The Maasai Mara National Reserve ( also spelled Masai Mara ; known by the locals as The Mara ) is a large game reserve in south-western Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.

It is named after the Maasai people ( the traditional inhabitants of the area ) and their description of the area when looked at from afar: " Mara ", which is Maa ( Maasai language ) for " spotted ," an apt description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna, and cloud shadows that mark the area.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve is only a fraction of the Greater Mara Ecosystem, which includes the following Group Ranches: Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.

Maasai Mara, " spotted " with bushes, animals, cloud shadows, and umbrella acacia trees.

The Maasai Mara National Reserve ( MMNR ) covers some in south-western Kenya.

" Big Five " ( lion, leopard, African elephant, African buffalo, and Black Rhinoceros ) are found in the Maasai Mara.

As in the Serengeti, the wildebeest are the dominant inhabitants of the Maasai Mara, and their numbers are estimated in the millions.

An aerial photograph of a herd of Wildebeest following a few leading zebra in Maasai Mara

Unlike most other National Parks in Kenya the Maasai Mara National Reserve is not administered by the Kenya Wildlife Service, but by local authorities.

The more visited eastern part of the park is managed by Narok County Council and the western part, known as the Mara Triangle, by the Trans-Mara county council, which is contracting management to the Mara Conservancy, a local nonprofit organization formed by the local Maasai that contains several anti-poaching units.

The outer areas known as Maasai Mara Conservation area is administered by the Group Ranch Trusts of the Maasai community who also have their own rangers for patrolling the park area.

Some 250, 000 wildebeest die during the journey from Tanzania to Maasai Mara Reserve in lower Kenya, a total of.

Some west, Acacia woodlands appear suddenly and stretch west to Lake Victoria and north to the Loita Plains, north of the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

* Information and Research on wildebeest movements in Maasai Mara

Hot Air Balloon Safari in Maasai Mara

Cheetah at the Maasai Mara National Reserve

# REDIRECT Maasai Mara

They inhabit the plains and open woodlands of Africa, especially the Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Tanzania, Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, and Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia.

Such populations can be found in the Ngorongoro Crater, the Masai Mara, Lake Manyara National Park, Selous Game Reserve, and Hwange and Esotha National Parks ..

* Paul Mara ( born 1979 ), National Hockey League defenceman for the Montreal Canadiens formerly of the New York Rangers, was born in Ridgewood but was raised in Belmont, Massachusetts.

Perching in a tree in Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

The zebra can be found in numerous protected areas across its range, including the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Tsavo and Masai Mara in Kenya, Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe, Etosha National Park in Namibia, and Kruger National Park in South Africa.

* Fairmont Mara Safari Club in Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

South of the capital city Nairobi, Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya after Maasai Mara National Reserve and the visit can easily be done in a weekend.

The Protected areas: Eventually the river flows into the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve, where it merges with three of the four mentioned tributaries.

Downstream Tanzania: Just after the Mara River flows out of Ikorongo Game Reserve ( which borders Serengeti National Park ) it meanders sharply northwards.

He then left the country with his wife Anne when he was 30 ( 1976 ) to live in Kenya in the Masai Mara National Reserve.

He later worked as an advisor to the Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya, which borders the Serengeti National Park.

He is buried in the Masai Mara Reserve, just a few steps away from the Tanzanian border.

More recently, King has filmed and co-presented the long-running BBC One series Big Cat Diary alongside Jonathan Scott and Saba Douglas-Hamilton, which follows the progress of lions, leopards and cheetahs in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.

Mara Region has of dry land ; however, approximately is in the Serengeti Reserve.

Wildebeest herding and following a few leading zebra in the Masai Mara, Kenya

The biodiversity of the Masai Mara nature reserve in Kenya is a tourist attraction

Wildebeest | Gnus and zebra s in the Masai Mara park reserve in Kenya.

* Mara River, a river of Kenya and Tanzania

* Masai Mara, a reserve in Kenya near the Mara River

Branson has been very supportive of Kenya during its troubles, and in May 2008 had gone to Masai Mara to open a new school ( Sekenani Primary School ) which has also been partly funded by Virgin Atlantic frequent flyers who volunteered their time to help with the construction.

A Marabou Stork and vultures scavenging in the Masai Mara, Kenya

The largest numbers occur in areas such as the Masai Mara and Kajiado ( Kenya ); Serengeti, Ruaha and Selous ( Tanzania ); Luangwa Valley ( Zambia ); Okavango ( Botswana ); Hwange, Sebungwe and the Zambezi Valley ( Zimbabwe ); Kruger National Park ( South Africa ) and on private farms and conservancies ( South Africa, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia ).

Image: Aepyceros melampus ( Masai Mara, Kenya ). jpg | Aepyceros melampus ( Masai Mara, Kenya )

Amboseli National Park, formerly Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, is in Kajiado District, Rift Valley Province in Kenya.

The Isiolo town is also becoming a centre of interest because of the of its newly acquired status as a resort city cashing in on the popular Samburu and Shaba Game reserves and the Meru National Park, which have become preferred destinations after the famed Maasai Mara.