Masai Mara

After an unbelievable visit at Giraffe Manor, it was time to get out of the city.  We departed the local airfield (Wilson) which as a pilot was very interesting.  We flew in a Cessna Caravan (much like the Kodiak but slightly bigger and not nearly the performance….do you detect a hint of my wanting our plane here?).  Wilson Field (and for that manner everything we’ve seen in Kenya to date) feels like a throwback.  Looser, fewer rules, crazy.  This is a field about ½ the size of Boeing Field (which is considered very busy) and it has probably 4 times the traffic.  There are only 2 paved airports in the Nairobi area and the main airport Jomo Kenyatta is strictly commercial…so all general aviation (which is super popular and critical as in Alaska) packs into Wilson Field.  We had a great pilot from Switzerland who owns 4-5 planes and runs his little charter operation.  So with eyes wide open on the lookout for birds (birds and airplanes don't mix and there are a lot of birds in Africa) we departed after about a 20 minute wait for a departure slot.  40 minutes later we were on approach in the Masai Mara and were wonderstruck.  Animals, animals and more animals.  I’m quite sure, now that my days as second grade zoo chaperone are over, that I’ll never go to a zoo again.  The thrill of seeing so many huge, wild animals up close is indescribable.   On our brief drive from the local airstrip, within 30 minutes we saw giraffe, elephant, a huge male lion, and a cheetah.  The Masai Mara is just absolutely huge and the variety of species is stunning.  It truly seems to be a Garden of Eden.  We visited the Mara River to witness one of the national geographic specials, the crossing of the river by the wildebeest and zebra and ensuing carnage.  Wildebeest are the most prolific mammal out here.  They gather in huge herds to cross the river, waiting for zebra to lead them across.  Once they cross they tend to panic and stomp on each other and many drown.  Kind of like an English soccer match. The crocodiles take full advantage of the proffered buffet.  We didn’t see a crossing, but instead saw thousands of dead wildebeest floating down the river from an unsuccessful attempt a few days prior.  The crocs were stuffed and the remaining carcasses were being devoured by thousands of vultures.   Before leaving, Hayden specifically stated in a time capsule that the thing he least wanted to experience was to see an animal die, so his wish was granted.

We stayed at a camp in the middle of the Masai Mara called Naibor. To call it a camping is a stretch. One of the caretakers, a lovely English woman named Victoria, appropriately calls it “glamping” and there is probably more glamor than camping. Fabulous food, huge netted tents (3 kids on one side in their own beds and an adjoining tent with a king sized bed for the parents. Each side has a toilet and a shower where one of the camp workers will fill a 5 minute shower bucket with a large water bladder heated by a wood furnace. Each day we get up early (6 ish) for a game drive, then return for a 1-4 lunch and siesta, followed by a second game drive from 4 to sunset. This is timed with the active period for the large cats (lions, cheetahs, leopards). The camp overlooks a pond with about 15 hippos and a couple of large crocodiles. At night the hippos come out of the water to graze and they make a heck of a ruckus as they move about. Masai (local tribe) guards escort guests around camp after dark. They also made Hayden a bow and arrow which thrilled him and also made Sydney and Halle jealous…So now we are proudly packing 3 bows and arrows and Halle has added a bow and arrow to her repertoire of weapons (ok the only other one is a pocket knife).  In celebration of carnivores all around us, our kids were introduced to the world's best fillet. 

While Traci and I were attempting to have our first date in a month, our kids devoured 3-4 servings each of the famous Naibor filet mignon.  They wouldn't share the recipe, and each of our kids will forever have a lifelong relentless pursuit of the perfection they tasted that evening.

Our 2nd morning in camp we woke the kids up at 4:30 and were out the tent flap at 5 (new family preparedness record) for a 40 minute white knuckle dirt road drive to a surprise hot air balloon ride. We had a fabulous pilot and guide, and saw hundreds of giraffe and elephant, thousands of zebra and gazelle, hundreds of thousands of gnu (wildebeest), a black rhino, hyena, jackal, lions, etc. Amazing to be floating over the vast savanna, riding the wind, with nothing but flat grasslands and animals as far as the eye can see.  

In Africa, it is good to be a man. We observed a lion and lioness on our safari yesterday. Their mating ritual lasts one week and they mate approximately every 15 minutes during that week. After the week, the female hunts and the male gets first dibs. In addition, men in many of the local tribes have multiple wives. This is a sign of stature, much like cattle. Unbelievable but hakuna matada.

I’d say that the Masai Mara is a must see. I am very thankful we had the chance to visit and see so many of the animals that have been here for for so many thousands of years, and I hope that this pristine area can continued to be preserved from the increasing crush of humanity.