We traveled to the Maasai Mara region in Kenya in September 2016.  We went as part of a photo safari led by Kaleel Zibe http://www.kaleelzibe.com/ and Alan Hewitt http://alanhewittphotography.co.uk/.  This was my first trip to Africa and as I hope you’ll see, it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!  I was in awe of the vastness and openness of the savannah, but it was the close encounters with the animals and observing their behaviors in their natural habitat that I will never forget.  I also made new friends with the others in our group as well as with our Maasai safari leaders and met many other wonderful people there whom I will also never forget.  They love their country and are working hard to preserve the animal habitats and find ways for farmers/ranchers to co-exist in a way that preserves the land and the animals.

I have often heard from others who have traveled to Africa, that it gets in your heart and you know you must return one day.  Now I understand!!!  It happened to me!  I will attempt to show you the wonder of this place, but nothing compares to being there!  

Our adventure started in Newcastle, UK where we flew to Nairobi via Amsterdam…. not too much new yet!  But to get to our ultimate destination of The House in the Wild http://www.houseinthewild.co.ke/  in Narok, Enonkishu Conservancy, we flew on a small plane operated by Safarilink.   We landed at the Ngerende airstrip about an hour after taking off from  Nairobi.  We were greeted by our safari leaders for the next 9 days, Moses and Boston, who helped us load up baggage for the 30 minute trip to our home for the week.

The next day started early as did all our safari game drives; up each morning at 5:30 am, grab a quick cup of coffee and a biscuit, and load up the vehicles and leave by 6:15.  We had to bundle up in 3-4 layers of clothing and blankets due to the cold temperatures and the wind chill from riding in an open vehicle in the open savannah.   Afterall, the elevation was about 5300 feet. We slowly pulled off layers and by 10 am were in our short sleeves and wishing for the cooler temps of the morning.  We stayed close to our camp the first couple of days in the Enonkishu Conservancy; we saw SO many different animals!!    I’ll never forget the adrenaline rush of seeing these amazing animals up close, in their natural habitat for the very first time. The only way I can describe this to other people is I felt like I was in the movie, Jurassic Park.

One of the things I loved about this trip was observing natural animal behaviors that you could never see in the zoo- like watching a lionness hunt and then tenderly care for her cubs or a male ostrich sitting on a nest (who knew this was the job of the male) or the scavenging by the hyenas and vultures.   And the wildebeest migration…. lots more on this to come!!   I also loved the Acacia Trees; like an umbrella in the middle of the savannah!

Our Day 3 was wild!!  We ventured quite a bit further to the main Mara National Reserve with the hope of seeing the Wildebeest crossing of the Mara River.  We were not disappointed.  This was the most amazing thing I’ve ever witnessed.  I even saw a National Geographic video of this before I came and it still couldn’t compare to being there.  During the great migration, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest travel around the Mara and Serengeti ecosystem in search of fresh grass; sometimes this means crossing the Mara River.  It is a scary and frenzied time for the Wildebeest as they are vulnerable to the waiting jaws of crocodiles waiting downstream.  We witnessed a croc taking down 3 different wildebeests.  It is a bit unnerving to witness such carnage, but it is all part of the natural animal world and one that is necessary for the survival of all.

If seeing the Wildebeest crossing wasn’t enough, Day 3 was packed full of other new animal encounters and experiences.  Since we were out all day, we stopped to eat our lunch (always gourmet- no packed sandwiches for us!),  in the Marsh area somewhere between our camp and the Mara National Reserve.   The Marsh was full of a variety of animals; truly a menagerie.  This was where we saw Cape Buffalo for the first time.  What was particularly surprising to me was how so many different species lived in harmony here.  As we learned, cats rule and every other animal is prey, so they often help each other out!  We also saw lots of other animals on the way to and from the Mara National Reserve, including Cheetahs in Enonkishu Conservancy, near where we were staying.

Day 5 was a big day for cats and elephants!!  We saw so many sides of the lion, particularly the lioness.  She is majestic and beautiful, playful, and loving and gentle with her cubs!  Then there was the scary encounter with the herd of elephants and the male lion protecting his harem- one of the many adrenaline rushes we experienced during this trip.

Day 6 was another exciting day!!  The start of it was a bit more exciting than I would have wished for with a flat tire in the middle of the savannah.    But Boston was champion (a term I learned from all my British traveling companions) and got us going quickly.  My job was to watch for warthogs emerging from the hole we were parked next too.  Luckily none were seen!   We were soon on our way, spotting some new animals along the way to our lunch spot.   A couple favorites were the Red-Headed Agama  (aka. Spiderman Lizard) and the Common Drongo, which I was delighted to capture in flight.   We also saw a tightly corralled herd of cattle near a village.   The corral helps to protect the cattle and other domestic animals from the cats in the area- it’s all about the cats! 

After lunch,  we had the privilege of visiting a small village,  Olchorro Oirowua, which was home to Moses’ sister.  We were treated to a gathering of the entire village.  They welcomed us by performing the “jumping dance”, giving us a tour of their village, and selling us some of their local crafts.   While some of the men showed off their fire-making skills, I took some portrait-style photographs of the women.  They seemed to enjoy seeing their beautiful faces on the back of my camera.  I sent Moses all the photos so he could share them with the villagers.   Thank you Moses!  

Later that same day, we continued our game drive, seeing lots more lions and cheetahs and of course, the daily sunset with the iconic Acacia trees. 

Day 7 was filled with some new encounters (like the Bush Hyrax, Yellow-Throated Longclaw, Hamerkop, and Lilac-Breasted Roller), some very close and scary like we experienced with a large bull elephant who faced off with one of our vehicles.  Also, we saw more lions with 1 month old cubs.   

Day 8 started like most of the others, early morning game drive.  But, as we came to understand, no 2 days are the same.  You might see the same type of animals, but never in the same place nor behaving in the same way.  The House in the Wild really surprised us this morning with a full cooked breakfast that they prepared off-site on the bank of the Mara River overlooking a “crash” of about 50 hippos.  It was a spectacular site to behold from a safe distance!  Then for our evening cocktail hour around the fire, Moses invited several of his Maasai friends to perform the jumping dance for us.  In between these 2 amazing experiences, we saw more beautiful animals and some not so beautiful, but certainly interesting (warthogs).  

Day 9 was spent in the Lemek Conservancy where we finally spotted a Leopard.  Leopards are very elusive and we tried all week to find one.  Our guides were communicating with other guides about a freshly killed gazelle that was up in a tree.  We learned that leopards will kill and drag their prey up into a tree to protect it from scavengers.   Later in the day, we saw a zebra skeleton in a different tree from a much earlier leopard hunt.   We also finally witnessed a lionness hunting and killing a Thomson Gazelle, another lionness gently moving her trailing cub along and then a trio of cheetah brothers attempting but failing a group hunt.   What a fantastic day!!  And to finish it off, we had a spectacular sunset with beers in hand and some impromptu fun with our guides while practicing our flash photography. 

Day 10 Our final day (so sad!).  We went out for one last morning game drive and were rewarded with an amazing experience photographing a Dik Dik.  We saw these tiny antelope darting through the thick brush and trees all week, but could never get a good photograph.  This one posed for us for over 10 minutes, all while being back lit by the morning light.  We also saw a couple of hyenas that showed their best side- these are as pretty as they get.  Then sadly, we boarded our bush plane for  Nairobi and home.  We took with us the most amazing memories and some new friends!   We also have a much deeper connection with the animals and the people of the Maasai Mara and a great appreciation for the conservation work they are doing!  Thank you Kenya!