The Grand Finale - Masai Mara...

June, 2015

Kenya

The Maasai Mara National Reserve (Masai Mara and also known by the locals as The Mara) was named in honor of the Maasai people, its original inhabitants, and is in the northernmost part of the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. In southwestern Kenya, right across the border with Tanzania, it is the home of the “Big Five” (lion, leopard, African elephant, African buffalo, and black rhinoceros) and most populated by millions of wildebeest who, along with topi, Thomson's gazelles, elands, and zebras annually migrate north (July/August) from the Serengeti in search of pastures and then return home in October. Although we were too early to witness “The Great Migration”, we did see the beginning stages of movement and, as this is on my “Bucket List”, I have marked my calendar for a return trip to Africa.

Our game drives in Masai Mara were thrilling and my camera was always primed for a photo...actually, many photos. Kariuki was fearless in his driving and, after a couple of weeks on very bumpy, dry, mud roads, I was used to holding on anywhere I could in the jeep, always with the hope that I would return home with a functioning back! Each morning of our stay, I would get up early for sunrise, always with delight to look out at what lay before me. Dawn comes quickly over The Mara; one moment it is dark and then the shadows lighten and the sounds of animals and birds are heard in the distance...another ordinary day for the inhabitants of this majestic kingdom, but, for me, another day filled with gratitude and awe.

The last day of game drives was, yet again, filled with “you had to be there” moments. Our jeep came close to being attacked by an annoyed male elephant and, as soon as he trumpeted his displeasure with us, Kariuki “hit the gas!” Then there was a champagne breakfast in the woods by the water, complete with a crocodile sighting and courting hippos (actually, the hippos did more than just kiss.) I also had a lovely conversation with Sakui, a Maasai warrior who is working for the resort so that he can save up enough money to buy cattle and find a suitable bride. (I wonder how many cows I would fetch?) There was a cheetah sighting and we rushed to the area, patiently and silently waiting to see movement through the tall grass...and they (yes, there were two) did not disappoint. There were more mud covered cape buffalo and rhinos in the late afternoon and then a last look at the Kenyan sky whose clouds are the most beautiful I have ever seen...

A bit of The Mara through my lens...