It was a cold breezy Monday when we took a flight from Nairobi to Mara, and all I had was high expectations of the Masia Mara National Reserve and culture. I was super elated while looking forward to seeing the big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo) in person, along with the beautifully striped zebras and tall giraffes. All of them! I wanted to see them all in person and oh boy my spirit leaped for joy when I set my eyes on the first zebra!

There is a number of stories to be told about Masia Mara, one of which is the Masai Mara culture/village. I have a whole article on it, CLICK HERE to read more. 

Travel Guide on Masia Mara Safari

Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Kenya and on the continent of Africa. The reserve is located in the Great Rift Valley in primarily open grassland.

The Masai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas. The annual wildebeest’s migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November.

There have been some 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 birds species recorded on the reserve.

Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant, and it is for this reason a visitor hardly misses to see the big five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino).

Being driven through the Masai Mara National Reserve upon our first arrival, I felt like a child seeing her favorite childhood movie in real life. Fam, Lion king is real.

I always thought it was a false representation of the African continent, but I could totally see where the inspiration for the movie came from.

However, before visiting Kenya, I did a video guessing where the inspiration behind the movie came from, here’s the video below.

David Lerabu Naiguran, the man who spotted and drove us to the exact locations where we saw three lions feasting on a fresh kill. It felt magical and yet unreal.

We were so close to the lions in our land cruisers and the lions were so un-bothered by our presence.

All they could focus on was their fresh meal (more on YouTube video soon).

Did you know Hyenas are bullies? 

These lions killed their prey after some hours of strategy and energy put into the hunt. They hardly went half way with the meal, only to be spotted by 2 hyenas who called the others to join.

Two Haynes became 4, and then 6 and then 7 and they just kept coming in. The lions had no choice but to leave their hard earned meal for the hyenas. After witnessing this, I lost all respect for the animal. Such a bully. 

Tour of Masai Mara Animals

The Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big 5, cheetah, serval, hyena, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippo, crocodile, baboons, warthog, topi, eland, Thompson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, oribi, reed-buck, zebra.

The Crocodiles:

This is not my first time seeing a crocodile in person, however seeing this ones, you would think that they are either sleeping or dead. They pretend to be dead  yet they are waiting for any animal to try and cross then they attack it and use water to drown the animal so that they can feast on it. How brutal!

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This has to be my best shot at Maasia Mara Game Reserve! I’m in awe of this moment 😍😍😍 There is a whole story to be told about this. PS: (If you use the picture, make sure to give photo-credit 😉😃😁) _________ 15 of many (pictures) _______ More on @magicalkenyatravelexpo ————— Bookings on @TravCP #TravCP #TravPlaces #TravCulture #magicalkenya #tourism #MKTE2019 #kenya #travel #thefisayo #travellust #elephant

A post shared by Tourism Development Advocate🇳🇬 (@thefisayo) on Oct 9, 2019 at 1:01pm PDT

Elephants:

I saw a number of elephants, and they just looked so sweet, humble and strong at the same time. I was always in awe when I spotted an elephant.

Giraffes

I found out that the giraffes legs of one side move together and when they drink water that’s when they become more vulnerable to be attacked by other animals (more like the lion). They do not consume grass like most animals but the leafs of trees. 

Wild Beasts

The man who came up with the name of these animals did not know what to name them. He was confused and said they looked like something made out of “leftovers” of other animals.  Then he finally settled on naming them, “Wild Beast”. 

Game Park in Tanzania

Cheetah:

After over 50 kilometers of travel, we saw our first Cheetah at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. I was surprised at how calm the animal was since it has always been portrayed to be very feisty.

Setting my eyes on the animals gave me a sense of joy and fulfillment at the same time. So many things made sense at that point.

Clothing For Safari in Kenya

There is no need to overthink this. A good old flat shoe and/or sneakers can work for your feet. However, if is raining season, some rain boots would be advised. It is also advisable to wear thick clothes during raining season, and wear light clothing during dry season. Either way, you would be given some extra clothing for safari in Kenya at the Mara. This is depending on what tour company you travel with.

Masai Mara Hotels

Mara Serena (150 beds that have luxury bedding and cozy pillows) and Little Governors’ Camp (36 beds luxury bedding and cozy pillows) are the only two lodges situated in the Triangle. Kichwa Tembo, Mpata Club, Olonana, Mara Siria and Kilima Camp are situated on the periphery but use the Triangle.

My greatest highlight of staying with the Mara hotels is the destination breakfast we had after a morning game drive. It was all shades of awesome! I want to definitively re-live that experience! Thank you Kenya.

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Destination breakfast with the nomads and Hippos at Maasai Mara. 😍😍 Can all breakfasts be like this?💙 _________ 11 of many (pictures) ________ More on @magicalkenyatravelexpo ————— Bookings on @TravCP #TravCP #TravPlaces #TravCulture #magicalkenya #tourism #MKTE2019 #kenya #travel #thefisayo

A post shared by Tourism Development Advocate🇳🇬 (@thefisayo) on Oct 3, 2019 at 8:08am PDT

Serena hotel has great packages, and I did feel well pampered while at the hotel. There is bon-fire in the the night, sauna, steam bath, and more.

I could hardly stay in the Sauna for more than 4 minutes as it was way hotter than the steam bath.

If you want a full view on the hotel, feel free to let me know in the comments. Overall it was a great experience, and I will be sharing more on my YouTube channel soon.

Masai Mara Safari Packages:

For prices and bookings check out TravCP or send me an email at hello@thefisayo.com. However, for an adult you can budget $2,800 (during peak period) for the following for three days, 2 nights:

• Return economy flights (Nairobi – Mara – Nairobi)
• Return airstrip transfers
• Four game drives (Shared and scheduled)
• 2 night’s accommodation
• All meals on full board
• 1 bush breakfast per stay
• Bottled drinking water per day

Best time to visit 

Peak season is between July and October, during the migration. Early November and February can also offer excellent game viewing.

For more inquiries on tour packages, experiences and destination bookings in Kenya CLICK HERE to book.

Please share the article with friends and follow me on Twitter and Instagram – @TheFisayo.