Masai Mara Reserve

The Mara Conservancy is a private, non-governmental agency that has been managing infrastructure and anti-poaching efforts within the Triangle of Kenya’s Masai Mara Game Reserve. In the northern tip of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem, the Masai Mara Game Reserve was gazetted in the late 1940s. The Mara River, descending from the currently threatened Mau Forest, separates the Mara from the reserve’s eastern sector.

By 1999, however, conditions in the Mara Triangle had greatly deteriorated due to mismanagement. Poaching was rampant. Infrastructure of roads and tourists services had all but disappeared. It was obvious that income was not being properly distributed to the Masai communities who own the land, nor was money being put back into maintenance of the reserve. Safaris were no longer heading into the Mara Triangle.

The Mara Conservancy began managing the Mara Triangle June 11, 2001, based on the premise that its most tangible and significant income would be derived from tourism revenue. As the first public/private sector conservation partnership in Kenya, the Mara Conservancy fulfilled its first five-year contract and entered a new ten-year contract in October 2005. Supported by a generous U.S. donor, creation of a new ten-year management plan was begun in 2007 and will ensure greater, long-term security for this world-renowned game reserve.

Among the Mara Conservancy’s primary objectives is effective management of the Mara Triangle’s riverine forest, the Mara River, the annual wildebeest and zebra migratory phenomenon, and other flora and fauna.

The Mara Conservancy goals are to eventually reintroduce the roan antelope and wild dog, to ensure a healthy population of threatened species such as rhino and lion, and to study means of facilitating regeneration of the dwindling numbers of balanites trees and forest and woodland cover in general.

 
Masai Mara National Reserve and the Mara Conservancy as part of the South Rift Region Kenya Safari Circuit
The Southern Rift comprises of the best known attractions including Masai Mara National Reserve and The Mara Conservancy, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. Activities here include game watching with chances of spotting all of the Big Five game, bird watching, Ballooning, Hiking and rock climbing
Maasai Mara Wildebeest Migration
The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the few places where you can actually encounter a haven for viewing a congregation of all sorts of animals in a five mile radius. A pride of lions can be spotted ready to make a run for a kill, a cheetah and its cub taking a nap on a rock, a pair of ostriches walking the open stretches of the savannah or a gazelle giving birth.

The Mara is an extension of the Serengeti National park of Tanzania, and is cushioned by the Loita Hills in the east, Itong Hills in the North and Siria escarpment in the west. you will also get to see Kilimanjaro snow peaks, a lovely sight. Game viewing is excellent year round. Game includes: elephant, Black Rhino, buffalo, plains zebra, roan antelope in small numbers, white-bearded gnu, Oribi, warthog, Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelle, hartebeest and the big cats; the rivers are home to hippo and crocodiles.
The best thing the Mara has to offer is the wildebeest migration. This sensational display starts during the month of July when the wildebeest start moving north from the Serengeti. An 1.5 million animals partake in this migration. The wildebeests move north in search of the lush vegetation during the long rains. The wildebeests crossing the Mara river is comical yet sad. The long rains flood the rivers, and yet the wildebeests senselessly force their way upstream, and this causes many deaths and injuries.

But that is natures way of dealing with it all; the wildebeests fresh death bring lions, vultures, jackals and hyenas who complete the food chain part of the migration.
 
Related Information: The Mara Conservancy/The Mara Triangle
The Mara Triangle is the North-Western part of the The Mara Triangle, Kenya, and is managed by the non-governmental organisation – The Mara Conservancy on behalf of Trans-Mara County Council (Trans Mara District). Divided from the rest of the Masai Mara game reserve by the Mara River, the Mara Triangle is


Lake Naivasha National Park       Safaris and Accommodation
Lake Naivasha is freshwater lake, fringed by thick papyrus. The lake is almost 13kms across, with an average depth of five metres. Lake area varies greatly according to rainfall, with an average range between 114 and 991 sq kms. At the beginning of the 20th Century, Naivasha completely dried up and effectively disappeared. The resulting open land was farmed, until heavy rains a few years later caused the lake to return to existence, swallowing up the newly established estates.

Afternoon wind and storms can cause the Lake to become suddenly rough and produce high waves. For this reason, the local Maasai christened the lake Nai’posha meaning ”rough water”, which was later mis-spelt by the British as Naivasha..

Much of the lake is surrounded by forests of the yellow barked Acacia Xanthophlea – the yellow fever tree. These forests abound with bird life, and Naivasha is known as a world class birding destination.

Giraffes wander among the acacia, Buffalo wallow in the swamps and Colobus monkeys call from the treetops while the Lakes large hippo population sleep the day out in the shallows.

The region surrounding the Lake is well worth exploring. There are two more smaller lakes nearby, Oloidien, and Sonachi, a bright green crater lake.

Hell’s Gate National Park lies beside the lake. This Park was named for its pair of massive red tinged cliffs framing a geothermically active interior of steam vents and bubbling springs. The park is home to a profusion of plains game and birdlife. Walking is permitted, making it ideal for hiking, biking, and rock climbing.

Sunsets are come with the haunting call of a Fish Eagle high over the Lake bringing the day to a perfect end….

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