Mara Animals

The migration of the Wildebeests (a.k.a. Gnu) makes The Mara is one of the best-known game parks in Africa along with the Serengeti, its mirror image in Tanzania.
It also has some of the best animal viewing on the continent. We were deposited at the Mara Safari Club airstrip, 1 of 3 scheduled landings spots in The Mara.
Our tent-homesteads were on the Mara River, home to hundreds of happy hippos. Some of us visited a Masai village to see how traditional pastoralists still live.
Our stay ended with a delightful "cultural exchange" with the young Masai men who ran the airstrip's "Duty Free Shop."
Also you can directly go to Lewa, charter plane, chimps, gorillas, pygmies and giraffes and elephants.



We fly into the Mara Safari Club airstrip (Above).	The Mara Safari Club airfield has a more formal arrival & departure lounge (Above) than other airstrips we've flown into.	Each of our tent- cabins (Above) overlooked the Mara River, home to many hippos.	After a quick lunch, once again we were off on a game drive (Above).	Not that we need reminding...


Cape Buffalo (Above) ARE 1 of the Big 5 because they are cranky & dumb, thus unpredictable.	Classic pose of the Helmeted Guinea Fowl (Above), a favorite of WW's.	The Secretary Birds (Above) are named for their formal attire, and officious but proper behavior.	This male Ostrich is a good daddy, sitting on the eggs while mom is seeking food.	Baboons front ends are definitely cuter than their back ends. But they are sneaky & mean.


(Above) There were just too many cute pictures of hippo mommies, babies and families hanging together near our tents by the Mara River, where their laughter echoed throughout the camp much day and night. (Above R) Diana finally captured a hippos yawning or growling-- we don't know which because we didn't want to get any closer. Though hippos are not 1 of the "Big Five" and are herbivores, they annually kill more people than the Big Five combined. And in spurts, they can move those huge bodies at up to 30 m.p.h.


Crocodiles (Above) may share the river with hippos, but no one is their friend.	If you look really, really carefully, there's a leopard munching on his gazelle kill up in the tree (Above).	Game trucks all over the Mara radioed each other (Above) so that the tree was surrounded by 12 or more cars with 50+ people shouting & clicking cameras.	(Above R & L) In disgust, this leopard leaped out of the tree (scaring the poop out of the nearest vehicle) and slunk into the bush for peace & quiet.


(Above) We spy a pride of lions.	As we approached the pride we found practically unconscious lions (Above R & L) so completely full from their last kill that they had to sleep on their backs so their tummies could have room to digest		But at least 1 lioness was on her guard for the pride (Above).	Nearby, 2 warthogs ignore the lions because they are totally absorbed in alpha male fighting


As a break from animals, some of us visited a nearby Masai village to see how these pastoralists maintain their traditions. (Above L & Center) Masai women grab Jenny, Adrian and Bill to learn their dances. (Above R)			Adrian emerges in the rain from the village wearing a traditional Masai cloth he bought.	Masai children wave good-bye.


Topi mother with her nursing fawn.	Elephant mother with her nursing baby.	This adult Masai Gifaffe was made for a vertical photo.	Is this jackal chasing the giraffe or topi?	And is the hyena chasing all of them?


When we in East Africa in 1997, we saw a cheetah only once during our 2 weeks. During our time in Lewa and the Mara, getting close to cheetahs was almost a daily occurrence. They are streamlined, elegant animals made for speed and stealth. Cheetahs usually hunt alone, but brothers (Above C) are also known to become a power pair. The cheetah's odd pose (Above Far R) is his actually marking his territory as pet dogs or cats do on fire hydrants and trees at home.


A strange but interesting experience was posing 10 ft. away from a wild white rhino that is part of a sanctuary group to eventually be re-introduced into the Mara.	After an exhausting day of cruising for game, each of us relaxed in our own way. (Above Far L) Nathan hides in his mosquito-netted bed. (Above L) Diana writes in her journal. (Above R) Adrian practices his mandolin. (Above Far R) Before dinner we gather on the homestead porch to share our stories from the day.


At the end of our time on The Mara, we once again waited a bit for our scheduled flight, several of us bargained and traded magazines, jackets, t-shirts, etc. with the young Masai (all guys) who operated or hung out at the airstrip's "Duty Free Shop." Diana (Above Far L) ended up replacing the shoes of a man with her old Reefs. Rick (Above L) was requested to pose with a Masai, probably just for being a tall muzungu (white man). Adrian puts his Masai shawl back on to show off his new machete and samburu (war club) for which he traded his law school t-shirts, electronic crossword puzzle, and other U.S. trinkets. That gave Chris (Above R) the idea to trade his old windbreaker for a decorated samburu. Finally we were all involved in a Masai-American cross cultural conversation which gave us all a better perspective on each other.