Samburu and Maasai Mara – by Sally Watson

On my recent visit to Kenya I was fortunate to go to two areas of the country to experience a safari. The first was Samburu in the north and the Masai Mara in the South west. Both were fantastic regions to see a variety of game but were very different in there scenery. Samburu is very rugged and quite hilly with large ravines which creates long and wide river beds where game come to drink. The Masai Mara was much greener with vast endless plains which was due to the May rains. The wildlife which I experienced was much the same in both areas the only animals I didn’t see in Samburu were lions but I did see a cheetah and in the Mara I was lucky to see the elusive leopard. There seemed to be more wildlife in Masai Mara probably due to it being so green and this creating an abundance of vegetation for many of the animals including giraffe and elephants. Because of the rains and being so in the Mara my visit coincided with the Wildebeest migration from the Serengeti and I actually saw the start of this which was an amazing spectacle.

While in Samburu national park I stayed at the Sopa Lodge which is a 3* property. I was extremely impressed with the standard of comfort in the rooms, the quality of the food and the attentiveness of the staff. While staying at Sopa Lodge I visited the 5* luxury tented lodge of Sasaab which was perched high up over the Ewaso Nyiro River. The tents were of a superb standard and the views from them were amazing. I would recommend Sasaab if you were on honeymoon or a very special occasion and you can afford to push the boat out.