The previous night, we were asked what we would want for breakfast and lunch, as it would be packed to go with us on our game drive. Today we would be going to the Mara River, to see if any crossings are occurring. This was exciting to us, as we have never seen crossing activity and did not know we would be doing this. Our morning started at 6:00am with some light snacks such as cookies, muffins, and coffee.
We then set off for our adventure. We were told we would be back around 2pm and would have time to relax the rest of the day. This would prove to be a very inaccurate time. We began our drive toward the Mara River, which we were told would take almost two hours of direct driving. Of course, we would be distracted many times along the way. The very first thing we saw was this Elephant standing on it’s hind legs to eat some of the acacia tree.
Within the first hour we came across a Cheetah and her three teenage cubs.
They were laying in the tall amber grasses. We were the only ones there as we were the first to spot them. They then started getting active and playing with each other. They would run back and forth chasing each other and wrestling, just like house cats do.
Cheetahs playing
At one point, the mother started playing with them and they came charging toward our vehicle. My wife was taking video as I was taking photos. They came so close my camera couldn’t even focus, and then they hit the vehicles door and turned sharply and kept going.
We thought they were going to jump in the vehicle with us! I wouldn’t have been disappointed if they did. Lol. After we left the cheetahs, it didn’t take long to come across a pride of lions.
Pride of Lions
We would also spot a variety of birds such as Storks, Kingfishers, and Lilac-breasted Rollers (my favorite).
Birds of Kenya
We finally made it to the Mara river hours later, but there was no signs of a crossing. We didn’t stay long as it was very crowded with other vehicles. This area is not on a private conservancy, so many many people are allowed to enter. We prefer not seeing the crowds. It was time for lunch, so we drove to a quiet place and James set up a place to eat.
Once we were done with lunch, we headed back and saw these cute Hyena pups run up to our vehicle from their den.
Hyena Pups
We ended up arriving back at the lodge at 6:30pm! That is about 4 hours longer than planned. We (and James) were beat. That was a long game drive day. Meanwhile, our waiter David had picked a private place for us to eat dinner. It was setup between the lodge and the main pool. He made sure to mention their were two Maasai Warriors posted in-between us and the possible threat of a Buffalo. It should be noted, you cannot walk freely around the property at night. You are escorted by a Maasai Warrior from your room to the main lodge and back. Buffalos can be very hard to see at night and are very dangerous.
Adam Woods
Take a look below for our next post on our trip to Rwanda and Kenya.