After having had to postpone this trip for almost six months because of my surgery I was beyond excited to finally go to Kenya last week. And it didn't disappoint! It is true that once you've been to Africa, it never truly leaves you. It had been a year since I left South Africa and I couldn't wait to get back to the bush. So there I was, on a plane barely bigger than a car and able to feel every bump of turbulence. They told me to get off at the second stop (I guess this is what they use in lieu of buses..) where Gordie was waiting for us. Sue, Ellen (my fellow travellers) and I loaded into the jeep and he drove us to the first camp. The drive gave us a good idea of what this week would be like: there were animals everywhere. I have been on safari's and seen some amazing stuff so I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. The sheer amount of animals was breathtaking. Herds of hundreds of zebra, impala and wildebeest all walking among hyena and elephant as far as you could see. On our first ride that afternoon we saw two mating lions after only 5 minutes on horseback.
One of the highlights of the trip was definitely all the baby animals we saw. At the last camp, we were staying on the banks of a river filled with Hippo. In the morning one of the crew members pointed something out to me: a hippo had had her baby that night and was resting in the water right across from my tent. The afterbirth was still on the shore being devoured by baboons and crocodiles while the new mom protected her adorable baby. We saw lions with cubs, young giraffe playing and baby elephants trying to figure out what to do with their trunk. Young zebra and topi were running around and the hyena's were showing their cubs the best way to eat the hippo they had caught. But like I said before, the number of animals was just incredible. On the ride to and from our second camp we saw over fifty elephants. On another ride we saw a group of about twenty lions jumping out of the bushes. In total I think I've seen over thirty lions (and heard even more, as they were roaring all around our tents at night).
The horses were amazing. Mine loved a good run and was a great jumper so I got the chance to jump some fallen trees. The horses were very calm with all the wildlife. I felt really safe on my steed, even when we were standing about 20 metres from a pair of lions. Depending on the day we went on a morning and afternoon ride or a day-ride to the next camp. The afternoon rides were my favorite as by then it had cooled down a bit and the animals were more active. But I also loved the picnic lunches on the day-rides. Both times we did that, we first had to chase elephants away before we could set up our things for lunch. At the second lunch spot, the elephant came back and as Gordie tried to shoo him away, a lioness jumped from the bush as well. It's an amazing feeling to be surrounded by animals like that. And the best thing: there were hardly any other people around.
We stayed at three different camps. Everytime we left, everything would get packed up and nothing would be left, safe from the ashes from the fire. The crew would bring everything to the new spot so we could relax in our comfortable tents after the ride. Every campsite was special in it's own way, they were all secluded and remote. At the first one we were surrounded by lions and hyena at night, the second one had a beautiful view over the Mara and the third was along a river filled with hippo. It was an amazing experience to really be in the bush like that, with animals all around you. The Mara is definitely one of the best wildlife destinations and I will surely be back!
After having had to postpone this trip for almost six months because of my surgery I was beyond excited to finally go to Kenya last week. And it didn't disappoint! It is true that once you've been to Africa, it never truly leaves you. It had been a year since I left South Africa and I couldn't wait to get back to the bush. So there I was, on a plane barely bigger than a car and able to feel every bump of turbulence. They told me to get off at the second stop (I guess this is what they use in lieu of buses..) where Gordie was waiting for us. Sue, Ellen (my fellow travellers) and I loaded into the jeep and he drove us to the first camp. The drive gave us a good idea of what this week would be like: there were animals everywhere. I have been on safari's and seen some amazing stuff so I thought I was prepared. I wasn't. The sheer amount of animals was breathtaking. Herds of hundreds of zebra, impala and wildebeest all walking among hyena and elephant as far as you could see. On our first ride that afternoon we saw two mating lions after only 5 minutes on horseback.
One of the highlights of the trip was definitely all the baby animals we saw. At the last camp, we were staying on the banks of a river filled with Hippo. In the morning one of the crew members pointed something out to me: a hippo had had her baby that night and was resting in the water right across from my tent. The afterbirth was still on the shore being devoured by baboons and crocodiles while the new mom protected her adorable baby. We saw lions with cubs, young giraffe playing and baby elephants trying to figure out what to do with their trunk. Young zebra and topi were running around and the hyena's were showing their cubs the best way to eat the hippo they had caught. But like I said before, the number of animals was just incredible. On the ride to and from our second camp we saw over fifty elephants. On another ride we saw a group of about twenty lions jumping out of the bushes. In total I think I've seen over thirty lions (and heard even more, as they were roaring all around our tents at night).
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