Hotels, lodges and camps in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve have recorded 95pc bed occupancy early bookings as the wildebeest migration season begins.
The peak season runs from July to September when millions of wildebeests spectacularly cross from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara reserve in Kenya.
The spectacle attracts thousands of international and local tourists who book the hotels and camps around the game reserve to get the golden chance of watching the world’s eighth wonder.
Mara Chief Park Warden Stephen Minis, said the number of tourists has increased tremendously in the past few weeks.
Minis said they have also beefed up security in the reserve, with rangers patrols intensified to keep law and order and make sure all tour vans follow the laid down rules and regulations in the park.
Sarova Mara Camp General Manager Jayne Kiragu is upbeat that the bookings were impressive despite challenges the tourism industry was facing locally following heavy rains that swept some of the camps and persistent demonstrations against the government.
Kiragu said the hotel has 75 tents with the entry level tents, the dilux-52 tents, club tents 20, and family tents which are 2 bedroomed all fully booked for the next three months.
She said the experience in the hotel for their clients will be different as they are upscaling their tourism products and improving on their tents to give their client an experience of a life time.
Mara Managers Association chairman Harrison Nampaso said they are preparing themselves for the peak season and are optimistic that all the hotels will be fully booked.
He further thanked Narok County government for interventions to fix roads and bridges damaged by floods before the high season kicked off.
