3 Days in the Masai Mara

A view from the road back to Nairobi.
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We arrived into the Masai Mara park and headed to our campsite.  We did not have to pitch tents here, which was nice.  We actually had little cabins.  There was still the pit latrine and somewhat cold showers with little water pressure, but it was nice none-the-less.

The park is incredible.  I can see why it is under consideration for the new 7 wonders of the world.  The vastness of the grasslands and the concentration of the animals is unbelievable!  Just driving to our site we saw water buffalo, gazelles, antelopes, zebras, elephants, and tons more!  They all mingle together and wander the plains eating and walking.  It really is something you need to see to believe.

A sunset over the Mara. The acacia trees are spaced out throughout the grasslands.
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Once we settled into our campsite, we had dinner at our dining hall area and planned the game drive for the next morning.  We had several Masai warriors guarding our campsite, and it was neat to see them in full dress wandering in and out all the time.  I lathered up in bug spray before bed, and slept well despite the roaring of several lion prides surrounding the campsite at night!

The next morning we woke to head to the park.  We drove along the bumpy terrain to spot all types of animals.  We even came across the lion area where during the day they all sleep.  We were so close I felt I could reach out and touch their manes.  I probably would have gotten my hand bitten off, so I decided against it!  Ha, ha.

Two male impalas locking horns.
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We saw giraffes in the distance, and later up close.  We saw huge groups of elephants.  The list goes on and on.  We did two game drives that day, and I was overwhelmed by all we saw.

The second day in the Mara, we went throughout the park again.  We were lucky to see cheetahs that day.  We first saw one cheetah eating his prey.  Two jackals came up behind him, and while one taunted and teased him, the other stole the prey!  It was crazy.  Then, while the jackals thought they had won the battle, a vulture swooped in and stole the prey from them!  A true fight for food!  We later saw a group of three cheetahs on the prowl for dinner.  The amount of other safari vehicles was a bit daunting around them, so we didnt actually see them kill anything.  Okay by me really.

Look! Its Simba! He was taking an afternoon nap when we came across him.
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This was also the day we got stuck in the mud!  Twice!  There have been lots of rainy days in the past few weeks here, and the road conditions reflect that.  We tried to cut across a path to see some elephants, and couldn't go any farther.  Lucky for us, we were travelling with another vehicle, and they were able to pull us out!  It was all part of the adventure I guess.

The next morning we did a quick view of the animals as we were leaving the park.  We ducked away from the souvenir toting Masai ladies at the park entrance, and drove back to Nairobi.  On the way though, our truck broke down, so we had to sit at a roadside shop, eat lunch, and wait for a new truck to take us back to the city.  Despite some truck troubles, the scenery was amazing, the people I met were great, and I had a very nice trip!