Maasai Mara, Ol Kinyei & Olare Orok Conservancies

Maasai Mara Reserve and Conservancies image

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Possibly the most famous of the reserves,and arguably the greatest wildlife destination in Africa the Maasai Mara has become synonymous with the safari. Nature doesn't recognise borders and the 650 square miles of the Masai Mara Reserve effectively continue the northern sweep of neighbouring Tanzania's Serengeti plains, thus forming one huge ecosystem. The Mara lands are famous for the annual Wildebeest migration which occurs from June to October when the Mara becomes host to an almost unimaginable half a million wildebeest seeking the grasses raised by the Spring rains of April and May. Having exhausted the grazing in the northern Serengeti the wildebeest head north en masse. This is an awesome sight in the true meaning of the word which, when coupled with the sound of thousands upon thousands of hooves pounding the earth, makes it an unforgettable spectacle. The Wildebeest are not the only tenants of the land. The Mara is also the home to among others, zebra, elephants, and to the big cats; cheetahs, lions and leopards. Hyena, jackal, buffalo, eland, topi, impala, gazelle, warthog add to this huge diversity of wildlife.

Ol Kinyei Conservancy

This 17,500 acre tranche of land belongs to a Maasai community who set aside the land for the purposes of wildlife conservation. Ol Kinyei Conservancy is home to only one camp, the Porini Mara Camp which accommodates a maximum of only 12 guests at any given time – making this not only an exclusive experience but one that respects the principles of eco-tourism. Located within the Serengeti-Mara eco-system, Ol Kinyei is renowned for its unspoilt and breathtaking scenery with diverse terrain offering on one hand open savannah plains and rolling hills on the other. The land, with its abundance of water sources in the form of springs, streams and rivers, coupled with spectacular views across the Mara plains, is home to a wide variety of animal species. There is a resident lion pride of over 20 animals and several leopards also have their territories within the conservancy and are often sighted by guests from Porini Mara Camp on evening or early morning drives. Cheetahs are frequently seen and it is not rare to come across large numbers of giraffe as well as Cape buffalo and elephants. The wildebeest migration also passes through Ol Kinyei when herds from the eastern plains of Loita join the migration to the Mara Reserve. The local Maasai make first class guides and are on hand to share their experience on what do see and do.

Olare Orok Conservancy

The 20,000 acre Olare Orok conservancy came into being in 2006 under a deal made with land owners of the Maasai community. The conservancy borders the Maasai Mara National Reserve on it's northern side. Historically the Maasai communities have been sidelined and support is ongoing to allow them to integrate into the wider Kenyan society. Conflict between pastoral livestock and wildlife still places huge pressure on the protection of this world heritage site. Olare Orok Conservancy knows that it is key for the local communities to understand that conservation is a source of income that is not only sustainable but means that they can live side by side with wildlife. The Conservancy also maintains that improved management of livestock and the use of alternative energy will enable these communities to live in harmony with the environment. The protection of the environment is key and access to the conservancy is limited to just 3 camps Porini Lion Camp, Kicheche Bush Camp and Mara Plains Camp with the only traffic being the few 4X4s which service the camps. Olare Orok offers the perfect mix which is– high predator densities coupled with low tourist densities.. Again teeming with wildebeest during the migration period, the conservancy also has several prides of lions often heard during the night.