June 17
Boarding the plane at Nairobi's Wilson Airport not far from our Hotel.
We arrive at Masai Mara airstrip where our drivers are waiting for us. The plane made three stops in the Masai Mara with a 4 minute hop and a 6 minute hop before our stop.
The airstrip and our waiting Land Rovers.
Allen greets our Land Rover drivers.
The drivers had extensive knowledge of the animals and plants as well as an amazing ability to spot them when at a far distance or when well hidden. All while also navigating the roads! And our two OAT guides, Allen and Kim had many years of formal schooling as well as years of experience to lend to the wealth of knowledge they brought to the safari.
These ladies at the airport are selling their wares. We doubt they see much business with so few flights. And they seem to wait for us to approach them. In other places we find sellers a bit more aggressive. Our group soon learns that saying hapana asante (no thank you) is much more effective than trying to explain in English you're not interested or have no money.
Before leaving the airstrip we snap a photo of the Park Rules which are prominently displayed. 8:34am
A 'journey of giraffes' refers to a group of giraffes traveling. When standing still they are referred to as a 'tower of giraffes'.
Kori bustard. 9:12am
Snack time. 9:20
A different view includes the other jeep and Leslie checking out the refreshments table.
Packing up after snack time, Debbie and Emerson see something that's caught their attention. 9:33
Now they're asking Kim, "what kind of animal was that again?".
This sign reminds us that nonreusable plastic bags were illegal in both Kenya and Tanzania. BTW - both Maasai and Masai are correct spellings.
Ostriches 10:30
Why is the ranger parked here?
The ranger is needed to control all this traffic because there's something in that tree.
It's a beautiful leopard!
The leopard and its impala kill. Leopards can carry kills that weigh more than they do up into trees.
The leopards panting is from being full and not from being hot.
It moves its food to the other side of the tree. The leopard will feed for several days on this kill. Allen took this video with a cell phone camera looking through a binocular.
These are plains zebras. The stripes extend under the belly and are wider than the Grevy's zebras. (We encountered Grevy's zebras in our pre-trip). 11:42
Sentrim Mara
Greeted with song at Sentrim Mara as we arrive around noon.
Our cabin (number 19).
Interior of our cabin.
Bathroom.
Afternoon game drive, we see this warthog. 3:38
Yellow billed oxpecker on back of zebra. 4:07
Impalas. 4:17
A pair of cheetahs lying in a small ditch. 4:45
A lone acacia tree. 5:25
Hartebeests. 5:35
Eland and zebras. 5:55
A bachelor herd of impalas.
Marching ants near our cabin. 6pm
Sentrim Mara's dining area behind the hotel lobby lounge area.
A delicious fish for dinner.
Dessert table.
June 18
Early morning start for a game drive. Giraffes and impalas. 7:20
Zebra and topi. 7:32
Zebras 7:35
Yellow throated longclaw. 7:46am
Helmeted guineafowl.
Guineafowl, eles in the distance and drongo on tree branch. 7:53
Black drongo. 7:54am
Guineafowl crossing the road. 7:55am
Leopard in tree seen yesterday morning, has now mostly consumed its impala prey (legs hanging). 8:39
Cheetahs. 9:26
A pack of banded mongoose.
A lilac-breasted roller.
Tommies and Grants
Another mid-morning break in Masai Mara park beats having to drive back to the lodge for a meal! 10:20
Warthogs 10:50
Ostriches and topi. 10:57
Topi 11:04
A pair of lions seemingly "alone" in the vast Masai Mara in this photo! 11:42
Male and female lions resting at 11:39
A few minutes later...this! 11:43
Afterwards... 11:55
Moving to front of a vehicle. 11:55
This photo reveals they're not so alone on the Masai Mara plain!
Cape buffalo. 12:14
Not too far away a pride of lions seek refuge from the sun under the shade of this tree.
Another male arrives to enjoy the shade. 12:19
The two males are in front, the gals in the back!
Viewing from our vehicle. We were not allowed outside the vehicles when around animals.
Lunchtime selfie. 1:24
Our lunchtime view of the "sleeping Masai warrior" range. 1:24
A spotted hyena.
Kori bustard on the move. 2:16
A kori bustard up close. 2:16
Mid afternoon we spy yet another leopard! This one has a zebra kill.2:40
Close up of this leopard we wonder what its looking at.
Seems it's this pair of cheetahs who are keeping their eye on the leopard. They are definitely not friends of the leopard. (Note: There's a wildebeest on the rim of that hill back there!) 2:33
Maribou Stork 3:13
A closer view shows he needs a bit of cleaning up!
Back to camp after a full day. 3:27
Late afternoon, we head to the nearby village. On the way we see this boy kicking a plastic water barrel that he had filled at the central tap. Some of our group took turns "helping" him roll it! 5:15
Some little boys are playing with their toy trucks made from discarded oil bottles.
Allen with one of the little boys.
Cute children waving.
Our group walking around the village.
Allen telling us more about life in this village.
Older boys playing football (soccer). People who identify as herders always seem to carry a stick. One of the boys had his stick in his hand as he played.
Two older guys talk while having hot tea with milk.
In far left of above photo is an outhouse. Most of the rural places still use outhouses but even in places with running water the Masai don't feel that a toilet inside the house is sanitary.
Charcoal for sale.
Entrance to a boarding school.
Herds of cows coming in for the night.
Masai herder.
Such lovely smiles as this girl carries firewood and yet another boy rolls a water barrel back home.
Our group as we leave town.
Heading back to the lodge, Allen stops to tell us about this plant that's now considered mildly poisonous, but was commonly used medicinally when he was young. 6pm