Arriving in the Masai Mara

As we drove on towards the national park, we saw more and more Masai in traditional dress, both in the villages and tending their livestock in the fields.

Before arriving at the park proper, we passed through the Masai Mara Conservancies. These are 14 distinct areas covering 142,000 hectares across the Greater Maasai Mara Ecosystem, where almost 25% of the country’s wildlife is found. The conservancies are owned by local Masai, who lease the land to safari organisations and lodges for a monthly fee. These safari companies also pay Masai landowners a daily fee for each tourist that visits. The fees are invested in the local Masai community for education and other developmental initiatives. The land in the conservancies, which was once overgrazed by cattle, is now being saved. In some cases, the concentration of wildlife exceeds that of the Masai Mara National Park itself. There are no fences between the conservancies, so wildlife is free to roam throughout the land.

Tourists pay a premium to stay in the conservancies as there is a feeling of exclusivity. There are strict guidelines on the number of visitors who are allowed and the number of guest beds per square kilometre. There are only one or two accommodation options in each conservancy. Richard Branson has a lodge in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. There are just 12 luxury tented lodges there. If our lottery numbers come up, we’ll be booking a stay!

While we were still in a conservancy, we stopped at a pick-up point to drop Omondi off and collect our local Masai guide, Mark!! He told us to call him Markson to avoid any confusion! 😂 His Masai name is Mukasio.
We set off and drove through his village. He clearly knew everyone, and I got the impression that he was showing off to his friends. Our car wasn’t 4WD, so crossing the rocky river was an uncomfortable ride! At this point, I wasn’t looking forward to doing the game drives the next day. However, I needn’t have worried. Markson proved to be an excellent driver and guide. He managed to get us close to all the animals, despite the vehicle we were in!

The drive to our tented camp (definitely not in the same league as Richard Branson’s Mhali Mzuri Lodge!) took around two hours. In the beginning, we saw lots of herds of cattle and flocks of sheep and goats being driven back to the village. Markson explained that it was market day, so all the activity might mean that we wouldn’t see any other wildlife. In the event, we saw:

• Warthogs
• Baboons
• An eland
• Glossy starlings
• A male antelope
• Some Masai giraffes
• Two wild dogs
• Impalas
• Lots of zebra
• Several buffalo
• Hundreds of guinea fowl (bush chickens). Markson seemed surprised when Mark suggested that they make good eating! 😊

We were sad to see more plastic on the ground than we have seen in other southern African parks.Läs mer