Kenya, and the internationally acclaimed Maasai Mara National Reserve in particular, are considered the birthplace of the traditional wildlife safari. Kenya is still celebrated today by people worldwide as the ultimate destination for an authentic safari experience, although now with the contemporary luxuries and greater investment in a tourism model that is environmentally, socially and economically sustainable. A safari has always been one of the best ways to visit the wide, open spaces of the outdoors, exploring the wilderness, and encountering its wildlife safely and comfortably.
As African countries, like Kenya, slowly begin opening national, regional, and eventually international borders, visiting an iconic African reserve like the Maasai Mara is once again becoming a possibility, albeit in the future. A safari is a transformative experience that captures the mind, body, and soul. In fact, travel writer Brian Jackman was spot-on when he said, “everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all”. Many people will admit that each safari inspires the next one, for no two adventures in the African bush are the same.
So, while we wait for the world to right itself again before being able to get back to exploring it for ourselves, here is some destination inspiration that might just inspire you to put a Kenyan safari in the Maasai Mara at the top of your travel bucket-list, while also feeding your wanderlust cravings in the meantime.
Encounter Africa’s Big 5 and a wildlife migration spectacle
The Maasai Mara is a wildlife marvel in East Africa for any big game and big cat enthusiast. This is the world’s Seventh Natural Wonder and the stomping ground of the planet’s largest concentration of land animals.
The crowning of the wildebeest migration as ‘the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth’ is in no way an exaggeration of its magnificence. It really is an event of epic proportions. This annual movement of 2.5 million wildebeest, zebra, and other plains game animals across the golden, grassy plains of the Maasai Mara and Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania is an impressive natural phenomenon. For many, this is the ultimate safari wish-list item and once ticked off, a memory that stays with them forever.
Kenya is one of the best places in Africa to see most – and possibly even all – of the Big 5 animals in one place. Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant, and Rhino all roam the Maasai Mara and chances of sighting these mighty beasts here remain consistently high. Cheetah also show off their speed here, making this is big cat territory. Come the thousand-strong mega-herds of plains game and their young, all three of Africa’s beautiful felines capitalize on the yearly opportunity to feast.
Escape to the beauty and solitude of the Kenyan wilderness
Commitment to environmental management and wildlife conservation in both government-operated national reserves and private conservancies are important pillars in Kenya’s safari tourism model. The smaller, private conservancies that surround the larger national parks help to protect critical ecosystems and wildlife migration paths that might otherwise be lost due to human encroachment and industrial activities.
This has ensured that the Maasai Mara remains a special corner of the country’s wilderness and the place of legendary safaris for those who take up this opportunity for adventure. The reserve’s pristine landscapes, diverse natural habitats, and preserved ecosystems are fascinating, particularly when explored on foot with a private guide that can read the bush just as you would a newspaper. This is an activity that never grows old, no matter how many times you do it!
From dawn to dusk, the shifting daylight brings seemingly endless changes to the savanna plains and undulating hills of the Mara. Then, once the sun has set below the horizon, it is only by the moon and stars that the outlines of trees and shrubs appear against the dark blue night sky. The solitude and serenity on safari is punctuated only by the noise of nature – the swishing of the tall grass in the wind, an alarm call from a topi antelope smelling danger nearby, and the screech of a bateleur eagle as it circles, looking for its next meal from the sky above.
Engage with and learn from local communities
While on a Kenyan safari, you may have the opportunity to meet with people that have called a particular region home for centuries. In the Maasai Mara, authentic and respectful engagements with members of local Maasai communities can have a lasting, positive impact on you and those you meet.
As the Maasai way of life is most likely quite different to your own, visiting with members from these communities is an incredible chance to soak up a wealth of equally interesting and important knowledge. From attending special Maasai occasions such as a wedding blessings ceremony, to running with and learning how to jump like a Maasai Warrior, these are the kinds of experiences that make a safari in Kenya a wonderful balance of wildlife, wilderness and cultural interaction.
Travel can be transformative, and it can change the lives of all involved for the better. Not only will you gain new insights and different perspectives of the world and your place within it, by listening to the stories of others, sharing your own as well as supporting sustainable community empowerment initiatives, you will have connected with Kenya and its people in deep, meaningful ways.
Expect luxury and indulgent ‘under canvas’ safari experiences
A Kenyan luxury safari is absolute bliss! Wake up with the sunrise and birdsong surrounding your private residence, end the day out in the bush with sundowner drinks next to the game drive vehicle, and then a tranquil candlelit dinner beside the camp plunge pool before getting cosy back in your room.
Whether you are a couple in love looking for a romantic retreat, a group of friends organizing an indulgent safari holiday, or a small family planning a well-balanced holiday of excitement and relaxation over the festive season – all travelling types can be catered for on a Kenyan safari. Open-air bathtubs, beautiful yoga decks and pampering safari spas are just some of the amenities that make the most of the fresh air, open spaces and stunning savanna views of the Maasai Mara.
And so, while many things in travel will change over the course of the next months and years, the spectacular and unforgettable experience of a Kenyan safari never will.
Calvin Cottar is Director and Owner at Cottar’s 1920s Safaris. Cottar’s 1920s Safaris is an award-winning luxury 1920s safari camp and private bush villa located in the famous ‘seventh’ natural wonder of the world, the Maasai Mara in Kenya, and owned and managed by the oldest established and continuing safari family in Africa.
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The original content (article & images) is owned by Calvin Cottar. Visit the site here for other interesting stories.
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