Maasai Mara VS Amboseli

Maasai Mara VS Amboseli : For someone who has visited these two incredible parks numerous times over various seasons, comparing the safari experiences of Maasai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park may not seem plausible.

However, most safari tourists who have recently returned from a safari trip in Kenya would tell you which location is ideal for a safari tour. The majority, if not all, would tell you right once that the Maasai Mara is the only place like that; nevertheless, it’s likely that they visited only that one park or Kenya at the peak migration season (June to October) and were astonished by this unique natural occurrence there. Continue reading this article to know more about Maasai Mara VS Amboseli

Therefore, I try to compare these two seemingly incomparable parks in this article. But it’s not because I want to instill a prejudice in you favor of one of the two parks; rather, I’m just trying to help you appreciate them both.

Thus, the question once more arises: how do the experiences with game and wildlife in Maasai Mara and Amboseli compare? Where in Kenya would you go for the best safari experience?

Game drives and other activities for seeing animals.

The primary way to explore the African bush and see animals and other species in the parks is to go on a game drive, also known as a safari drive. All wildlife drives take place in safari vehicles, which can be either a van or a jeep/truck with a pop-up roof that allows you to stand inside and enjoy a 360-degree view of the bush to ensure you don’t miss anything.

So, how do the games in Maasai Mara and Amboseli compare?

The Mara consists of large grasslands that are easy to traverse; it is considerably larger than Amboseli. Nearly every area of the park is covered by the longer drive tracks in the Mara. As a result, you can enjoy numerous game drives in the Mara without growing weary, and every day will offer a fresh experience with various sightings. It is, thus, the ideal park in Kenya if you wish to spend more time in the African bush without getting bored.

However, Amboseli National Park is a small park where most animals congregate near wetlands and marshes, particularly in the dry season. Because the driving routes follow the marshes, where the animals are only a few metres away from you, it is therefore much easier to locate and see the majority of creatures in Amboseli. Because Amboseli is smaller than Maasai Mara, it can be explored in a single day and is therefore easier to navigate. Amboseli is a better alternative than the Mara if you’re looking for a fast safari in Kenya that will allow you to see as much animals as possible.

Additional activities to do.

Other than going on a game drive, you can enhance your encounter with the wildlife in Maasai Mara by participating in balloon safaris, which are available both inside the reserve and in conservancies, walking safaris, which are available in the private conservancies surrounding the Mara, and horseback riding, which is also available in certain conservancies.

Meanwhile, additional activities in Amboseli include the balloon safaris.

Amount of wildlife you can tick off during the safari.

Although there is more wildlife in the Mara, you may not see everything unless you remain longer in the reserve due to the size of the plains and migration, which displaces some species.

However, in Amboseli, animals congregate near marshes, making it easier to view more species in a shorter amount of time.

Which park gives the best sightings of lions?

A few feet away in the Mara, a lion basking in the shadow of a shrub.

The Mara is by far the greatest location in Kenya to view lions. In fact, the focus of the Maasai Mara national reserve is counting the number of prides you have seen at the end of the day, so there is no way to miss any lions there. On a single day’s safari trip, you may witness up to five prides. You will watch lions hiding from the scorching sun behind a thicket, searching for prey in the plains, dismembering a carcass beneath a tree or shrub, or sipping from a riverbank after devouring a succulent antelope.

Although there is a good probability of seeing lions in Amboseli, it is also possible to miss them because they like to hide in the bushes near the marshes. Or the vistas could be a little far away. However, if you are fortunate enough to spot the lions right on the edge of a swamp or lake, you can also get the best up-close views of them on a nice day.

Best sightings of other big cats – leopard, hyena, cheetah.

Amboseli is hyena country.

Leopard: Due to their solitary lifestyle, leopards are hard to locate everywhere. Your best chance of spotting them is in the Mara. Not expected to be seen in Amboseli

Amboseli is the homeland of the hyena! They are unmissable. Owing to the Mara plains’ immense size, it will take some luck to come across a hyena pride.

Cheetah: There’s a considerable probability of sighting cheetahs in the Mara. In fact, cheetahs are simpler to spot in the Mara than leopards. Meanwhile I am not even sure there are cheetahs in the Amboseli.

Birds and birding.

With a wide variety of species, the Mara and Amboseli are excellent destinations to go bird watching safari. Depending on the species you are interested in, you might prefer one of the parks. Grassland birds, and particularly raptors, love the Mara. Along with other ecosystems, Amboseli’s marshes and wetlands offer excellent water birding.

Amboseli is just a birding utopia if you want to see as many species as possible on your expedition! From a few metres away, the marshes and swamps offer incredibly close-up views of a vast variety of wetland species. Along with the wetlands, the Amboseli savannah and forests are home to a variety of unique semi-arid birds. The greatest place to see the East African endemic Taveta Golden Weaver is Amboseli.

Scenery.

It is amazing to see the vast herds of elephants walking across the arid, dusty plain of the Amboseli, heading towards a water source in one of the several wetlands that are nourished by underground rivers that emerge from the snow-capped, towering Kilimanjaro Mountains in the distance. There is nothing place like Amboseli to experience such bizarre beauty.

In summary, this article entails information about Maasai Mara VS Amboseli