Masai Mara Migration

Named in honour of the Masai people who call this corner of Africa home, the Mara is world renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, leopard, cheetah, herds a thousand-strong of buffalo, the rare black rhino and of course the thriving elephants. In approximately July of each year, the Great Migration arrives for an annual four month stay.

Typically defined by the annual movement of over two million migratory wildebeest – these seasonal wanderers are just one element of the greater Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. Numerous distinct habitat types exist, with soil type and rainfall being the main influences. The ecosystem is driest in the southeast (where the Crater Highlands form a ‘rain-shadow’) and wettest in the northwest.

South of the Kenyan border, Tanzania’s Serengeti consists of various types of woodland and grassland. It is on the ‘shortgrass plains’ – an area of shallow, volcanic soils west of Ngorongoro – that the wildebeest’s story begins. Here, they give birth to young calves every January and February. These plains flush green with highly nutritious grass after the rain, but are grazed flat and dry-out completely by March when the herds trek north. Their destination is the Masai Mara, which is still blanketed with nutritious grass when the rest of the ecosystem has dried out.

Around July, the rainy season comes to an end and the Mara is carpeted in tall, rippling swathes of seeding grass. To the south, the oceans of Serengeti fodder have been denuded by over a million wildebeest that have been milling around, rutting, mating and feeding since late March and April. They are not alone. Over 200,000 zebra are part of the procession. Slowly but steadily, this tide of herbivores moves north.

It could be in the last week of July – perhaps sooner or later depending on rainfall patterns – but eventually over half a million of these wildebeest and zebra cross the invisible border that demarcates Kenya from Tanzania, and the Mara from the Serengeti. Like any invasion, there are always frontrunners. Bands of bewildered-looking wildebeest canter in loose columns, wide-eyed and alert to the dangers of awaiting predators. Beyond them, the rising clouds of dust betray the vast herds. Migratory wildebeest may enter through the eastern Mara but the herds that marched north through the Serengeti’s Western Corridor are programmed to overcome one last hurdle: to reach the pastures that will sustain them through the dry season, they must cross the Mara River. No matter how high the river is, or how rapidly it is flowing, the wildebeest are not deterred. To cross, they must withstand the crash-landing of leaping off the embankment, avoid the jaws of crocodiles and lions that wait in ambush, paddle and thrash their way across the river, and finally they must hope that they do not get simply crushed in the commotion. A good many have their journey tragically ended at the crossing points, and in some years, piles of bloated carcasses accumulate to provide an ongoing banquet for crocodiles and vultures. The Great Migration is a clockwise, round-trip journey of around 600km during which an estimated 250,000 wildebeest perish each year. Exhaustion, hunger, injury and predation are the main factors, with newborns within their first year and those older than fifteen being the most vulnerable. As the star of the show, with its shoebox snout, spindly legs and tousled beard, the wildebeest looks a little less than elegant, and appears to have been put together by a committee. In addition to its ungainly appearance, it seems – even at the best of times – to be a somewhat confused and bewildered creature. But like everything else, it is built for a purpose, and that is to consume vast quantities of grass and have enough stamina to cover great distances. Often simply called a gnu (which is a fairly good description of its singular vocal ability), in both of these roles, the wildebeest excels.

Just a few degrees south of the equator, there are only minor fluctuations in the length of day and temperature over the year. What does vary however, is the rainfall: there are two distinct seasons, the long rains from mid-March through June; and the short rains during the months of November and early December. Clear bright mornings are the norm throughout most of the year, and in season, the rain tends to arrive in the afternoon and evening. Far from being a depressing event, the rain in the Mara is a life force. To be out in the midst of it – on the plains amongst the wildlife – is to be in the middle of nature’s celebration, and the approach of a storm is spectacular, with its darkening sky and accompanying lightning and thunder.

The question is often asked, ‘when is the best time to visit the Mara?’ To be truthful, there is not one correct answer, as safari travellers to the Mara are assured of astonishing and abundant wildlife sightings all year round. For guests wanting to experience the Great Migration and the dramatic crossings of the Mara River, July through September or October are the best months to visit. Others prefer a gentler time with less visitors and enjoy the Mara all by themselves – together with the resident population of game, the numerous resident herds which quite rightly do not deem it necessary to leave this beautiful reserve by embarking on the annual trek to Tanzania.

All members of Africa’s Big Five – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and black rhino – are regularly sighted in the Mara, together with hyena, jackal, cheetah and the bat-eared fox, and the Mara River is home to numerous pods of hippo and some of Africa’s largest crocodiles. Great photographic opportunities present themselves with topi standing perched on anthills, Masai giraffe moving gracefully across the plains, and both Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles grazing peacefully amongst Coke’s hartebeest, impala and herds of lovely eland, the continent’s largest antelope.

The Mara is also home to more than 470 bird species, including almost 60 raptors. Surely the loveliest of them all has to be the graceful crowned crane, always found in pairs, together with secretary birds, lilac-breasted rollers, long-crested eagles, superb starlings, pygmy falcons and endangered ground hornbills to name just a few. Entim private Camp’s experienced guides will make every effort to deliver a life-changing wildlife adventure for guests, be it for first timers, birding enthusiasts, photographers of all skill levels, or safari devotees whose great joy is just to simply be amongst Africa’s creatures, both great and small.

It’s simple really – find a camp in the middle of the action, book it exclusively for 8 photographers only with the best camp operator in the business and then have professional photographers personally guide you whilst on safari. Isak Pretorius have had many seasons in the Mara and has mapped his own special places and secret spots which he will share with you while being driven around. The Mara is a very large system and much of the conventional tourist traffic concentrates on a small section of the river. There is so much to see and photograph, and with these knowledgeable professional wildlife photographers as your guides, you will have the best positions available. You will be taken to the far-flung corners of the Masai Mara, you will not only get to experience the migration, but also the beauty, freedom and wilderness of one of Africa’s greatest ecosystems. Each photographer will have their own seat with window and roof hatch, ensuring that everyone has ample room to photograph from. Brackets, braces and clamps can be fixed onto the rails on the vehicles for tripod heads and flash brackets. Everything is designed to aid your photographic enjoyment.

We have negotiated, in the interest of photographic excellence, a camp right in the heart of the action, in the middle of the Mara.

• The camp is inside the Masai Mara National Reserve with a view of the main crossing point
• You are within 5 minutes from the main crossing points and 10 minutes from the other crossing points. Most camps are at least 60 minutes from these central areas.
• The position of the camp is within the two main rivers – the Talek and Mara rivers, meaning easy and fast access to the most productive game viewing areas.
• You will be personally guided and driven by professional wildlife photographers who know the Massai Mara eco system exceptionally well.
• No gate restrictions or racing for the gate during the best hours of light. (All gates close at 18h30, and as most camps are outside the reserve, vehicles must leave the reserve) we are inside the Mara, thus can stay till dark
• We will have 4 x Land Cruisers game viewing vehicles for our use. There will be 2 photographers per vehicle. Non-photographers can share the same bench as the photographer, or sit in the front seat. Each photographer will have a whole row as well as a roof hatch.
• We will have the whole camp to ourselves.
• The camp is a permanent tent camp – tents have flush toilets and running hot water showers
• There is a battery bank and silent generator for charging batteries and laptops

Notes:

• For each safari, we have organised a minibus that will take our cargo luggage from the Nairobi Serena Hotel to the Camp and back again upon return.
• The entire weight limit for the internal flight is 15kg. This is strictly enforced by SafariLink. We have provided the transport for the cargo luggage for your cargo luggage. It is up to you to ensure you are within the limits for the internal flights. You will be liable for any excess weight.
• There are bean bags in the camp. These are filled with beans. If you would like to bring your own bag to fill with rice or sand, we will provide rice.
• For those not arriving from South Africa, we will have separate airport transfers to meet you. All transfers for single arrivals will have your Surname typed on a name board that the driver will hold up.
• It is very important to get your yellow fever injection and certificate. It should be done no later then 2 weeks before your trip. It is valid for 10 years, so if you have had one done, you should just remember to bring the certificate.
• On all our safaris we may ask participants to rotate seats in the vehicles, taking it in turn to sit in the more popular seats in the front and the less popular ones in the rear. This requirement applies to everyone. If there is some reason why you can’t take your turn in the back of a vehicle (e.g. a bad back or travel sickness) please inform our office at the time of booking to see if we can accommodate you. We regret that anyone failing to inform us of such limitations before the safari will be expected to rotate seats in the same way as everyone else.