This trip came all of a sudden. If you follow my blog, then you also may know that I work for the Travel Industry, and this trip to Kenya came as one of those office trips which I will not forget for a very long time. It was an all-organized and sponsored trip by our partner and my office, I was accompanied by 3 other colleagues.. so none of the travel criteria did this trip lived upto.. but still it was a memorable trip.. and surely I should share my experience of whatever little we manage to see in between our work.. the only thing I won’t be able to help you much with is cost bifurcation as I do in my other travel plans.. but will try as much as I can..
Kenya Travel || African wildlife || travelling to Africa || Ol Pejeta, Kenya || Sponsored Trip || Kenyan Wildlife || Wildlife conservancies, Kenya|| Where to go in Kenya || Places to Visit in Kenya ||What to see in Kenya || Masai Mara|| Jungle of Mara || Mara Game Drive|| Big Five, Kenya||
M.A.S.A.I. M.A.R.A…. Where to start about you.. what to talk about you? How much to talk about you? Or how well and successfully one can depict you? One of the most famously infamous jungles of the world? Wild beauty!! Nature is unabashedly all loud, wholeheartedly brave, generously over the top in colour, adorned in creativity.. in simple words.. this place is an eye-freezing, undeniable beauty..
You are a fan of wildlife or not.. doesn’t matter.. nature here is magnet.. it will attract you in no time.. when we crossed the gate, went a little inside the jungle premise.. I didn’t care if I could have spotted the big five or any one of them.. I just wanted to see more and more of the greens and blues trying to hold each other, those typical acacia trees which define Kenya as ‘Kenya’.. the bushes, the white spread of clouds all across the infinite blue sky.. everything is so different here.. and so distinctively beautiful.
I never knew I could be so greedy for more and more of a jungle.. I wanted to drive across every corner of the territory, not to miss any part of the beauty to regret later.. you know what I mean? I don’t think you do.. it’s only possible when you have seen the jungle of Mara all by yourself. There are so many sides, regions of the jungle to explore. Before I speak more.. let me tell you few nitty-gritty information..
Duration:
Make a note.. a stay in Masai Mara has to be a minimum of 3 nights.. 2 nights won’t help at all.. minimum of 3 nights for sure and then it can go on till a week or whatever you may wish..
Masai Mara: what to see? How to see? & Game Drive…
We came to Mara from Naivasha, which took us about 4 hours without stopping anywhere in between. Maybe a small loo break for 10 minutes but nothing else. Before you enter the gate of Mara, the car stops at the gate for documentation formalities.. during that time be a little careful to keep the windows of the cars closed. You will see Masai ladies selling hand-made jewellery approaching your van. If you wish to buy from them, which is helping their community, please bargain and still be careful as everyone will try to sell their stocks to you.
Then we enter an eternal world.. preserved with some unknown enchantment.. that’s what my thought was as we kept driving into the jungle. You won’t find smooth concrete roads here, we are in the jungle, roads are mud roads and driving will be rough.. but that’s the speciality of the place.. don’t complain.
SO inside the jungle area, you don’t see hotels all of a sudden in the middle, hotels.. actually, all are more of resorts here.. are ways apart from each other.. that’s the rule, there’s no neighbour to any hotel, they are miles apart from each other, again this is to protect the chastity of the local ecology or environment. Will talk more about accommodation later.
Let talk about Game Drive straight away now..
For game drives, parks are open from 6 am to 6 pm in the evening, now all properties are inside the park, but vehicles aren’t allowed to roam around the jungle beyond this time. One can go for a full-day game drive starting from morning till evening or one can go for a half-day game drive. There is a little variation of full-day game drives, will describe them below:
- You take a packed breakfast and some light-packed lunch, then go for a full-day game drive, you come back to the hotel in the evening. In such cases you have to be very careful of having water or using the loo, as there won’t be any option inside the jungle, maybe in the range offices or if you are crossing territories (I will explain this later), there you can find washrooms and can have your food there. Otherwise, inside the jungle, you aren’t allowed to get down from the vehicle.
- Also, you may carry your breakfast, if you want to have it in the jungle, your driver will know the places safe to get down from the vehicle and you may have your breakfast in a safe vicinity of the wild nature. Then you may continue for a half-day game drive, go back to the hotel for lunch then again, resume your game drive in the afternoon till 6 in the evening. This is one of the best options most people opt for. However, a small disadvantage is you are restricted to the areas explored, as you always have a timeline to come back, otherwise, it’s quite a good option when you have kids or senior people in the group.
- Or if you are someone who wants to enjoy the luxury of the property you are staying at and the abundance of the nature, then you may go for a half-day game drive, maybe in the morning or during sunset.
The best time for spotting is early morning, if you are lucky enough you may see some chase, or another best time for spotting is sunset.
If you ask me, it’s quite easy to spot the BIG 5s, if ‘we’ could spot them with a time restriction, then anyone can.. unless it’s really a hot dry day and all animals are hiding under the cool shade for some relief.
If you ask me, it’s quite easy to spot the BIG 5s, if ‘we’ could spot them with time restriction, then anyone can.. unless it’s really a hot dry day and all animals are hiding under the cool shade for some relief.
We were lucky enough to spot different birds, deers, topi, different species of antelopes, hyenas, and mother fox with her kids, then hippos, cheetahs (we couldn’t spot leopards though), lions, buffalos, elephants, rhinos, crocodiles etc.. all of them were very very enthralling, more than exciting and lifetime experience.. BUTTT my favourite was spotting the giraffes.
Truly, giraffe spotting was my favourite.. we were waiting for so long but couldn’t find them, but when we did.. we were in a colony of Giraffes.. as far as we could see.. there were giraffes, giraffes and more of them, of different sizes, in groups, alone, all standing still.. at times it seemed we are looking at some life-size statues than real-life giraffes.. left-right, front-behind.. there were only them.. there were no other vans chasing them, it was all quiet, only our car engine vibration we could hear, there was nothing there.. only the giraffes, our vehicle and us, obnoxiously gawping at them. We were zoned out, it was a different world.. it was something else..
Usually spotting the cheetahs or lions.. vehicles get the information and all start gathering around and the animals don’t have a place to escape.. or they are crossing in front of your vehicle, it’s all interesting.. highly interesting.. but the giraffe spotting for me was something else. Oo An interesting part is.. sometimes, you spot a number of vehicles from one end of the jungle to the other almost at the horizon line.. the vehicles then rush to that gathering and voila.. you have something to see.. a chase, kill, hunt or like us a Cheetah couple marking their territory!!
Ok, a few more things.. you know that Masai Mara is spread across Tanzania as well, where the name has been changed to Serengeti.. You can also visit the border of Kenya- Tanzania between Mara and Serengeti.
Also, the jungle is so well spread out among a few regions of Kenya. SO, even within Mara, when you are crossing a region, you need to pay additional park fees to what you are paying at the time of entering. For e.g. Mara Serena.. when you stay at Mara Serena, you pay additional park fees as you are entering another region of the country. But that shouldn’t stop you from staying in Mara Serena, one of the best properties here, the view of the landscape and river, especially during migration.. breath-pausing.. nothing else..
All these sound so interesting isn’t it.. Masai Mara is kind of an experience you can only understand once you see it.. I knew it’s beautiful, it’s nature, it had to be good right? But practically after seeing the place.. it was in every bit thrilling, and in all good ways..
Accommodation:
There are quite a few options available, from budget to luxury..
Starting from budget to premium: Jumbo Mara, Mara Sentrim, Keekorok, Mara Sopa, Mara Serena, Mara Leisure Camp, Mara Simba, Ashnil, Mara Sarova etc
A few Luxury options: Fairmont Mara, Giraffe Manor, Governor’s House etc.
The properties are mostly not fenced, and many times wild beasts do come inside, hence post sunset, most of them are put under tight security all over the property, please follow the rules, be out in the presence of security where is highly advised.
Few Things to Remember while in Mara:
Bush breakfast:
Many properties arrange a bush breakfast, where you get a lifetime experience of watching wildlife from a close distance and have your meal inside the jungle land.
Also, when in game drive and you are stopping for your breakfast and if you want to get down from the vehicle for that, please trust your driver come guide’s advice, they know the place to and fro. You are trespassing a territory full of predators, hence be careful no matter how excited you are.
Hot Air Balloon:
During migration, you should SHOULD go for a Hot Air balloon ride, it’s a view, it’s lifetime moments lived in one day.. it’s expensive for sure, about 450-500 USD pp, but just go for it..
Toilet:
You don’t have easily available toilets in the mid of the jungles, hence please be careful of drinking and eating portions till you are on a safari.
Camera:
OO you have to have a good camera to capture all that you see, for memories, for boasting in peer group and for your joy for revising those moments.
Sunscreen
You need good sunscreen, I came back with a thick dark tan.. I am anyway dark but even we get tan.. so good sunscreen is a must and getting tanned is not bad as well..
That’s all I can think of Masai Mara for now.. that’s everything I have for now I guess.. one more Kenya post is pending now.. I will share some titbits on Kenya that will help you plan your itinerary.. Be back soon.. till then hope you enjoyed this post.. do share your thoughts with me and how are enjoying this Kenya series??
TurtleGotWings 