Our first taste of safari: the Big 5, the Ugly 5, the Little 5 and Us 4
Boarding for our flight to the Mara from Wilson Airport in Nairobi
We are halfway through our nine days in Kenya and were just transported by our Maasai guides over rugged roads, from Porini Mara Camp to Porini Lion Camp. We stayed the last three nights at Mara, where we all received our first exposure to safari, the Kenyan landscape and to Maasai culture. These camps are located in conservancies owned by the Maasai people and leased to Porini and other camps who are committed to conservation and community benefit. Geographically, we are in southwest Kenya just north of the Mara National Preserve approximately 12km from the Kenya / Tanzania border. The Mara is the northern half of an ecosystem which stretches south into Tanzania’s Serengeti.
Sunrise grazing
I have never seen a more expansive landscape. The savannah meanders into the horizon like a golden ocean bending around the curve of the earth. On a clear day, like most here are this time of year, we are able to see upwards of seventy miles into the distance and seemingly thousands of years into the past. Here, humans truly feel like visitors and the “management” is left to the plethora of fauna we’ve encountered. I’m seeing first hand what multi-species grazing, as nature intended, looks like; watching dozens of species co-existing, migrating across the plains grazing on the plentiful grass and flora of the region. You can’t be anywhere out here without seeing a grazing animal and you can hardly take a step without encountering the nutrients (manure) they’ve left behind to feed the soil that will support the lives of flora that will feed their descendants.
The dirt runway with wildlife dotting the horizon
Our wildlife encounters have been almost constant since the landing of our small aircraft (8 ppl) on a small dirt airstrip at the end of an hour long flight from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. As we approached the airstrip, we could see zebra, wildebeest and gazelle scattered below, grazing right up to the edge of the landing strip.
The girls settling into our open air ride with a cold beverage and the binocs
The focus of a stay at these remote camps is the game drives. These take place in an outfitted Toyota Land Cruiser, driven by our Maasai guides Edward and Stanley. We have been amazed at how capable these vehicles are - we’ve made it through some river crossings that seemed impossible at first sight. Our guides consult briefly with each other in Swahili before letting us know to “hang on”.
Everywhere you look there is life here - big and small - some in large amounts (zebra, gazelle and wildebeest) and other more rare sightings like the genet cat or the topi - the former spotted on one of our night drives, the latter, a species of antelope endemic to this region - looks like they’re wearing blue jeans and yellow socks making them “the stylish ones” according to our guides. One of our favorite sightings has been a bird - the lilac breasted troller - truly a beauty!
As you might imagine, some of the most exciting sightings have been the big cats and we’ve been lucky enough to see them all in our first few days. Within an hour of our first game drive, we spotted an adult female cheetah lounging in the shade of an acacia tree. There she was - the fastest land mammal on earth a mere 100’ from us. Captivated we were indeed!
Finding shade out here can be tough but this beauty found a nice spot
From there, we continued on and saw monkeys, jackals, giraffes, elephants and more before coming upon a pair of female lions carefully assessing the options for their next meal. Before this first drive was over, we came upon the rest of the pride of lions where we enjoyed a sundowner while observing the cubs playfully interacting while one of the adult females lounged on her back.
Being in the company of these creatures is stirring
These animals are so large, strong and beautiful and seem entirely disinterested in us. When we asked our guides if poaching or illegal hunting was a problem in Kenya they said no because the Kenyan gov’t has a law that poachers can be shot on sight. Apparently this law is working.
I love watching the girls soak all of this in - this is no run of the mill field trip for them!
Lucy figured out how to take pictures with an iphone through the binocs
The male from the first pride of lions we encountered
The pride on the move as nightfall approaches
Lion cubs with their mother
This leopard had just climbed down from the tree where she had stashed a gazelle she had just killed
Same leopard on the move with plenty zebra in the distance keeping a watchful eye on her
This leopard was a highlight from our first few outings
As we packed up from our stay at our first camp, we enjoyed watching some monkeys come through camp and a bush buck (a medium-sized antelope) graze outside our tent before bidding farewell to our sleeping owl friend (a tiny pygmy owl who spends his or her days sleeping in a tree outside the mess tent). We loaded into the trusty Land Cruiser for one last ride with Edward and Stanley - a transport to Porini Lion Camp for three more nights in the bush.
Edward, Stanley and the ladies enjoying a sundowner. We loved our guides and can’t say enough about them and all of the Maasai people we have met since arriving here in the Mara. Their commitment to this place, to each other and to their culture and traditions is inspiring and has been the center of much discussion throughout our time here.
One of our first monkey sightings was a good one
