{"id":557,"date":"2022-05-20T09:08:25","date_gmt":"2022-05-20T09:08:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irissrin.com\/blog\/?p=557"},"modified":"2022-05-20T09:14:30","modified_gmt":"2022-05-20T09:14:30","slug":"safari-to-kenya-a-day-at-the-masai-mara","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irissrin.com\/blog\/safari-to-kenya-a-day-at-the-masai-mara\/","title":{"rendered":"Safari to Kenya – A day at the Masai Mara"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is a continuation from Safari to Kenya \u2013 Ol Kinyei Conservancy (Day 2)<\/a>\u00a0that ended at Porini Cheetah Camp on Saturday, March 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recap:<\/strong> On Saturday, we had our first full day at Ol Kinyei<\/a> and Porini Cheetah Camp<\/a>.\u00a0 We had great Morning and Afternoon Game drives with Joel and Phillip our guides.\u00a0 We saw numerous animals and birds on both the drives.\u00a0 We also went on a short Night Game Drive and saw our first fully grown male lions albeit very drowsy in one case and fast asleep in another!\u00a0 We went to bed early again, knowing we were headed to the Masai Mara National Reserve<\/a> the succeeding day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ol Kinyei Conservancy \u2013 The Morning (Sunday, March 13)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We were up early again on Sunday, excited to be finally visiting the Masai Mara. After downing some coffee and tea, we headed to the camp\u2019s front entrance, stopping off at the fire pit to say \u201cHi\u201d to our Masai friends.\u00a0 By 0630 we were on the road with Joel and Phillip; this time I was better dressed for the morning chill. In addition, Joel and Phillip pointed out some thick ponchos stored behind the seat that doubled as rain gear that were most welcome!\u00a0 Thus, fortified against the chill, we enjoyed the crisp morning air, and the sight of animals stirring from their night\u2019s rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had planned on taking the highway to the park rather than driving through Naboisho Conservancy<\/a>, which would have been a much longer drive, instead we opted to drive back that way.\u00a0 It was important to get to the Reserve early so that we had the best sightings when it was cooler. On the way to the highway, we drove back the way we had entered the conservancy 2 days ago.\u00a0 On the way, we spotted a few animals: a pair of hyenas, some giraffe, and a few zebras, along with the usual impala, gazelle, elands, topis etc.\u00a0 Within about 20 minutes, we exited the conservancy and, on the highway, mentally thanking Joel, and Phillip for the loan of the ponchos!\u00a0 It was quite chilly at 50 mph in an open vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Masai Mara (Sunday, March 13)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a half hour drive that took us through a couple of villages, we were at the Sekenani gate<\/a> to the Masai Mara Reserve, named after the village, just outside.\u00a0 We stopped there to work through the formalities of the permit.\u00a0 In the meantime, I used the facilities \u2013 not the greatest but serviceable!\u00a0 By the way, unlike some of the other Reserves and Parks in Kenya, this particular reserve was managed by Narok County<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A few minutes later, we were back in the vehicle, and we headed into the reserve.\u00a0 The road was another dirt track but easy to navigate; clearly, it was well maintained by the county.\u00a0 There was signage and what surprised me was the distance posted to various points in the Reserve.\u00a0 We saw signs for many lodges and the distances were 50km or even more in some cases!\u00a0 I knew that the reserve was over 1500 square kilometers, but the implications of how far one had to travel had not quite registered in my mind.\u00a0 The track itself was bordered initially by tall grass and we couldn\u2019t see a whole lot.\u00a0 But after a couple of minutes, we went up a small hill and then the whole magnificence of the African Savanna<\/a> was visible!\u00a0 What a sight that was \u2013 miles upon miles of grassland with the occasional tree, and with hills in the distance!\u00a0 I looked at the scene with my mouth open.\u00a0 The grass was not your garden variety grass either. This was grass that frequently went over 6 feet tall and looked more like a sea of grass in the light wind than anything else. Words simply cannot do justice to the sight \u2013 see some of the photos in this post to get a better sense of what it looked like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the track, we saw a pair of three-banded Plovers, then a pair of grey-crowned cranes; off it, to our right as we drove roughly west, we saw a herd of elephants at a tree line in the distance.\u00a0 A few minutes later, we spotted more elephants close to the track but obscured by the tall grass.\u00a0 We then saw a herd of Hartebeest and a lone, Black-bellied Bustard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Toyota suddenly came to a juddering halt as Joel applied the brakes in a hurry.\u00a0 He turned off the engine and said, \u201cLeopard\u201d!\u00a0 We looked around in confusion and then saw that he was pointing down the road.\u00a0 There, about a hundred yards away, was a leopard walking coolly down the track directly towards us.\u00a0 It stopped for a moment to turn back and look at the way it came, then continued towards us.\u00a0 About a hundred feet away, it decided to avoid us and turned to its right (our left) and entered the tall grass, vanishing immediately.\u00a0 It went past us and then stepped back on the track.\u00a0 Joel immediately made a hurried K turn to go back and we followed it for a couple of hundred yards, about 50 feet distant.\u00a0 It never slowed or speeded up, moving in measured fashion until it got to a culvert with trees to our right.\u00a0 It then went into the trees and clambered up a tree about 50 feet off the road.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a magnificent sighting that was!\u00a0 We had been on Safaris in three other locales in Kenya but had very limited success seeing Leopards, that most elusive of the big cats.\u00a0 I had a 2-second glimpse of one up a hill a few hundred yards away in Samburu \u2013 that was it!\u00a0 Finally, we were able to see this prime specimen \u2013 Joel and Phillip said it was a female \u2013 at close quarters. We thanked our stars for being fortunate enough to see one so clearly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we drove away, headed west again, Phillip brought our attention to a tree to our left that had an impala up on branch!\u00a0 He said that the leopard after finishing up the meal probably decided to take a walk down the road to find another tree to rest up for the day!\u00a0 What an amazing 20 minutes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n