Kenya: Part III (Masai Mara)
Apr. 4th, 2011 10:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
riontelSunday started with another walk down the memory lane, a visit to N.'s old school, St. Mary's (yes, it is a Catholic school). He's been praising the school to me for years and wanted to show that he wasn't making up any of the stories. I left suitably impressed with the buildings, the grounds, which include fields and facilities for every ball game known to Brits, and the pool. My whole school would probably fit in their squash courts. I also looked for a memorial plaque commemorating the years N. spent there but it hasn't been dedicated yet.
The rest of the day involved family interactions, we threw a party for the local friends and family, but I'll spare you the details.
Monday is when we started our real adventure with a safari circuit: 2 nights in Masai Mara, 1 night at Lake Nakuru, 1 night at Sweetwaters and last night in Mount Kenya Safari Club. It's possible to fly to the Mara but we opted out for a car for the whole trip which made packing easier and allowed us to see a lot of the countryside. Early on Monday our Toyota Land Cruiser complete with the driver/guide picked us up from home and the next five hours we spent getting well acquainted with what locals mistakingly think are roads. In fact, the collection of potholes and dirt we found ourselves on was not that different from Russian countryside but with less snow and more cows.
We made two stops before reaching Masai Mara. First stop was to view the Rift Valley and Mt. Longonot from the escarpment.
That area also has lots of baboons that hang out on the side of the road.
Second time we stopped in a town of Narok for a food and health break. Right after the Narok the paved road ended and a dirt road began and continued for the next two hours. That's when I really started appreciating our large car with a pretty high roof and the very tight seat belts. Without those two features our heads would surely have acquired some new bumps.
In Masai Mara we were staying in an Olonana Tented Camp situated right next to Mara River. Upon arrival in the camp we were greeted with warm hand towels and a glass of refreshing cool juice cocktail (as far as I can tell they greet you that way in every hotel, except on the coast you are given cold towels). Then we were shown to our tents. Tents featured:
A view of Mara River from a veranda
Complete with hippos, who are kept away from the camp by an electric fence
King sized bed in the center of a very specious living area
A full bathroom with double sinks and two showers, inside and outside, if you wanted to shower and view nature at the same time.
There are altogether 15 tents in the camp and they are spaced such that you can't see or hear the neighboring tent. In addition each tent is assigned a personal porter who is supposed to be at one's beck and call. As you can tell, we were really roughing it in the wilderness.
After late lunch, cooked by a resident gourmet chef, we went for our first game drive in the park.
The rest of the day involved family interactions, we threw a party for the local friends and family, but I'll spare you the details.
Monday is when we started our real adventure with a safari circuit: 2 nights in Masai Mara, 1 night at Lake Nakuru, 1 night at Sweetwaters and last night in Mount Kenya Safari Club. It's possible to fly to the Mara but we opted out for a car for the whole trip which made packing easier and allowed us to see a lot of the countryside. Early on Monday our Toyota Land Cruiser complete with the driver/guide picked us up from home and the next five hours we spent getting well acquainted with what locals mistakingly think are roads. In fact, the collection of potholes and dirt we found ourselves on was not that different from Russian countryside but with less snow and more cows.
We made two stops before reaching Masai Mara. First stop was to view the Rift Valley and Mt. Longonot from the escarpment.
That area also has lots of baboons that hang out on the side of the road.
Second time we stopped in a town of Narok for a food and health break. Right after the Narok the paved road ended and a dirt road began and continued for the next two hours. That's when I really started appreciating our large car with a pretty high roof and the very tight seat belts. Without those two features our heads would surely have acquired some new bumps.
In Masai Mara we were staying in an Olonana Tented Camp situated right next to Mara River. Upon arrival in the camp we were greeted with warm hand towels and a glass of refreshing cool juice cocktail (as far as I can tell they greet you that way in every hotel, except on the coast you are given cold towels). Then we were shown to our tents. Tents featured:
A view of Mara River from a veranda
Complete with hippos, who are kept away from the camp by an electric fence
King sized bed in the center of a very specious living area
A full bathroom with double sinks and two showers, inside and outside, if you wanted to shower and view nature at the same time.
There are altogether 15 tents in the camp and they are spaced such that you can't see or hear the neighboring tent. In addition each tent is assigned a personal porter who is supposed to be at one's beck and call. As you can tell, we were really roughing it in the wilderness.
After late lunch, cooked by a resident gourmet chef, we went for our first game drive in the park.
