Lamai Triangle

Topography: The Mara Watershed

The topography of Lamai is a stunning mosaic of fertile grasslands, winding streams, and rounded hills that delineate the border with Kenya.

• A Grassland Island: Unlike the dense woodlands that define much of the North Serengeti, Lamai is 300 square miles of open plains covered in a vast carpet of Red Oat grass. This sweeping vista is a stark contrast to regions like Lobo or Bologonja.
• Political vs. Ecological Borders: Geographically, Lamai and the Masai Mara are a single ecological unit—the Mara Watershed. Only political boundaries separate them. The Mara River forms the southern base of the triangle, providing the permanent water that makes this area a critical dry-season refuge.

Wildlife Viewing: Giants and Survivors

While the thundering herds of wildebeest and zebra are the main event, Lamai supports a rich cast of resident characters:

• The Giant Eland: This is arguably the best place in East Africa to see the Eland, the world’s largest antelope. These massive animals can weigh over 2,000 pounds (900 kg)—dwarfing the 500-pound wildebeest next to them—yet they are incredibly agile, capable of leaping 10-foot fences from a standstill.
• Resident Abundance: You will find healthy populations of Ostrich, Topi, Buffalo, Elephant, and Giraffe here year-round.
• The Big Cats: Because the herds are concentrated here for months, the area’s lions and cheetahs are fat and active, though often more habituated and relaxed than in other remote sectors.

Conservation History: The Grzimek Legacy

• The protection of Lamai was a hard-won victory for science. Prior to 1965, the Serengeti National Park ended abruptly at the Mara River, leaving the northern grazing lands open to heavy poaching.
• The turning point came via a pioneering field survey conducted by Bernhard Grzimek and his son, Michael. Using a zebra-striped aircraft to conduct the first-ever aerial census, the Grzimeks proved that the migration’s survival depended on this northern triangle. Bernhard famously argued that a park “must cover an area large enough to provide a viable ecological unit embracing the full annual cycle of the animal migration.” Their work, famously documented in Serengeti Shall Not Die, convinced the government to expand the park boundaries, securing the 300-square-mile refuge that now supports today’s 1.7 million wildebeest.