Monday, May 8, 2023

Yesterday was our first day off from a long week of training and learning and we were blessed with perfect weather, not a raindrop in sight! We met up at the training center in the early morning and by 6:30am our entire group had loaded into two jeeps, and we were driving out into the Mara. Our safari was divided into a morning drive lasting 5 hours, with a short break to "take tea", and an early evening drive for 3 hours until the light disappeared.

Sunrise at the training center

James, always smiling even when he is trying to keep us on time.

There is a reason why people come to Kenya specifically for a safari experience. The Mara is so expansive and breathtakingly beautiful, continually changing with the daylight and drifting clouds. We passed hundreds of grazing animals, zebras, wildebeest, Topi, Grant's and Thompson gazelle, Elan, and African buffalo. Our first predator of the day was a large male lion, who James determined had been recently fighting. He quickly eluded us in deep shrubs, but it was an exciting start to the day. We saw a small group of elephants, what appeared to be an adult female with three young elephants of various ages. Elephant mothers carry their young for 18-22 months and have very complex social matriarchal groups, often helping each other raise the young calves. This could have been a mother with her own multi-generational offspring, or a mother who was acting as Nanny for some of the calves in her social group. On our evening drive, we saw a large group of nearly 20 elephants grazing in a low, lush valley, a favorite spot thanks to the soft fresh grass. Even in the distance, it was an incredible thing to witness.

There are numerous manmade bodies of water throughout the Mara, in order to assist with survival of the wildlife and conserve the much-needed water collected during the rainy season and vital during the dry season. During the morning drive, we saw a relatively large group of hippos, almost completely submerged in a small lake. As we parked nearby their heads emerged, checking us out, and one of the adults displayed their impressive teeth with a yawn. A reminder of who the boss is! Once they had determined we were not a threat, they submerged either completely, or with only the tips of their (adorable) ears showing. On the evening drive we could hear their distinctive grunt, and following the sound we found another family group partially submerged in a larger body of water. 

In the PNW, during whale watching season, the tour boats communicate with each other, sharing details of whale sightings. The Mara is the same and we received a radio call from another tour group, letting us know that a lioness was nearby. Keep in mind that the animals on the Mara are extremely protected, especially in the center, and have learned that jeeps pose no threat. There are also strict regulations for the tour guides, never coming in between a predator and potential prey, never interfering with the natural behavior of the animals. Our lioness was large, healthy and lactating, most likely with a litter nearby, because she was making subtle chuffing noises that are common when a mother is checking on her cubs. She was completely unbothered by our presence, and we had all been schooled about the importance of staying silent or keeping our voices soft and low when wildlife is nearby. (I will attempt to post a link with a video!)

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At various times during both drives we saw many giraffes, who were sometimes skittish and a little more miffed by our arrival, ironic considering they are the largest ruminant on earth! Very dramatic, but still beautiful. :)

We saw a jackal stalking something in the tall grass, a much larger hyena with his eye on something in the shrubs, and so many African buffalo. A young buffalo became fascinated by our jeep and ran alongside us when we started to move on! We discussed the benefits and drawbacks of adopting an adorable baby buffalo that would eventually grow up to weigh 300 - 900 kg (up to almost 2000 lbs). Needless to say, we decided to proceed without him. 

https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fphotos.app.goo.gl%2F32xyuzdEESCZYrk17&data=05%7C01%7C%7C58785ede02e1451aed5708db4faff1de%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638191389318695355%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=W6yMGpZAwKR4chqXRuH6Jvc7rlklai%2BIsMq73R9fk98%3D&reserved=0

An evening out on the Mara is a magnificent experience. Rain and thunder could be seen in the distance, many of the grazing prey animals start to migrate together, moving towards the village for more safety during the night, large, billowing clouds filled the sky. My description can barely give it justice. There have been quite a few instances on this trip that has made me think "I can't wait to tell mom and dad about this!", none so great as this safari.  Missing them feels like a hammer to the chest, I can barely breathe when it happens, and my eyes instantly fill with tears beyond my control. I so badly wish I could share this experience with them. 

 I will leave you with more photos and it's back to work for me... after another delicious breakfast.

Much love, Jo

Black-backed Jackal

Cape Buffalo

Lioness

The skull of a hippo that did not survive the last drought

Wildebeest

Egyptian Geese

Giraffe (I feel like this is an obvious one! :)

Sunset on the Mara

Rain in the distance

I have given up trying to get them to serve me smaller meals! Instead, I share with the others, much to their happiness. This morning I had homemade granola, local made fresh yogurt, local honey and fresh fruit...but wait, there's more!

Toasted homemade bread with fresh peanut butter, grilled mushrooms, and grilled fresh tomatoes from the garden. Unbelievable!

Yogurt with granola and honey