Maasai Mara 1.32° S, 35.19° E 5300 ft

-


Lioness and her cub

The "spotted" land , a dream for every wild life enthusiast, become a reality thanks to my two friends! The gentle rolling grasslands interrupted by the lone acacia tree, marked by the shadow of the clouds and spots of the scrubs stretches to an area of 37,3000 acres. what a pleasure it was to explore this nirvana.

Budget travellers that we are, we drove into this heaven of a place. But the ride to paradise was hell. For political reason , the budget traveller has to endure an extremely 2 hour bumpy ride. One is most likely to find a mini van or a cruiser stranded with a puncture. But the amazing experience for us Indians was the camaraderie between the drivers irrespective of the tour operator. Help is offered immediately however little possible. Wish it was so across our country.



As one approaches the resort that one will call home for next few hours or days as the case maybe, one can notice something unique to Kenya. Along with the name of the resort, the co-ordinates of the location is prominently displayed. A unique way to announce that one has arrived. We were staying 2 nights at Mara Sarova tented camp. Another luxury resort with all the perks  but so little time. It was unfortunate that we stayed at some of the best luxury resorts across Kenya but we had so little time to enjoy them. Early morning and late afternoon safaris can take its toll if  done for a couple of days. We were left with little energy at the end of the holiday. But Sarova 's hospitality was unparalleled. The amazing food with south African wine, the evening entertainment with the Mara tribe and of course the vips of the Mara regions, its animals made it a wonderful place.

 The spirit of Maasai Mara is the migration. The migration is an adventure not to be missed. It is considered the eighth " New wonder of the world" and is a natural spectacle like no other.For once the 4 legged animals were in more number than the two legged ones. Being surrounded by what seems like an infinite number of wildebeest and zebras grazing or watching wildebeest follow one another in a disciplined line that stretched for a kilometer or more gives nothing but goose bumps

Spot the lone wildebeest!

  









The Lone Wildebeest and Zebra  separated from herd most likely died in sometime

The elephants of Mara



The Masai Giraffe


Few Zebras among the millions that migrate through Maasai Mara


African Ostrich - male


Cape Buffalo


The lioness, lioness and more lioness with their cubs









The life line of this area is the River Mara. A bustling lively hangout for the residents of Mara. This is were the action takes place. Millions of wildebeest but thousands fall victim to the Nile crocodile. The wildebeest start " building " by river as seen below. But one cannot predict their behaviour. As we patiently waited, hundreds of wildebeest turned around and marched away to another location along the river.We followed them and waited for some more time. At one point our driver rushed towards another location only to miss the crossing by another small group. We could see the last few wildebeest crossing. What a disappointment! The spectacle we were so looking forward too was missed by a whisker of a hair. Maybe some day i will return to this Continent and catch the migration again.



Kenya is not only an destination for the game drives but also some interesting shopping. As we had a local friend with us, we could venture into markets not frequented by the local. Drive a good bargain and your home could soon turn into a jungle themed home.

Kenya turned out to be a wonderful holiday with some amazing company. Here's to many more such lovely holidays that will leave us with everlasting memories.

August 2016
Maasai Mara National Park Kenya
The Travel Connection: Sometimes things don't work out as planned and that is OK
Tip: http://www.esa-safaris.com/
Location: Mara Triangle - Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Destination Aihole

-
Image
The cradle of Hindu temple architecture, Aihole or Aryapura was the destination to learn and experiment on the temple architecture. Under the patronage of early Chalukyan kings, the Chalukyan style of temple architecture was refined here between  the 5th and 8th century.  The preview of Aihole given to us by the guide at Pattadakal was enough to excite me about visiting the ancient school of architecture, You wonder if you have arrived at Aihole as the narrow lanes leads you into the chaos of a village life but the complex of ancient structures in various states of disintegration  make you think you have time traveled. The proximity of the timeworn stone monuments and the present day village dwellings raised a lot of questions. The encroachment of these temples was even more intriguing. Be it the cattle housed in these structures, smoke bellowing out or the colorful clothes drying on a line between intricate carved column, all of it just amazed me. When we arrived a...
Read more

Citadel Acropolis Of Athens

-
Image
Faded reminiscent of a lavish bygone era, Acropolis is a collection of multiple monuments. The current state is due to foreign occupation, pilfering of foreign archaeologist, inept renovations and of course nature's fury. Along with these factor,the indifferent visitor who do not respect the history have made it worse. Does this  remind you of multiple monuments across India. History repeats itself no matter the location. A short climb up the flat rock outcrop and one reaches the propylaea. It is the gateway to the cradle of history. Phidias was the lead architect. The first sight of Doric columns from a distance, the most easiest to sketch was underwhelmed by the crowds. But as we got closer to the gateway, the temple of Athena Nike with ionic columns and the scale of the Doric columns gave us the first preview of what can be expected inside the citadel of acropolis. Stairs Leading to western facade of Propylaea The reconstructed Temple of Athena Nike in tetr...
Read more

Destination Punakha Dzong

-
Image
If I had to choose my favorite structure, It would be the bridges without any hesitation. Bhutan renewed my fascination for bridges with their traditional cantilever bridge called the Bazam. Tintin's knowledge about architecture was limited. My questions on the location of  the toilets, kitchens inside the Dzong  or how the water supply/ drainage worked  and other queries must have driven him mad or made him think that the mountain air had made me go bonkers. So my hopes of understanding the bridge through Tintin was futile. Punakha Dzong is undoubtedly one of the most elegant structures in Bhutan.  To get to the main building , one has to cross Mo chhu through one of the most beautiful bridges I have come across so far. Most buildings in Bhutan are a replica of their ancient self. Due to natural calamities or fire, almost all the prominent sites in Bhutan have been rebuilt in the recent years. The Punakha bridge is no different. You can read more about i...
Read more