Siria Escarpment - Masai Mara, Kenya
The Mara Siria Tented Camp stands high on the Siria Escarpment overlooking the rolling plains of the Mara Triangle. A classic bush camp in the original safari style, this ecologically sensitive camp offers privacy, dedicated service and just ten luxury tents, each with their own private verandah, luxury bathroom and solar power. The camp prides itself on the quality of its home-made cuisine, and offers a wide range of activities.
World renowned for the breathtaking spectacle of ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth', the awe inspiring annual migration of the wildebeest, the Mara is Kenya's most visited protected area. Technically an extension of Tanzania's renowned Serengeti National Park, the Mara constitutes only 4% of the entire Serengeti ecosystem but its rolling grasslands, meandering rivers and towering escarpments offer one of the world's most rewarding and evocative wildlife arenas.
Kenya hotels and accommodation
Amongst the wide range of Kenya hotels, some make the ideal Kenya safari destination. Choose a safari lodge, safari hotel, bush camp, luxury lodge, safari camp, tented camp or bush lodge. National park accommodation usually takes the form of a traditional safari lodge or tented camp, but numerous other options exist on the park boundaries. Luxury lodges and luxury camp options are also offered in the private wildlife conservancies.
Location
The Masai Mara is 270 miles from Nairobi (five hours by road). All weather air strip - less than an hour from Nairobi by plane.
The Background
The Masai Mara National Reserve
When it comes to game-viewing, there is nowhere in Africa richer in wildlife or more eventful in encounters than the Mara. A pristine wilderness of haunting beauty, it promises its visitors a profusion of wildlife, prolific bird life and the unprecedented opportunity of catching up with all the members of the ‘Big Five' in one morning.
As to scenery, the 1,800 sq kilometres of this veteran reserve offer the classic mix of African imagery; miles of lion-gold grasslands, shoals of lilac-misted hills, a meandering river, acres of thorn-bush and mile upon mile of undulating wilderness.
The Miracle of the Migration of the Wildebeest
Between the end of July and November, over one and a half million wildebeest accompanied by half again as many zebras and gazelles, migrate from the short-grass plains of the Serengeti to fresh pasture in the grasslands of the Mara; thus creating one of nature's grandest spectacles. Moving in groups of up to 20,000 at a time they thunder across the plateau hesitating only briefly to cross the Mara River, where many fall prey to the waiting crocodiles. Towards the end of October they begin crossing back into Tanzania. The actual timing of the migration, however, is dictated by the weather and does not always ‘run to schedule'.
Accommodation
The camp offers eight panoramic tents with double beds, 2 family tents and 2 luxury Masai style Bandas. All accommodation is ensuite and has solar powered electricity. The tents themselves are spacious, and cool, all with their own bathroom, hot shower, flush WC and comfortable beds. A wide covered veranda facing the panoramic Mara landscape, allows guests to relax in comfortable camp chairs, read or just enjoy the birdsong and the sound of the Mara River far below.
Dining and bars
In the centre of the camp is the mess tent, where all meals are served. Cuisine is stylish, but at the same time has a homely touch - for instance the delicious breakfast rolls are made to a traditional Bavarian recipe. Breakfast is a moveable feast and guests usually gather for it around nine to nine thirty, after an early morning game drive or walk. Lunch is generally about 1.30 and is a cold collation of meats. Choose your preference and it will be cooked immediately. Drinks round the campfire precede dinner in the evening, which is served in the mess tent.
Wildlife highlights
Offering an abundance of herbivores, the Mara makes the ideal hunting ground for Kenya's famous ‘big cats' and hosts her largest population of lions. It also offers the best chance of spotting a leopard in the wild. Other predators include cheetah and spotted hyena. Historically teaming with wildlife, the Mara is famous for the large herds of elephant and buffalo that meander its plains; also for the fat pods of hippo that wallow in its mud-brown rivers. Other stars include the distinctive Masai giraffe, plum-coloured topi, Coke's hartebeest, Grant's and Thomson's gazelle, zebra, impala, Kirk's dik-dik, bushbuck, waterbuck and red duiker. The Reserve also boasts plentiful Nile crocodile, monitor lizard, baboon, vervet; blue and red-tailed monkeys, nocturnal bush babies, and tree hyrax. There are over 550 resident and migratory species of birds.
Child-friendly
The camp welcomes children, but parental supervision is required at all times. It also offers a special week for a dedicated children's camp (age 9-13).
What to see and do
Activities include: game drives in specially adapted 4x4 Land Cruisers, Maasai-guided walks, bird-watching, bush meals, evening sundowners, visits to Maasai communities, day excursions to Rusinga Island on Lake Victoria, archery and mountain-biking.
Mara Siria Tented Camp - Masai Mara • Exclusive Camp • Kenya Hotels, Safari Lodges & Tented Camps
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