Wednesday 25 January 2017

Encounter Mara

After the trip our boat ride we were off again by road to the Masai Mara, a part of the Serengeti which lies in Kenya.

The road to get to our next stop was incredibly bumpy with a dirt surface and snaked through the countryside which gradually changed to grass lands.   There was a drought in this part of Kenya which has not seen rain in 5 months.  We arrived after bumping along for 2 hours at the transfer point, a village alongside the road. There we were met by out next guide, Lemkoko who was to take over while we stayed at Encounter Mara.

Lemkoko as all guides in this camp, in Maasai and explained to us that we were about to be taken to a camp within The Mara Naboisho Consevancy owned and managed by the Maasi people.

Where the road getting to the village had been bumpy, it was smooth in comparison with the one we followed to take us to our camp.  When we arrived we discovered that the camp consists of a number of tents, big and beautiful with tents for common areas, a sitting room and a dining tent.  It was to be a 'glamping' experience for sure!  (That is glamorous camping).





Our first order of business was to go on an evening game drive and to experience a 'sundowner' which is a stop to enjoy a drink and watch the sun set.  Along the way we saw many of the same animals we had already seen in the days previous, but we did come across lions.


The first lion we found was actually on the camp grounds.  A female with three cubs.  She had cleverly brought them inside the electric fence surrounding the camp to protect them from predators, including males in her pride who would kill the Cubs as they had been sired by a previous, and since departed, male.



We also came across some males who were in the nomadic part of their lives.  From 2-4 years of age, these lions would move about Feely and perhaps form a coalition.  At 4 years of age they would look for a pride, and join it, challenging any male and themselves for mating privileges.



We rounded off the day with a 'sundowner' downer...watching the sunset while enjoying a cool beverage.





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