If ever you are looking to have a great travel moment in Kenya, then Masai Mara Game Reserve and Amboseli National Park should be top on your list. Now, there are very specific and special reasons why most people prefer to travel to these two destinations while in Africa.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is a beautiful location in south-western Kenya where you may see various animal species, including lions, elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and rhinos. Along with many other animals, there are hippos, giraffes, wildebeest, zebras, warthogs, hyenas, jackals, and wild dogs. Masai Mara Game Reserve is best known as the home of the Big Five!
On the other hand, Amboseli National Park is well-known for being the home to a huge number of elephants and it is usually described as the best place in Africa for elephant viewing. It is also crowned by breathtaking vista of Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa.
These are just a tip of the iceberg of why you should definitely visit these two destinations. Here are some of the other reasons;
Scenery
Visitors can choose from four incredibly special and stunning types of terrain in the Mara. The Ngama Hills, which are popular with rhinos because of their sandy soil and green shrubs, are to the east.
The Olooloo Escarpment, a massive vertical cliff rock wall, is to the west. The Mara Triangle is located along the Mara River and is home to a variety of animals, including the migratory wildebeest, thanks to its lush grasslands and acacia-filled woods.
The Mara plains are the rolling grasslands that are dotted with stones, termite mounds, and the occasional bush. Eluai plain, a vast region notable for its desolation and sporadic trees. The plain is fantastic because you can see for kilometers and enjoy breathtaking views of some great game creatures, including cheetahs, elephant herds, zebras, and many others.
It’s amazing to see the vast herds of elephants moving over the parched, dusty plains of Amboseli in search of water in one of the many wetlands that are supplied by underground rivers flowing from the snow-covered Kilimanjaro mountains in the distance. Amboseli’s scenery is unique and strange, and it cannot be found anyplace else.
Game drive/Safaris
The primary activity for visiting the African wilderness to see animals and other species in the parks is the game drive or safari drive. Safari cars, which can be a jeep or truck or a van are used for the game drives. The safari vehicles essentially have a pop-up canopy so you can stand in the car and get a 360-degree view of the bush so that you will not miss anything.
When it comes to the length of a safari game drive, in Kenya, they often last 2 to 3 hours each in the morning and the afternoon. The morning timings typically being from 6.30am to 9am and the afternoon timings being from 3.30pm to 6.30pm.
However, some visitors choose to go on a full-day game drive which is usually from 10 am to 4 pm, in which case the expedition includes a packed picnic lunch that can be eaten at a designated picnic location any time between noon and 2 pm for lunch.
In addition to the game drive, you may also go on balloon safaris throughout the reserve and in the conservancies, go on walking safaris in the nearby private conservancies, and go horseback riding in some conservancies to enhance your game viewing in the Masai Mara. Visitors can also go on balloon safaris in Amboseli National Park.
Birds and birding
Bird watching is one of the most fascinating activity during bush safaris in Africa. Both the Mara and Amboseli are fantastic birding locations with a wide variety of species. Depending on the species you’re interested in, either park might be your favorite. The Mara is a fantastic place to see grassland birds, especially raptors. Along with other habitats, Amboseli’s marshes and swamps are excellent places to see waterbirds.
A safari to Amboseli National Park is a birder’s paradise when you want to see as many species as you can in one trip! From a few meters away, the marshes and swamps offer such close-up views of so many wetland birds.
In addition to the wetlands, Amboseli’s savannah and woods are home to many unique semi-arid bird species. The Taveta Golden Weaver is an indigenous bird to East Africa, and Amboseli National Park offers the best opportunity to see it.
Wildebeests migration.
One of the greatest natural spectacles in the world, the yearly wildebeest migration in Masai Mara is ranked as the eighth wonder of the world. The largest mammal land migration in the world is the wildebeest migration in East Africa.
The sheer quantity of amazing animals that make up this migration is unmatched by any other experience. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen—a seething, stunning mass of activity. Most people mistakenly believe that the Great Migration is just composed of wildebeest, but in addition to the one million wildebeest, there are also gazelles, zebras, and a number of powerful predators, including lions, cheetahs, and crocodiles, who are engaged in this epic struggle.
It’s the pinnacle of life-and-death drama, leaving tourists with priceless memories.
Between July and October of every year, a vast migration takes place between the Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
The massive herds of wildebeest cross the crocodile-infested Mara River as they go in quest of greener pastures.
Accommodation
The Maasai Mara has a variety of lodging options. You can choose to stay in a lodge, a tent camp, or camping out in nature.
While the majority of the lodgings are located outside the reserve a few kilometers from the entrance gate, others are located right inside the reserve. The lodgings provide a range of amenities, including Budget, Midrange, and Luxury.
The reserve itself also contains various campsites, some of which are located in the Conservancy and the others in other parts of the reserve, all of which give the best views of the Mara plains. There are also some resorts that have campsites.
Amboseli also offers a variety of lodging options, from modest do-it-yourself campsites and bandas to opulent 5-star safari lodges, hotels, and tented camps to accommodate all types of travelers.
