Masai Mara National Park|Kenia

The Masai Mara National Game reserve is one of the most beautiful parks in Kenya. The park borders Serengeti National park located in Tanzania. Masai Mara is home to one of the largest lion populations in Kenya. Chances are you will see these lazy – they sleep 20 hours a day! – felines. In around August, Masai Mara national park is crowded. Why? The annual “great migration. Thousands of wildebeest, zebras and other animals then come from the arid Serengeti plains to Masai Mara.

Big 5 Masai Mara

Don’t have much time? But do you want the greatest chance of seeing all the animals? Then you’re in the right place in this Masai Mara.

Here you see:
masai-mara-elephant

  • rhinos
  • lions
  • cheetahs
  • hippos
  • crocodile
  • elephants
  • giraffes
  • zebras
  • buffalo
  • wildebeest
  • large wild boars
  • many different antelopes.
  • and if you’re lucky-like me-you’ll see a leopard

The rhino in Masai Mara

During my stay, I saw something extraordinary happen. Something that even our guide, who had been a guide in Masai Mara park for 6 years, had not seen.

In the weeks before our visit to Masai Mara, a rhino had been killed by poachers for its horn. It is unthinkable to me as an animal lover that you would want to kill an animal for money. To benefit themselves. The rangers are eager to protect the current rhino population in the Masai Mara. So they tracked down one of the rhinos.

masai mara rhinoceros masai mara rhinoceros

There were only three tourist vans present at the scene that took place at the time. The rangers jumped out of the car, ran after the rhino (it was trapped). They maneuvered the 1,000-plus-kilogram rhino onto the Masai Mara ground. Quickly they administered an anesthetic.

To everyone’s surprise, we were told to get out of the van. We walked cautiously toward the rhino. I caught a sawing sound. And yes, the rhino no longer had a horn. Why did the rangers of the Masai Mara do this? This is how they protect the rhino. A rhino without a horn is worth nothing to the poachers. So the poachers don’t kill him either.

In the end, it is deeply sad that an animal must be preemptively stripped of its own horn because otherwise a human will kill it.

 

Village Masai Mara

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After your safari, you will have the opportunity to visit a Masai village. You pay 1000 kes (about 10 euros) as a contribution to keep their village running. You will hear how today’s Masai live. There are boys and girls going to school in the village. And some even go to college. Boys are circumcised as soon as they are 15, girls as soon as they are 12.

Boys are not allowed to live with women or girls after circumcision. To prove they are men, they must go into the bush for 5 years. They may return only when they have killed a male lion. The Masai live on meat, blood from a cow and milk. It is so far from my way of eating. I horror at the idea of never being able to eat vegetables again. Fortunately, then, I don’t have to live like a masai either

Cost Safari to Masai Mara

Several trips can be booked from Nairobi. Most tour operators offer a 3-day tour. Prices vary tremendously. Our trip to Masai Mara was about $300-350. Includes everything: food, water, park fees, transportation and sleeping in a safari tent with its own shower and toilet. This was at Lenchada Tourist Camp. There was particularly tasty food here for vegetarians as well.

The Masai Mara Tour was part of our 5-day safari ($585 total). We booked this through Manyatta Backpackers. We do not recommend this. The last two days were poorly organized. Would you like to do a safari? Send us an email and we will give you reliable names of guides. It is not necessarily cheaper to organize a safari on your own. The park fees are just pricey. For example, you pay $80 for Masai Mara. Also curious about other parks? Then read the all about Lake Nakuru, Lake Navaisha and Hell’s gate.

 

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