MAASAI MARA NATIONAL RESERVE                                          Maasai Mara is "The" park of parks in Kenya. Its grass-carpeted smooth hills, the chocolate Mara river waters with frolicking hippos, as well as the rich fauna diversity, fulfill the expectations of any visitor searching the African landscapes portrayed in motion pictures such as "Out of Africa" or "Mogambo". Save particular tastes or special requirements, this is the park on top of the "must" list in the country: no trip to Kenya would be complete without a visit to Maasai Mara. Leopards and Rhinos abound and with more than 450 bird species, the reserve should not a great Kenyan bird sanctuaries.                                                                 The reserve was gazetted in 1961, located west of the Rift Valley and is a natural extension of the Serengeti plains, in Tanzania. The Mara River, the reserve's backbone traverses North to South heading for its westbound way unto Lake Victoria through the Tanzanian Park. This course is the natural barrier crossed every year by the large migratory herds of wildebeests and zebras which march across the two parks. More than one million wildebeests and 200,000 zebras move in a quest for the best pastures, finding along the way the crocodile-crowded river. From July to October, Maasai Mara is at its peak, with the seasonal visitors populating the vast grasslands. Maasai Mara's altitude is above 1,500m. The grassy landscape and the nutrient wealth for the great herds are maintained by the abundant rains, which last from November through June, as a fusion of the two rain seasons (long and short) typical in other Kenya areas. Night storms are frequent. In the hills and plains, grasslands are scattered with acacia woods and bush. The riverbanks of the Mara and of the multiple tributary streams are bordered by dense riverside forests.