Maasai Mara, Kenya
Aug 4, 2024
The sun is barely over the horizon as we enter Maasai Mara at the Sekenani Gate. This time around, I was not on a tour like I was twenty-three years ago but had chosen to camp near the gate and hired a jeep and driver instead. Henry, the driver has been doing game drives for many years he tells me; I am in good hands.
Dark shapes are moving through the grass – wildebeests! There are thousands of them, literally everywhere. The horizon is dark with masses of them. Oh no! I am too late for the river crossing! This was the main reason for my visit to Kenya this time around. But who knows? Maybe not all have crossed yet. I will have to wait and see.
In the murky light, something lopes by. Its sloping shoulders and strangely low hind-quarters are a giveaway. It is a hyena but it runs by before I can get a good photo. But soon I see another one, licking its chops. The red on its muzzle a sure sign that it has been feeding. And there! Ther are two more, still feeding. With so many wildebeests, this is a feeding frenzy, the likes of which I have never seen. From time to time one or the other looks up, alert to others coming to steal their food. The sound of tearing flesh and crunching of bones cuts sharply through the still air.
Later in the day, I see another hyena at its kill. This time the kill has just been made and it is just beginning its feast.
We drive on and Henry stops suddenly. His keen eyes have caught sight of movement in the bush. The spotted yellow and black. It is a cheetah, half hidden in the tall yellow grass. And then it does us a favor; it sits up on a mound. Oh, it is beautiful! As it surveys the surroundings I have a grand view. There is blood on its muzzle; there must be a kill hidden in the grass but I cannot see it. Wow, wow, I think. I am so lucky!
And I am lucky again; later in the afternoon, I see yet another one. This one is content to pose, the right profile and then the left. I simply stare in awe and get my fill of photographs.
The Mara is heaving with animals it seems. The largest herds everywhere are wildebeests but mixed in the herds are zebras and Thomson’s gazelles.
And there are hardebeests with their strange patches that make them look like they are bruised black and blue.
The radio in the jeep is on and squawking all the time. The drivers communicate with each other, especially about sightings. Henry simply says “lion” and takes off. A young female is sitting on a mound quite content for us to look our fill.
Another squawk and this time I see many other vehicles racing. It is a huge male, striding across the grass. Magnificence is the only word that fits! It strides, pauses, looks around and strides again, pasting its territory as it goes.
And I see the same behavior of the vehicle drivers that I had seen before; if anything it is worse now. With ranger vehicles nearby, the cars keep a respectful distance from the animals. But the minute the coast is clear, there is a concerted rush to get as close to the animal as possible. Henry claims that most tourists use phones for photos and want to be closer. One would think going on safari would warrant a decent camera with a good zoom but apparently this is the way it is done here.
We come to the picnic area around midday, close to the border with Tanzania. The curve of the river has hippos basking in the sun. Look closer and you see a few crocodiles also basking at the edge of the water.
We drive on and pass an area with a lot of warthog dens. A couple are rooting around on their knees, eating. A couple others keep a steady watch on us from the entrance of their den. One trots across the road, looking comical as it runs with its tail straight up in the air.
We stumble on a young cub, this one with still patches on its fur. And a young male as it disappears into the bush.
Sometime later I see another one beating the heat , lying by a pool of water. As we watch, it rolls on its back and ignores us completely.
A large herd of buffalo graze in a meadow. Later in the day we come across a solitary bull who gives us a disgruntled stare.
Another squawk on the radio. It is a pair of lion and lioness this time. They are sprawled under a bush exhausted from mating. As before the vehicles surround the bush but the pair do not budge.
With so many kills, the vultures are not far behind. Some sit in their nest atop a tree, surveying the area.
Some waddle around on the ground. Whether or not they are feeding on the remnants of a kill, we cannot see.
And I see an ostrich come striding by. The brilliant red of its scrawny neck and legs is a different color than the ones I saw in Namibia earlier. This one is more striking but it still looks odd with its tiny head and long legs and heavy body atop those long legs. There are elephants but I do not see very large herds.
Going over a small hill we see a cluster of safari vehicles. And sure enough, there is a lion. It has a kill, the wildebeest partially eaten. The lion pays us no heed as it continues to sit placidly resting probably digesting a good portion of the wildebeest.
ITCHY FEET TRAVELS 