Both International and domestic tourists are being asked to visit the Maasai Mara Game Reserve to witness the attraction of about three million wildebeest who will start crossing the Mara River.
While addressing the press at Sekenani gate, Stephen ole Minis, game warden at Maasai Mara game reserve, said 80 percent of tourists are in Mara, ahead of the wildebeest Migration that started last week.
Minis noted that a big herd of Wildebeests is building up in the neighbouring Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to cross the Sand River to the Kenyan side, Maasai Mara Game Park.
Minis encourages Kenyans to come to witness the wonders at a cheap price, where the animals cross from the neighbouring Serengeti National Park from Tanzania to Kenya while crocodiles find them and eat them.
“It’s a Kenyan resource, a Kenyan park, and all Kenyans should come and enjoy the scene and it’s affordable to all visitors,” said Minis.
He also predicted profits up to approximately 90 percent compared to 2019, where a profit of Sh.164 billion was obtained, showing a positive sign in terms of revenue collection.
Minis thanked the county government of Narok for the implementation of Maasai Mara Management Plan, saying it took the governor three months to implement it; therefore, things will progress on the right path henceforth.
“We will use the plan to put everything in place in the park; things will go the right way as put in the management plan,” added Minis.
However, Minis said this is the best time for visitors to visit the park and witness the crossing of the wildebeest from Tanzania to Kenya, although their movement is entirely dependent on seasonal rainfall patterns.
Similar sentiments are echoed by Jackson Ole Mpario, the Chairman of the 24 Maasai Mara Conservancy Associations in the park, who admits that there is an increase in wild animals and tourists according to the census done in 2021 by Kenya Wildlife Services, the Wildlife Research and Training Institute (WRTI), and with county government.
Asokan Ponnusamy, a photographer from Singapore, expresses the expectation of witnessing the crossing of the wildebeest after missing it five years ago while appreciating the warm welcome he receives from the locals.
Cathy Gannersen, a tourist from California, United States of America, who travelled with his spouse, did not hide his happiness because she had witnessed rich traditional culture, the friendship and happiness of the locals that she witnessed when returns home.
Antony Meja, a tour guide with over 18 years’ experience, predicted this year’s will be the best season ever witnessed compared to other seasons.
The wildebeest, together with the zebras, cross aggressively from Serengeti National Park to Kenya’s Maasai Mara Game Reserve, marking the beginning of their new diet and breeding season for the next five months.
Tourists are required to pay between 80 and 70 dollars, which translates to Ksh. 10,000 and above, as a fee to enter the park, while locals are required to pay 1,000.
By John Kaleke
