Day 1: Masai Mara
You will be picked up from your hotel around 7.30 am and driven to Ukunda or Mombasa Airport. Then fly over Mt Kilimanjaro(Highest Mountain in Africa) landing in Masai Mara National Reserve in 2Hours, arriving at about 11.00 am.You will met by our driver / guide and have game drive on the way to with a 4×4 vehicle. Proceed to the Camp for check-in and lunch. Relax until 16.00 where you go on another game drive until sunset. The Masai Mara National Reserve has an area of 1584 km2 and it is one of the most famous and most visited National Reserves in Kenya. Local attractions include the Mara River, Talek River, Loita Hill, Serengeti Plains and the annual animal migration from July to September. The landscape is interspersed with forest and grassland savannah with acacia forests. The Masai Mara is famous for its lions, elephants, leopards, cheetahs, gazelles, rhinos, hyenas, etc. It is also attractive to birdwatchers. Dinner and overnight at Olumara Camp or other alternative accomodation.
Day 2: Masai Mara
Early morning cup of hot coffee, followed by an early morning game drive, then back to camp for a full breakfast. After breakfast another game drive with a visit to the Mara River to observe hippos, crocodiles and wildlife migration sites during migration time from July to September. (There is another possibility for a game drive with a packed lunch until the evening). Dinner and overnight at Olumara Camp or other alternative accomodation.
Day 3: Masai Mara
After breakfast at the camp. After breakfast they will drive to the Masai Mara Airstrip for their 11.00 am flight to Ukunda. Our driver will take them back to their beach Hotel where you will arrive at 2.00 pm
Alternative accommodations in Masai Mara are:
N / B 75% discount for children from 3-12 years.
The Masai Mara is the most famous and popular wildlife in Africa. It is located in the northernmost part of the Mara Serengeti ecosystem, which covers 25000 km2 in Tanzania and Kenya.
The Serengeti National Park in the south, the Oloololo / Siria cliffs in the west and the Masai shepherd areas and protected areas in the north, east and western border.
The Sand, Talek River and Mara River are the major rivers that flow through the reserve.
There are four main areas of the reserve:
The Ngama Mountains in the east with sandy soil and green shrubs preferred by black rhinos.
The Oloololo slopes form the western boundary and rise to a magnificent plateau.
The Mara Triangle on the border of the Mara with lush meadows and acacia forests that attract masses of animals, especially the migratory wildebeest.
The central plains form the largest part of the protected area, with scattered bushes and boulders on gentle meadows that favour animal life there.
Facts
The reserve covers an area of 1584 km2 . There are no night drives and vehicles must be back at the lodges by 18:00 hrs. Several lodges are located outside the park boundaries. This is more of a reserve than a national park and belongs to the Masai people.
Sights
The annual animal migration from the Serengeti to the Mara from June to October. This is a great tourist attraction that brings many tourists to the Mara. From June on, the animals hike over 960 km from the Tanzania’s Serengeti plains, north to the Masai Mara, with the Mara river being the last obstacle. Once they have gulped in the high grass, they leave the Serengeti in October or November. More than 1.3 million wildebeests, 500,000 Thomson gazelles, 200,000 zebras, 97,000 topi antelopes and 18,000 eland antelopes migrate with the big cats and vultures in tow. The herds are ruthlessly hunted by the lions in the wild, as are the crocodiles as they cross the Mara River.
Animal observation
The cats: Lions, leopards, cheetahs, hippos, wildebeests, elephants, zebras, impalas, topis, giraffes, Thomson gazelles. Also regularly seen are hyenas, black-backed jackals and bat-eared foxes. Black rhinos are a little shy and hard to spot, but are often seen from afar. Hippos are abundantly seen at the Mara River, as are Nile crocodiles waiting for a meal.
Balloon Safari
A safari in the Masai Mara is a unique and exciting experience especially during the Gnu migration. Equally tempting is a balloon safari in the Mara. Introduced by Alan Root in 1976 in the Masai Mara, today more than a dozen balloons fly daily from various locations over the Mara for 60 minutes, offering a magnificent panoramic view of forests, plains and rivers of the Mara, or even just above the tallest trees to provide a closer look at the wildlife. Balloon rides are conducted in the early morning hours, when the atmospheric conditions are calm. If you have booked a balloon flight, you will be picked up from your lodge or camp at around 5.30 am for the flight to the launch site. At the launch site you can watch the crew preparing the balloon for launch while you drink a cup of coffee. After a short briefing of the pilot about the safety procedures, the gas burners will be ignited. The balloon slowly fills up with hot air and the passengers climb into basket for the start at about 6:30 a.m. when the sun rises in the east. Within a few minutes you will be carried into the air and blown silently over the Mara by the wind. The view is spectacular and offers fantastic photo opportunities from a perspective that will probably be remembered for years to come. An hour later, the pilot gently lands the balloon in an open area. Champagne bottles are uncorked to celebrate the trip. After the breakfast buffet near the landing site, you will be taken on a game drive back to your lodge or camp. Balloon safaris are offered throughout the year, weather permitting. The cost of operating a trip of approximately one hour is $450 per person. A monetary expense to crown your trip to the world’s best game reserve.
We offer Safaris to Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Amboseli, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Tanzania as group tours or private tours.
Mobile +254 722 696 533
WhatsApp +254 702 291 817
info@marcopolosafaris.com | marcopolosafaris@gmail.com
Head office
Diani Beach Rd, Ukunda, Mombasa, Kenya
Mon – Sun 8.00 – 18.30
Nairobi office, waiyaki way