Today, the Mara Project team left the boundaries of our home, Naboisho Conservancy, and traveled to (drumroll, please) the Maasai Mara National Reserve!
Although Naboisho is part of the Maasai Mara, it is not part of the government-owned reserve that is more well-known than all of its adjacent land parcels. There are many conservancies that make up the Mara, but the game reserve is the heart and soul of the preserve. It’s one of those things…you just have to go while you’re here.
So the team loaded up the truck at 5:30 AM today with blankets, cameras, binoculars, lunch, and all the rest of our gear and headed out!
It was a fantastic trip. The landscape at the reserve differs from the conservancy, and the whole place has a different feel about it. Much of the reserve is grassland, stretching for as far as you can see. And at this time of the year, most of what you can see is wildebeest.
We got lucky. The migration started early, so many of the wildebeests are here, but none of the tourists that normally accompany them. What an incredible sight. I can see why people come from all over the world. One wildebeest by itself is a rather comical sight, but thousands of them spread across a plain is beautiful.
The guys estimated we saw between 200,000 and 250,000 wildebeest in total today. And the Serengeti wildebeest still aren’t here. Incredible.
In addition to the wildebeest, we saw zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthog, antelope, and more…all of the usual safari sightings. We spotted one female cheetah as well, and two groups of lions before eating lunch and then continuing on…to an area that I’ve only dreamed about.
Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Today’s adventure was a dream come true. The area we traveled to is called “Bila Shaka,” which in Maa means “For Sure”. About five years back, this was the area where you would for sure see a lion, and a leopard, and a rhino, and an elephant, and a buffalo. The legendary “Big Five.” Now it’s not so easy, but the land is still beautiful.
The part of Bila Shaka I was focused on, however, is called Musiara Marsh, setting for the TV show “Big Cat Diaries” and home of the legendary Marsh Pride.
I used to watch that show every single day during my lunchtime break. The Maasai Mara and the Musiara Marsh, along with the Marsh Pride, are held in incredibly high esteem in my mind because of Johnathon and Angela Scott, the researchers and hosts. To get to go there today, see areas I’ve only seen on TV, and meet members of the most well-known pride of lions in Africa, was a dream come true.
Cheesy? Maybe. Accurate? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely.
Although Naboisho is part of the Maasai Mara, it is not part of the government-owned reserve that is more well-known than all of its adjacent land parcels. There are many conservancies that make up the Mara, but the game reserve is the heart and soul of the preserve. It’s one of those things…you just have to go while you’re here.
So the team loaded up the truck at 5:30 AM today with blankets, cameras, binoculars, lunch, and all the rest of our gear and headed out!
It was a fantastic trip. The landscape at the reserve differs from the conservancy, and the whole place has a different feel about it. Much of the reserve is grassland, stretching for as far as you can see. And at this time of the year, most of what you can see is wildebeest.
We got lucky. The migration started early, so many of the wildebeests are here, but none of the tourists that normally accompany them. What an incredible sight. I can see why people come from all over the world. One wildebeest by itself is a rather comical sight, but thousands of them spread across a plain is beautiful.
The guys estimated we saw between 200,000 and 250,000 wildebeest in total today. And the Serengeti wildebeest still aren’t here. Incredible.
In addition to the wildebeest, we saw zebra, giraffe, buffalo, warthog, antelope, and more…all of the usual safari sightings. We spotted one female cheetah as well, and two groups of lions before eating lunch and then continuing on…to an area that I’ve only dreamed about.
Don’t laugh. I’m serious. Today’s adventure was a dream come true. The area we traveled to is called “Bila Shaka,” which in Maa means “For Sure”. About five years back, this was the area where you would for sure see a lion, and a leopard, and a rhino, and an elephant, and a buffalo. The legendary “Big Five.” Now it’s not so easy, but the land is still beautiful.
The part of Bila Shaka I was focused on, however, is called Musiara Marsh, setting for the TV show “Big Cat Diaries” and home of the legendary Marsh Pride.
I used to watch that show every single day during my lunchtime break. The Maasai Mara and the Musiara Marsh, along with the Marsh Pride, are held in incredibly high esteem in my mind because of Johnathon and Angela Scott, the researchers and hosts. To get to go there today, see areas I’ve only seen on TV, and meet members of the most well-known pride of lions in Africa, was a dream come true.
Cheesy? Maybe. Accurate? Definitely. Worth it? Absolutely.