101 - African Adventure - Day 12, 13 & 14 (Masai Mara - Naboisho Conservancy) - Sa Far (i), So Good

We wrapped up our time at the Lewa Conservancy, with a short game drive en route to the airport, most of which was spent listening to Taz fret about whether or not we were going to be there in time to check-in and clear security.

Turns out, that was not an issue. 

"Are you guys going to Masai Mara...? Hop in."

Our two days at Lewa were spent mainly checking off many of the animals on our list.

But, to really maximize your safari experience you need to take some time to just sit and watch the amazing behaviours of all these creatures. At three times the size of Lewa, "The Mara" was definitely the place for that. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions for things to do on your next safari.

1. Get comfy.

Hey, who said "roughing it" had to be rough? (definitely not Britt). Game drives can really take a toll on your body,

 

Make sure your accommodations are relaxing, to recharge and refuel between adventures,

with great views,

and ample sentries,

(Hyrax)

(Neighbourly Zebras)

for security.

2. Get to know your guide.

As previously mentioned, the guides are typically Masai Warriors, with ample qualifications (Ref. Blog #100).  Don't miss the opportunity to visit their village,

Where you can learn about their culture, like how they don't eat game meat, only farmed cattle, sheep and goats...

(lion-proof nighttime paddock)

...washed down with milk and the occasional glass of fresh blood.

See how they build their homes in 3 months with mud and cow dung,

meet their families,

join a traditional dance,

(Ladies Only)

and get suckered in at the "shopping mall".

3. March with elephants

Pretty self explanatory.

This shirt,

 travelled a long way through time and space for this moment.

(Sauble Beach - July 1987)

4. Get closer to lions than common sense says you should.

With three prides in our area of the Mara there was no shortage of lion encounters over the week.

We joined these to bachelor brothers for a morning stroll 

as they marked their territory, 

patrolled for interlopers,

and took care of morning business.

We spent another afternoon lounging with this massive pride (~30 members), 

As the cubs rolled and played their way through the bush.

(click on video once to load, then again to play)

So cute!

5. Start a potentially lethal (but also hilarious) stampede of hippos.

We heard hippos can be quite dangerous, in fact according to our guide, they are responsible for more human deaths than any other animal on safari. 

Apparently, when they are in the water (where they hide out from the sun all day), they are quite docile,

and it's completely safe to stand right at the water's edge,

should the need arise.

At night, however, they come out of the water to graze, 

and the vulnerability of being on land makes them so nervous that they can charge at any moment, and in the words of our guide, will "slice a person in half with one bite."

So, when we fortuitously stumbled upon this duo, early one morning, 

safety was top of mind as we veered off the road and careened through the bush directly towards them. The two-tonne behemoths first tried to "hide" by ducking inside some hedges. Which was about as ridiculous as you can imagine.

"If we don't move maybe they won't notice us..."

They quickly realized the gig was up and proceeded to tear off through the brush at 30 km/h, with us bouncing along beside them.

This is just a glimpse, but it was impressive and hilarious, we can't stop laughing about it. Ciel has declared hippos her "new favourite animal"....and fortunately, no one got dismembered!

6. Watch a leopard climb a tree.
The most elusive of the "Big Five", we weren't sure we were going to lay eyes on one of these stealthy cats. Fortuitously, one emerged from the bushes on our second-to-last drive to say hello, provide us with some iconic pics,

and a few close ups,

before disappearing back into the bush.

Big Five? Check.

7. Speaking of iconic cats...

 

This mama cheetah and four cubs hadn't eaten in a couple days, so we spent some time watching them tumble around hoping for some high-speed action.

She got our hopes up a couple times,

But, a leisurely stroll is all we got.

8. See all the antelopes...and their quirky habits.

Along with the Impalas, Eland and Grant's Gazelles that we saw in Lewa, the Mara is also home to the Thomson's Gazelle.

(Favourite food of the Cheetah, due to it's relatively small size, most others are too big for the slender cat)

All of these antelopes organize themselves into one of two groups. The first consists of a dominant male, with a harem of females, the other is a group of bachelor males waiting their turn to take over the harem. 

The dominant male spends all his time shepherding and mating with females and not much time eating. Eventually, he's so worn out that one of the bachelors comes along and takes his place, booting him out to roam the savannah alone for evermore.

Prompting our guide to cheerfully greet any of these lonesome fellows, "Good morning, loooser!"

We also laid eyes on the colourful Topi,

the Waterbuck,

and the many Wildebeests which literally dot the landscape.

Each of these shaggy males holds court over a patch of grass about the size of two tennis courts, tending it and chasing off any other males, in hopes that a group of females will be enticed to graze on his turf.

At which point, he'll hold mating rights...until the green is spent, then they're off to find a Gnu guy. (#killerdadjoke)

9. Take in some dinner theatre.

We were lucky enough to take in this scene on our first day.

Where our two brothers gorged on fresh Wildebeest,

while simultaneously defending their prize from the circling hyenas,

as the silver-backed jackals, and vultures awaited any scraps.

Despite over thirty hyenas, yipping and egging each other on, the brothers held fast and fended them off for an entire day with merely a glance.

King of the Jungle.

10. Face death

This seems to be a recurring trend on this trip. This time we were lounging poolside,

When this little guy innocently poked his head up between the deck boards.

Initial Google searches by Tom, our chaise lounge neighbour, had us concerned this could be the lethal Green Mamba,

but he soon reassured us it was probably the harmless Eastern Natal snake.

Of course, it wasn't until the next day that our guide identified it as the highly-venomous Boomslang.

Who's bite "has been observed to cause internal or external haemorrhaging resulting in death within 30 minutes."

Thanks a lot Google.

11. Don't miss the sunsets.

Epic.

That's it for us, we're back at the bustling airstrip, awaiting transfer to Nairobi.

Hopefully, that's enough to get you started planning your next safari adventure!