Maasai Mara National Reserve
The Maasai Mara is an African safari at its most iconic, a seemingly endless landscape filled with the drama of nature. Predators are thrillingly abundant and the big cats define the rhythm on the plains every single day. Ungulates are diverse and plentiful, and astonishing numbers of four hooved animals cross the grasslands. Then there are the other giants, the elephants, giraffe, buffalo, hippo, even the elusive black rhino.
This vast expansive unfenced savannah grassland covering over 1,500 square kilometers is a true wildlife haven. The Mara is also home to the richest concentration of wildlife, including the “Big Five” (elephants, lions, leopards, rhinos, and buffalos), zebras, antelope, gnus, Oribis, hyenas, giraffes, warthogs, gazelles, hartebeests, hippos, crocodiles, and other. The park has the largest concentration of African lions, including the black-maned lion.
Birdlife is as plentiful as wildlife at the Maasai Mara, which boasts over 400 different bird species. The Maasai Mara provides the best view of the famous wildebeest migration as the animals cross the Mara River between July and August. The park experiences a hot and dry climate with a regular rainfall season twice a year. The reserve’s topography is mainly open savannah (grassland) with clusters of acacia trees along the southeastern area of the park. The Mara and Talek rivers grace the rolling plains of the reserve. Myriad seasonal rivers appear during the rainy season but dry out once the rains are gone.
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru National Park is situated approximately 164 kilometers from Nairobi, a two hours’ drive from Nairobi city. It is a gentle undulating terrain with open bush and woodlands, typical of the dry Rift Valley vegetation. 27% of the park is composed of the Lake Nakuru waters. The park has a large reserve of over 400 species of birds, which make it an ideal site for bird lovers. The park is also a sanctuary of rhinoceros with approximately 45 black and 31 white rhinoceros and the Rothschild's giraffe.
