African Wildlife I - The Masai Mara

When you think of a trip across Africa, one of the first things that springs to mind is the animals. National Geographic, the Discovery Channel and the BBC have spoiled us with stunning images of some of the planet's most captivating creatures. But the question is - are those same beasts even better when you see them in the flesh?

Over the past couple of weeks I've had ample chance to answer that question. Since leaving Nairobi we've been on something of a wildlife tour, visiting four national parks and seeing too many animals for me to recount. Our first stop was the infamous Masai Mara National Park in southern Kenya.

Predictably we left Nairobi late and were still fifty miles away from the park by the time the sun set. Dusk coincided with the end of the tarmac, and so it was on a dark, dusty track that we rode through the Rift Valley to the gates of the Masai Mara. What a spectacular ride. Standing up on the pegs, kicking up huge clouds of dust behind us, watching our headlights reflect in the retinas of fleeing animals. Unforgettable.

It was well and truly dark by the time we got to the outskirts of the park and finding a campsite proved tricky. After riding around for half an hour we stumbled across one fenced off enclosure which looked promising. Three red cloaked owners soon appeared from the shadows to tell us that their campsite wasn't yet finished but we could still stay there if we wanted. Hungry, thirsty and keen to find some working facilities we decided to push on. But as we left, the owners warned us of the dangers of riding at night - 'there are elephants around' one of them said in a hushed whisper, so as not to be overheard. Elephants do have big ears after all.

We didn't encounter any elephants that night, but judging by the huge piles of dung in the middle of the path, they weren't far away. The following day proved more fruitful though.


Up with the dawn, we piled in to our rented land cruiser and made our way to the park (you're not allowed to ride motorbikes in the park - something about it being too dangerous). Our visit was well timed, coinciding with the wildebeast migration. In such a time of plenty the wildlife was abundant. We saw dozens of different animals in just a few short hours. I wont list them all, I cant remember most of them, so I'll just write about my favourites instead - the elephants, the lions and the cheetah.

We saw the elephants first or rather our guides did. I took rather longer to distinguish the elephants from the elephant shaped bushes that dotted the savannah. But by the time we were twenty feet away the distinction was obvious even to me. Such gentle giants roaming the savannah, guarding their young and eating pound after pound of grass. They looked curiously at us while munching away. Their wrinkled skin giving them a hundred different expressions. Captivating.


Next was the cheetah. He was on his own, slowly meandering his way after some zebra. He looked full and in no hurry to catch them up. Instead he just sat among the golden grass, in a house-cat pose, surveying the meals in front of him. A proud animal.


Then came the lions. We found a pack of them near a recent kill, sleeping in the shade. Theirs was the easiest life of all. Sleeping for most of the day, occasionally wandering over to a watering hole for a drink, then back to the bushes for another cat nap.



Like most of the animals, the lions were unfazed by our presence. Many of them barely gave us a second glance. Perhaps because of that - the lack of interaction - the experience didn't feel all that different from going to the zoo. There was still a cage after all (the land cruiser) only this time we were in it. My doctor friends will disagree with me of course. Biologists for the last two decades they were thrilled by the whole experience and will fall over themselves to tell you about it. As for me, I certainly enjoyed the safari. Seeing the animals in the flesh did add something - the smell of rotting carcasses, the sound of trumpeting elephants and growling lions. But the sights I had seen before, better even, thanks to the film crews that come every year to capture them.

I’m glad I went on safari, it gives you a renewed respect for the stunning images that the film crews capture. Although I don’t have the patience to be a wildlife photographer myself, I’ll always enjoy watching the work of those who do.