Masai Mara Game Reserve - Kenya's wildlife jewel is situated to the west of Nairobi, on Tanzania's northern border. This 700 sq miles of Game Reserve is the northern extension of the larger Serengeti National Park - a massive 5,600 sq. miles.

The Masai Mara offers wonderful scenery and an abundance of big game.

It is perhaps the only region left in Kenya where the visitor may see animals in the same super-abundance as existed a century ago.

It is a reserve of breathtaking vistas, panoramas of vast rolling plants, hills of woodland groves, well watered by the lovely Mara River which bisects the Reserve from north to south.

The Mara is home to largest population of lions in Kenya, these magnificent beasts spending most of the day sleeping in the shade of acacia trees.

Vast herds of buffalo, zebra and wildebeest roam the plains. Impala, gazelle, giraffe, and harte-beest grace the landscape, the cautious topi may also be seen standing sentinel on earth mounds on constant look-out predator.

The waters of Mara River are home to crocodiles and pool of hippo, the acacia wood-lands and riverine forests favoured by leopard and elephant, and the open Savannah and dry bush areas host to the plains game and their attendant predators such as lion, cheetah, hyena and jackal.

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The birdlife of the Mara is as profuse as the animal life. On the open plains there is a variety of bustards and ground hornbills.

Birds of prey are abundant- no less than 53 species have been recorded, including the magnificent Bateleur eagle.

In the sky there are always opportunistic vultures circling and waiting in anticipation, and distinctive secretary bird are a common sight as they stalk sedately over the open plains.

But all this richness is secondary to the Mara's main attraction -the annual migration which take place every year between July and September.

Over a million wildebeest and thousands of zebra trek from the southern plains of the Serengeti, following the rains, in search of fresh grassland.The most visual image of this spectacle is the crossing of the Mare River- when the great herds surge forward, hurling themselves mindlessly down the river banks, seemingly oblivious to the dangers below.

Visitors staying in the Mara can enjoy the thrills of an early morning hot-air balloon safari- drifting over the awakening plains offer an unusual and unforgettable experience. On landing, the accompanying ground crew offer a celebratory glass of champagne, and breakfast cooked on the balloon burners and served in the bush in true safari style.

A trip by light aircraft to Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, provides a unique opportunity to see the colourful life on the Lake where enchanting fishing villages have not changed for centuries. For those interested in fishing it is excellent, Nile perch of up to 520 lbs have been caught. The birdlife is unsurpassed and seeing a family of otters is an added bonus.

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