Our Kenya Safari Adventure in the Masai Mara

In June 2019, I was lucky enough to travel to Masai Mara in Southern Kenya for a safari adventure organised by Wildlife Worldwide.

The trip from Nairobi to Olseki airstrip, where my 4x4 would be waiting, was an adventure in itself! The tiny twin otter plane picked us up and before long was dropping passengers off across the Mara. As we touched down on dirt runways, we watched zebras and warthogs scatter in all directions. During the short flight we witnessed hippos wallowing in rivers from above and even caught a glimpse of giraffes and their elegant silhouettes – what an incredible experience.

Once we reached the drop-off, we were greeted by the warm smiles and striking traditional red wraps of two Masai warriors, waiting with a refreshing cold drink.

We then started the bumpy but wonderful drive to our accommodation. This was the first of three days where we would experience wonderful bush drives through the shrubby landscape which opened up onto wide plains full of wildebeest. Within minutes we had passed browsing giraffe, two jackals, families of warthogs sprinting into the distance with their little tails up and many species of stunningly beautiful antelope.

We arrived at the camp and were shown around the beautiful tented set-up before meeting the warm and friendly owners and camp managers. We enjoyed a fantastic spread for lunch, and then had some relaxation time to settle in before the sunset game drive.

The private reserve has a limited number of camps, so tourist numbers were low meaning we were able to drive all over the area and off the beaten track to search for wildlife. We were in for a treat that evening, as within the hour we had found one of the most majestic and cryptic of the large African big cats - the leopard. We observed the beautiful creature relaxing and felt the power of looking directly into his eyes.

In the evening our driver and guide set up a beautiful spread of snacks and sundowner drinks while we watched the wildebeest sparring with the sun setting behind them and the moon and stars slowly emerging above us - it was truly magical. Wrapped in cosy blankets for the cool drive back to camp, we arrived to a campfire and a hot shower. The dinner was again delicious, accompanied by wonderful wine, and a chance to share stories of sightings with other groups.

The following two days continued to be equally amazing - the early wake-up calls were eased by hot face towels, coffee and cookies, and the anticipation of getting to see some of the best sightings so early. I had one full day trip to the National Masai Mara reserve - a great contrast to the reserve our camp was on, giving you a feeling of the expanse plains of Africa. This is also where the wildebeest migrate during July-August. We were lucky enough to see a black rhino, huge herds of elephants and giraffes, and even a shy serval cat, not to mention hippos and crocodiles wallowing by the banks of the river.

The skill and expertise of the guides was astounding - they had eyes like hawks and were able to differentiate what seemed like blobs on the horizon as individual rare species, miles before I could even tell they weren’t trees! The staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful, and the owners genuinely cared about how our days had been and what experiences we had had.

I will never forget the playful lion cubs, the cheetah mother who hunted a gazelle to feed her four extremely cute cubs, the wildebeest sparring head-to-head or the tiny scrub hare hiding in the long grass trying to hide from the pride of lions wandering past. In a brief visit I was privileged to see the ‘big five’ and the ‘ugly five’ and I highly recommend Wildlife Worldwide in organising your safari in Kenya.

 

 

All images by Justine Shotton

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