Masai Mara
One of the most renowned wildlife areas in the planet, the Masai Mara lies to the south of the country and is most certainly a contender for offering the best wildlife watching anywhere in the world. Forming part of the larger Serengeti ecosystem, the Mara plays host to the ‘Great Migration’ - involving the movement of some 2 million Blue Wildebeest, half a million Thompson’s Gazelles and 250,000 Zebra.
This gigantic mass of herbivores is in-turn followed by a large number of predators with Lions, Cheetah, Leopard and Hyaena being spotted almost daily.
When to go:
When to go to the Masai Mara completely depends on what you want from your safari. If your focus is seeing the spectacle of the great migration, then it is key to factor this into your itinerary.
The rains begin in November as scattered showers and thunderstorms from November and in March and April these can become intensified. As a result, March and April are viewed as low season, and this very busy destination can become much quieter and also, much cheaper!
Tracking the Wildebeest Migration:
The thousands of wildebeest and zebra congregate on the southern short grass plains of the souther Serengeti in January. They remain in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania until around July, when the reach the northern reaches of the park and the border with Kenya.
It is from July-September that herds start to cross the Mara River into the Maasai Mara offering the spectacle of the river crossings and the constant battle for survival.
The massive hers remain in the northern Serengeti and Masai Mara during the dry season (July to October) where they have access to the permanent waters of the Mara River. In November, they start to slowly head towards the southern Serengeti for the cycle to start again.