Maasai
Mara Game Reserve received a shot in the arm when a panel of
experts and a major American television channel declared the
annual Wildebeest migration one of the seven new wonders of
the world.
Broadcasting live from the Maasai Mara to millions of American
homes, the channel made the declaration during its breakfast
show "Good Morning America."
Wildebeest cross a river during their migration from the Maasai
Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. The
unique event has earned the animals and the two parks a distinction
as one of the new wonders of the world. Photo/Camerapix
Every year, the wildebeest migrate from the Mara in Kenya to
the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, attracting thousands
of tourists to witness the rare event in nature.
The TV show, which featured a live interview with Kenya Wildlife
Service Director Julius Kipng'etich, was the culmination of
six days during which panelists invited by the channel voted
for new wonders of the world.
The new wonders are separate from the conventional Seven Wonders
of the World known for centuries and which are classified by
Unesco.
The
panel of experts included an oceanographer, a tour expert, a
range and wildlife management expert.
The Maasai Mara and Serengeti and the wildebeest migration were
selected as one of the new wonders because of what the experts
termed as "the uniqueness of the area and the preservation
it provides to so many species living in harmony".
The six other new wonders of the world according to ABC are
Tibet's Potala Palace, selected for the hope it provides to
exiled Tibetans that one day they will return to their homeland;
the Old Jerusalem City, which is holy to both Muslims and Christians;
the Polar Ice Caps in Iceland for the mixture of cold frozen
glaciers and volcanoes; the underwater Hawaiian Island's Monument,
a protected underwater coral reef; the Internet – described
as a world where anything is possible and the Mayan Pyramids
in Cancun, Mexico whose sight was described as breathtaking.
In
their citation, the panelists said: "More than one million
wildebeests, half a million gazelles, and 200,000 zebras constantly
on the move – they're all in search of fresh grass and
water. Welcome to the Serengeti and the Masai Mara plains in
the heart of East Africa – the seventh New Wonder of the
World.
Covering
about 10,000 square miles of land teeming with life, the Serengeti
is home not only tosome of the most diverse wildlife on the
planet, but the start and finish line for one of the world's
last great migrations.Every
year, wildebeests, zebras and gazelles roam, pushing ever forward
in a clockwise rotation covering the Masai Mara in Kenya and
Serengeti in Tanzania, along the way encountering friends and
foes alike.
"There's high drama almost the whole time," said tour
guide Mr David Bromham. "If they're not birthing 300,000
calves in the three-week period, they're leaping into rivers
for 20 (feet) up."
Wildebeests may have been making the trek for millions of years,
coping with disease, drought and predators.
"It would be astonishing and wondrous to watch the migrations
go by," said Mr Neil deGrasse Tyson, a panelist and astrophysicist.
Those lucky enough to travel here see wild animals in their
purest state. On the East African plains, you'll see lions,
elephants, giraffes, and lots of wildebeests.
MAASAI MARA SPECIAL ROAD PACKAGES
›2 Nights
Maasai Mara Special
›3Nights
Great Rift valley Safari
›4
Nights Tree Voyage
›6
Nights Best of Kenya
Accommodation
There are plenty of accommodation facilities ranging from lodges
to camping facilities.
Keekorok
Accommodation at Keekorok is in bungalows, single storey blocks
and in comfortable shaded chalets. The liberal use of cedar
wood, pink and grey Sand River stone and other indigenous building
materials offset the green lawns and colourful bougainvillea.
David Livingstone Safari Resort
commands one of the most spectacular views in the Serengeti-Mara
eco-system; the hotel lines the Mara River on the edge of the
Maasai Mara Game Reserve and overlooks deep pools where hippos
and crocodiles bask all day.
::Destination
Connect Links
Send your Enquiries
Tell A Friend About Us
Email
Us info@destination-connect.com to
get your travel guide
BOOKMARK
THIS PAGE
