above sea level, which
yields a climate somewhat milder and damper than other regions. The
daytime rarely exceeds 85°F (30°C) during the day and hardly ever drops
below 60°F (15°C) at night.
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.
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.
Hottest time: The warmest time of year is December and January.
Coldest Time: June and July are the coldest months.
MASAI MARA SPECIALTIES
· Wildebeest Migration Masai Mara
· Hot Air Ballooning Maasai Mara
· Huge savannahs of golden grasslands
· Big skies
· Rift Valley escarpment
· Lion sightings
FACTS
This is a malarial area
The reserve covers an area of ??m² (1,510 km²)
There is no night driving and vehicles must be back at the lodge by 6pm.
Several lodges are located outside the park's boundaries, but as there
are few fences you may not be aware of this.
This is a Reserve rather than a National Park and it belongs to the
Masai people.
