Rains won’t spoil your rustic Kenyan safari

WITNESS WILDEBEEST MIGRATION

REGION: Kenya

Natural phenomena occur all over the world but few can compete with the annual Maasai Mara wildebeest migration. The numbers alone are hard to believe,up to two million wildebeest as well as zebra and gazelles move clockwise around this enormous ecosystem,driven by ancient instincts to find fresh grazing and water.

ANIMAL INSTINCT — DARE TO BARE:

Each year around 1.5 million wildebeest and 300,000 zebra and various species of antelope gather up their young and start their long trek from Tanzania’s Serengeti plains to Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve. The wildebeests go in search of food and water. It’s a tough journey,and every year an estimated 250,000 wildebeest don’t make it. This is one of the highlights as the animals try and cross the Mara River alive.

The migrating herds undergo all manner of challenges and hardships as they move from region to region,and are constantly under attack from predators, none more so than from Africa’s big cats and the notoriously huge crocodiles that lie in wait at various river crossing points. But still every year, the cycle is repeated, with the animals following their strong migratory instinct and attempting to defy crocodile-infested rivers, wild currents, and flocks of predators lying in wait.

JULY-OCT TREK TO MARA RIVER:

July to October, the grazing animals take a four-month-long trek towards the Mara River. In desperate need of water to drink and grass to graze, the countless herds need to cross the river to reach the lush, green grasslands in Maasai Mara. The world’s most spectacular sight is the mass crossing of the swollen Mara River. Maasai Mara is located in the South-western region of Kenya, 290 kilometers from Nairobi.

SPOTTED BY THE SATELLITES:

The wildebeest migration phenomenon is so huge that satellites miles away in space are able to capture the surge as a black moving mass on the plains of East Africa.

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Weather: It’s generally sunny, dry and not too hot for most of the year in Kenya despite being situated on the equator. The main rainy seasons are from March to May and November to December but the amount of rainfall varies year to year.

Connectivity: Kenya Airways is the national carrier. It flies directly between Nairobi and Mumbai (10 flights a week), Nairobi and Delhi (4 flights a week). Kenya is well connected domestically as well.

Visa: For Indians, visa is on arrival and can cost approx Rs 3,000 or more.