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. They include the wildebeests that come here in the dry season as they try to escape the long droughts of the Serengeti National park.
The local Masai people who had inhabited the reserve before it was gazetted as a conservation area are honored by the park’s name. The Masai lead a distinctive lifestyle as nomads. Seeing how they rely on their livestock for survival is interesting. The acacia shrubs that are dispersed throughout the plains of this national reserve are referred to as “Mara” in Masai language.
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 made up of riverine forest vegetation, woodlands, savanna grasslands, and rocky hills.
The Masai Mara national reserve has two main river basins: the Talek River and Mara River. The two rivers separate the Masai Mara National reserve into three sectors. The Sekenani Sector, The Musiara Sector and the Mara Triangle. The Narok County manages the Musiara and Sekenani sectors while the Trans Mara County manages the Mara Triangle.
Sekenani Sector of Maasai Mara
The Sekenani sector is the biggest access point of the Masai Mara National reserve since it houses the Main gate of this reserve. It there for has a lot of traffic especially from travelers from Nairobi. The area is a bit hilly as it descents to the eastern part of the Masai Mara National reserve. The Leleshwa forest is located in this sector and it is a habitant for a lot of wildlife species but mostly a haven for birders. The sector is located east of the Talek River.
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.
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