Maasai Mara Wildebeest Migration
The Great Migration
From July to October, the grazing animals take a four-month-long trek towards the Mara River. In desperate need of water to drink and grass to graze, the countless herds need to cross the river to reach the lush, green grasslands in Maasai Mara. The world's most spectacular sights truly happen at the mass crossing of the swollen Mara River.
Wildebeest crossing the mara riverDepending on the amount of rainfall, the chosen crossing place is usually shallow enough to allow the majority of the herd to cross safely. However, most of the river is deep and fast flowing, with steep banks on either side. Many of the weaker animals are swept away by the strong river currents or are trampled by the stampede of the other wildebeest as they swim. Hundreds of animals die during the crossing. The close-following predators are...
Amboseli National Park
Elephants abound in Amboseli, and to see these African icons against the backdrop of snow-topped Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the timeless images of the continent. Part of the Maasai steppe, Amboseli is an extremely unique eco-system in many ways. Apart from its stunning and diverse geography, a mosaic of dusty plains and swampy springs, this ecosystem is home to buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, impala, hyena, lion, leopard, cheetah and a third of Kenya’s nearly 1,100 bird species. The wildlife also shares the area with the Kisongo clan of the local Maasai community.On a clear day, the view of Mount Kilimanjaro from Amboseli is an enduring and inimitable impression of Africa. Venture out from camp each morning and afternoon to view the famously photographed and long-researched elephants of the park that dust themselves on the dry lake bed and m...
Nairobi National Park
While Nairobi is a bustling hub of more than 4 million residents, much of interest lies in the peaceful suburbs of Langata and Karen, where the original coffee farm of Karen Blixen, who wrote “Out of Africa” under the pen name Isak Dinesen is located. Her home is now a museum and a piece of Kenya’s colonial history. The suburb features small boutique hotels and guesthouses, as well as some of Nairobi’s best attractions. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s elephant and rhino orphanage is situated just inside Nairobi National Park and offers scheduled and private visits. Since taking in its first orphaned elephant in 1954, DameDaphne Sheldrick has rehabilitated and successfully released more than 100 hand-reared orphaned elephants back into Tsavo National Park. The nearby Giraffe Centre is home to the Rothschild giraffe-breeding program, where...
The Samburu National Reserve
The Samburu National Reserve is a game reserve on the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro river in Kenya. On the other side of the river is the Buffalo Springs National Reserve. The park is 165 km² in size and is situated 350 kilometers from Nairobi. It ranges in altitude from 800 to 1230m above sea level.[1] Geographically, it is located in Samburu County.
In the middle of the reserve, the Ewaso Ng'iro flows through doum palm groves and thick riverine forests. It provides water, without which the game in this arid region could not survive.
The Samburu National Reserve was one of the two areas in which conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the Lioness, made famous in the best-selling book and award-winning movie Born Free. The Elephant Watch Camp, of which Saba Douglas-Hamilton is director, lies within the park.
The Samburu Nationa...
Lake Nakuru National Park
Lake Nakuru is one of the Rift Valley soda lakes at an elevation of 1,754 m (5,755 ft) above sea level. It lies to the south of Nakuru, in the rift valley of Kenya and is protected by Lake Nakuru National Park. The lake's abundance of algae used to attract a vast quantity of flamingos that famously lined the shore. Other birds also flourish in the area, as do warthogs, baboons and other large mammals. Eastern black rhinos and southern white rhinos have also been introduced. The lake's level dropped dramatically in the early 1990s but has since largely recovered. In 2013, the lake received an alarming increase in the water levels that led to the migration of flamingos to Lake Bogoria in search for food supply. Nakuru means "Dust or Dusty Place" in the Maasai language. Lake Nakuru National Park, close to Nakuru town, was established in 1961...
