Keekorok lodge shield

Wednesday August 4th

Day 8 - Masai Mara National Park

 


The full day in the Masai Mara National Park, centered on the Keekorok Lodge was the high point of the safari and fittingly the last full day. It was a long day, with three game drives and an extended dinner.

GiraffeHot air ballons Early Morning

We started at 6am before sunrise. We briefly considered the balloon safari which started around the same time and finished with a champagne breakfast, but the price seemed excessive, so we were back in the Kuoni van. 

Just outside the gates we saw our first giraffe of the day and just down the track we were able to watch the hot air balloons taking off.

 

The Black Rhino

After twenty minutes or so searching for interesting wildlife, suddenly our driven was off with a sense of purchase.

One of the handful of black rhino in the park had been spotted for the first time in some weeks. The black rhino was extinct in East Africa, but a small number, maybe 20 pairs were reintroduced into the Masai Mara and with careful protection are surviving.

As we arrived to join several other buses, the rhino was walking ponderously across the track and into the bushes. We got a good view and were even able to see the birds that enjoy a symbiotic relationship with the rhinos.

Missing out the hot air balloon was the right decision .. those who took the ride enjoyed the tranquility, and the breakfast, but saw little game. 

Black rhinoBlack rhinoBlack rhino
Black rhino
Vultures with killVultures in tree
Vultures in tree

The vultures were a common reminder of the realities of life in the Mara. The big cats are predators that live by hunting and the vultures are a sign of their success.

We saw vultures with the remnants of a kill, vultures circling in the air waiting for the big cats to eat their fill and vultures perched on trees, looking for the opportunity to eat.

As on previous days, we encountered plenty of antelopes, such as these xxxxx. Thanks to their natural timidity, most of the time, we had rear views of deer running away from the road. 

Find the cheetahToo many spectators

Cheetah Hunt

Once again there we reports of cheetahs and lots of vans converged on a stretch of grass where there was apparently a cheetah in hiding. We did get a fleeting sight, but the cheetah seemed inclined to sleep rather than hunt.

Every so often we were reminded of the reality of life in the wild. This lion and lioness were still gorging on a recent kill, with a vulture in the background waiting for anything that is left behind.

Lion in grassLion with kill
Weaver birdMagnificent starling
Magnificent starling

Back at Keekorok Lodge for breakfast and a short break before the next game drive, we were able to enjoy the Golden Weaver and Superb Starling.

Walking back to our room after breakfast we came across a group of very tame Vervet Monkeys enjoying the grounds. 

Vervet monkeys
Mid Morning Game Drive

Although the Mara River is one of the most impressive areas of the whole Masai Mara area, the distance from the lodge means that it is not included in the normal itinerary. Before we left Nairobi, we were invited to make arrangements with our driver if we wanted to do anything not in the plan. Our driver, John was able to arrange an additional drive to the Mara River.

VulturesVultures

The main objective of the drive was to get to the Mara river, so we only stopped twice and then briefly. The first stop was for this flock of vultures cleaning out a day old kill. 

The second stop was for a group of Ostriches. We saw quite a few ostriches, but they were usually in the far distance .. this group of four was about the closest we saw.

Ostriches
Agama

Once at the Mara river, we passed by the most popular viewing spot on on the North bank of the river and crossed over the bridge and drove along the South bank.

This nine inch long Red-Headed Agama was basking on a rock in the sun near one of out stops.

The Mara River

Well know to anyone who watches wildlife TV programs, the crocodile infested Mara River crosses the plain from East to West, flowing towards Lake Victoria. At all times of the year it is a muddy brown colour and has steep banks.

It is famous as the barrier that herds of Wildebeests and Zebra have to cross twice in their annual migration from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara and return following the rains.

We were a few days too late to see the migration.

Mara riverMara river
Mara riverMara river
Goliath heron with fish

For a while we struggled to identify this strange bird with the long curved beak, but eventually realised that is was a xxxx trying to swallow a rather large fish. We watched for quite a long time but never did see whether the bird managed to eat the ish.

By now we were getting used to stopping to fix tyres. This time, after one of the stops, the van refused to restart.

John was rather worried. We were a long way from the base with no other vans close and as the bones a few feet away showed, there were dangerous animals around.

After some time fiddling the battery, John decided that we needed to push, so we all got out. It was good to get out of the van to walk around, but John was obviously nervous.

The problem was a jammed starter motor and one push was enough to unstick it.

The breakdownDesignated photographer
Carcas
CrocodilesCrocodiles
Crocodiles
Crocodiles

We came to the Mara River to see hippos and crocodiles, and we were not disappointed. As we drove further West along the river bank we progressively got closer to the water and the crocodiles, who certainly seemed well fed.

Hippos

Seeing the hippopotami in the water, it was difficult to realise that these docile looking animals are responsible for more deaths than any other species in Africa!

They come out of the water at night to graze (they are herbivores) and if anything gets in their way they are short sighted, very heavy and can move remarkably quickly. They never stray more than a few miles from water .. their skin needs to be kept moist.

Along the Mara River there were several groups keeping cool and wet, including a family with a calf and one which looked terminally sick.

HipposHippos
Hippos
Hippos../images/P8041338.jpgHippos
Hippos
GazellesGiraffe

Once we had our fill of crocodiles and hippos (and restarted the van) we started to retrace our tracks.

In the heat of the middle of the day, most animals were sensible and in shade. Exceptions included a group of Giraffes and a small herd of Thomson's Gazelles.

The border between Tanzania and Kenya is very close to the Mara River. A short diversion of the main track just North of the river crossing took us briefly into Tanzania. The border is marked with a rather inconspicuous stone, with T and K marked on in chalk. There is certainly no border post and no customs.

Mike at borderKenya/Tanzania borderSue at border
Mike & Sue at borderQuilters at border
Van and the team The Team

The last game drive of the day (and of the whole safari) was in the late afternoon. Before we set off, we took the opportunity to get a photograph of the "team" from the van.

Left to right: Eileen Maxsted, Debbie and Tim Quilter, John the driver, Sue and Mike Lambert. 
Kneeling: Brian Maxsted.

In many respects, the last game drive was more of the same, but in many respects a fitting end.

The vultures were closer and more revolting and they fought to pick out the eyes of the dead zebra. 

VulturesVulture
Lion

We got pretty close to the lion, who really didn't want to know anything about us.

We had to choose between giraffes and elephants, so we only saw this group of giraffes at a distance.

Giraffes
GiraffesGiraffes
ElephantsElephantsElephants
Elephants

It was a good choice. We came across a family of elephants cross the track. One of the large males started to get a little menacing, so for the only time in the week, John backed off.

Apart from that we were right in the middle of them, including the youngster and watched them until the disappeared into the bushes.

The previous afternoon we were caught in rain and got a little wet and cold. There was obviously heavy rain in some places but we managed to escape. It did get very dark. 

Storm
Zebra and wildebeests
Herd of wildebeestWildebeest
Wildebeest
Zebra and Wildebeest

The zebra and wildebeest stay pretty well together in their annual migration. The herds are enormous .. over a million animals migrate around the plains.

Most of the time they move in well organised groups, with a clear sense of purpose.

"Big" John - Our driver

Before dinner, John joined us in the bar for the only time of the week and told us something of his life. If he is to be believed, in addition to being a long-standing tour driver, he also turns his hands to writing plays and broadcasting.

Brian - the driver
DinnerDinnerDinner
DinnerDinner
Dinner

However Kuoni arranged people into vans, it seemed to work. We got on pretty well with the other two couples in the van and the final dinner was a leaisurely affair with a reasonable amount of wine.

After dinner, we called for an armed guard (actually armed with a long stick and a torch) and went to investigate the nature walk. It was something of an anti-climax, with absolutely nothing to be seen around the illuminated water hole. 

Mosquito nets

We were always aware of the mosquitoes. We started on Larium tablets before we left home. Several other people blamed various symptoms on Larium, which has a reputation for side-effects, but Sue and I didn't suffer.

During the early morning and late afternoon/evening, we used mosquito repellant and at night (apart from Treetops) slept under mosquito nets. 

Sue had a few bites, but by and large we had no problems.

Mosquit nets

Last updated: January 10, 2000 20:08 -0000