Royal Mara Safari Lodge

The Royal Mara Safari Lodge is a hotel/tented safari lodge located in the Masai Mara of Kenya, widely considered to be one of the greatest -- if not the greatest - wildlife game viewing areas in the world. In 2006, the Masai Mara and its annual Great Migration of the Wildebeest were designated as one of new Seven Wonders of the World by the USA ABC television show, “Good Morning America” [http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/7Wonders/Story?id=2660801&page=1] . What would take weeks to see in other game park areas of Africa can be found within a matter of hours in the Masai Mara, given its dense concentration of wild animals, from prides of lion and solitude hunters such as cheetah or leopard, to herds of elephant, buffalo, zebra, gazelle and wildebeest that stretch to the horizon.

The Masai Mara is divided into 7 different wildlife areas, each charge a separate daily park fee and each are administered/managed/protected by separate entities: Trans-Mara/Mara Conservancy (also known as the "Mara Triangle" of the National Reserve), Narok County Council (National Reserve but separate from Trans-Mara), Koyiaki Conservation Area, Lemek Conservation Area, Ol Chorro Conservation Area, Olkinyei Conservation Area, and Siana Conservation Area. Note that there are no fences or blockades between any of these areas (i.e. the wildlife pass freely and animal movement patterns are in a constant state of flux depending on weather, season, availability of fresh grass, and territorial boundaries in dispute between rival predator groups). The Masai Mara of Kenya and the Serengeti National Park of Tanzania effectively form one contiguous ecosystem, with predators that remain close to their native home territories but mass herds of herbivore that constantly move between regions. Both Kenya and Tanzania share the equal responsibility to preserve and protect this mega ecosystem, arguably one of the last remaining natural ecosystems on Earth.

The Royal Mara Safari Lodge is located specifically in Koyiaki Conservation Area (also spelled as "Koiyaki") adjacent to the Masai Mara National Reserve (also spelled as "Maasai Mara"). Park fees paid to Koyiaki Conservation Area go to the Koyiaki-Lemek Wildlife Trust (also spelled as "Koiyaki-Lemek") which is a combined entity of the Koyiaki and Lemek Conservation Areas. The Koyiaki Conservation Area covers an area of 89,000 Hectares [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=24] (or 890 sq km) and its Northern neighbor, the Lemek Conservation Area, covers an area of 44,500 Hectares [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=25] (or 445 sq km). When combined, Koyiaki and Lemek have a total area size of 1,335 sq km... just shy of the 1,510 sq km [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=17] area size of the entire National Reserve (including the "Mara Triangle" at an area of 520 sq km).

Koyiaki Conservation Area is one of the premiere sections of the Mara, especially rich in wildlife and home to the Koyiaki-Kichwa Great Migration River crossing point (1 of 2 popular river crossing points), the world famous Leopard Gorge (as filmed on the BBC Big Cat Diary program), and the vast savanna grass lands that stretch from Aitong down to the National Reserve border. Guests enjoy full game drives and see plenty of abundant wildlife including lion, elephant, buffalo, cheetah, leopard, hyena, rhino, jackal, wildebeest, hartebeest, zebra, eland, giraffe, warthog, thompson's gazelle, grant's gazelle, impala, dik-dik, bushbuck, waterbuck, topi, etc. as well as over 350 different species of birds. The Royal Mara is a 35 minute drive from the border of the National Reserve.

The Royal Mara Safari Lodge contains 8 luxury riverfront suites directly on the Mara River within proximity of Aitong, Leopard Gorge, the Koyiaki-Kichwa Great Migration river crossing point, Musiara Marsh, and the Mara Serena Great Migration river crossing point. All riverfront suites are elevated one meter off the ground on wooden decks with a private balcony veranda overlooking the resident hippos in the Mara River, and all riverfront suites are furnished with elegant and unique hand carved African furniture. The Royal Mara Safari Lodge is an unfenced property, and as such wild animals may trek thru the camp day and night -- including lions, elephants and buffalo. Guests are not permitted to wander freely on camp grounds at any time without an armed escort, especially at night when the resident hippos (numbering over 200) ascend from the Mara River to graze on the surrounding grass lands. Common wildlife seen daily on camp grounds includes vervet monkeys, dik-dik, mongoose, baboons, hippos and many different species of birds. The Royal Mara Safari Lodge is located on an island peninsula, surrounded by the Mara River on three sides. The Northern tip of the property is the site of the well known "Hippo Bend Lagoon" -- where guests are frequently treated to breakfast or lunch in full view of over 100 resident hippos. "Hippo Bend Lagoon" is also rumored to have been the camping site of US President Teddy Roosevelt when he visited the Masai Mara on his Kenyan hunting trip in the early 20th century.

The majority of staff at the Royal Mara are of Maasai descent – from certified game drive guides to chefs, waiters and armed guards. Such employment assists the local Maasai community who keep their tribal land available for game viewing and helps to motivate the extended families of staff members to refrain from agricultural or other development of tribal Maasai lands.

External links

* [http://www.royalmara.com Royal Mara Safari Lodge website with additional info on the Masai Mara ecosystem and wildlife]

References

*Good Morning America. [http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/7Wonders/Story?id=2660801&page=1 "Site of 'Great Migration' Is Seventh Wonder"] , "ABC News", November 17, 2006.

*The Mara Online. [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=24 "Maasai Mara Ecosystem - Koiyaki"] , "The Mara Online", 2007.

*The Mara Online. [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=25 "Maasai Mara Ecosystem - Lemek"] , "The Mara Online", 2007.

*The Mara Online. [http://www.maasaimara.com/ecosystem_show.asp?sec_id=17 "Maasai Mara Ecosystem - National Reserve"] , "The Mara Online", 2007.

*Big Cat Diary. [http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/programmes/tv/bcd/ "Big Cat Diary"] , "BBC News", 2008.