This article is written by Ajay Jain

THE GREAT MIGRATION

The Great Migration, which unfolds annually in the savannah grasslands of Masai Mara is undoubtedly the most spectacular and dramatic wildlife spectacle one can experience on Earth! This natural wonder is an event which is the stuff of dreams for every wildlife enthusiast and photographer.

Masai Mara (1500 sq km) is the northern extension of the Serengeti ecosystem, which is about 25, 000 sq kms in area and home to the greatest concentration of large mammals on Earth. The name Serengeti means ‘endless plains’ and this whole landscape offers breathtaking vistas and superb wildlife sightings.

The long rains in the Masai Mara between March-June trigger off this annual migration. A stupendous number of 1.3 million Wildebeest, 5, 00, 000 Thompson’s Gazelles and 2, 50, 000 Zebras move in dense herds, attracted by the nutritious grasses on the Masai Mara. These herbivores are relentlessly tracked by the great predators and run the gauntlet of crossing many rivers including the toughest one, the Mara itself. This is the main river bisecting the Reserve and with its high banks and teeming with enormous Nile crocodiles, it presents the great herds with the most serious challenge of their 800 km long journey.

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We Give Back

While PlanetWildlife is a commercial venture, a cornerstone of the company’s vision is to actively promote and support responsible eco tourism, sustaining and creating avenues of social development through tourism, which will directly benefit the existing channels of ecological conservation.

Through this endeavour, PlanetWildlife joins a body of wildlife support groups who are diligently working towards making wildlife protection profitable for the community as a whole.

Ajay Jain

6 July 2011

http://kunzum.com/2011/07/06/on-an-african-safari-and-the-great-migration-with-planet-wildlife/

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This article is written by Shobita Louis.

Shobita encountered the pink flamingos of Nakuru and other dangerous beasts in Kenya this June and lived to tell the tale! She heads out Outbound Operations team in Mumbai.

The land of smiles…the land of raw sensual beauty…the land where a Wanderer like me turns into a poet. Searching for paradise had me narrow down on the God’s own playground – Africa. I headed out to the enchanted landscape at the time of the Great Migration – (That time of the year, when thousands of wildebeest start migrating from Serengeti in Tanzania to Maasai Mara in Kenya in search of pasture. The magnificent spectacle that is exhilarating is perhaps, one of the greatest events (if not the greatest) in the world. As you watch helpless and weak wildebeests succumb to the strong gripping jaws of the crocodiles and the raging waters of the Mara River, fighting for dear life – sometimes losing and other times winning, you cannot help but pay tribute to their ‘kamikaze’ odyssey.

The confusion unfolds as the sheer mass of wildebeest, and zebra break into a desperate stampede of survival to greener pastures and calving grounds after four long months of trekking).

The Great Migration was a siren’s call to come out and explore the stage and be witness to the dance between the hunter and the prey.

I landed in Nairobi – wet , grey and cold – the cacophony of the metro greeted me. Far from one madding crowd to another. Nairobi city is just another modern city buzzing with activity. Like any other city in the world, the traffic signals, congested roads, morning rush hour greets the tourist..

But, when I flew to the mara – a few hours later, it was akin to stepping into a whole new world. A world where – the magnificent beauty of the plateau, the plane ride (I flew in the smallest plane ever), the first glimpse of the Masai Mara and the majestic giraffe in a distance – opened up its vista to me.

My abode: Sitting above a sweeping bend in the Talek River, at the confluence of the Maasai Mara’s 4 game-viewing areas, the lodge that I was staying in enjoyed one of the most spectacular locations in the entire Mara ecosystem.

What more could I ask for…other than heading out for my first game drive – which happened immediately after I unpacked my bags.

My first game drive: It was in Masai Mara and what a drive it was!

On these wide open rolling grasslands, an incredible variety of different animals at one time await you. A cheetah mother sitting on a termite mound with her punky-looking cubs, while beyond, gazelle, antelope and zebra placidly graze. Giraffes peer curiously through the trees, while elephants pass on silent feet and vultures circle above.

I was lucky to see the elusive leopard and a pride of lioness frolicking in the grass. And this was just my first day in the enchanted land!

My itinerary was a 8 day sojourn – and every day was like opening Pandora’s box of delights. It’s amazing just how close you can get to the local wildlife – a baby hippo riding on his mother’s back, hearing the laugh of the hyenas, shadowing the king of the jungle – the lion, the baboons, the graceful flight of the gazelle – the list is endless when it comes to Africa.

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