Kenya - Masai Mara

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Hi guys,
here I am again from the Masai Mara in Kenya. The last day on Lake Naivasha was spent in the Hells Gate National Park, and to be honest it turned out to be a bit of a hell for me 😉. At first, we cycled about 15 k through stunning countryside. As it was early morning, i managed, although not being the fittest at the moment. We then got off our bikes and climbed through the gorge where Tomb Raider 2 was filmed. Although I once had the nickname Lara Croft, I didn't cope as well as she did, I can tell you that. As we had to climb down a waterfall i was about to go on strike and then was pretty much lifted down by our Kenyan Guide. Not very elegant, also very wet and dirty, I made it to the bottom. The worst part actually came afterwards, it was about one o'clock and we had to cycle back these 15 k in the midday heat. I was not impressed AT ALL, but hey, I made it!
On Thursday morning we headed for the Masai Mara. We entered the park early afternoon and soon spotted herds of zebras, wildebeest and gazelles. A real highlight was the elephant herd which crossed the road straight in front of our trucks, about 7 or 8 of them and two babies. Later on we also spotted a couple of lions in the bushes, and their almighty roar honestly gave me a bit of a fright...
We camped in the Masai on a gorgeous camp side, but as i was told before bed that i had to empty all food and any smelly stuff (for example toothpaste) out of the tent, as this might attract the lions, I didn't have the best night's sleep! I heard one of my fellow travellers leave his tent at about 3 in the morning, which was followed by another almighty roar which he stated afterwards could have been either an elephant, or him farting. That's the kind of company i'm in 😉!
We spent the following day in the Masai Mara as well, and the only really impressive sight was the Mara River, where you could spot lots of hippos and crocodiles. On a less cheerful note, hundreds of wildebeest had drowned at a rivercrossing there a couple of days ago, and they just lay there stinking and half eaten by the vultures and crocs. I will never forget that smell in my life!
That's the news from me, hopefully I will follow up with some photos soon.
Love to everyone at home xxx, Katja

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Comments

[robin]

wildebeest
those drownings made the papers here, apparently it was particularly bad due to deforestation somewhere upriver, don't envy you having to smell that !

[Patricia Mary Levin]

Hi Katja, So glad you added us to your blog. I am reading aout y our adventures with great interest. As you say, it is the trip of a lifetime. Enjoy every minute - even the smelly bits! Lots of love from both of us Pat