Safari to Mara Triangle

a very beautiful area at the foot of the escarpment

Mara Triangle is the section of the Maasai Mara which lies between the Mara River and the western Oloololo Escarpment in southwest Kenya.

At around 240 square kilometres, this substantial reserve is particularly scenic, with lovely open plains and acacia forests set against the dramatic backdrop of the Oloololo section of the Rift Valley Escarpment.

These plains are home to a rich array of wildlife, including zebras, wildebeest, giraffes, impalas and elands. The herds are accompanied by the usual predators, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, spotted hyenas and jackals.

Along the banks of the Mara River itself there are substantial stands of riverine forest, which is home to animals such as buffaloes, hippos, elephants and baboons. There are even a few rare black rhinos in the area.

The Mara Triangle is (along with the Mara Confluence area on the opposite bank) probably the best area for migration river crossings during the Jul-Oct dry season, often featuring major crocodile action.

Unlike the much larger Maasai Mara National Reserve across the river to the east, the Mara Triangle is a locally administered conservation area and attracts a hefty additional park fee. The two sides of the river are connected by just two bridges, in the extreme north and south, but very few people are prepared to pay the double park fees to access both reserves.

Whilst this side of the Mara is generally considered to be rather higher quality, with a high proportion of quality lodges, it still remains a busy safari area and traffic avoidance should remain a priority.

Traffic avoidance

Although the Mara Triangle does not experience the same level of budget minibus traffic that floods into the Mara Confluence area across the river, it remains a relatively busy area and traffic avoidance should be a priority.

On the positive side, a good proportion of the vehicle traffic over this side emanates from higher quality lodges, so the guides are generally much better educated about the aesthetic subtleties of safari and the chances of really distasteful crowding around animals should be much lower.

The main traffic bottleneck is the main Oloololo Gate entrance into the Triangle, which the majority of lodges are obliged to use at the start of each vehicle safari. A couple of lodges on top of the escarpment are able to completely sidestep this by having their own private access roads down into the reserve, notably the very high-end Angama Mara.

The main vehicle clusters tend to occur around migration river crossings, which can easily be avoided if you so choose.

The other more busy area is around the Mara Serena, the only lodge inside the Triangle, which pumps out a fair few vehicles.

On a more positive note, the areas further south, especially those away from the river in the deep southwest of the Mara Triangle, can be extremely quiet, even in peak season. So if (like us) you are traffic paranoid, this is a great area to hit!

The Maasai Mara tends to feature in almost all safari trips to Kenya. As well as being the best known reserve, it is also the most productive for wildlife.

The usual stay duration is 4-8 nights split between two camps, less frequently 3-4 nights in just one camp.

Seasonality

The best time of year to visit the Maasai Mara area is generally considered to be the Jul-Oct dry season, when the weather should be reliably good and the migration herds are likely to be around.

The Nov-Jun green season may be much less dependable for weather, but remains really strong for wildlife viewing and benefits from dramatically lower visitor numbers (except for the busy Dec-Jan holiday fortnight of course).

Getting around

You’re most likely to arrive into the Maasai Mara area via the regular light aircraft services that operate from Nairobi, which means that you will travel around the area with a guide and vehicle from the camp in which you are staying.

It is also possible to travel down to the Maasai Mara by road, which is quite a long and tiresome journey, but not without interest. The trouble is that the better lodges in the Mara will offer you no discount for having your own guide and vehicle along, so you end up paying for both, which works out more expensive than flying down.

Where to stay

Remarkably the Mara Triangle area is home to just one permanent accommodation option, the substantial Mara Serena Lodge.

A handful of lodges (including Kichwa Tembo, Bateleur Camp and Sanctuary Olonana) are located alongside the Mara River immediately to the north of the Triangle, which is still just about inside the main wildlife area, so they should be able to deliver that ‘in the thick of it’ feel.

The properties on top of the escarpment may be removed from the main wildlife area, but they do benefit from some absolutely spectacular views and, in a few cases, also have direct road access down into the Triangle (notably the very high-end Angama Mara).

traffic can be avoided if you put in the effort