Basecamp Mara is a short distance from the entrance to the Mara but Chris decided we must be up and away by 6.30 taking a packed breakfast and a packed lunch. Last night’s heavy rain had made quite a difference to the road which was pretty churned up with some heavy vehicles and then we asked to stop on a corner to get photos of the sunrise reflected in the puddles! Ever obliging, our driver stopped and waited patiently until the sun was over the distant hills in its entirety.
The park gates were clear of local ladies sellling their handicrafts as it was so early so we got through very quickly and were on our way to see more wildlife.
The first thing we came across was a herd of zebra, grazing in the early light, then a few wildebeest- nothing like the numbers we would see later in the day – rapidly followed by a hyena who came, took one look at us and ran off into the distance. Clearly, we were not the food he was searching for!
As we drove along I spotted a bird on top of a tree, ‘Oh, look, a stork’, I said. ‘Oh yes’ said the others. Then we put the long lenses on the bird and realised it was actually an eagle : a juvenile martial eagle to be precise. Hilariously, it was being attacked by much smaller birds- plovers, maybe- who probably had nests nearby and were protecting either their eggs or their young. They succeeded and I was surprised to see how owl-like his face was. Quite cute for a bird of prey!
Nearby, a black-bellied bustard was walking regally through the grasses.
Then Chris said he was just going to check something out, so off we drove only to find a load of vans focussing on the bushes at the edge of which lay a cheetah. Later, changing position, we realised there were two of them. Hiding, possibly mating, and grooming.
Another meeting with hyenas, this time three of them fighting over the remnants of a kill.
Topi, buffalo and then a lioness- all before breakfast which was eaten under a tree in the middle of a wide open space. Indeed, this was a day of expansive landscapes.
Chris had explained that he intended to take us to Sand River which used to be the crossing point inside the Masai Mara allowing people to move between Kenya and Tanzania. He talked about the reasons why it had been closed. Then, to our surprise, when we reached the gate we were allowed through into the no man’s land between the countries and it was there that we ate lunch before driving up to the actual point where Tanzania begins.
While eating lunch (which was almost identical to breakfast!) we were joined by three vans out of which poured a group of young people, obviously travelling together. Later, we established that they were from Hampshire : a group of Scouts who had been painting a school in Uganda and were now enjoying a few days in the Mara to round off their trip.
The whole afternoon had us alongside wildebeest on the migration, wandering along , often in single file , sometimes skipping along, sometimes static around one animal- seemingly one of the older ones in a group of six or seven, who had decided rest was necessary and had sat down in the grass, the mud, or even the middle of the road.
What will tomorrow bring, I wonder?
Living the Journey 
Great post 🙂