The turn off for the Maasai Mara just after Narok |
Sekenani Gate to the Maasai Mara National Reserve |
Distances to the various camps from the main gate |
Baboon on the sign pointing the turnoff to the Mara Serena |
Baboon |
My first elephant in the Mara |
Panicky zebra |
Male lion resting |
Lion |
2 male lions |
Lion |
Broken-down overland truck |
Vervet Monkey |
Vervet Monkey |
Hippos in the Mara River |
Hippo standing in the Mara River |
Egyptian Geese |
Armed rangers escort visitors at the hippo pools near the bridge |
Walking along the Mara River |
Hippo Pools at the Mara River |
That car used to be clean |
New Mara Bridge, the only river crossing in the park |
View from the Mara River Bridge |
The western portion of the park is the Mara Triangle |
Nile Crocodile |
Nile Crocodile |
2 Crocodiles resting on the banks of the Mara River |
Nile crocodile |
Hippos in the Mara River |
Hippos getting aggressive |
Hippos |
Hippo unusually grazing on land mid-day |
Hippo out of the water |
The roads have numerous small water crossings |
Zebra, Maasai Mara |
The Maasai Mara is an extension of the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania |
Zebra |
Wildebeest |
Maasai Mara near the Mara Serena Lodge |
A main road in the Mara |
Maasai Giraffe |
2 Maasai Giraffes |
Yellow-billed Stork and African Sacred Ibis |
Vultures |
Many vultures in a dead tree |
Rüppels Griffon Vulture |
Vultures flocking over a Mara River crossing |
Vulture in flight |
Wildebeest approach the Mara River to consider crossing |
Crocodile and a dead wildebeest in the Mara River |
Crocodile at the crossing |
Many safari vehicles wait at the crossing |
The wildebeest herd crosses the Mara River |
The herd continuing their migration |
Impala |
Thomson's Gazelle running |
Lioness on a mound in the Olpunyata Swamp |
Lioness posing in the evening light |
Mara Lioness |
Lioness |
Lioness |
Waterbuck in the Olpunyata Swamp, which is fairly dry in August |
Waterbucks |
Evening on the Mara |
Topis |
Bird in flight at sunset |
I camped 2 nights at the Mara Conservancy ranger station near the Serena Lodge for Ksh300/night |
Balloon lit up over a tree of vultures |
The Serena Lodge is easy to find by the tall tree on the ridge |
Vulture landing |
Sunrise |
Hippo grazing on land at dawn |
Sunrise over the Mara River |
With the sun, the hippo heads back into the river |
Vultures wait at the wildebeest crossing point near the Mara Serena Lodge |
Eland |
Spotted hyena |
Spotted hyena and a Thomson's gazelle |
Spotted hyenas out in the morning |
Spotted hyenas |
Balloon from Governor's Camp |
Balloons from Governor's Camp |
Balloons over the Mara Triangle |
Balloon tours are expensive...around $400 each |
Hippos in the Mara River |
Dead zebra in the evening |
The same dead zebra the following morning |
Waterbucks |
Wildebeest leftovers |
The easiest way to find a lion in the Mara |
Lion in the tall grass |
The lions seem tolerant of vehicles |
Lion near Mara Serena Lodge |
Topi (Tessebe) |
Topi |
Topi |
Eland in the tall grass |
Immature Crested Francolin |
Lilac-breasted Roller |
Lilac-breasted Roller |
Banded mongoose |
Warthog on the run |
Typical warthog view |
African buffalo |
Buffalo |
Hippo climbing out of a mud pool |
Hippo |
Hippo |
Buffalo and a topi |
Buffalo |
Mara River by Oryx Camp |
Oryx Camp (Ksh 2500/nt) |
Hippo diving for the river |
Mara River |
Buffalo |
Hartebeest |
Coke's Hartebeest |
Maasai Giraffe |
Warthogs |
Hippos and the Mara River |
Maasai Village just north of the park |
Warthog |
Helmeted Guineafowl |
Northern Mara Triangle |
Kichwa Tembo International Airport |
Dash 7 arrived at Kichwa Tembo's airstrip |
Maasai Mara |
Kichwa Tembo Camp |
Eland |
There are many elephant arond Kichwa Tembo |
Elephant |
Elephant |
Elephant rubbing a tree |
Elephant near Oloololo Gate |
Elephant and a tree |
African Elephant |
Elephant |
Elephant |
Elephants |
Elephants |
Elephant in the tall grass |
Elephant close-up |
Elephant |
Elephant |
Elephant |
Leaving the elephant behind |
Topis |
Eland |
Buffalo |
Elephant |
Happy zebra |
Wildebeest herd |
Wildebeest |
The wildebeest cut the grass short |
Secretary bird |
Oribi |
Oribi |
Oribi |
kenya4 480.JPG |
Skies darkening over the Maasai Mara |
Zebra in the tall Mara grass |
Dead tree, Maasai Mara |
Zebra |
Zebra |
Zebra |
Elephants on the move |
Wildebeest with a dark sky |
Spotted hyena cub with a bone |
Spotted hyena cub waiting patiently |
Spotted hyena cub |
Spotted hyena cub |
Spotted hyena cub |
Spotted hyena cub |
Spotted hyena cub |
Mara Serena Lodge |
Balloon in the distance over a herd of wildebeest |
Wildebeest, Maasai Mara |
Wildebeest |
Thomson's Gazelle |
Tommy fleeing |
Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
Wildebeest crossing the park road |
Vulture and wildebeest |
Part of a vast wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
Mara River at the bridge |
Thomson's Gazelle |
Black-backed jackal |
Black-backed jackal |
Black-backed jackal |
Black-backed jackal |
Vultures with a dead wildebeest |
Yummy...the eyes are the best part |
Ruppell's Vulture bouncing to the meal (Maasai Mara, Kenya) |
Vultures squabbling over the carcass |
White-backed & Ruppell's Vultures (Maasai Mara, Kenya) |
A Marabou stork waits patiently |
Vulture |
There are 8 lions in those bushes |
Lioness, Maasai Mara |
Lion in the bush |
Lion leaving the bush |
Lioness, Maasai Mara |
Lioness, Maasai Mara |
Lion cub |
Lion cub |
Lioness and cub |
Lion cub |
Lioness walking this way |
Two lion cubs |
Lion cub under the bush |
Lion cub |
Lion in the bushes |
Wildebeest remains |
Vulture and a zebra |
Female oribi |
Part of a large zebra herd |
Zebra |
Radio-collared spotted hyena |
Radio-collared spotted hyena |
Radio-collared spotted hyena |
Non-radio collared hyena nearby |
Spotted hyena on the Posee Plains |
6km to Fig Tree Camp |
Fig Tree Camp ($150/$200 single/double w/3 meals) |
The porter takes my bags |
Maasai at the front desk of Fig Tree Camp |
Pool at Fig Tree Camp |
"Tent" at Fig Tree |
"Tent" at Fig Tree |
"Tent" at Fig Tree |
View of the Talek River from my "Tent" at Fig Tree |
Maasai village near Fig Tree |
Spotted Hyena |
Immature Bateleur Eagle |
Immature Bateleur Eagle |
Here comes trouble |
White-headed Vulture |
White-headed vulture chases off the immature Bateleur Eagle and Spotted Hyena |
White-headed Vulture |
Spotted Hyena looking for a quieter place |
Giraffe resting in the grass |
Warthogs |
Topi on a distant outcropping |
Topi under a big sky |
Maasai cattle inside the borders of the reserve |
Maasai cattle |
Elephants grazing in the distance |
Saddlebill Stork, near Governor's Camp |
A perfect tree for a leopard, but not today |
Governor's Camp airstrip |
Mara River near Governor's Camp |
Nile Crocodile |
Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) |
Ostrich egg |
Three cheetah cubs near Governor's Camp |
Mother cheetah and her cubs |
Big stretch! |
Off mom goes |
Cheetah cubs stretch |
Cheetah |
Three cubs |
Cheetah hunting |
Cheetah cubs |
Very ominous sky behind the cheetah |
Cheetah |
Cheetah blend in well |
Cheetah with a black sky |
Cheetah |
Cheetah taking a break |
Topis in the rain |
Black sky over the Maasai Mara |
Very wet Hyena |
Wet hyena |
Lioness yawning in the morning |
Lion cub playing with leftover warthog jaw |
Lion cub near Fig Tree |
Lioness near Fig Tree |
Lion in the grass of the Maasai Mara |
Big Yawn! |
Elephant herd near the main gate |
Mother and baby elephant |
Elephant herd, Maasai Mara |
Elephants crossing the road near the main gate |
Elephants, Maasai Mara |
Young elephant |
Mom takes a look back at the road |