Maravellous! The September Migration in the Masai Mara.
Despite the Covid-19 uncertainty, we seized the opportunity to travel to Kenya and the Masai Mara this past September. The preparations for the trip, especially the Covid-related tests and certificates, took a bit more time than a typical African trip, but we hoped for the reward of encountering a relatively deserted Masai Mara instead of an overcrowded savannah teeming with noisy tourists. After a perfect flight via Qatar Airways, with a layover at the stunning Hamad International Airport, we landed in Nairobi on Saturday morning and immediately flew on to the Masai Mara.
For our six-day stay in the Mara, we had chosen Entim Mara Camp as our base. Entim Mara is a fantastic camp, not only with super-friendly staff but also a top chef who offered us a choice of meat, fish, or vegetarian menus every day. Additionally, they provided top guides and beautiful tents overlooking a meander of the Mara River. You can’t get much closer to the Mara River! The guide assigned to us for our stay was Jamlick Naurori. Furthermore, at Entim Mara, they ensured that we had a 4×4 vehicle all to ourselves, which was very practical when lugging around several kilograms of camera gear. ;-))
On the first day, our guide Jamlick treated us to sightings of a leopard mother (Loriam) with her 6-month-old cub, a cheetah (Imani) whose cubs had been killed by lions just a week ago, a lioness (Rongi pride) with 1.5-month-old nursing cubs, as well as hundreds of zebras, topis, wildebeests, a python snake, a few elands, and crocodiles along the Mara River. Nowhere was our view obstructed by other jeeps or tourists. What a refreshing experience!
In the following days, we encountered one unforgettable experience after another! We witnessed leopard Loriam and her 6-month-old cub devouring a baby wildebeest and then hoisting it into a tree. Cheetah Neema and her 3 young cubs laid down a baby impala right before our eyes. We observed three wildebeest and zebra crossings over the Mara River, during which Morani (the last surviving lion of The Lookout Pride) seized and killed 2 wildebeests right before our eyes. The 4 cheetah brothers (Nni bora) laid down a topi for us and other tourists to witness. We also saw a lone zebra engaged in a prolonged struggle within the jaws of a crocodile. Hyenas quarreled over a carcass and later captured a baby wildebeest. We even encountered a hyena nest with charming baby hyenas. One of the crossings we witnessed was actually a private crossing; we were the only ones present, thanks to the instincts of our guide Jamlick!
Of all the experiences we had during our stay, our guide Jamlick Naurori was undoubtedly the absolute star of our trip! From crossings to kills – we witnessed a total of 11 kills in 1 week – everything Jamlick spotted, saw, and predicted came to fruition!
Of all the trips I’ve ever been on, this one was truly the most unique, not only due to the limited presence of noisy tourists and the numerous sightings but also because of Entim Mara Camp and, most importantly, guide Jamlick!
Eric
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