In Swahili, the word safari means long journey. But in English, it means something much more exciting - an expedition in search of wild game!
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| A lion relaxing after a kill; water buffalo contemplating revenge. |
The best and most well known place to go on safari in Kenya is the Masai Mara. It's about a 5 hour drive from Nairobi, with the last 2 hours over bumpy dirt roads. Masai Mara is named after the Masai people who traditionally inhabited the area. Mara is the Masai word for spotted, which is how the Masai described this area of land as it looked from afar. The Mara (as it's known for short) is the northern extension of the Serengeti in Tanzania. Each summer or winter if you're in Kenya/the southern hemisphere, the great migration takes place. At that time, millions of animals (mostly wildebeests but also zebras and gazelles) travel from the Serengeti to the Mara in search of water and grasslands. Its considered the largest mass movement of animals on land in the world.
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| A wildebeest hiding a gazelle. |
Although I did not visit the Mara during the Great Migration, it was still an amazing experience! We saw elephants, lions, giraffes, gazelles, wild dogs, hyenas, hippos, cheetahs, leopards, ostriches, warthogs, and many colorful birds. I've tried to pare down my Mara photo collection as best I could, hope you enjoy!
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| Passing by a group of Masai people on the way to the Mara. |
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| Heading to the Mara, giraffes in the distance. |
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| Entering the Mara! |
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| Our "tent" from the inside. |
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| Our "tent" from the outside |
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| A graffee bending down to drink. |
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| A leopard! |
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| Our private safari vehicle. |
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| The sun setting over the Mara. |
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| The sun rising over the Mara. |
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| Female lion |
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| A lion pride eating their kill - a water buffaloe. |
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| In the middle of the action! |
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| Contemplating a second kill. |
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| Secretary bird. |
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| Ostriches |
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| Cheetahs! |
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| Hyena! |
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| Hippos |
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| Safari gear! |
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| Acacia tree - very African! |
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| Lion cub |
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| Wild dogs, which apparently haven't been seen in the Mara in over 10 years! They are nasty creatures, eating their prey while it's still alive! |
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| We stopped at a Masai village near the entrance of the Mara. This young warrior gave us a demonstration of how to blow the cattle calling horm. |
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| Joining in on a Masai dance. |
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| Discussing prices. |
After three days, two nights and four games drives, it was time to leave the Mara. What an experience!!
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