Preparing to Fly

We met Susan and Thomas, a great couple from Scotland that we were to

share our Masai Mara experience with over the next 3 days. They had been

on a couple of safaris before and were perfect travelling companions. They showed us the ropes and shared their knowledge.  

Landing at the Airport in the Masai

Our little plane landed at the airport which consisted of a little circular open hut with a thatched roof. It contained a wooden seat around the whole of the circumference, and a small stand selling local wares and souvenirs. A few metres away, a row of Land Rovers were lined up ready to collect their intrepid explorers!

The First Spot - A Leopard

Within the first 20 minutes of leaving the airport we came across a leopard high up and pretty well camouflaged in a tree! Leopard’s are not easy to come by and Maxwell, our driver, had ticked it off our to-see list straight away. It was the only leopard that we saw during the whole 3 day trip. What a spot of luck!

A Glimpse of the Locals

The local Masai women are seen in the distance carrying the materials they need to build and maintain their family homes.  

Three Lions

It wasn’t long before we were up close and watching 2 lions play-fighting... and the third observing from on high at a safe distance behind a tree stump!

The Migration

We had seen it on television and never dreamt that we would see it for real... We witnessed a small part of the Mass Migration where thousands upon thousands of Wildebeest move to graze on new grass shoots that spring up from the seasonal rains in the Serengeti. My one regret? I had not messed around with my new camera and discovered its quality video recording until later in the day, thus no video footage of this great event.  

The Grass Is Not Always Greener

A bit further down, we reached a part of the river where many of the wildebeest had not been so lucky with their migration to greener areas. I guess the expression the grass is not always greener springs to mind in its own ironic way...

The Boss

A large male lion wanders along. It would be a brave something or someone to mess with this one! Brave? Correction, stupid!

Hippos Taking a Dip

Hippos take a dip to keep cool in the blistering afternoon sun of the Masai Mara.