Masai Mara

We did a weekend trip to Masai Mara. We’d been wanting to return to the Mara anyway but having a visitor gave us a good excuse.

arriving by small plane - the escarpment bordering the Mara

We made a three-day weekend out of it, which for me is never enough. I feel as though I could go on game drives for a month without getting tired of it. Every time is different and there is always something amazing. I know that’s not the case for everyone. I’ve heard of people getting bored of driving around the dusty savanna. It’s certainly not for everyone. But some of the most memorable moments I have spent on this continent have been while on safari.

As for the girls, they seem to rather enjoy it as well. Even from early on they were less of a challenge than what we expected. We used to be concerned about their lack of attention span (and I do confess that we come armed with children’s books, iPad, crayons, etc. as back up) but generally speaking they stay pretty engaged and love spotting, and identifying, animals as we drive along.

Of course there are always the moments that are a bit more difficult to explain. The whole cycle of life thing can be a bit of a challenge to explain but I personally don’t mind exposing them to the odd hunt here and there. On a previous safari we witnessed a cheetah kill that was one of my all-time safari highlights. But it ended with a couple of bloody cheetah faces and a slowly dying impala that required some explanation. Overall, however, I think it’s an important part of their education.

Our niece was with us for her first safari. Hopefully not last. As one who’s not a fan of the great outdoors, it was a risky activity. Game drives are full on outdoors. Lots of dust. Exposure to whatever the weather is giving you. Fun stuff for me but not everyone enjoys it. Nonetheless, she said she had a wonderful time. We likely didn’t convert her to a life as a park ranger but we at least succeeded in adding a cool experience to her time in Africa.

We stayed in the same tented camp that we did the last time we were in Masai Mara. It’s situated on the escarpment overlooking the Mara savanna. Amazing views. While it’s often good to switch it up a bit, there’s some value in going with what you know, particularly with kids. You don’t want any bad surprises.

In fact we ended up with the same guide. Which in our case was a good thing. We didn’t remember each other straight away but we figured it out within a few minutes. I think he finds a good balance of narrating what’s going on, including fun facts about the animals and their habitat, and not overdoing it and just letting us enjoy the experience without too much chatter. He also seems to get a read on how much experience the clients have in doing this sort of thing. For example in our case I think he understood that we’ve been on many safaris over the years so he skipped a lot of the basics.

monitor lizard

I'm unable to make mud look that cool

he was particularly angry; we decided to stay out of his way

My photography of wildlife evolves over time. I used to take photos of almost anything that moved. Pretty soon you start to realize that you have billions of similar photos of impalas, elephants and baboons. I find that I don’t have the camera out and ready quite as much. I just sit back and enjoy the experience more. I also look for, and see, new things. You also have to take what the animals and the lighting give you. The main thing is not to get too obsessed about getting the ideal photo or seeing all of the big five – catching a glimpse of that elusive leopard. You still need to stay alert, anticipate where the animals might be and what they are likely to do so that you have the camera ready when the time comes. If you miss something, you miss something. Oh well.

 

 

Great weekend. Good, again, to get away from our urban life. Time to start planning the next one.