Safari

OMG, OMG, OMG!!!! Does it get better than this?? I saw like a million Giraffe’s and the car got so close we almost kissed. We are so exposed in this small van that has a pop up top and we went bush bashing for wildlife just before sunset. There are 2 vans, 7 excited onlookers in each and we all had a ball. I’m sure everyone else in the van could better explain how excited I was. I just love them. Beats a zoo any day!

We left the house at 7.30 this morning, grabbed a coffee, a quick bite to eat and hit the road. Including various unexplained hold ups, minor break downs, petrol stop and lunch, it took us around 7 hours to get to the Maasai Mara National Reserve (it usually takes around 4 – but this is Kenya time)

The dirt track off the main road/highway that lead through the Maasai villages to the park was long and a little rough, but nothing compared for what we will experience tomorrow I guess. Today we spent less than 2 hours in the park, tomorrow we are out in it all day!! Fingers crossed we get to see a Leopard. They are hard to spot and average a sighting once every month or so. The group last week saw one – hope we are just as lucky. In saying that, today was out of this world amazing. I still can’t believe I was so close to the most beautiful creatures on the planet – I simply love Giraffe and they are everywhere here! Desperate to see more tomorrow – if I was going home today, I would have left bloody happy! Today we also saw Ostrich, Buffalo, Wilder Beast, Gazelle, and the most beautiful Lions – 5 adults, 3 cubs in total. The Lion was most impressive. Don’t know what I’d do if he stared at the van the wrong way though. We (and every other form of transport) have every window open and the top extremely exposed that they could seriously leap in at any moment. I cannot believe how many other tours there also were – around 25 different ones I suppose (Easter is extremely busy) and they weren’t bothered by us at all.

We are staying in tents on the outskirts of the park and next to a Maasai Village (we have fence, albeit tiny, surrounding the compound). The tents are amazing, they are permanently fixed with cement flooring a flush loo, electricity - AND running water (all work between 6.30 am/pm and 10.30am/pm daily)

Tonight we had a warmish shower (yay), a great dinner of potato, ugali, rice, spinach and a meat dish – beef we think. A few of us then played Uno – stupid game, I lost, but a super end to a super day!

It’s 10.18 and the power will be cut off in 12min, so best be off! I’m excited about tomorrow – hope I can sleep!


Saturday
Well actually YES – yes it definitely does get better!!! We were up early, scoffed breakfast and within 10 min of leaving the camp, we saw some more Lions, Giraffe, Wilderbeast and plenty of other animals. THEN shortly after that, we saw a Cheetah – uhuh! Amazing! It was surrounded by over a dozen vans and didn’t flinch. We all stayed a respectable distance (about 50 metres away), then when the drivers were satisfied that everyone in a short radius had seen it (before we potentially frightened it off), we all went in for a closer look – what beautiful creatures. It was so lazy and didn’t care that we were literally feet away. We were all staring and clicking away when our driver (Steve) shot off without warning ‘rangers are coming’ he said ‘must find the road’ so we just shut up and sat down very pleased and grateful for the find.

We then found another few groups of loins and the partners – we got even closer than yesterday and were about to take some brilliant shots, when Steve drove off again. We all shouted ‘stop, stop, stop’ as we weren’t ready but he was talking really fast in Swahili on the radio. He then politely yelled ‘please sit and hold on, there may be a leopard’. Holy cow, we were so excited, sat down, shut up as he screamed around both on road and off to get to what we hoped was a Leopard. It reminded me of spotlighting after foxes at home, it was cool!

Then the most amazing thing – we saw a Leopard in the tree with a chunk of meat it was trying to feast on (yes that is my photo – very proud) we made it just in time for it to grab its kill and swagger off the branch. Another 40 seconds and we would have missed the whole thing. Damn lucky!!! I simply can’t believe how many ‘wow’ moments we have already had.

We went to a river that borders Tanzania and Kenya and saw Hippos and Crocodiles. Again we were extremely lucky seeing so many, and an entire family. We then drove, found a tree on the side of the road and parked the cars to have a picnic lunch. We all sat with our backs to each other examining the tall grass.

In the afternoon, we spent almost 4 hours looking for another tour group who were bogged somewhere in the absolute middle of no freaking where! We had the kindest drivers you can imagine. At the time they told us we were ‘searching for Elephants’, but even though we hadn’t seen any by this point, no one had a worry in the least. We had already had the most amazing day and what’s a little more country side between friends; it really is so very beautiful.

After winching this guy and his 2 foreign tourists, we travelled towards the road (about 1 hour bush bashing away) and in the process we proceeded to get bogged and needing winching out a further 3 times. After our final bog, in the distance we saw a group of cars and discovered another serious bog! This time, it was a bigger vehicle and seriously stuck – they had mud up to the doors on the left side. A vehicle like ours couldn’t pull it out, not even with more than a dozen of us rocking, pushing and pulling in succession. They had been there getting into deeper trouble for more than an hour before we arrived, 6 vehicles in total trying to budge this beast. I suggested shoving rocks, sticks, logs and anything else under the wheels to provide traction to get it out. They looked at me a little strange, but I got a couple of us together and collected enough rocks and logs, then whala – it budged without too much effort on its first attempt. I still cannot believe they didn’t think of it – thanks for the training Dad. X

Great dinner, but no water all day for showers – they say we should have water in the morning. Don’t mind going to bed a little dusty and smelly (as we were all doing the same) but it would be nice to flush the loo.

Sunday
This morning was another early start – we were on the road before 6.30am (still no water) hoping to witness a live kill. We spent a gorgeous morning wandering between masses of Gazelles’, some Zebra, Jackal’s and Water Buffalo but no carnage today. Yesterday will forever remain one of the greatest highlights of my Safari Adventure.

We then went back to camp and taken to the local Maasai Village where they performed their local dances, showed us their mud hut homes (manyta), how they light fires and, of course, their presentation of local jewellery and ornaments. We had breakfast around 10am, packed our things and made our way to Nakuru for the final park visit. We had a fabulous hot shower, brilliant buffet dinner and rested for the evening. A few of us stayed up talking until 1am – at 12.30, one of our drivers staggers into the bar, looks at us and says ‘I just got back from washing the vans’. It was raining outside. Funny bugger.

Tomorrow we will be looking for Flamingo’s and hopefully find a Rhino or 2.

Monday
What a brilliant end to a 4 day Safari. Lake Nakuru National Park was breathtakingly beautiful. The Flamingo were absolutely everywhere in great sea’s of pink! The Zebra, Rhino, Hyena, Water Buffalo, Giraffe and Baboons roamed far and wide. It was very peaceful and calming. At one tense moment, we thought we were about to be charged by a Rhino, but he was flicking his rear feet making way for poop. Thank god. The hours passed us by and before we knew it we had to leave.

We went back to the hotel, had another wonderful buffet lunch and made the slow trip back to Nairobi – we slept most of the way. I also started the book ‘The White Maasai’.

One of my dreams since visiting a zoo as a child was to see the wildlife in their home country and own environment, not in a cage. Every time I have refused in the last 25 years to go to a zoo was absolutely worth every single nanosecond I was there. One hell of a journey I will never forget. A must for everyone’s bucket list!

I’ve been back in the busy polluted city of Nairobi for just over an hour now and miss the country already. I will definitely be back to the Maasai. Soon I hope.