First of all what is your goal? What do you want to experience in the Mara?
Set your priorities to choose the best accommodation based on time, money and interest.
Time: The longer the stay the more chances you've got to experience something special, this is maybe a rule that can be set on everything in life, based on patience pays off, but its even more important with Wildlife. You could see everything in 2 days, or you could see nothing in 2 weeks. Luck is a major factor of course, but since we can't really control it, lets focus on what we can.
Money: Africa in general is one of the most expensive continents in the world for tourism, and when speaking of the best places to see wildlife its even more expensive. Location is what is important, and in the Maasai Mara it's no exception. If you visit the Mara during the Great Migration, the possibility of witnessing a crossing is one of the major factors that made you visit the park in the first place, so you will have to be as close as possible to the Mara River. Crossing don't happen like a lightning but don't wait for you to be there. Wildebeest are very unpredictable, even for the local guides, I experience both sides of it. Once the crossing wasn't even happening and all of a sudden we rushed to the river and it happened in a few minutes. The majority was a loooong wait, from 1 to 8 hours, Wildebeest coming and going from the shore, changing crossing point, charging the river, and turning back right away. What I can say is that from 11am to 1pm usually no crossing were happening, too hot? No scientific data here!!! haha! But like I said before to stay close to the river helped a lot to be there when it could happen. If you stay in a hotel/lodge outside the Park, like in Talek town you have to drive at least 1.30h to get to a crossing point from there. The lodges of course are much cheaper outside the Mara.
I stayed in this upper class Tented Lodge called "Entim Camp" right on the Mara River, there was actually a big crossing in front of the lodge 3 weeks before I arrived. No crossing happened in the lodge during my stay :(. My guide said that another extremely good lodge but cheaper is the Malaika, also very close to my camp on the shores of the River.
There is also the Mara Triangle, another park management on the other side of the River. You can cross from one park to the other so don't worry (paying the park fees) and this will make a big difference, if you are going to watch the migration coming to you or going away from you. Of course the best view is if the Wildebeest are facing you and crossing to your side, also because the other side gets really, and I repeat really DUSTY. It depends where the Wildebeests are.
Picture above taken from the Mara Triangle side, and the one below from the "dusty side"
But my number one recommendation is, don't hire a guide from Nairobi and drive to the park. Hire only local guides, not only because you are helping the communities that live on the park borders but also because its their home, the know everything, the know how to drive and know all the wildlife territories. They read wildlife, and they love and protect it.
They speak Maa, the Maasai language, and they communicate via radio in their language, and the guides from Nairobi don't understand and miss sightings.
The Great Migration is from August to October in the Maasai Mara, my personal recommendation is to go mid September, stay in the park, and go with a local guide.
Commentaires