The Masai Mara National park is located in the south Western region of Kenya around the rift valley area of the country. This park is famous for the endless plain that house a lot of wildlife including the wildebeests that come here in the dry season as they try to escape the long droughts of the Serengeti National park.
The park derives its name for the Local Masai people that used to live here. The Masai are nomads and they have a unique life style. It is interesting to see how they survive and depend on their cattle. The word ‘Mara’ means stopped in the Masai language to refer to the acacia bushes that are spread all over the plains of this national reserve.
1961 saw the gazzetteing of the Masai Mara National Reserve as a wildlife sanctuary. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania’s northern region borders it. The Mara reserve is well-known for hosting the annual wildebeest migration, which takes place from July through October. During this migration, animals travel hundreds of miles from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park to Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve.
The Oloololo escarpment is situated along the national park’s western edge. This plateau’s exceptional natural beauty will wow you because it is so unique. The remaining portion of the park is basically made up of riverine forest vegetation, woodlands, savanna grasslands, and rocky hills.
The Talek River and the Mara River are the two principal river basins in the Masai Mara national reserve. The Masai Mara National Reserve is divided into three parts by the two rivers: the Mara Triangle, the Musiara Sector, and the Sekenani Sector. The Mara Triangle is managed by Trans Mara County, while the Musiara and Sekenani areas are overseen by Narok County.
Sekenani Sector of Maasai Mara
The Masai Mara National Reserve’s main gate is located in the Sekenani sector. This makes it the area with the most access points. As a result, there is a lot of traffic, particularly from visitors from Nairobi. As it descends to the eastern region of the Masai Mara National Reserve, the terrain becomes somewhat mountainous. This area has the Leleshwa forest, which is home to numerous wildlife species but is primarily a refuge for birdwatchers.
This is the busiest and arguably least attractive part of the Mara. It has lots of big hotel lodges, budget tented camps and apparently uncontrolled local development, all contributing to the substantial numbers of travelers that flock the area.
Musiara Sector of Maasai Mara
The best area of the Masai Mara game reserve to see wildlife is this section of the National Park. The Talek and Mara rivers are on either side of the Musiara Sector. The area is located in the Masai Mara National Reserve’s southeast corner. Its proximity to the Mara River gives it an excellent location during the great migration’s river crossing season. The largest area of the reserve is in the Masai Mara’s Musiara district.
Animals move from the Serengeti National Park to the Masai Mara National Reserve. This is evident in the vast herds of animals that visit this area between July and October. On a fortunate day, you can witness a great deal of cats in action as they capture large amounts of prey.
Paradise Plain’s savanna is consequently a key cheetah habitat within the Central Plains. Rhino Ridge is a great place to see black-backed jackals, spotted hyenas, and bat-eared foxes.
For breathtaking views of the Olpunyaia Swamp, encounters with hippos, and images of wildebeest crossing rivers during the migration season, visit Lookout Hill.
Mara Triangle
When the Great Migration is crossing the river, this is the finest place to see it. There is a lot of animals in this area. The region is calm and consequently in excellent condition, making it a great getaway spot to see wildlife.
More than one-third of the Mara game reserve’s total size, or roughly 510 square kilometers, is comprised of the Mara triangle. Once a popular location for poachers, this region has developed into a great place to observe wildlife as poaching has become illegal over time. These leaders’ cooperation resulted in the founding of the nonprofit Mara Conservancy. It was the beginning of an innovative collaboration between the public and commercial sectors, between experts in conservation and the nearby Maasai people, to effectively manage and protect one of the world’s most abundant wildlife habitats.
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