Our visit to the Masai Mara National Reserve is one we will remember forever. The reserve abounds with wildlife of many species. There is no wonder that this is the favorite area for tourist to view animals. Upon our afternoon arrival at Keekorok Lodge, the porter asked if we had binoculars and told us to follow him. As we walked into a mowed area, he pointed to a tree at the edge of the area, maybe 100 yards away, and said, "Look down in the shadow." Without the binoculars, I saw only a shadow, but the binoculars revealed a beautiful cheetah taking an afternoon nap. This lodge had no fences surrounding it, not that a fence can keep most animals away.
Our game drives on the Mara were wonderful. During the drives over 2 days, we saw elephants, lions, cheetahs, giraffes, hippos, baboons, leopard vultures, white vultures, wildebeest, banded mongoose, impala, gazelles, topi, secretary birds, ostriches, eagles, maribu storks, buffalo, zebras, and even a leopard.
In mid-July, we were fortunate to see the beginning of the Great Migration, generally it begins in July and ends in August. We drove within thousands of wildebeest, with a few zebras and buffalo. They were walking, running, and at times seemingly marching across the savannah. At one point I’m certain the line was a mile long. And we could see another group off in the distance. At times they would stop and eat the high grass. You could see where they came through by the patches of grass that were eaten away. And our guide said, "This is a small group."
A second amazing sight was a small group of lions feasting on a water buffalo. The lion did not tear up the animal to eat it. It craftily ate through a hole in the belly, putting its head inside the animal to eat. A rather unusual sight.
You will have time between morning and afternoon drives to arrange for a visit to a Masai village. Do so, and you will see how another culture lives.
The Masai Mara was the most crowded area in Kenya we visited. At one point there were over 20 vans surrounding a pride of lions. Though the lions would not have cared no matter how many vehicles were there. Two females were sleeping within 5 feet of the road.
While many tourist visit this area, I recommend that anyone interesting in seeing Kenya and animals make Masai Mara National Reserve one of your destinations.
For more information about Masai Mara, visit http://www.game-reserve.com/kenya_masai-mara.html.