The Masai Mara
Safari is a vast area used as a game reserve in Narok County, Kenya shares
common boundary with Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The Masai Mara Safari
is well known for having extraordinary numbers of leopards, cheetahs and lions.
The Masai Mara Safari has a plethora of wildlife and culture and the natural
habitats in this area are peaceful, placid and poised. The safari is known for
its annual migration where animals like wildebeest migrate in large groups and
present a majestic sight. The wildebeest migration happens every year and these
majestic beasts move from Masai Mara Safari, to the Serengeti National Park and
then back again. The best time to witness this event is a little after the
months of July and before October is over.
The safari is
spread in a very huge area of 1510 square kilometres. As it is located near the
equator, the weather here is hot most of the times with sun shined ground most
of the time. The rain occurs from March to May and from November to December.
The temperature here not too high as Kenya is located on a plateau and the
altitude keeps the temperature in the comfortable range.
The Masai MaraSafari is very rich in terms of wildlife population, the animals occupying the
major area of the safari are:
·
Wildebeest
·
Zebra
·
Topi
·
Thomson’s gazelle
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| Thomson’s gazelle |
 |
| Topi |
 |
| Wildebeest Migration |
 |
| Zebra |
It also contains
a huge population of lions, leopards, African elephants, African buffaloes and
black rhinoceros. Mara and Talek rivers have large groups of hippopotami and
Nile crocodiles. Lions and cheetahs are found the plains between the Mara River
and the EsoitSiria Escarpment and is regarded as the best area for game
viewing.
Plenty of
tourists visit this heaven, every year for experiencing a first class safari.
Inside the reserve and conservation area borders, there are numerous lodges and
tented camps for the tourists. For an excellent game viewing and no poaching
there are rangers patrol on a regular basis. The authorities have restricted
the number of vehicles around the animal sightings so that the tourists have a
better experience when on a game drive.
Wildebeest are
an antelope which belongs to the genus Connochaetes and family Bovidae. There
are two types of wildebeest found in Masai Mara Safari:
·
Black wildebeest
·
Blue wildebeest
 |
| Wildebeest Migration |
 |
| Blue wildebeest |
All types of
wildebeests are not migratory, black wildebeest are nomadic and often live in
regular homes. Wildebeest migration takes place from the moths July to October
between Masai Mara and Serengeti every year. Blue wildebeest migration takes
place in East Africa, which is very long distance migration. The wildebeest
migration takes place according to the annual pattern of rainfall and growth of
the grasses. At the end of every rainy season wildebeest migration takes place
to dry season areas due to lack of drinking water. When the rainy season starts
again, the animals again shift back to rainy seasoned areas. The factors that
are assumed for the wildebeest migration are:
·
Availability of surface water
·
Food
·
Predators
·
Phosphorus availability
