It was a cold breezy Monday when we took a flight from Nairobi to Mara, and all I had was high expectations of the Masia Mara game reserve and culture. I was super elated while looking forward to seeing the big 5 (Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo) in person, along with the beautifully striped zebras and tall giraffes. All of them! I wanted to see them all in person and oh boy my spirit leaped for joy when I set my eyes on the first zebra!
There is a number of stories to be told about Masia Mara, one of which is the Masai Mara culture/village. I have a whole article on it, CLICK HERE to read more. Masia Mara FactsMasai Mara National Reserve is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Kenya and on the continent of Africa. The reserve is located in the Great Rift Valley in primarily open grassland. The Masai Mara is regarded as the jewel of Kenya’s wildlife viewing areas. The annual wildebeest’s migration alone involves over 1.5 million animals arriving in July and departing in November. There have been some 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 birds species recorded on the reserve. Nowhere in Africa is wildlife more abundant, and it is for this reason a visitor hardly misses to see the big five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhino). Being driven through the game reserve upon our first arrival, I felt like a child seeing her favorite childhood movie in real life. Fam, Lion king is real. I always thought it was a false representation of the African continent, but I could totally see where the inspiration for the movie came from. However, before visiting Kenya, I did a video guessing where the inspiration behind the movie came from, here’s the video below. David Lerabu Naiguran, the man who spotted and drove us to the exact locations where we saw three lions feasting on a fresh kill. It felt magical and yet unreal. We were so close to the lions in our land cruisers and the lions were so un-bothered by our presence. All they could focus on was their fresh meal (more on YouTube video soon).
These lions killed their prey after some hours of strategy and energy put into the hunt. They hardly went half way with the meal, only to be spotted by 2 hyenas who called the others to join. Two Haynes became 4, and then 6 and then 7 and they just kept coming in. The lions had no choice but to leave their hard earned meal for the hyenas. After witnessing this, I lost all respect for the animal. Such a bully. Tours of Masai Mara AnimalsThe Mara is known as one of the finest wildlife destinations in the World. There is an excellent chance of seeing the Big 5, cheetah, serval, hyena, bat-eared foxes, black-backed and side-striped jackals, hippo, crocodile, baboons, warthog, topi, eland, Thompson’s gazelle, Grant’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck, oribi, reed-buck, zebra.
The Crocodiles: This is not my first time seeing a crocodile in person, however seeing this ones, you would think that they are either sleeping or dead. They pretend to be dead yet they are waiting for any animal to try and cross then they attack it and use water to drown the animal so that they can feast on it. How brutal!
Elephants: I saw a number of elephants, and they just looked so sweet, humble and strong at the same time. I was always in awe when I spotted an elephant.
Giraffes I found out that the giraffes legs of one side move together and when they drink water that’s when they become more vulnerable to be attacked by other animals (more like the lion). They do not consume grass like most animals but the leafs of trees.
Wild Beasts The man who came up with the name of these animals did not know what to name them. He was confused and said they looked like something made out of “leftovers” of other animals. Then he finally settled on naming them, “Wild Beast”.
Game Park in Tanzania
Cheetah:After over 50 kilometers of travel, we saw our first Cheetah at the border of Tanzania and Kenya. I was surprised at how calm the animal was since it has always been portrayed to be very feisty.
Setting my eyes on the animals gave me a sense of joy and fulfillment at the same time. So many things made sense at that point.
At the border of Tanzania and Kenya From left: Prof. Wolfgang, TheFisayo, Christine Kinyeru, Amia Pamela, Samuel Getachew, Tackie Alex. Masai Mara Accommodation
Mara Serena (150 beds that haveluxury bedding and cozy pillows) and Little Governors’ Camp (36 beds luxury bedding and cozy pillows) are the only two lodges situated in the Triangle. Kichwa Tembo, Mpata Club, Olonana, Mara Siria and Kilima Camp are situated on the periphery but use the Triangle.
Our Tour guide from Serena Hotels: William WahomeMy greatest highlight of staying with the Mara hotels is the destination breakfast we had after a morning game drive. It was all shades of awesome! I want to definitively re-live that experience! Thank you Kenya.
Serena hotel has great packages, and I did feel well pampered while at the hotel. There is bon-fire in the the night, sauna, steam bath, and more. I could hardly stay in the Sauna for more than 4 minutes as it was way hotter than the steam bath.
Serena Hotel Bed room Serena Hotel Dining Area Serena Hotel Bath Room Poo and Bon-fire area A wallpaper worthy picture of art taken at Serena hotel.If you want a full view on the hotel, feel free to let me know in the comments. Overall it was a great experience, and I will be sharing more on my YouTube channel soon. Masai Mara Safari Pacakages:For prices and bookings check out TravCP or send me an email at hello. However, for an adult you can budget $2,800 for the following for three days, 2 nights: • Return economy flights (Nairobi – Mara – Nairobi) Best time to visitPeak season is between July and October, during the migration. Early November and February can also offer excellent game viewing. |
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