Maasai Mara Vs Serengeti Safaris

Maasai Mara Vs Serengeti Safaris : Which is better for an African Safari: Serengeti or Masai Mara? The Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania are the same. These two famous safari spots are connected by a cross-border ecosystem and have a lot in common with each other in terms of scenery and animals. But they are also different. Which reserve is best for you will depend not only on your preferences and goals, but also on the time of year you visit? Read on for the main points of comparison to help you decide where to go on vacation.

Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 1: Habitat & Landscape.

 Even though the Masai Mara and Serengeti are two of the most important parts of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem as a whole, their scenery are not the same. For one thing, their sizes are very different. The Serengeti is very big at 14,760km2 (5,700mi2), while the Masai Mara is very small at 1,510km2 (585mi2). The Serengeti is mostly open grassland, but it also covers a wide range of other habitats, such as kopjes (rocky outcrops), evergreen riverine forest, and deciduous woodland. As you go from the south to the north of the Serengeti, the land changes. As you get closer to the Northern Serengeti and then the Masai Mara, the land gets more hilly and wooded.

 Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 2: Wildlife

 Both the Masai Mara and the Serengeti are great places to see animals. They are best known for the yearly movement of wildebeest between Tanzania and Kenya. But there is also a lot of wildlife that lives there. Both parks are good places to see the Big Five, which are the lion, leopard, buffalo, and elephant. You can also see cheetahs, giraffes, and many other animals there. Rhinos are hard to find everywhere in the ecosystem, but the Masai Mara is by far the most likely place to see one. Especially in the western part called the Mara Triangle, where there is a good chance of seeing one of these big animals.

Because the Mara is smaller and has more hotels and lodges than the Serengeti, it is harder to get away from the crowds than in the Serengeti. Still, there are more people on game drives in the Mara, so more people see the same animals. This makes it easier to see wildlife.

Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 3: Best Time to Go.

Most of the time, the best time to visit either park is between June and October, when it doesn’t rain as much. This is when animals go to places where they can get water, like rivers and waterholes. As the Dry season goes on, the plants wither away. This makes it easier to see wildlife, especially predators, which can be hard to spot when the grass is tall. But in the Serengeti and the Masai Mara National Reserve, the best time to see the wildebeest migration is different. The exact time varies on how much rain there is, but from January to September is a good time to see the migration in the Serengeti. From September to October is the best time to see the movement in the Masai Mara.

Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 4: the Great Migration.

 One of Africa’s most impressive wildlife shows is the yearly migration of more than 2 million grazers (mostly wildebeest, but also zebras and gazelles). So it’s no wonder that many people plan their safaris to East Africa so they can see it. The great migration takes longer in the Serengeti than in the Masai Mara. This is because the Serengeti  National Park is bigger.

The Southern Serengeti is a great place for a trek in January and February. Here is where the wildebeest stop their journey to have their babies. During the peak of birth season, thousands of calves are born here every day, which brings in a lot of animals that eat them. When the babies are strong enough to start their first migration at the end of April, the wildebeest and their group start moving north in long, noisy columns. In June or July, they cross the Grumeti River in the Serengeti’s Western Corridor, which is another safari highlight of the migration. The survivors keep going north, and around August, they reach the Mara River. This river crossing, which may be the most exciting part of the Great Migration, can be seen from both the Serengeti and the Masai Mara sides of the environment. After all of the wildebeest have crossed, they stay in the Mara for about two months before going back south to the Southern Serengeti.

 Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 5: Accommodation Options

There are many different kinds of places to stay in both the Serengeti and the Masai Mara. Tented camps (both cheap and high-end exclusive ones), small, rustic lodges, and larger chain hotels/resorts are all types of places to stay. Most people like to camp in tents. These can be fully furnished rooms with canvas walls or simple standing tents with two beds and not much else. Many of the best lodges try to fit in with their surroundings and are surprisingly simple. They might not have many modern conveniences. Instead, they try to be eco-friendly and offer an exclusive safari experience with great service, food, and leading.

Mobile camps are even more basic, but they are very hard to get into. These brief camps move with the animals and don’t leave any signs behind.

Even though there are accommodations for every budget in both parks, the Serengeti may have the most small, high-end places to stay. There are a few more mid-range choices in the Masai Mara, and there are also a lot of cheap places to stay just outside the reserve. Most people on cheap camping safari to the Masai Mara stay outside the reserve, while most people camping in the Serengeti stay inside the park.

Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 6: Cost.

Most of the time, a tour in the Masai Mara costs less than one in the Serengeti. For one thing, there are more places to stay in the Mara that are affordable than in the Serengeti, and many of them are outside the reserve. Because the Serengeti is so big and the main entrance is through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, staying outside the park and going in for the day is not a good idea. Most of the cheap places to stay in the Masai Mara are on the eastern side of the reserve. This can make it hard to find a place to stay, especially during peak season. Most of the time, you’ll pay a bit more to stay on the Masai Mara’s quieter western side and in the fields in the middle. You might want to stay in one of the private conservancies north of the national reserve if you really want to get away from people. When you look at all of these choices, a safari in the Serengeti or the Mara is about the same price.

Masai Mara vs Serengeti Comparison 7: Getting There.

 Getting to the Masai Mara or the Serengeti is quite straightforward. Most people go to the Masai Mara from Nairobi, which is one of the most important transportation hubs in Africa. There are many cheap flights from Europe and North America to Nairobi. From there, it takes less than an hour to fly to the Masai Mara on a regular journey. There are also daily flights from Mombasa and most other safari in Kenya to the Masai Mara. By car, it takes about five to six hours to drive from Nairobi.

Arusha is the way to get to the Serengeti. Kilimanjaro foreign Airport, which has all foreign flights and some domestic flights, and the smaller Arusha Airport, which only has domestic flights, serve this area. Even though you can fly to and from the Serengeti from Arusha, many people choose to drive the Northern safari route. On the way from Arusha, you can stop at the Ngorongoro Crater or drive through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Lake Manyara and Tarangire National Parks are two other parks that can be seen on the same route.