Mara North Conservancy is a one of the Maasai Mara conservancies located at the northern edge of Maasai Mara, the conservancy is the largest conservancy in the reserve covering an area of 69,160 acres of land. Mara North Conservancy was established in 2009 as a result of collaboration efforts of 12 key strong member accommodations and more than 800 Maasai locals who own the land.
HISTORY OF MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
The area presently known as Mara North Conservancy was extremely poor states back in the years from 1980s and 1990, the ownership of the land belonged to the local Maasai people who resided in the area. The high fragmentation and fencing between land boundaries caused major barriers for local and migrating wildlife in the area, the Maasai people are cattle keepers. These people kept and grazed their cattle in the area and due to the over grazing, the land degenerated which caused a threat to the future landowners.
In 2009, a group of over 800 Maasai landowners joined together to save their land and live hood. The only was possible to save the land was by establishing the Mara North Conservancy of 320 square kilometres, the conservancy partnered with lodges and safari organizations in its conservation efforts. The establishment of Mara North Conservancy has resulted into booming numbers of wildlife and a bright future for the Maasai landowners.
GEOGRAPGHY AND WILDLIFE IN MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
Thanks to the conservation efforts in Mara North Conservancy such as natural environment regeneration and protection of wildlife from poaching and traps by wildlife rangers, the conservancy currently hosts one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in the Mara ecosystem.
The conservancy is a home to the 5 members of the big Five that are lions, elephants, cape buffaloes, rhinos and leopards. Other wildlife species found here include cheetah, hyenas, wild dogs, giraffes, hippos and crocodiles among others. Mara Conservancy is also a great birding site hosting over 450 bird species such as African Cuckoo Hawk, Eurasian Honey Buzzard, Bat Hawk, Black-Shouldered Kite, Black Kite, Egyptian Vulture, Hooded Vulture, African White-Backed Vulture, Ruppell’s Griffen Vulture, Lappet-Faced / Nubian Vulture, Egret White Headed Vulture and Black-Crested Snake Eagle among others.
Mara North Conservancy’s landscape is dominated by long golden grass and whimsical flat-topped acacia trees.
The Eastern side of the Mara North Conservancy features a network of wooded valleys and seasonal streams known as luggas, the riverine forests dominating the area are an emerald-hued refuge for the elephants, baboons, giraffes and hippos.
To west of the conservancy, the area comprises of forested hillsides flanking the crocodile – infested waters of the Mara River with the towering Olooloo Escarpment rising up in the background.
Leopard George is a remarkable area in the Conservancy, the George is a secluded big cat maternity ward, the scenic Lemek Hills are a refuge for endangered African wild dogs. The location of Mara North Conservancy and the landscape make it a first-class safari destination, in the months of December – May, the conservancy is a home to the Loita Hills Migration. In this incredibly impressive migration (though less known) thousands of local wildebeests trek through the Mara North Conservancy.
THE GREAT MIGRATION IN MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
The great migration also referred to as the world cup of wildlife is a fascinating phenomenon and the greatest migration of wildlife ever noticed on earth, the migration involved the movement of millions of wildebeests and thousands of zebras and gazelles in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem.
One of the best areas to see the Great migration is in the Conservancy and is witnessed during the dry season from July – October as they continue to the Mara Triangle and Maasai Mara national reserve. If you want to witness the most dramatic episode of the great migration “the Mara River crossing”, you have to travel south to Mara Triangle along Mara river.
ACCOMMODATION IN MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
It comprises of beautiful and comfortable accommodation facilities, the conservancy has only 12 safari lodges scattered through the conservancy. The accommodation options found in this conservancy are idyllic boutique lodges and luxurious tented camps, these include
- Mara Rianta Camp
- Saruni Mara
- Elephant Pepper Camp
- Richard’s River Camp
- Ngare Serian
- Kicheche Mara Camp
- Serian – The Original
Each of the accommodations follows strict environmental polices so as to ensure that make little negative impacts on the environment of the conservancy, these accommodations use olar panels, eco-friendly products, compost systems for organic waste and water saving systems. Each of the accommodation facility contributes to the well being of the entire Maasai community found along the borders of the Maasai Mara national reserve and the Mara conservancies in form of monthly fees. These fees are used to support education, health and women entrepreneurship.
During your stay in the Conservancy’s accommodations you will be able to get involved in a variety of safari activities such as off-road driving, walking safaris, bush meals and night game drives.
Mara North Conservancy is an exclusive conservancy and because of this, you will find a very few vehicles during game drives. In most cases, lodges and tented camps in the Conservancy offer opportunities to interact with the Maasai Morans dressed in colourful Maasai clothings.
BEST TIME TO VISIT MARA NORTH CONSERVANCY
Mara North Conservancy is a year round destination that can be visited at any time of the year, however the time considered best for travelling to the Conservancy is from July – October. This time coincides with the dry season thus experiencing the best weather conditions. This time of the year is also the best time to see the wildlife as most wildlife huddles around permanent resources.
