My first African Safari (Part 1)

The average child growing up in America in the 1990s and early 2000s has probably seen the original Lion King movie at some point during their lifetime. Watching Rafiki hold up Simba and all the animals coming together to lock arms and sing the circle of life inspired many to want to go experience the real deal in person. However, it wasn't until May of 2022 on the plane back to Chicago that I watched the Lion King movie for the first time. It was probably about 20+ years overdue, but well worth the watch because it soon inspired me to take advantage of my time living in Malawi and go on my first ever safari.

While researching options for safaris in Africa, we happened to stumble across Maasai Mara National Park in Kenya. I knew about the Maasai tribe from several YouTube videos I had seen in the past, but didn't know the extent of what the Mara had to offer. Oftentimes, safaris tend to be viewed as a luxurious experience that only the wealthy can enjoy, however they can definitely be tailored to accommodate one's budget. While it definitely is a privilege, there are many different options of packages to select from. The options typically range from 2-7 days and some parks are more expensive than others. Of course, there are luxurious options that are all inclusive and cost several thousand dollars, while on the other hand, there are also options for more budget friendly tent-style lodging excursions that may cost a few hundred dollars. Given Maasai Mara was considered one of the cheaper options, but still rated among the top two best safari parks in the world, the choice was pretty easy.

It is best to go on a safari during the dry season, as the grass will be low and visibility for animal sightings will be much clearer as compared to during the wet season. Additionally, Maasai Mara is well known for the The Great Migration crossing. Every year, between the months of July and November, hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and other migratory animals, such as Thomson's gazelle and zebra, cross the Nile crocodile-infested Mara River waters in an attempt to reach the lush, green grass plains where water is abundant and eventually over the border into the Serengeti of Tanzania.

Unfortunately, we missed the main crossing and only got a smaller glimpse of the remaining wildebeest making the journey

Day 1

We started off from Kenya's capital in Nairobi in a van carrying five other people in our group on a brisk Saturday morning. We connected quickly with the others in the van, including a fun, electric couple from Ghana, a German girl, and two local Kenyan women. We all got along great, which made the trip much more enjoyable and entertaining. It was amazing to see the beautiful landscape of the countryside with small towns and villages during the six hour drive to the national park. The road is mostly paved and well-maintained, making for a rather comfortable drive. Along the way, we passed through the Great Rift Valley, which is a massive geological formation that spans 9,600 km in length from the Red Sea in the Middle East all the way down to Mozambique in Southeast Africa. The views from the road were spectacular with vast savannahs, rolling hills, and distant mountains, as well as an array of wildlife from monkeys to gazelle and more.

From the Red Sea to Mozambique

Views from the valley

Once we arrived in the town of Narok, we then went off-roading and headed towards the entrance of the park. The road became a lot more rugged and bumpy and definitely required a 4x4 vehicle to withstand the rough terrain. We finally arrived to our lodge for the next two nights just outside the entrance to the park and alongside a Maasai tribal village. Later that afternoon following lunch, we all jumped back in the van and proceeded to the park for our first game drive.

Front gate to the park

Immediately after passing the front gate, it felt like we had entered a whole new world. The savannah was so vast and open with endless room for the animals to roam. While the park is considerably smaller (1,500 square km) compared to other national parks like the Serengeti to the south (~15,000 square km), it makes up for its size with the abundant wildlife, plants, and natural beauty it contains. In fact, we managed to witness four out of the five "Big Five" animals within the first hour of the drive. The "Big Five" consist of the lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo. The name refers to the difficulty in hunting them. These five large African mammal species were known to be dangerous and it was considered a feat by trophy hunters to bring them home.

Female Lion P.C. G. Quevedo

African Buffalo P.C. G. Quevedo

African Elephant P.C. G. Quevedo

Leopard P.C. G. Quevedo

The only one we couldn't track down was the rhino, which is a bit disappointing considering I was always referred to as 'Reno the Rhino' growing up. It would have been nice to finally meet my spirit animal in the wild up close and personal, but sometimes the best things are worth waiting a little longer for in life. We would drive along the designated path and the roof of the van was completely open and exposed to the fresh air and surroundings, allowing us to stand up during the drive and get a much better view of the beautiful scenery. We'd be driving slowly trying to soak in all the views and scan the environment near and far very attentively in hopes of spotting an elephant, giraffe, lion, or leopard. Then all of a sudden our driver would get a call on his walkie-talkie from one of the other rangers who had just spotted a rarer animal on the other side of the park. Within seconds we'd go from zero to 100 in an attempt to spot the animal before it got up and left.

While we were able to get quite close to some of the animals, we had to keep reminding ourselves that we are humans visiting wild animals in their natural habitats, so it is important to respect their privacy and space and be smart and vigilant about our actions at all times. You can never be guaranteed to see all the animals you want on a safari, so it is important to not set your expectations too high because the experience can be totally different for each person. It is an experience, however, that I would certainly recommend to everyone at least once in their lifetime. As nice as it is to observe the animals in their ecosystems for entertainment, safaris are also to be educational and help raise awareness and support for conservation efforts.

Day 2

The next day we continued on with a much longer game drive capturing the best of what Maasai Mara had to offer including cheetahs, leopards, hippos, giraffe, zebras, ostriches, and much more.

Zebra P.C. G. Quevedo

Ostrich P.C. G. Quevedo

Lilac-breasted roller bird P.C. G. Quevedo

Giraffe P.C. G. Quevedo

Wart hog P.C. G. Quevedo

In addition to the wildlife, the spotted land is covered with acacia trees, thorn bushes, dotted circle trees, baobab trees, and of course the local Kigelia Africana, better known as the sausage tree, which grows a poisonous fruit the shape of a long sausage. While the fruit cannot be eaten by humans, the skin is ground to a pulp and used as a treatment for skin ailments.

Kigelia Africana (Sausage tree)

Following the drive, we then went for a walking safari tour near the Masa river hills, where we came across a large group of Nile crocodiles and hippos swimming in the river. Every year, thousands of wildebeest attempt the dangerous feat of trying to cross the river, with many succumbing to the hungry crocodiles waiting patiently just below the water's surface.

Nile Crocodile

Common Hippopotamus P.C. G. Quevedo

A fun few facts about hippos is that there are only two remaining species in the world. The pygmy hippos are smaller in size but tend to be more aggressive and reside mostly in Western Africa, whereas the common hippo are larger in size and found mostly in Southern and Eastern Africa. They can reach up to 8,000 lbs. and are the most dangerous land mammal on the planet killing about 500 people per year on average in Africa. Additionally, even though they spend most of their time in the water, hippos can only hold their breath for five minutes before they have to rise to the surface for air.

Later that afternoon, we visited the Maasai village near our lodge and met with some members of the tribe, who taught us about their lifestyle and traditions and gave us a tour of the community. Stay tuned to the next blog for part 2 to learn more in depth about the tribe and a very unique food experience we got to share together with them.