The Masai Mara lies in the Great Rift Valley, which is a fault line some 3,500 miles (5,600km) long, from Ethiopia's Red Sea through Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and into Mozambique. Here the valley is wide and a towering escarpment can be seen in the hazy distance. Most of the game viewing activities occur on the valley floor. The animals are also at liberty to move outside the park into huge areas known as 'dispersal areas'. There can be as much wildlife roaming outside the park as inside. Many Masai villages are located in the 'dispersal areas' and they have, over centuries, developed a synergetic relationship with the wildlife.
• Wildebeest Migration
The park has become famously known because of the migration of the heart beast which normally starts from early June to end of September
The plains are full of wildebeest, zebra, impala, topi, giraffe, Thomson's gazelle. Also regularly seen are leopards, lions, hyenas, cheetah, jackal and bat-eared foxes. Black rhino are a little shy and hard to spot but are often seen at a distance. Hippos are abundant in the Mara River as are very large Nile crocodiles, who lay in wait for a meal as the wildebeest cross on their annual quest to find new pastures. Every July (or sometimes August), the wildebeest travel over 600 miles (960km) from Tanzania's Serengeti plains, northwards to the Masai Mara and the Mara River is the final obstacle. In October or November, once they have feasted and the grass has all but gone, they turn around and go back the other way.
Attractions and activities
Flora
Masai Mara houses a number of rare species of plants and orchids. The wonderful grassland and the beautiful variety of wild flowers, all these spontaneously attract the tourists every year. The rolling grass scape with the forest rich in natural resources makes a must visit site for everyone fond of travel and adventure.
Fauna
Masai Mara is the natural habitat of a number of rare species from the animal kingdom. This includes all, ranging from the mammals, birds to reptiles. The cheetah, genet, hyena, jackal, leopard, lion, mongoose, serval and wild dog etc. you might also get to see some of the rare game animals moving freely in the wild. Primates like baboon, bush baby and monkey are also some of the interesting species to see in the Masai Mara Reserve. Dividing the species on their characteristics of feet, we can see odd-toed ungulates, like rhinoceros and zebra, even-toed ungulates include buffalo, giraffe, hippo, warthog and antelope etc. Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard and Lion along with the Cheetah, Giraffe and Hippo are some of the major attractions
