Maasai Mara…the kingdom of ‘Big Five’ is one of the greatest Wildlife Reserves of Africa. Situated in South-West Kenya, is a home to more than 95 species of mammals and over 570 species of birds.
As you find so many species in a single place, Maasai Mara is a hot spot for wildlife photographers to gather at one place and click good pics of the wild animals. It is a hub to showcase your photography skills and capture the greatest moments while exploring the wildlife.
Mara offers some of the greatest opportunities to try your dream shot including Shompole Photo Hide at Shompole Wilderness Camp. There is no better place than Serengeti National Park in the world to see what Maasai Mara provides the best.
Here, one can spot the migration of Wildebeest, for which the explorers can book a safari. One should add this to their bucket list and note that the best time to experience this is from July to October, although Kenya is a great year-round destination.
Maasai Mara is a great place that features a stunning Kaleidoscope of wild and rugged landscapes, warm and welcoming people and an exciting array of creatures, whether big and small. It is a World-famous place for hosting the epic Great Migration, where they welcome 1.5 million wildebeests onto its sprawling savannahs, every year from July through October.
The National Reserve and conservancies are brimming with life and offer safari travellers a wide variety of activities to choose from. The activities involve to take the skies for high-flying hot-air balloon adventure at sunrise or hit the road for a jungle safari, where you’ll collect unforgettable experiences and lifelong memories.
The Wildlife Reserve is a boon for the photographers, considering this, NatGeo on their Instagram handle keeps on sharing the photographs from the reserve clicked by various photographers. Those pictures also include photographs by a photographer Beverly Joubert who is running a Great Plains Foundation, to support the efforts of saving the big cats.
She and her partner together, in collaboration with National Geographic they set up the Big Cats Initiative in 2009 and begin the global public-awareness campaigns.
Recently, NatGeo shared another photograph clicked by Beverly Joubert in reference to Maasai Mara, Kenya. The photograph involves Hyenas and captioned it, “You don’t have to look very far back in time to find the disparaging and unfair misconceptions, that once plagued spotted hyenas in our culture and media.”
“Happily, ongoing research and deeper understanding have changed how we perceive these fascinating and utterly unique predators. Kenya’s Maasai Mara has been a key location for on-the-ground research and the site of some of the longest-running studies of the species,” captioned Joubert.
View this post on Instagram
The wildlife photographer further added, “My own work spent filming and photographing these animals has helped shed some light on their true nature. Smart, socially complex, at once fierce hunters and yet also remarkably doting parents, hyenas have defied all the negative assumptions the humans once held about them.”
She further added that their story is a powerful reminder of the importance of challenging the preconceived notions about the natural world.
It is no surprise that the tourists from the worldwide travel here to experience a Maasai Mara Safari tour, as the reserve has been voted one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. The word ‘Maasai’ originates from the Maasai tribe, which is a nomadic inhabitant of the area and the word ‘Mara’ is the word which means ‘spotted’. It refers to the ubiquitous flat topped acacia trees, shrubs and bushes that dot the landscape across most of the reserve.
Despite of visiting the jungle only, there are several exciting activities one can enjoy in Masai Mara. The most thrilling of these is the Hot Air Balloon safari, taken at the break of dawn and ending with a leisurely ‘Champagne Bush Breakfast’.
It is truly a unique adventurous activity and the Mara provides the perfect backdrop for the amazing balloon excursion. The flight lasts for about an hour or more, as you glide gracefully over the African savannah, and watching the magnificent wildlife below. The pilots are highly experienced and trained, and the activity boasts of an exceptional safety record.
Another popular experience is visiting a traditional tribal Maasai village which allows visitors a fascinating insight into the unique way of life of the famous Maasai, which is a nomadic warrior tribe found in Kenya and major parts of East Africa. There are also nature walks, bush meals and sundowners as some of the other popular things to do in Masai Mara as a tourist visiting this reserve.