Kenya - Thursday 17 October

We had a bit of a lie in today and didn't have to get up until 6am! We had to be ready with our bags packed by 7am as we were off to have a 'bush breakfast'. We were taken to an elevated section of the plains about a 10 min drive from the lodge where a table for 7 had been set, as our driver was also joining us, and we had a starter of fruit, followed by cereal and then a cooked breakfast! We were all stuffed by the end of it.

View of the Sleeping Warrior crater from our balcony

With our fellow travellers for a bush breakfast

The view from our table

After breakfast we drove to Lake Navisha for a boat ride - this was an additional extra as it was one of the things that Jane in our group wanted to do and we were all up for it. However, when we arrived we were in for a bit of a shock at the cost - it was £25 each, which was a lot for what it was, but especially at Kenya prices. It also wiped out half of the remaining cash we had left in Kenyan shillings. However we did enjoy it and saw our first sighting of wildebeest and hippos there! We also met John and Peter the pelicans!!

John & Peter the pelicans!

The hippos eyeing us up - better not get too close!

After the lake visit it was the long drive to the Masai Mara. Most of the road was Tarmac but the last 60km wasn't...... It was of the most bumpiest and dustiest journeys we have ever taken! I had brown trousers on but you could see the dust on them.

Once inside the Masai Mara game reserve we had another game drive and Ahmed got a call over the radio to say there was a leopard devouring a deer so he bombed across to where it was, and we arrived with about 4 other vans. First of all we couldn't see very clearly as he was hiding in the bushes whilst eating his kill but then he moved to a clearer spot and we had a great view of him.

Leopard relaxing after his kill

It was also the first time we had seen wildebeest in their masses, mixed in with the zebra who apparently follow the wildebeest around as they don't have good eyesight! We also saw two lions dozing.

Quite literally a zebra crossing!

Snoozing lions

Not long after seeing the lions our van got stuck for a 2nd time, and this time there were no vans close by to help. So we all got out to try and get the van moving again - first of all we rocked the van from side to side hoping we could dislodge it but that didn't work, then we tried pushing it and it wasn't budging. Ahmed was calling around to see if anyone could help but no one was near so we were going to have to wait. It was hot, we were all covered in dust, and we were being head bombed by flies (Masai Mara is the only place where we have been pestered by flies) and to top it all Ahmed said 'this is not a good place to get stuck, there are a lot of lions around'. From then on we all kept looking nervously over our shoulders until help arrived 30 mins later!

By this time the sun was going down and we still had another 20km to go before we got to our camp, so Ahmed bombed along to get us there just before dark - you do not want to be out on those little tracks through the plains at night! However, it did mean we saw a beautiful sunset.

We arrived at camp and, because we were one of the last groups to arrive, we were given tents that were the furthest away from the main area - which was a 10 min walk. It may not sound much, but it seems very far when you are walking in a thunderstorm (yes that evening it was pouring, with thunder and lightning, and blowing a gale) or in the blazing sun.

The tents are quite nice, and look over a river full of hippo - although you hear them more than you see them!

 

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