Welcome to Part 1 of our Maasai Mara exploration!
This February, Kristin and Richard embarked on an epic 10-day self-drive journey to the Maasai Mara National Reserve, located in the Great Rift Valley in Kenya. Departing our home in Kigali in our expedition-equipped 4x4 Land Cruiser, the first part of our 2,200+ kilometer roundtrip journey involved crossing the Rwandan/Ugandan border, after which we headed to Kampala, the capital of Uganda. The next morning, we drove across the beautiful Ugandan countryside from west to east, crossed the border into Kenya, and overnighted in Kisumu before reaching the Maasai Mara.
Over the years, Kristin and Richard have been fortunate to travel the length and breadth of the African continent and this overland journey from Rwanda to Kenya certainly ranks as one of our most memorable. The Maasai Mara, made famous by the legendary film 'Out of Africa', is unforgettable due to the sheer abundance of wildlife and spectacular landscapes. During our stay, we visited 11 of our favourite tented camps and lodges located within, and on the borders of, this world-famous national reserve. We have showcased 6 property videos in Part 1 below, with Part 2 to follow soon.
Regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas, the Maasai Mara is home to the annual Great Migration which sees over 1.5 million plains animals arriving in July and departing in October each year. Nowhere in Kenya has more abundant wildlife than the Maasai Mara. Visitors have an excellent chance of spotting the ‘Big Five’ as well as seeing cheetah, giraffe, hyena, hippo and zebra. With 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 bird species recorded in the reserve, the Maasai Mara truly is a naturalist's and a photographer's paradise.