The spotted land of the Maasais. Known so because of the savannah landscape that is dotted sporadically with acacia trees adorned with leopards and the spirits of the land. Famous for the Mara river that runs through it, separating the land of the Maasais from the SerengetiNational park. It is Africa in the true sense.
Unfortunately, we were a few weeks too early to see the entire plain teeming with wildlife. The migration was supposed to start a week or two after our visit there, and only the tester herds had crossed the river, braving the crocodile infested Mara. The lawn mowers or the wildebeests had not yet arrived, and the grass was waist high, hiding all the smaller creatures from view. Not very promising conditions for a visit, but it was Africa after all…
We drove down from LakeNaivasha to Maasai mara, leaving the Great Rift Valley behind us, and checked into Keekerok resort, which had a private pool with its own family of hippos! It was situated bang in the middle of the wilderness and we could see gazelles and giraffes grazing placidly from our rooms. We spent all our free time in a watch tower situated next to the pool, watching the hippos socialize and the dominant male establish his upper hand by gruesome fights where the males flung tons of body mass against each other, mouth open wide and teeth barred to kill. The fights we witnessed lasted no longer than a few seconds as there was no serious contender to the alpha male and the other smaller males backed down quickly and submissively.
The drives into the grassland were more than magical. Stretches of dry grass with clumps of stunted trees forming islands of lush greenery, as far as your eyes could see. The land forming solid waves as it rose up and smoothly crashed onto the shore of coarse grass. Herds of various species of gazelles, giraffes, zebras and gnus all chomping at the roots of the grass with single minded precision. An occasional alarm call and flurry of activity as the predators weaved their way across the savannah. We were lucky enough to see most of the predators that keep the population of the grass chompers in check- a pride of around twenty lions that consisted of incredibly cute and small cubs, a cheetah that was taking his siesta on a mound hardly a few feet away from our jeep, hyenas that cantered away laughing wildly, and even the very rare Savo cat.
The last day in the wilderness, we drove down to the Mara river, where we were accompanied by a forest guard who took us on a small walk along the banks of the river. We climbed down the very crevasses that the gnus and the zebras use during the migration, that have been carved over the centuries by the migrating herds, as they escaped the jaws of the crocodiles that lay basking in the sun as if they had all the time in the world. We had a picnic lunch by the river side, as very cocky Vervet monkeys and colourful lizards teemed around us. It was a real ordeal to keep an eye on all these various creatures that seemed so keen on plucking food out of your very hands, while trying to figure out how to break through the tough skin of the very foreign fruits in the basket!
It was finally time to say goodbye to the musty African air that I had been breathing for a week, and my dad and I scrambled around buying all the curios we could lay our hands on as my mom frowned upon us. It had been a truly unbelievable week. It had passed by so quickly that things were still blurry and would take another month or so to safely tuck in the memories into the folds on my brain. It was a week I would never forget. It was my first trip to the Dark Continent.
I love the Hippos and enjoyed the post.
The best my pommepal and I could do was at Taronga Park Zoo, Sydney.http://pommepal.wordpress.com/
The hippos were adorable… Though not quite so when they fought of course! 😉
Thank you!!
Dear sumi, Another well written piece. “……but it was Africa after all”… you couldn’t have expressed your sentiments for the dark continent better 🙂 The photographs are a visual treat. Keep writing and adding colour and verve to our days Sumi 🙂 Affly, bharath
Thank you so much, Mama!! I am glad you liked the post! 🙂
What a phenomenal experience — I am sure you could have watched those sights for weeks. Wonderful post to help preserve just a small portion of the memories.
Thank you, Kat!! Phenomenal is just the right word for the trip!! 🙂
great photos!
Thank you so much!! 🙂
The pictures are actually my dad’s. You can check out his blog here:
http://sriramjanak.wordpress.com/
Beautiful Post. Dream of visiting Africa one day! Superb pics.
Thank you so much!! Hope you soon get a chance to visit the continent. It truly is one of a kind!! 🙂
All that mighty wildlife I can’t even imagine what it must feel like to see! And I would probably want to hug that cheetah so bad. That or run away. 😉
Ha ha!! Yes, the cheetah was extremely adorable. Especially when it suddenly nodded off!! 😉
What an absolute adventure. This is just magnificent. I love it. Just amazing. Really appreciate the photos too.
The drive through the grasslands…. magic.
Thank you so much for your constant encouragement. It really means a lot. 🙂
And the pictures are by my dad. You can check his blog here:
sriramjanak.wordpress.com
Wow. Just saw a show last night with David Attenborough, showing the wildebeests crossing the Mara. Frightening stuff…sorry you missed the migration. That would be something!
Yes, that is something that we are planning to see sometime in the near future!! 🙂
Beautiful, poetic description, Sumithra. To witness nature on this scale is such an incredible experience. Yes, it stays with you and takes time to digest. I was there in ’07 and remember it like it was yesterday.
Thank you so much, Lynne, for your constant encouragement! And I am sure these memories will stay dear to me even after many many years, just like yours did!!
Shared this post with my six-yr-old. He identified the animals and was delighted with the pretty cheetah.
What a gorgeous trip, I love that sleepy little cheetah. You are such a detailed and eloquent tour guide, thank you for sharing this wonderful experience with us!
Thank you so much, Vivian!!
A very happy new year to you and yours too!! 🙂
Looking forward to more of your posts this year!!
Hey, I wanted to see what you’ve been up to. You must be knee deep in it, too busy to write 🙂
Happy new year. & looking forward to more adventures. Your pictures are BRILLIANT, always, they really enhance your posts (let alone the adventures!).
Thank you so much!! A very happy new year to you and yours too!! 🙂
The pictures are actually my dad’s. You can check out his work here: http://sriramjanak.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to more of your posts this year! 🙂
Do keep in touch!
Wonderful, thank you for sharing your fabulous adventure with us 🙂
Thank you so much, Eleenie. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it!! 🙂
Excellent photos. As I’ll probably never travel there, I’ll live vicariously thru your pictures and post. Wonderful!
Thank you so much, Judy! Glad I could be of a little help. And the photos are my dad’s. You can check out his blog at: http://sriramjanak.wordpress.com/
What a beautiful post ! Your safari experiences told in a quiet, observant voice. And your photos are wonderful too.
Thank you so much! 🙂
The photographs are actually my dad’s. You can check out his blog here:
http://sriramjanak.wordpress.com/
Fabulous shots and account Sumitra!! We might be going to Tanzania later this year. Hope we have better luck with the migration. The movements of the herds is apparently very unpredictable with changing weather patterns.
Thank you!
And all the very best for your trip! 🙂