East Africa 2012 - Maasai Mara

East Africa 2012 – Photo Safari to Kenya and Tanzania

February 4 – 7, Maasai Mara, Kenya

Little Governors’ Camp

The flight to Little Governors’ Camp on the Mara River in southern Kenya was uneventful. Before landing the pilot flew around the area to give us a great bird’s-eye view of the river and camp. This was our favorite tented-camp in 2010 and we were excited to return.

The drive from the airstrip to camp was eventful. We saw lions, and the lion pictured examined our vehicle and walked around it. The picture was taken through an open window, very close. His lady friend had walked around us ahead of him. They then walked a short ways away to continue their mating ritual. I’ll keep this G-Rated and leave out that picture.

Next we came across a large herd of zebras gathering at a water hole. It was pleasant just to watch them drinking and walking through the water. There were very few zebras in this area on our last visit.

Eventually we got to the Mara River. Since Little Governors’ Camp was on the other side, and there is no close bridge, we used a small boat which was pulled across the river by hand.

Our Lunch Buffet

As we walked the short distance in to camp, George, the camp manager, told us that one of the elephants that comes by every day about lunch time was in the area. George took us to the bar/lounge tent to wait and enjoy watching as the elephant walked carefully around tables, shook some of the trees to cause their fruit to fall for her to eat, and in general meander the area at will.

In due time, she wandered off and we went to the dining tent for lunch. The elephant had left our buffet alone. This general scenario was repeated each day, but with different elephants.

Conditions in the Mara were very different from our 2010 visit. The rains had come at a different time, and the grass was much taller and greener than before. This meant there were more zebra and wildebeest.

There were very few small antelope, as they like the short grassy areas. Therefore, the cheetah that prey on them were fewer and hard to find. We did come across a couple of cheetah and that created a traffic jam with many vehicles vying for a good photo position.

The lions and hyenas were around and one morning we came across a kill the hyenas had made, but which the lions had stolen. While two male lions ate their fill we counted at least eight hyenas circling, waiting to get back to finish what was left.

Hot air balloon rides are offered at Little Governors’ and sixteen of our group had signed up, before leaving home, for this opportunity. We went out before sunrise to take pictures and see them off. They had a good ride and finished with a champagne breakfast. This left just Jack, Rikki, Paul and me to go on the morning game ride. It was special to have some time together since the Swensons usually rotate among the vehicles so they can give advice to photographers.

On one drive we came across two hippos on land. They usually spend the day in the water and come out at night to graze.

There were the usual herds of elephants, of all ages, and this area is a habitat for the Masai giraffe, which has its own unique spot pattern.

Leopard, after sunset

One evening, as we returned to camp after sunset, we came across a leopard in a tree (other vehicles were there or we never would have found it.) Those of you who are photographers will appreciate this unedited photo. Using my Canon 7D with a 200mm lens and 1.4X extender, I propped the camera on a beanbag, set the ISO to 6400 and the shutter speed went to 1/8 of a second. It may not be perfect, but I’m still amazed I could capture the shot at all.

The last afternoon we had the privilege of visiting a Maasai village where the residents shared their dances, customs and culture. We learned about their social structure from an elder. All of the children go to school so Rikki presented them with supplies brought by our group.

My favorite shot. No cigarette, just a yawn.

On the way back to camp we stopped at a beautiful location along the Mara River to watch a group of hippos bathing below us. This was our final night “Sundowner” with drinks and nibbles. It was very sad to know we would be leaving our favorite camp the next morning.

In the morning it took three flights to leave Kenya, enter Tanzania, and go on to the Serengeti to continue our adventure.

 


That's it for now. Grace and Paul