> Day 38, Part 2 - Maasai Mara

We were met at the hotel reception with cool, wet towels and fresh orange juice. We were led out to the patio where we would fill out our room card and receive our keys. When we stepped out of the hotel walls and onto the spacious patio, I literally stopped in my tracks at the stunning scene in front of me. We were 5100ft above sea level, atop one of the small mountains in the middle of the Maasai Mara plains. We could see as far as one can see before the horizon begins to slope. In the valley below us were thousands of animals driven by instinct to compete against nature in The Great Migration. Wildebeests walked in a single file line to meet up with the giant herd that would cross the river below us. Knowing that many of them would end up in the jaws of crocodiles, I wondered if they knew their possible fate. Given that it can take days for those at the front of the herd to work up the nerve to take the plunge that causes hundreds of others to follow them, they must be fully aware of the danger!

Several Baboons chattered just below our balcony while we unpacked our things. Around 3:30pm we boarded a hotel safari vehicle with one other couple and began our tour. We went to the river where the Wildebeests were lined up, poised for their crossing. We hoped to see them leap into the narrow strip of water but apparently they were still immobilized by their fear.

Of all the animals we saw today, the baby elephants were the most adorable. A happy family of pachyderms walked directly across our path. The Maasai Giraffes were the most beautiful. Their markings are very different from the Rothschild Giraffes and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen one anywhere else. After learning that there are only something like 37 Black Rhinos in the region and that they are on the endangered species list, we were thrilled to see a large female Black Rhino and her healthy baby, even though they were at quite a distance. But the most exciting sighting of the day was the lions! Our first lions! A male awakened and strolled over to two females. One of the sleeping females raised her head, yawned a few times and then flopped back onto the ground. And then about 100 yards away we saw another male. He sauntered by all of the vehicles on his way to the other lions, stopping briefly to mark his territory. I would have liked to stay and watch them for awhile, but a storm was moving in and our driver was concerned because we were quite far from the lodge.

The dark clouds created a breathtaking landscape of vibrant green leaves and a multi-colored sky. A rainbow appeared on one side of our vehicle while the sky sent bright bolts of lightning to the plains on the other side of us. We drove about halfway back with the roof open, perfect for seeing all of the Gazelles, Zebras, Wildebeests and Cape Buffaloes. We closed the roof when the dirt road became wet and then we drove into the rain. We caught up to a vehicle that was fish-tailing all over the road. We pulled up next to them, our guide offered some advice in Swahili, and then we drove in front of them. From the safety of our vehicle, we encouraged them on as they continuously slid sideways, back and forth, and we cheered when we all made it back to the lodge safely!