Masai Mara is one of the best known and most popular reserves in the whole of Africa. The Masai Mara Reserve lies 168 miles from the capital city of Nairobi. The trip takes at least 6 hours because of the roads are quite poor condition and should not be attempted unless you have a 4WD vehicle.
It was our last destination of the two weeks safari in Kenya. We proceeded to Masai Mara from Lake Nakuru that took us around 6 hours. It is the best place to see wildlife and also famous for the "big Skies" , the open Savannah, the romance of films lie "Out of Africa" and certainly because of the annual wildebeest migration, the destiny game, the variety of bird life and the chance of a hot air balloon ride.
The Masai Mara is in southwestern Kenya on the border of Tanzania. The reserve is situated in the Rift Valley with Tanzania's Serengeti Plains running along its southern end. The Mara River runs through the reserve (north to south) hosting plenty of hippos and crocodiles and making the annual migration of over a million wildebeest and hundreds of thousands of zebras an extremely dangerous undertaking.
The Masai Mara National Reserve was named for the Maasai people who inhabit the area, and for the Mara River, which flows through this great reserve. It shares a border with Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and is essentially a continuation of this park, forming the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.Because the reserve has no fences you can actually see as much wildlife within its boundaries as outside in the areas inhabited by the Masai tribes. Some of these areas are also not so crowded. Within the reserve, it's not unusual to see 5 or 6 safari vehicles full of tourists taking photos of one lion with its kill. 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.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.
Visiting a traditional Maasai village is frequently included in a safari package to the Masai Mara. While not really an authentic experience you may learn something about the Maasai. You can also take some excellent cultural tours to learn more about the Maasai. Hot Air Ballooning is a popular pastime that provides an expensive but unique experience. Every lodge and camp will be able to set up a flight for you. The balloons usually fly at dawn and last about an hour. Upon landing most balloon companies offer a champagne breakfast.
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.
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| Entrance to Sopa Lodge |
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| Reception Area |
Our stay during Masai Mara Safari was the Mara Sopa
Lodge located on the slopes of Oloongams Hills. it is one of the first lodges
to be built in the Masai Mara Game Reserve. Guests are drawon to this
lodge built in an ethnic design, surrounded by a rich landscape, covered
in fauna from a huge desert cacti to sweet smelling flower, all within the
fabled Masa Mara Game Reserve. The reception area of the lodge is Airy
and spacious, decorated in with the red coloured walls synonymous with the
Masai. An effect of beads painted in bright colours is very prominent. In the
centre is a huge table with slabs of stone found in the area. Light fixtures
are calabashes arranged in a tasteful manner, hanging from a high thatched
roof. The walls are adorned with Masai artifacts, murals and woven batiks. Down
a few steps, the walls hanging with woven batiks, is the lobby, round with a
high thatched roof. Right in the centre is a fire place, a bar on one side and
comfortable seats all around for lounging. The walls have paintings of animals
fond in the region. Glass doors open out to a verandah facing the swimming pool
and a beautiful garden, with sweet smelling jasmine plants creeping along the
walls, giving a beautiful fragrant in the evenings when the flowers open.
It has 50 traditional round buildings with thatched roofs, each with 2
rooms.
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| Open Air Entertainment in the Night |
