The Masai Mara Game Reserve is a large park in South-western Kenya and is effectively the Northern continuation of the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Gazetted in 1961 it is famous for...
...its exceptional population of game and the annual migration of zebras, Thomson's gazelles and wildebeest from the Serengeti.
Masai Mara's location and altitude, more than 1,500 m above sea level, yield a climate which is milder and damper than other regions in Kenya. The riverbanks of the Mara and of the multiple tributary streams are bordered by dense riverine forests. The wildlife is far from confined within the park's boundaries, and an even larger area, generally referred to as the "dispersal area", extends North and East of the National Reserve. Maasai communities live within this area.
Although July, August and September are the months when the Masai Mara plains are filled with migrating wildebeest and zebra, there is much resident wildlife year round: Masai Mara is one of the best plain game reserves where you can actually encounter all sorts of animals in a five-mile radius: all members of the "Big Five" can be seen here, although the population of black rhinoceros is severely threatened, with a population of only 37 recorded in 2000. The Masai Mara is also a major research centre for the spotted hyena.
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