Day 1
Today, 13 years since our first visit to the Maasai Mara,
the area still holds the same promise of wildlife action and excitement as our
very first visit more than a decade ago.
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| The beautiful Fairviev Hotel in Nairobi, our first overnights stop. |
Although we all met at OR Tambo International airport in
Johannesburg the safari “officially” only started only once we touched down on
Kenyan soil. After quick airport procedures we met our transfer at the gate and
proceeded to the Fairview hotel in Nairobi. Except for the normal congested
Nairobi traffic we reached the Fairview less than an hour after departing the
airport. Here in verdant gardens this well kept sandstone hotel provided much appreciated
rest after the long traveling day. Our
first safari day came to an end with a round of tusker beer and dinner.
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| Geoffrey our friendly tracker for the week. |
Day 2
Breakfast the next morning and off to Wilson airport to our
flight to the much anticipated Mara where we will hopefully catch up with the
migration. Seamless logistical support from the minute we arrived made
traveling effortless and within no time we were sitting high above the clouds
over the Great Rift Valley en-route to the Mara.
After our Air Kenya plane touched down Geoffrey who was
going to be our tracker for the next few days met us. At the airstrip herds of
Giraffe. Topi and Warthog greeted us while a lone Hippo and a single lioness about
500 meters from camp made for an exciting welcoming committee.
After check in and a light lunch it was time for our much
anticipated first game drive. I normally use the first couple of drives to
familiarize myself with the area and get an idea of what animals are around.
The first drive produced three individual solitary lions, Giraffe and Elephant
on the plains as well as host of herbivores, most of which proving new to
Southern African travellers. We also
encountered a small herd of wildebeest congregating along the Mere river bank.
Although it proved promising, they didn’t cross the river. Back at camp we enjoyed
drinks at the fire while everything from fruit bats and hippo’s to Hyenas and
Lions serenaded us into dinner and then bed.
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| No more than 5 minutes out of camp this magnificent male greeted us on the first morning out. |
Day 3
Our morning started as expected very early with a wake up
call and freshly brewed Kenyan coffee at 05:00 am. Lions were heard throughout
the night around camp and the obvious decision was made to try and locate
them. Barely five minutes out of camp we
came upon a trio of two males and a female.
This proved to be the photoshoot of the morning and what more can one
ask for than apex predators in great light. Shortly afterwards we located a
Black-backed Jackal den with small pups. Although we got some images we agreed
that this deserves more time over the next few days. Later on we finally caught
up with the wildebeest herds scattered over hundreds of hectares throughout
golf course green fields. Breakfast served under a quintessential solitary tree
allowed more time to absorb this spectacle of wildlife after which we made our
way back home.
In the afternoon we aimed to get a glimpse of a leopard with
two cubs but these proved too elusive. Amidst
thousands of heads of herbivores such as buffalo, topi, eland, impala and a
single hippo feeding out of water a juvenile Bateleur provided great photo
opportunities. We ended our day on the plains with the same three lions we
found at daybreak.
Day4
Today was one of those crazy Mara days where the action just
never seemed to stop. After a first and unsuccessful search for a leopard along
the Talek river our luck turned for the good when we found a pride of lions
with several cubs in tow. Shortly after that we swung past the Jackal den where
we photographed the pups playing and feeding as dad brought back some
unidentifiable food for the pups. A nearby hyena den provided great
interactions after which we decided to head back from brunch at camp. This was
not to be as shortly afterward we located a very obliging Tawny eagle n the
process of finishing off a stillborn Thompson’s Gazelle fawn.
In the afternoon we headed away from the river and the
crowds in order to search for our own wildlife. The plan worked beautifully as
we saw our first albeit very brief crossing of wildebeest over the Talek river.
Shortly after that a nearby due of two lionesses with five playful cubs
provided action for the rest of the afternoon. Thinking we would head back to
camp a herd of giraffe in the sunset held us captive for the remainder of the
afternoon repeatedly passing the best spot for photos. An appropriate way to
end a perfect day.
As always fireside drinks with nearby hippos grunting and
dinner finished of the day as we retired for bed.
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| One of the apex sighting sof the trip, a Tawney Eagle with a Thompsons Gazelle kill. |
Day 5
Cheetah were in our sights today. As is normal with Maasai
Mara game drives much gets in the way of ones ideas and our Cheetah quest were
interrupted hy a hunting clan of Spotted Hyenas shortly after a most perfect
sunrise. With tails curled up in agitated excitement the clan ran beside our
vehicle for a while in pursuit of some still unseen quarry. Something was about
to happen. Upon closer inspection it looked like they were seeing off a lone
trespassing Hyena. These highly territorial animals, although very social,
won’t tolerate intruders. We located the
cheetah later in the morning already at rest and well fed and decided on a
follow up visit. After our compulsory coffee stop we took a leisurely drive
back to camp though vast herds of zebra, Wildebeest and Topi interspersed with
the occasional Cape Buffalo.
In the afternoon we picked up the herds again
and spent a most fruitful afternoon photographing them backlit.
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| A young Bateleur Eagle taking off. |
Good Cheetah photo opportunities still eluded us. Although
we had seen them before we didn’t stay long as the throng of other cars
crowding the sighting distracted from the quality we strive to maintain. Thus
today our aim was set at finding a mother and two almost independent cubs. The
days started out with a pride of 15 lions, three females with 12 cubs walking
through the yellow Mara grassland. Having had such great lion sightings earlier
in the safari we passed up the opportunity to photograph this remarkable
sighting. And the gamble paid off. We
finally caught up with the mother Cheetah who obligingly laid down with her two
cubs in glorious light atop a termite mound. Two other vehicles were present at
the sighting initially but before long they also left the scene leaving us
alone with the elegant cats.
The afternoon drive delivered three individual sightings of
lions, all of which were fast asleep! Contrary to the morning’s success the big
cats didn’t do much and we had to return to camp empty handed. However the
experience didn’t end there as three large males close to camp became vocal
after dark providing a dramatic serenade while we were having drinks at the
fire.
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| The perfect end to a day. |
Day 7
Everyone visiting the Maasai Mara is hoping to meet up with
a herd of Wildebeest herd crossing one of the rivers. Although this can never
be guaranteed it is certainly one of nature’s apex experiences. And today was
about to be our lucky day. After yet another action packed morning spent with a
pride of lions and two female cheetah our afternoon tea on the mess veranda was
interrupted by Wildebeest snorts upstream of the Talek river. Dashing for our
cameras and speeding out of camp we met up with the herd no less than 500
meters from camp! Once there we got ready for a long wait - these animals can
take hours to make up their mind. Again this was not to be as within minutes of
our arrival the first brave Wildebeest crossed the Talek river. Soon the entire
herd, joined by scattered zebra tumbled down the bank leaving clouds of dust in
their wake.
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| The Jackal den, easily overlooked proved a most fruitful photography spot. |
Day 8
And so came the end of our safari. In order to allow for a
graceful departure we do a shortened game dirve in the morning to allow
sufficient time for a leisurely breakfast and check out. Yet even this
shortened drive produced a spectacle. The Wildebeest herds which for the most
part were scattered in vast feeding groups aling the plains had come together
in tightly clumped herds along the Ol Kedyu Rongai spring and crossed this
watercourse in battalions of dozens of animals wide. A most fitting goodbye
from the Mara, or so we thought. After breakfast and check out it was the last drive back to the airstrip
but not before we was another three lionesses perched on a termite mound as
well as a clan of 20 Spotted Hyenas finishing off the last bits of their kill.
And so came the end of our safari as we gazed down on the vast green savannahs
below. Until next time.
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