Blogs from Masai Mara NP, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa

We have arrived in the fabulous Maasai Mara! Last night I woke up about 3 am and looked outside our room to see if there were any hippos grazing on the lawn, and I saw two! It was pretty amazing. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Lodge, then headed out at 8 am for our 5 hour drive to the Maasai Mara. The road was paved, and so much smoother than the drive yesterday! It was an enjoyable, very scenic drive. We had a nice view of a Mount Longonot (a volcanic mountain), and there were many lovely vistas to admire along the way. At the start of the drive there were lots of trucks and at one point we saw the aftermath of a bad accident, with two trucks on their sides in the ... read more

Slept very well, up & ready to leave for the Maasai Mara at 7:30am with a packed lunch and joined by Wilson who was going to help Simba find us a leopard! On the way out of camp we passed a dik-dik and once in the park we saw: Black rhino Elephants (incl. more babies) Cheetahs (a single one in the grass then a group of 5 in the shade under a tree) Vultures Great bustard Secretary bird Shrike Warthogs Ostrich Baboons Buffalo Impalla Topi Gazelles (Grant’s & Thompson’s) Hartebeest Hippos Lilac-breasted roller Maasi giraffe Vervet monkey Although I think Chavaunne spotted more than out two guides! Lunch was eaten under the shade of an acacia tree keeping a close eye on a nearby herd of elephants in case they decided to come our w... read more

So here we are, Masai Mara, another mythical place for me, and with the opportunity to meet the Maasai themselves I was pretty stoked for this leg of the tour...we arrived at our campsite mid-afternoon, and after sorting out the tents we were given the option of visiting a Maasai village before heading out for the first game drive, didn't take a whole lot of convincing for me...haha...six of us signed on for the visit, and shortly thereafter a Maasai guide came to get us and escort us to the nearby village...we were greeted by the chief's son, and after a briefing of what the visit was going to comprise (and settling the agreed upon payment to do so) we were off and running... We were welcomed into the village with some ceremonial dancing, and then ... read more

Pictures are worth of thousand words....we all know that. So I fancied to share my epic journey in Africa through my lens - slideshow. I will be posting seven short video clips covering my fairy tale journey in this continent that I have slowly fallen in love with. This is the first clip of the series. Believe me, I am not going to burden you with long video clips that you would start yawning...they are merely four minutes each, - just a few blinks. And I surely know, the appreciation always lies in the eyes of beholder - YOU. I certainly hope to see that sparkle in your eyes! Here you go! ... read more

Yes, one more bucket list item completed! Thanks to our friend Joe Carli, for pushing us off the fence to do it! To see the animals and the Mara expanse from the air was truly magical.... read more