Just outside the Masai Mara National Reserve is a Maasai community called Mara Rianda. There is a traditional Masai homestead or Manyatta which consists of 48 traditional houses surrounding a cattle enclosure. The Maasai community welcomes guests who would like to visit the manyatta and see a tribal way of life that has remained unchanged for centuries. Visitors are always struck by the grace and beauty of the Masai people, and the colourful lifestyle they lead. There is also a bustling curio market where guests can buy traditional Maasai beadwork.
In order to visit the Manyatta, guests must pay a small fee; this money is extremely important to the community and they have used it to build a nursery school for 120 children aged between 3 – 5 years. They have built two classrooms, accommodation for 3 teachers and a toilet facility. They have also paid for desks for the school.
The money from your entry fee also helps the community members to buy food, pay for secondary school for their children and to pay for cows – the mainstay of the Maasai economy. During times of drought when Maasai cattle suffer the money earnt from ticket sales helps the community enormously to stay on their feet. Overall this revenue supports 98 different families comprising 300 individuals.
If you would like to visit the manyatta, this can be arranged with the camp manager.
