Maasai Mara
on It began in Africa (Kenya), 31/Aug/2011 12:15, 34 days ago
Anyone who has ever watched a David Attenborough documentary or taken even a passing interest in the natural world must have heard of the Maasai Mara and the Great Migration - the largest migration of land mammals anywhere in the world, where almost two million wildebeest move from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, and back again.Eddie and I have just returned from a three day trip to see just that, and despite all the hype I can honestly say it was incredible and completely lived up to its reputation.On our first evening we saw two lionesses with three cubs, and that was just the first of several lion sightings:On our second day we also saw a cheetah, idling nonchalantly by the wildebeest as if it just happened to have stumbled on them by chance. Don't be fooled Wildebeest! We know his game!We caught a glimpse of a leopard tucking into a dik-dik (a very small and very cute antelope). Leopards are incredibly difficult to spot, partly because they are the only African big cat that climbs trees:And of course, where there are well-fed big cats the vultures are never far behind. For some reason I imagine this vulture is saying: "Where there's muck there's brass lad."We were incredibly lucky and got to see a wildebeest river crossing. We stopped on top of a hill for lunch and a friend spotted the wildebeest massing on the opposite side of the Mara river. Our guide rushed us back into the van and tore down the hill at break-neck speed to get us there just in time. He told us later that people normally wait days to see a crossing.As suddenly as the crossing started it came to a halt and when the river cleared we could see why - a huge crocodile surfaced and a little later we could see it had a wildebeest.After all that bloodthirsty action it was lovely to hang out with the elephants for a while:On our final morning we got up early to be in the park at first light and it was completely worth it. We came across two fresh lion kills covered in vultures, then watched this hyena muscle in on the action (after a lot of looking over his shoulder to check the lions really had left).Then a little further on we saw a lion with it's own kill. When you see lions and their cubs they seem playful and kind of cuddly, like overgrown domestic cats. When you see the look in this lion's eyes though you know they are predators first and foremost.For most of our trip the weather was our only real disappointment, as it was cold and damp, which made it hard to photograph the beauty of the landscape. On our final morning, though, Eddie managed to get this shot:Beautiful, but I'm still not quite sure it manages to convey the vastness of the Mara. It's a cliche, but it felt good to see that there is still this huge, untamed place out there. We couldn't help wondering how long it will continue to feel like that though. The picture below shows the lions surrounded by mini-vans and tourists. Our guides insisted that the animals aren't bothered by all the attention but we remained unconvinced. This kind of mass-tourism must ultimately impact on how the animals behave.What's more, you only have to step outside the park gates and into the small Maasai towns and suddenly you're surrounded by plastic bags and litter - the 'real' Kenya. And while you still see plenty of Maasai guys herding cattle and living in traditional manyatta (huts), you also see Maasai people flogging bead work to the tourists and asking for money for photographs. Change is creeping in, but for better or worse the lesser-spotted wazungu will continue to be a regular sight at the Mara for some time to come:If anyone is considering a trip to the Mara we used Moriah Safaris. Their rates are extremely good value, especially for groups, and they can be contacted on info@moriahafricantour.com/ +254 (0)20 3578473/ +254 (0)722 755825. We stayed atSidai Camp.