Blogs from Masai Mara NP, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa
Three Days in the Mara
Published: February 12th 2012Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
February 10th 2012
Day 1 We left Nairobi early this morning, the group divided into two little safari trucks for our three day trip to the Masai Mara. I was in a vehicle with seven other girls, and it was nice to have a chance to get to know each other and chat about where we've come from and what we've done up until now. Our driver is a Kenyan called Humphrey, and he's always laughing and talking in the third person. "You have question, you ask Humphrey. Humphrey tell you answer". He greeted us with "jambo" and he used the phrase "hakuna matata" within the first two minutes of meeting, so he instantly endeared himself to me. The only thing we saw much of in the hour after we left the city was trees, ochre coloured dust, and ... read more
Alleluia - Tales of Kenya (part II)
Published: March 6th 2012Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
January 30th 2012
An air of excitement fills the small plane for our 1 hour flight from Nairobi to the Masai Mara airstrip. I am seated beside a Spanish naturalist who specializes in large cats and snakes. He will spend 20 days in Masai Mara studying. Wow, I’m excited for my upcoming 4 days in the Mara! Upon deboarding, we are greeted by Dixon, our driver/guide and Gladys, our game spotter. Both are Masai. Up we climb into our private Toyota 4WD land rover. Comfy wide seats, open sides for full viewing, freedom to drive over rocks, muddy ravines, two-tracks and no-tracks, constant jiggling to the body and new sights opening my awareness – this is going to be good! Before even getting to our camp, we already observe a huge diversity of animals ranging from varieties of antelopes ... read more
Masai Mara - Our Quest For "The Big 5" [Nick]
Published: December 21st 2011Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
December 21st 2011
Everything in Africa bites, but the safari bug is worst of all." Brian Jackman October 15th - 19th When we were planning our safari in Kenya, the thought remained in the back of our heads that it was going to cost us a lot of money and we had already seen many of the African "Big 5" in South Africa. Was it worth it to do such an expensive safari just for the thrill of camping out in the reserve? When we entered the gates to the great Masai Mara Game Reserve all those doubts were put to rest. The sheer size of the great plains of the Rift Valley, and the indescribable density of the animals who graze, hunt and find sustenance in this fertile savannah, made it obvious that this was an entirely ... read more
The “Animal planet” channel is becoming reality
Published: September 24th 2011Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
September 24th 2011
A long and bumpy trip on the road in Kenya’s wildness, and we’re on the way to Masai Mara. The scenery is constantly changing but the terrible road remains the same. Some workers try to fix the road by the hands and put some sand in the holes of the road but it seems it doesn’t stay too long. The Masai Mara is the number one draw card for the country and brings a great deal of income, but the road to the park is crazy, maybe it adds to the wilderness part of the trip. It is a long but interesting trip through Kenya’s beautiful landscapes and the dusty villages. It seems that the locals have no rush in their lives. The kids are waiving at the passing cars and they are really cute – ... read more
Amazing Masi Mara
Published: September 11th 2011Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP
September 2nd 2011
Accommodation: Kichwa Tembo Game Viewing: Lions, Elephants, Hippos, Buffalo, Cheetah, Black Rhino, Hyenas, Zebra, Wildebeest (very few) & Birds. Game drives: 6:30/7:00am to 10:30am and then 3:30/4:00pm to 6:30pm (park closes at 6:30pm). However we bucked this trend and went from 7:30am to 2:00/2:30pm. The advantage of doing this was we literally had the entire park to ourselves while the rest had gone back to their various lodges for lunch. There were several occasions where we just hung out with the lions with nobody in sight or no sounds of vehicles, it was truly amazing. Guide: Douglas – very good. From the Seregenti we flew from the Kogatende Airstrip to the Tarime Airstrip which was an amazing flight. It was just the two of us and we followed the Mara River at just 1,000 Ft, allowing ... read more
July 24th 2011
On Thursday 19th July Nic and I were up at 5:30am to get ready to be picked up at 6:30am for our 3 day trip to the Masai Mara. We were picked in a massive 4X4 by our guide for the 3 days John. On the way we started our decent into the rift valley, the views of the rift valley were amazing. After about 2 hrs driving we stopped of at Narok for a bite to eat and there we met 3 other guys, Ken, William and Juan, who where also on their way to the Masai. It turned out that they were not only staying at the same place as us, Mara Siria, but one of them just happened to know about me (basicly my cousin had put me in touch with a friend ... read more
June 2nd 2011
It was a double wow day. We woke very early for a 520am departure for the hot air balloon flight. The roads in the Mara are gruelingly bumpy. Having had a sore tailbone since the second night at Ngorongoro, just as it was feeling better the roads got worse. Not that I am complaining, just an observation for those who think they would like to go to Kenya and Tanzania, but may have a weak or sore back. I'm glad I was pretty we'll trained before leaving home. I digress. The hot air balloons were on the ground, ready to be filled. We climbed in and sat with our backs toward the ground, feet up, holding on to a rope, pretty claustrophobic while the captains and crew tried to fill the balloons and take off. It ... read more
June 1st 2011
An early call this morning fir the drive to the airport for the Air Kenya flight to Masai Mara. This lace is an hour flight from Nanyuki, so really out in the middle of nowhere. It is the continuation of the Serengeti justices in Kenya, above the arbitrary line drawn by the Germans and British during colonial times. Anyway, our flight in a Twin Otter was goo, scenery beautiful, lots of very organized farms and forested hills. On arrival the Fairmont Mara had vans pick us up and whisk us the 20 minute drive to the "tented camp" voted one of the top 10 hotels in Africa. Fairmont really does a great tented camp! The tents are right on the river, a family of hippo right below the bank outside our cabin. There are about 10, ... read more
May 23rd 2011
Unbelievable!! Thank you so much, Bob, for planning this unforgettable safari for us :) I may never again step foot in a zoo.... read more
