We are inviting you to join us in welcoming the great wildebeest migration to the Masai Mara this year by staying for 3 nights at Encounter Mara and only paying for 2!!*

This extension to our current special offer is a spectacular opportunity to enjoy Mara Naboisho Conservancy and the Masai Mara at its very best as the first of the Northern migration herds typically start pouring into our area in June, with their Southern peers following a few weeks later. With expert Maasai guides and stunning views from every tent over the surrounding savannah, there is no better place to be as Africa’s greatest wildlife show kicks off in our backyard!

See you soon in the Mara…

The Encounter Mara team
Contact us!

*Special offer excludes conservancy fees and is valid only for new non-resident bookings staying at Encounter Mara between NOW and the 14th July 2012. The free night includes all local drinks, meals, accommodation, day/night game drives and bush walks.

As of the end of the month, Mara Naboisho Conservancy had not received any rain. It had rained a little at the very beginning of the month for a few days, the conservancy has been dry since then. Much of the grass is still long from the heavy rains in November and December last year, but as the conservancy management allows land-owner cattle in for strictly controlled, zoned grazing, many areas now have shorter grass, with some new growth. This shorter grass is much more palatable and has been attracting an increasing number of wild ungulates into the conservancy.
Finding lions has become a little easier than in previous months. Lions sightings are on the rise with two main prides being the stars of the show; the Enoolera pride and the largest group, the Enisikira pride. Guests have been lucky enough to watch three males patrolling and each marking their territory, as well as a few sightings of different mothers with cubs, some getting ready to hunt.
One of the highlights of the lion sightings this month has been 13 adults and 2 sub-adults resting on the banks of the Enisikiria river, a good indication that they are moving back to their original home range in the centre of the conservancy. This will mean more sightings of this +25 strong pride.
Cheetah sightings, as ever, have been more sporadic, as the cheetahs move in and out of the conservancy regularly. The best sighting in the second half of this month has been a mother with her two cubs resting under a tree on Balanites plain near Koiyaki Guiding School.
Although there is a healthy population of leopards on the conservancy, they remain fairly shy, and sightings are not always common. The best times ot see leopards are early in the morning and late in the evening, usually in areas of thick bush and woodland. Late in the month, guests were lucky enough to see a big male leopard resting in a tree a short distance from the road.
Elephant numbers on the conservancy remain high, with sightings of groups of 100 or more individuals still relatively common. The long grass and the abundance of good browsing in the woodlands seem to be keeping the elephants happy. Often the elephants are found along the Ololmorijo, Enoolera, and Enisikiria rivers, as these are the best places to drink and to find mud to wallow in.
At the moment, many of the female giraffe are pregnant, and many have already given birth, meaning there are many tiny young giraffes finding their feet, keeping close to their mothers. The rest of the plains animals are also doing very well, and their numbers are steadily increasing week by week. The more plains-game the conservancy hosts, the more predators it will host as well, and in the coming weeks, we’re expecting some hot action and great wildlife experiences.

The last two weeks of February have produced some great wildlife sightings on game-drives and close to the camp. We’ve had numerous cheetah sightings, especially in the middle of the month, with a female cheetah and her two sub-adult cubs having been spotted less than 200m North of camp on two consecutive days.
Lion sightings have not been as numerous as they were by the end of last year, but the quality of the sightings has not diminished. Less than a kilometer from camp, we had six lions on a zebra kill also for two days in a row. The following day, two lionesses with six cubs were spotted at the salt lick, approximately one kilometer to the South of the camp. There have also been good sightings of mating lions and mixed family groups along the Enisikiria river.
The last week of February has been characterised by afternoon and evening showers, while some nights have had heavy thunderstorms that last until morning. With the rain, the rivers have begun flowing again, and the conservancy has reverted to a verdant green. In areas where the grass has been cropped short, close to watering points and salt, new green shoots are pushing their way up, and all the wildlife seem to have a new spring in their step.
The last week has also brought about a turn of great luck for three of our guides. Moses, Daniel, and Dickson have all had leopard sightings with their guests, on three separate occasions this pas tweek. Leopards are the most elusive of all the big cats. There are good leopard numbers within Naboisho Conservancy, but the resident leopards, up until now, have remained shy and tend to hide in areas of thick bush, where they are difficult to find. Dickson and Daniel both had a great sighting of a leopard near Sampu Enkare in the Ndorobo valley, where the leopard had pulled a full-grown impala into the fork of a tree.
There has been no short supply of elephants, with all the long grass that the conservancy has to offer. Almost every corner of the conservancy produces great sightings of families and large congregations of elephants of all ages. Viewing 100+ elephants this month has not been unusual at all, and our vehicles are sometimes forced to sit for hours on end as elephant traffic jams block the roads.
Life in Mara Naboisho Conservancy is NEVER boring, and each new day brings new discoveries, from ball-rolling dung beetles to testosterone-filled elephant bulls in musth, fighting it out for the females. Each new season, and indeed each new week, has its uniqe attractions, and all can be experienced in relative privacy, with strictly controlled visitor numbers and a strictly enforced game-drive etiquette.

Rain has not hit Mara Naboisho Conservancy for more than a month and a half, and much of the water within the conservancy has dried up. Many of the rivers, like the Olmorijoi and Enisikiria are left only with a few scattered pools. However, there are thousands of wildebeest, zebra, and other plains game from the Loita plains to the East, eating the grass and keeping it short around the areas of permanent water. This, in turn, attracts the predators, and sightings of lions are on the rise. Finding cheetah has been difficult, as they are non-territorial, and move freely between conservancies and across the ecosystem. However, on the morning of the 14th of February, the four orphaned cheetah brothers were spotted, looking healthy and strong, less than a kilometre from Encounter Mara Camp!

Leopard sightings have been fewer recently, with the long grass and thick bush complementing their already elusive nature. Our guides find fresh leopard spoor regularly, and we hear them grunting at night near the camp, but spotting one on game drives has proved difficult.

For the last four days, the camp has been full of guests who have had some amazing sightings. Many of the guests were lucky enough to witness a skirmish between three lionesses defending their kill from a crocodile on the banks of the Enisikiria River. Our guests and guides watched in awe as one of the lionesses charged fearlessly at the crocodile, sending it whirling back to the safety of the river. Later that morning, some of the guests witnessed a herd of elephants sending those same three lionesses scurrying for cover, as they came down to the water’s edge to drink. The following day’s game-drive produced lions chasing a hippo, but to no avail.

We have some recent good news, as well, with two lionesses from the Enisikiria pride who have taken up residence near the camp with their six cubs! We all hope and pray that these cubs will survive, bringing the pride’s number up to thirty.

As the grass gets cut shorter, we expect to have more, and better quality, sightings in the next few months.
Elephant and giraffe numbers remain high, adding value to all game-drives, with many young animals around, learning the ways of the wild.

Mid January 2011 brought competition, sports, team-building, a few sore muscles, and lots of laughter to the Encounter Mara staff team! Encounter Mara Camp held it’s first annual staff sports day on the 16th of January, bringing staff members from different departments together to compete and have fun.
The competitions ranged from the serious to the most wacky. Spear-throwing started the day, followed by the gum-boot toss, the egg-and-spoon race, three-legged race, and tug of war. After this, the members of staff were split into 2 teams for a volleyball competition.

The categories and prizes were divided up as follows:

a.) “BEST DEPARTMENT” – A trophy was given to the best department of the season, to reward best overall performance amongst all departments of work, as well as a Team Certificate of Achievement – Instead of giving it to only one department, we decided to give the entire team (including all departments) this prize.

b.) “BEST CONTRACT EMPLOYEE OF THE SEASON” – This person received a Permanent Contract with Encounter Camps LTD., a Recommendation Letter from the management, a Certificate of Achievement and a special Bonus. The two people that received this award, were MBATIRI NGANAYIO (Prep Dish Washer) & NTETEI OLE SEKUT (Main Kitchen Dishwasher), as we believe all our success starts from the bottom and these two guys have been working so hard, they really truly deserved it.

c.) “ENCOUNTER MARA VOLLEY BALL CHAMPIONS” – The winning team received a Team Certificate of Achievement as well as a trophy. This was a match between two teams and in all fairness, the best team did win.

d.) BEST TEAM “ENCOUNTER CRAZINESS” – This team received a Team Certificate of Achievement, as well as a full day excursion (safari) around the Mara with their own guide and vehicle to drive around, having a picnic lunch with sodas at the place of their choice. It will be a fun filled day for all involved. The date will be decided by management.

e.) WORST TEAM “ENCOUNTER CRAZINESS” – This was given a condolence prize, which was both funny and memorable.

No celebration in Maasai land is complete without some roasted goat (mbuzi choma), and two goats were cooked over an open fire and enjoyed by all that evening.

Your third night at Encounter Mara is FREE!

Book to stay at Encounter Mara between now and the end of May 2012 for 2 nights and get 1 night absolutely free – a remarkable opportunity to start the year with an unforgettable wildlife encounter in the Masai Mara.

Offer is inclusive of all local drinks, activities and full board accommodation.

(Please note that this special excludes conservancy fees and is only valid for new, non – resident bookings).