A vacation to the national parks of Africa can be a fulfilling experience no matter in what part of the year you head there. There is one special occasion in the summer season thou in the gorgeous Masai Mara National Park of Tanzania when you can watch literally millions of zebras, wildebeests and gazelles making the long journey to the fresh grazing land of the park from the famous Serengeti. The scene is so awesome and grand that the naturalist have given this phenomenon the name of the Great Migration.
Masai Mara is in fact an extension of the Serengeti national park which is the premier game reserve of the country.But this event of Great Migration catches so much attention from the tourists that during these few weeks the main emphasis of the tourist traffic turns to Masai Mara rather than to the larger and more exotic Serengeti.
Great Migration is a phenomenon that according to experts have been occurring for thousands of years. As with the arrival of summer the water and grass reserves of the Serengeti start to deplete the hordes of grazing animals start their journey in search of the new grasslands through the Masai Mara. The scene is surely mind bogling as all the animals of different species move in the same direction and also cooperates with each other for their survival by providing early warnings about the presence of predators and especially the lions of Masai Mara who try to prey on these passing hordes.
The park is located on the northern end of the Serengeti and easily accessible from the major cities of the country by road. If you are arriving from abroad then the best option will be to take a cheap air tickets to Dar es Salam the capital of the country and then make the rest of the journey by road for which you can either hire a car from the city or travel with the local bus service running between the Dar and the Masai Mara National Park.You will have to pay a small entry fee on entrance to the park and will be provided with a short briefing about the park and regarding your personal protection. The best way of exploring the park is to do it in the presence of a park ranger as he will know the park better and will take you to the places with the best sightings and also will know what to do in case you face any danger along the way.
If you have not arrived in the park in your own car then you can always hire a 4wd from the park rangers but this can be a little costly. So the cheaper option will be to tag along with a group of tourists that are planning for a tour of the park.Great Migration is not a phenomenon that will end in a single day as the number of the animals passing through the park is huge so you can stay for a couple of days in the park to enjoy this memorable event completely. There are quite a few resorts in the Masai Mara Park which can provide you with lodging facilities or you can also decide to camp out with the permission from the park rangers.
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