I absolutely agree, Herbie. Tsavo is my favourite park and one of the reasons is that there are far less tourists. Compared to Tsavo, the Masai Mara is like a zoo (including the spectators).

Original von Carsten
I absolutely agree, Herbie. Tsavo is my favourite park and one of the reasons is that there are far less tourists. Compared to Tsavo, the Masai Mara is like a zoo (including the spectators).

carsten and herbie,
you both should not forget that you belong to the lucky few who had the privilege to live in kenya and therefore are fed by the massai mara experiences.......but as a photographic enthusiast you MUST once visit the massai mara during migration.

as far as i am concernd for safari/wildlife lovers there are a few MUSTS in life:

- the okavango delta for its natural beauty
- chobe for the elephants
- moremi for its natural beauty
- sabi sands for the leopard population
- south and north luangwa for the natural beauty and massive buffalo herds/south luangwa also for walking
safaris
- kafue for its massive buffalo herds
- lower zambesi for its natural beauty incl. vic falls
- serengeti during the wildebeest calving season
- massai mara for the annual wildebeest and zebra migration
- uganda for the mountain gorillas
- ruanda for the mountain gorillas
- drc for the lowland gorillas
- ethiopia for the ethiopian wolves
- sossusvlei for the dunes
- skeleton coast for the sealion population
- namib desert

the choice is yours....

and i am sure i forgot some things................

You will laugh, Pippa, I have only been to the Masai Mara 3 times in my life, out of which twice I was witness of the migration.

I agree that the sight of millions of wildebeests is unique and the crossings of the Mara River are a (brutal and tragic) sensation. Also the landscape is unique and impressive. But other than that, what does the Masai Mara offer, that you can not find elsewhere? For large herds of buffalos and elephants, Tsavo is the place to go. I remember one time where I didn't make it back to the lodge until after dark because a massive herd of buffalos was crossing the road for nearly an hour (obviously not realizing that I was in a rush because they took it veeery easy). You find everything in Tsavo, you just need to search a little bit more. But at least, when you find something, you can enjoy it (nearly) alone. Kenya has so much more to offer than the Masai Mara. It is the variety that I love.

The Shimba Hills are an absolute beauty of a totally different type. The elephants are majorly different, dense forest with waterfall and plenty of wildlife elsewhere hard to find.

Crossing the Rift Valley from Kabamet to Eldoret is absolutely stunning. I have never seen such a geographical phenomenon of such dimensions anywhere else.

Real jungle like we have it in our fantasies since childhood in Kakamega.

Volcanos that you can climb to the ridge to take a glimpse inside, the Turkana with it's massive lake appearing like an oasis in the dessert, Mt. Kenya and Mt. Elgon with their high altitude fauna and wildlife, the Marsabit which due to it's altitude and springs is another oasis in the middle of the savanna hence accommodating elephants and other large animals...

I know, all these places I mentioned are not for the average tourist who wants to take photos of the big 5 but for me the big 5 are only a small part of the whole ecosystem and it is the ecosystem that I admire. You need to know where the wildebeests come from during migration and why they migrate, you need to know where the water in the Mara River comes from (Mau forest) to understand the connection between the two.

If the flamingos are not at Lake Bogoria (or Nakuru) they are obviously at Lake Natron (or Manyara) for breeding and if there is any "problem" at Lake Natron, there will be a problem at Lake Nakuru in the future.

Anyhow, I am drifting off too far. All I wanted to say is, that I believe one needs to visit all the different places to put them together like a puzzle. Only then you can comprehend the full dimension and beauty of this ecosystem that - as a result - is home of the big 5.

And to make it even more difficult for anybody to follow my advice, I suggest to visit all these places by car and not by plane. It is the only way you will comprehend the distances and are obliged to drive through the thousands of kilometers of human settlements. Often people suggest that locals should move away from buffer zones to avoid conflicts with wildlife. Easier said than done. There are plenty of other people living there already.

agree carsten,
we drove from lake naivasha to lewa. it took us ages but was worthwhile every second!
wonderful landscape.
by the way: i love to drive in foreign courntries. that offers you the opportunity to get really in to a country and understand much more of it than you would flying. but sometimes flying is the only option being timewise or due to lack of infrastructure.
but generally speaking: driving is the best way to experience a country and also its people. gives you also a kind of idea how people live and work............love also to drive with a local. then you also get some insights
for that reason i love to go to the super markets when i'm outside germany. that gives me an idea of how people treat their produce!
hope not too many visitors go to german supermarkets as they sometimes are quite ugly in comparison to e.g. french oder south african!

Carsten:

Your mentioning Shimba Hills made me laugh at myself. On my very first trip to Kenya in 2001, I checked into Shimba Hills Lodge and was immediately taken on a game drive that afternoon. When I got back to the lodge the askari or security showed me around. Then I got cleaned up and came down to dinner. Imagine my total amazement to find I was the only guest in the lodge! The waitress and cook were exceptional and would prepare anything at all I wanted. After dinner the waitress showed me the bush babies. Then she excused herself because she had to go home Here I was, alone in the lodge with just the askari! Having heard so many stories of theft, rape and murder in Kenya, I pushed a chair against the door, and was afraid to go to sleep and kept listening for creaking stairs, etc.

All ended up just fine. The next morning more tourists showed up and I had a very good time. A family of elephants showed up at the lodge for their sugar fix (the lodge was feeding sugar cane). We also had a trip to Mwaluganje and saw more elephants there as well as sable and roan antelopes.

All in all a good stay, but not without some nervousness on my part!

Aaah, Jan, those are my favourite moments, alone with the staff ! (of course it helps if you speak Swahili). They know so much about the local bush and wildlife...that is where you learn the most and experience the "small 5". Next time, don't worry, enjoy !!