Experience of a lifetime!

It was a few years ago that watching TV on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I came across a documentary on “The great Migration” in Kenya & Tanzania. Watching the documentary, I gazed transfixed at the spectacle unfold before me – something unimaginable and something I hadn’t seen before. It struck a chord in me and that was the beginning of my quest (or research) on the great migration.

I decided I simply had to see and experience this phenomenon. Little did I know that it would take me three long years to achieve my dream. I researched Kenya – what all is there to see, which are the best times of the year to visit, places to stay and what we could realistically expect to see. Slowly and steadily I narrowed the areas of interest (there is so much to see) and then began the search for a travel iteriniary that would fit my time & budget requirements.

So after all arrangements were in place we (my wife & I) ultimately landed in Nairobi. I had planned to take in the Giraffe Manor & the Karen Blixen Museum. However Nairobi weather had other plans for us and we spent the afternoon cooped up in our hotel room (it was raining cats and dogs). The next day we headed out to the Aberdare National Park – a charming old world nostalgic place with a charm of its own. On the way I got a great pose from a male Impala- staring curiously into my camera lens. At the resort we saw warthogs, impalas and gazelles, saw huge wild elephants and African buffalo. The resort is located adjacent to a salt lick and animals come here all through the day and night. There are excellent viewing galleries – both enclosed and open – for viewing the animals. What a wonderful experience seeing a herd of elephants, warthogs, buffalo come together in one place. An amazing sight that we saw was a huge buffalo driving away a full grown elephant from her part of the salt lick when he came to close. And the elephant scampering to safety!!

The next day was a long trip to Lake Nakuru (meaning dust in Swahili). On the way from Aberdare to Nakuru we passed through some wonderfully scenic countryside – crossing the equator and viewing the Thomson falls enroute. I later learned that this area is called the “great rift valley”. After a brief stop we entered the Lake Nakuru National park. The first sight of the lake literally takes your breath away. A very large salt water lake, resembles a sea of blue with assorted “islands of pink” where the flamingos congregate. The first sight is a pre cursor to the many delights that Lake Nakuru has in store for us. As we came to the visitors point, we alighted from our vehicles and came face to face and up close with not just greater & lesser flamingos but with pelicans, cormorants and storks as well. Perched on trees above us were some of the most majestic birds I have seen from close range – eagles, and vultures. I was a like a small child let loose in a butterfly garden chasing after the butterflies – my excitement new no bounds. I tried to capture as many photos as I possibly could. And then I just stood mesmerized and watched this amazing spectacle unfold before me. I lost my sense of reality and forgot others who were there - - it was just the birds and me – and they had me in a trance. This beautiful reverie was broken when a huge two horned rhino decided to look us up. I suspect he didn’t like us trespassing on his territory so our local guides herded us to the safety of our vehicles. Mr. Rhino passed us harmlessly by and gave us a sly grin on the way and seemed to say “get me on your film fast – this show is for you, guys”! And we gratefully went click, click many times over

After this bit of exhibitionism, we took a drive in the park. And we were surprised to see a few hippos lumbering in the green grass, herds of Zebra frolicking around, stopping to look at us curiously, before bounding off lest we get too close. A bit further we saw giraffe in twos and threes towering above everything else, munching away and keeping an eagle eye on us. Huge herds of Thompson’s Gazelles and Impalas were on view almost everywhere. We even sighted some waterbuck – “larger deer in my common parlance”. We were told that waterbuck are rare. Exhilarated we spent the night at resort at Lake Naivasha (meaning cold water in Swahili). We were surprised to see a Hippo and a giraffe (at night) on the Resort premises. It was our first encounter with beasts in the wild at night. Felt a bit eerie.

The next morning took us across the equator to our first stop in the great rift valley – Thompson Falls. Here the Ewaso Nyiro river falls from a height of 70 meters making a breath taking spectacle of water cascading down a steep fall. After taking a few pictures we were off to THE Masai Mara game reserve. It was our first sight up close & personal with wildebeest the animals we had only seen in pictures and on TV. At first sight they seemed to be a cross between a cow and a horse – but we later learned that they were a almost a species to themselves belonging to the Antelope family. They are lean animals with a brown beard and horns.  They look menacing (an adult can grow up to 4.5 ft and weighs 250kg) but most often they leave tourist vehicles alone – focusing on their routine – grazing on the grass. They live in herds as there is safety in numbers. They are prime prey for the predators of Africa – Lions, Cheetahs, wild dogs and hyenas. 

At our resort we gasped at an amazing sight right in front of our eyes. In the Mara river, about 50 Hippos were lazing together periodically letting out grunts and snorts from their snouts. Some of them began playing games with each other but most were content to laze around. What a sight this was. And on the banks of the river a lone alligator (or was it a crocodile) was sleeping(?) with its jaws wide open and not moving an inch. And this just outside the perimeter of our hotel. And on the lawns of our hotel gazelles were quite common. We rested a bit because the last 20 odd km of our drive was on very bad roads and every bone and joint in our body was creaking. Late afternoon we went for our first game drive on the plains of the Masai Mara. One inescapable fact strikes you on these plains is the game reserve is really huge. Till the eye can see, there is just vastness – green grass with millions of wildebeest grazing and running helter-skelter. To break the monotony you see gazelles, zebras and giraffe also on these plains. But this one aspect that overawed all of us, was the scale of the Masai Mara – saying it is huge is a classic understatement. Imagine our excitement when we saw up close and personal a lion resting in the late afternoon. A full grown male, he just couldn’t be bothered by the din of tourists. He momentarily wakened, looked around regally and went back to sleep. No wonder he is called the King of the jungle. And the other animals kept a respectful distance from him, lest he awake.

We also saw a spotted leopard resting on the rocks. A lone guy looking disdainfully at mankind - he was just gazing into the distance in a meditative state and couldn’t be bothered about noisy tourists. Warthogs dot the landscape of the Mara as well. As you travel further you see huge Baboons (male) as well as the Topi – a kind of large deer. And all live in harmony giving each other healthy respect. 

The next morning was an early wake up at 4.00 am for a Balloon ride across the Mara plains. This, is a once in a lifetime, must do, experience. In the space of an hour, we were able to see one of the Natural World’s wonders – the great migration. Millions of wildebeest, crossing from the Serengeti in Tanzania, into Masai Mara in Kenya, in search of grasslands. It makes for a breathtaking, wondrous view from the balloon. We got a good view of the torturous winding of the Mara river and the forest cover it supports. After the ride were treated to sumptuous champagne breakfast on the plains of the Mara with a big buffalo watching over us ( I suspect hungrily as well). It was then time to head back to the hotel for some well deserved rest and a late afternoon uneventful game drive.

The next day was spent in back breaking travel from the Masai Mara to the Serengeti across some of the most wonderful sights ever imaginable. If you can keep your bones together you will see (as we did) a pride of lions – one particular lioness had smelled a kill and was full of concentration. A herd of elephants taking a long time to decide whether it is safe to cross the road with these humans watching us. And a small mischievous elephant being gently prodded to toe the line by the elders in the group. It made for a fantastic photo opportunity. They did decide after ages to cross the road with the largest elephant bringing up the rear and not letting us out of his sights – even after he had crossed. The spotted hyena look at you perhaps as their next meal. You will see a variety of birds as well as some ostrich on the plains. One scene that is permanently etched in our memory is a group of wildebeest chasing a young lioness and the lioness running away – scampering to safety. Until that moment we thought it to be the other way round. But we were told – expect the unexpected in the Mara. We crossed over into Tanzania at the Isebania crossing point.

On the Serengeti we saw some fantastic birds – like the white headed buffalo weaver bird, the Kori Bustard, Secretary Bird, Egyptian Vultures, Bald Eagles, etc. 

On the plains of the Serengeti one thought was etched in the mind – vastness is what? It is so vast that you feel insignificant in the midst of nature. The rest of our trip on the Serengeti was as terrific as it had been earlier – we were fortunate to see a leopard drag his kill of a gazelle onto a tree in like 5 seconds. We also saw a pride of lions basking in the sun as well as lone lioness enjoying her lunch – a recent kill. We also saw a Hyrax a member of the elephant family but miniature in size. At one end of the Serengeti is the Nogrongoro crater a large volcanic caldera teeming with wildlife. The trip into the crater is really something and once in the crater you feel dwarfed whenever you look up. And we had a black 2 horned Rhino cross the road in front of us – a lumbering giant who seemed to take forever to make up his mind to cross the road – which he eventually did. We saw huge flocks of greater and lesser flamingos on the crater floor. 

At our final destination Arusha national park we were privileged to see the black & white Colobus monkeys in the tree tops. Here we also saw water buck in large numbers. 

I still carry the extremely vivid and fond memories of this trip and on quiet evenings I hear a whisper of the spirit of the Serengeti saying “I have much more to offer you.” And silently I resolve that I will be back again!