Masai Mara- The Blog and photo feature.

Wildebeest crossing Talek River 

Just 2 months back I had my taste of some good wildlife at Kruger National Park, South Africa. This taste was addictive. So addictive was this taste of seeing nature at its very best that I was on the flight to Nairobi in less than 2 months after my return. Destination was Masai Mara. 

Till the month of June, Masai Mara has normal game watching. People get to see giraffes, zebras, leopards, elephants, Lions etc.. From July, the landscape gets transformed into what many have describes as ‘the greatest show on earth.’ This is what is known as the wildebeest migration. Thousands of tourists reach Mara River between Serengeti wild reserve and Masai Mara to see these ungainly wildebeest cross over to Masai Mara from Serengeti. Watching the wildebeest cross over the river is a spectacle which is worth the travel to this reserve. But equally fascinating is to witness the shifting columns of the herds as they traverse the valleys and the hills . These herds are not in thousands but in lakhs. The forests of Masai Mara come alive as these wildebeests along with Topis and Zebras provide fresh food for the starving lions and leopards. Before that the crocodiles wait in Mara river in anticipation of river crossing. When the river is crossed, several die in stampede and several become food for crocodiles. Yet more than enough live long enough to enjoy the grass on the other side of the river.

I had traveled to Masai Mara to have a look at this phenomenon which lasts till October. In this period an area called the Masai triangle is a lot in demand. The main rivers are the Mara river and the Talek River. We stayed near the Talek River. In October the process of returning to Serengeti starts as the wet season starts in Tanzania. The crocodiles once again wait in the Mara River for food to arrive. 

The Kenya roads are generally good but the journey to our camp was back breaking. The 90 odd km’s from town of Narouk to the camp was nightmarish. There were no roads and the condition of whatever was there was not fit for travelling. At Narouk we stopped to buy some water and the shop owner turned out to be an enterprising Gujrati. He offered to take us to the Indian temple where 'free tea and snacks were provided.' He informed us that there were around 30 Indian families in this small town. He was happy to talk to us in mother language.

As we reached our camp- groaning and moaning after the bumpy ride, our hosts at Kichakani camp at Talek river assured us that next time the things would be better. “The Chinese president has agreed to our PM’s request and they will soon make a nice road to Masai Mara.” So next time I can be assured of starting my Kenyan safari by having a smooth journey on ‘Made by China’ road!

Masai Mara reserve itself does not have proper roads. The reserve looks like a natural reserve. Miles and miles of grasslands with millions (it seems) of wildebeest as far as eyes can see. We are lucky that on the very first ride inside the park we found a couple of cheetahs relaxing under a tree. Cheetahs are always very difficult to spot and I thought this was a good omen to see them first up. The pair we saw was lazy. They refused to get up even after we spent almost 30 minutes around them. One of them did get up just for a second- that was enough for me to click a decent photograph. It was time to move on.

Its a rare sight to see a relaxed cheetah

We then saw a Lioness strolling on one side and a male Lion strolling on the opposite side. We had a choice to make. The Male Lion looked majestic with a huge mane visible from almost a km away. We hadn't seen any male lion in South Africa but this was another country and another park. We decide to go near the Male. We tried reaching him before he disappeared in the forest. The Lion helped us out by not disappearing in the jungle but by sitting down in the grass. He gave enough good poses for a few nice shots. Once we were done- he decided to go to sleep. It was a message to us to go back to the camp as sun was setting over Masai Mara. 

The Lion has 'majestic' written all over him.

As we passed the cheetah tree, we saw that the cheetahs were still relaxing but enjoying the adulation as around 24 vehicles had collected to watch them relax. The crowd was decent. No one harassed them.

The next morning, we want to see the wildebeest cross the river. We reached a spot where they were gathering in great numbers. Our guide tells us that time is ripe for them to cross the Talek river. The front group moves near the river and the ones from behind put pressure on them to move forward. At least 10,000 of them had gathered around the crossing spot. One of them has to take an initiative and run across. Others will follow. A lot of cars gather around. Our view is blocked. Our driver takes us to other side. Just then the crossing starts. Hundreds of them jump into river and start crossing amidst a lot of confusion and dust. Just around a thousand must have crossed when it comes to a stand-still. The wildebeest are very timid creatures and get distracted and scared by unnatural movements. Some moving vehicles have scared them off. They wait for another time. We see them come down the slope, drink water and then rush back instead of crossing. They are scared and uncertain. We didn’t see them crossing again.

Wildebeest start gathering near the river

Kichakani camp at Talek River was a decent no frills camp. It had nice spacious tents with proper bathrooms. It was a fairly spread out camp and often at night I would get lost trying to find my tent. They had a swimming pool, a bar and dining area. The food was decent without being fancy. Next time I will take some pickle and chili sauce with me.They didn’t have any activities for guests. The staff was very warm and nice. Most Kenyans I met were nice and warm people. Masai area does not have electricity so we would get lights through generator from 5.30 AM to 7.30 AM and again from 6.30 PM to 10.30 PM. This electricity would be used for charging IPAD, camera batteries and mobiles. Luckily I had an international charger as Kenya follows UK style of plug-sockets. I would often sit outside the tent in the verandah and watch the wildlife across the river. The river is the unofficial park boundary. The river itself had a couple of crocodiles who would regularly dive into the water making a loud splash. I had a chance to visit another camp nearby called the fig tree camp. It is from the fig tree camp that hot air balloons took off.That was a really fancy and up market camp with loads of activities.The dining area and the bar were very lively and impressive. The chalets and tents also looked top class. The difference between the camps was reflected in the tarriffs as well.

The giant hippo has a mean look

In our subsequent safaris we saw a leopard, a sleeping male lion, many tuskers, huge hippos, swaying giraffes and all possible animals which we had sought to see.

Picture perfect

The driver/guide was an enterprising fellow who would take us through ravines and river beds which at first seemed impossible to cross. That added to the fun. It was the penultimate day (actually the last safari day) which brought a lot of thrills. The day started at 4.30 AM as we were to be picked up at 5.15 AM by the hot balloon safari company. I had seen the hot air balloons going up from my tent the previous morning and it was a pretty sight. The idea of navigating the Masai landscape on a hot air balloon was very tempting even though the price of $ 450.00 was quite prohibitive. However I had come this far so was definitely not going to miss out in this experience.

The 6 balloons lay side by side as they were prepared for take off. Besides the pilot, each balloon carried 14 persons. The wind was stiff so the pilot was concerned and for this reason we were asked to lie down in baskets before the balloon was filled up. In normal course we would have entered the basket upright.The hot air was blown into the balloon and whoosh………off we went. As we straightened up the view was spectacular.Ours was the first balloon to take off so we could see other taking off one by one. The horizon was multicolored with the sun just about rising; the wildebeest were running about scared with the sound the blowing fire would make to make balloon fly; and as there are many hot balloon companies in the park with the same take off time, the horizon was filled with around 30 colourful hot air balloons. Soon we would see many giraffes, elephants and  of course thousands of wildebeests. It was time to get busy with cameras. 

An early morning balloon ride is a must to enjoy Masai Mara

The pilot would bring the balloon very low from where we could see the wildlife clearly and at times take it upto 2000 ft. Tanzania could be seen across Mara river and after around an hour of exhilarating flying, we landed safely in the middle of jungle. We were driven a few km’s where a lavish champagne breakfast was waiting for us. The chefs prepared the eggs and pancakes of your choice as people of 6 balloons intermingled. The Chinese outnumbered the rest by a big margin. The breakfast had as much variety as a good hotel has and it was well enjoyed by all of us along with a glass/glasses of champagne. Many would go to the bar for cocktails. At 8 AM the idea was a cocktail was not too appealing for me.  I could see a few Zebras and giraffes around. Would there be Lions around ? Thankfully no lions appeared to make us their breakfast, and we finished our breakfast on a perfect sunny morning.

Discussions are done by giraffes too

Lions did appear in the evening and we spent the entire evening with them. It’s fun watching these predators in the wild. It is highly exciting to see them move around and do things naturally. Normally we see Lions sleeping or just relaxing. Once the Lions and panthers and cheetahs move around, they bring a lot of excitement as you don't know what they will do next. At Masai Mara we could just follow them around and enjoy watching them spend their unregulated day .

When they move- we watch them mesmerized.

On 20^th June this year 6 lions of a pride were massacred by villagers near Nairobi when lions attacked their cattle. It is considered to be a sad day for wild-life and man vs.animal debate rages on in Kenya as well just as it does in India.Its a problem without any solutions. Man is winning very rapidly and wilds will soon be a thing of past. I should plan to visit more wildlife parks soon before the animals like Lion and Tiger become extinct. In India Tiger is already facing extinction. You can hardly see Rhinos in reserves any more as they are being poached rapidly. What is the future of other wild animals ? Not too good I am afraid. 

They like kissing as well.

On a very cloudy evening, we were lucky to come across 4 Lions (3 males and 1 female) who went about their evening in the forest oblivious to our presence. On a sunny day they would have probably been sleeping. Seeing them in natural environment and seeing their behaviour towards each other was exciting. They were so close to our vehicle that one could have touched them. The Lioness met all 3 males with great affection and then tried to hunt down an impala. We followed the Lioness but were not led to any cubs as she seemed to be looking for a hunt. Later we were to see 3 lionesses moving in tall grass towards zebras from different direction for hunting. I would have loved to see this kill but the lionesses were waiting for the sun to set and we couldn’t have stayed in the jungle any longer. I will have to travel to some jungle again to see the spectacle of the kill.Its a good excuse to go back.

The Lions show a lot of affection towards each other.

Reaching Nairobi back was even more of an ordeal as it had rained the previous night making the already torturous journey even more painful. Nairobi reminded me quite a bit of Delhi with sprawling mansions for the elite in one area and the uneasy slums not too far away.This short Kenya trip concluded with a lunch at ‘Carnivore’ restaurant at Nairobi. The place was meat eater’s paradise. It was a huge restaurant with indoor as well as outdoor sitting arrangements.Lovely setting. The place was obviously popular as it was more than 70% full. All kinds of meats were available and would be served one by one.The day's special were the Ox balls, Ostrich and the very well cooked - crocodile meat !

My special comments and Important tips

1)      You must get yellow fever injection done atleast 10 days before leaving. The yellow fever centre of AAI near Mahipalpur was quite good and I sent someone in the morning with original passport for appointment. Then went in evening with token to get the injection and collect certificate. Certificate valid for 10 years. This centre works on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
      Yellow fever infection affects the liver and is contagious. It is spread by some mosquitoes in several African nations. India has a strict policy not to allow anyone back from these affected countries without proper immunization. The airport authorities obviously don't know the dangers and about the Govt policy as no one asked me for the certificate at Delhi Airport on my return. 

2)      You could get Visa from here in Vasant Vihar from Kenyan Embassy (took 24 hours) or Visa at arrival at Nairobi airport. Fee was $ 50.00. At Nairobi they ask for yellow fever certificate. I always prefer to get visas done from home country before travelling.

3)      Kenya Air flies from Mumbai so I chose Emirates to fly to Nairobi.

4)      Unlike South Africa where you could drive yourself, it would be difficult to drive on your own here. Best way is to get together with at least 3 more people and  arrange trip through a reputed travel company. At approximately $ 800 per person we got 4 nights stay at Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara (1 day + 3 days); all meals; all transportation in Kenya and many safaris in 4 wheel vehicle. You cannot manage without a 4 wheel drive.Pick up and drop was from Nairobi.

5)      Those with bad back should choose to fly in a small plane from Nairobi to Masai Mara. I don’t know the cost but a day prior to our reaching- a plane had crashed in the reserve!

6) Do not click photograph of Masai woman without taking her permission. This could be fatal. She may allow you after a generous tip. Otherwise you can visit a Masai village by paying around $ 15.00 which would include a trip to their houses and looking at the way they live. Here you can click as many photographs. Our driver informed us that if we were to click photographs without permission-the Masai tribesmen could very well smash up our vehicle ! 

7)      We had gone to Lake Nakuru first which is famous for the pink flamingos. It indeed is a very pretty sight. Lake Nakuru has good wildlife and we saw the rhinos there which we didn’t see at Masai Mara. Poaching of Rhinos is rampant in Kenya as well.