Most people have heard of the Masai Mara. This area is part of the landscape of The Great Migration that occurs in Kenya and Tanzania every year. The Masai Mara is named for the river, the Mara, and the tribe that lives there, the Masai. We stayed at a lodge in this conservation area for a few days. Each morning, we were awakened by the sounds of African drums. We got up very early and headed to the main lodge for a hot tea or coffee and cookie. We were off and into our private vehicle right away. The sunrise is wonderful, the vista is breathtaking, and the animals are waking and moving around. The dirt trails are everywhere. Our driver and naturalist expert, Stanley, pointed out the various types of birds we saw as well as the many animals....Giraffes, Water Buffaloes, Ostriches, Zebra, Elephants, Gnu (aka Wildebeests), an occasional Lion, Cheetah, or Hyena. We were totally surprised about the variety of beautiful birds. We had never seen birds like this. The Hoopoe, Crowned Crane, Bee Eaters, Kingfishers, and the iridescent wings of the Lilac-Breasted Rollers. We felt like we were a part of this bigger than life exploration. We were experiencing our own "Great Migration."
The morning game drive includes a stop with a picnic breakfast. The lodge provides all the goodies, fresh boiled eggs, hot tea or coffee, cookies, dried fruits and juices. The atmosphere cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world.
The morning drive concludes around 10-11 am and we had the mid-day time on our own. The lodge offers many options, take a nap, enjoy some of the reading materials in the library, use the computer when available to send emails and check news back home, enjoy a great lunch in the main lodge, talk to fellow travelers.
I used this time to write a journal entry each day, or compose emails. The afternoon game drive began right after tea time (around 4 pm). This English ritual is part of the routine in Kenya and Tanzania, held over from colonial times. We loved it! We were off again on the late afternoon game drive to see what was going on in the Bush! As the light became less, the nocturnal animals were more active, the big cats. We love cats of all sizes and colors...The mama lions with cubs make a kind of chirping noise very unlikely for a cat. We had never heard that sound before.... The cheetahs were sleek and very laid back. The leopards were beginning to stretch and move off their high tree limbs. These drives are awesome!
We did go to the edge of the Mara River where we saw the huge Crocs that line the water's edge and the Hippos that make the most echoed sound in the recesses of the river. It was like they were grunting to each other to keep in touch with those around the bend that they could not see. We were not there during that tumultuluous Great Migration when life and death are at stake, but you could see it in your mind's eye and we were glad that we did not experience any of that. Mother Nature can be cruel... For those of you who want to see Africa without all the stress and anxiety of the Great Migration, do not go in the summer months.
Our week in Kenya was about to end. We were off to see Tanzania...Continued tomorrow!
The morning game drive includes a stop with a picnic breakfast. The lodge provides all the goodies, fresh boiled eggs, hot tea or coffee, cookies, dried fruits and juices. The atmosphere cannot be duplicated anywhere else in the world.
The morning drive concludes around 10-11 am and we had the mid-day time on our own. The lodge offers many options, take a nap, enjoy some of the reading materials in the library, use the computer when available to send emails and check news back home, enjoy a great lunch in the main lodge, talk to fellow travelers.
I used this time to write a journal entry each day, or compose emails. The afternoon game drive began right after tea time (around 4 pm). This English ritual is part of the routine in Kenya and Tanzania, held over from colonial times. We loved it! We were off again on the late afternoon game drive to see what was going on in the Bush! As the light became less, the nocturnal animals were more active, the big cats. We love cats of all sizes and colors...The mama lions with cubs make a kind of chirping noise very unlikely for a cat. We had never heard that sound before.... The cheetahs were sleek and very laid back. The leopards were beginning to stretch and move off their high tree limbs. These drives are awesome!
We did go to the edge of the Mara River where we saw the huge Crocs that line the water's edge and the Hippos that make the most echoed sound in the recesses of the river. It was like they were grunting to each other to keep in touch with those around the bend that they could not see. We were not there during that tumultuluous Great Migration when life and death are at stake, but you could see it in your mind's eye and we were glad that we did not experience any of that. Mother Nature can be cruel... For those of you who want to see Africa without all the stress and anxiety of the Great Migration, do not go in the summer months.
Our week in Kenya was about to end. We were off to see Tanzania...Continued tomorrow!
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