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 pop-up tourist
minibuses, but there is something so special about it that
it tempts seasoned safari travellers, documentary filmmakers and researchers
back time and time again. Most of "Out of Africa" was filmed
here, so you probably already know what it looks like. When
Karen Blixen crossed the Mara in an ox-wagon, she said of the experience,
"The air of the African Highlands went into my head like wine.
I was all the time slightly drunk with it and the joy of these months
was indescribable". The park to get drunk in is 275km west of
Nairobi and covers 1 510 sq kms of rolling plains, rocky outcrops
and deep green winding rivers full of hippos and crocs. Although it’s
not the best bird watching destination, its animal diversity is one
of the greatest in Africa and all of the Big Five are easily found.
The reserve is a natural extension of the Serengeti plains in Tanzania.
There are no fences, and animals take no notice of the borders drawn
on paper: not only those which split Kenya from Tanzania but the limits
of the protected area as well. The Mara River serves as the natural
border and is the backbone of the Masai Mara. It is crossed every year by
large migratory herds of wildebeest and their zebra friends that march
across the two parks on a continuous circular migration. From July
to October one million wildebeest and 200 000 zebra move from the
plains of the Serengeti across the croc-filled river to new pastures
in the Masai Mara. The predators and scavengers - lion, leopard, cheetah,
hyena and vultures - follow in their wake, relying on the huge herd for food.
The Mara has the largest population of well-fed lion in Kenya, and
some of the biggest crocs in the Mara River - thanks to the constant
supply of ready-made meals. The best way to see the migration is from
a hot-air balloon and the movement of these vast herds of awkwardly
shaped wildebeest is a spectacular sight. (It is sometimes said that when
God made all the animals he used the bits left over to make the wildebeest!)
The Masai Mara was declared a reserve in 1961 to protect those animals
the great white hunters failed to destroy. The territory was originally
Masai grazing ground and the local Masai chiefs were made managers
of the park. The animals move outside the park into huge areas known
as 'dispersal areas'. There can be as much wildlife roaming outside
the park as inside. Since many Masai villages are located in the
'dispersal areas', over the years they have developed a synergistic
relationship with the wildlife. Today the reserve is still owned
and administered by the local Masai district councils and all camps
within the reserve are run by the Masai.
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