Masai Mara Safari II

8 P.M. on Second Day of Safari

Best Two Days Ever? YES!! YES!! and YES!! Yesterday, we went on a three hour safari ride, and we hit the jackpot. Before the safari even started, there was excitement in the camp because a lion was spotted by one of the tents. Once on the safari, we saw the lions, zebras, and antelopes, but as dusk was approached, life got interesting. The lions decided it was feeding time. The adventure began with one female lion trotting toward a pack of topi (small antelope). At first she did not look very intent on killing the topi, but then she started to pick up speed when the herd of topi ran away. Finally, she ran full speed and picked off a baby. We were speeding behind it with seven other Land Rovers in tail. The lion played with the baby because it was trying to allow its youngsters to learn how to kill it. We have film of the whole episode, but unfortunately it is too large to upload. During this episode, I am constantly yelling, “KILL IT!”. I know this is gruesome, but I have always wanted to see a kill. One guide did not want to see the baby killed though; therefore, when the topi was trying to escape he drove in between the two animals. At that moment, the only thing between the lion and his dinner was our Land Rover. The lion stared at us, decided that the topi was a better dinner, and eventually pinned the topi down again.

Michele Hoffner was terrified of the whole experience. When the baby escaped with the help of the other Land Rover, Michele yelled, “We saved it!” At which time, I responded, “We don’t want to save it!” After we drove to safety, the guide who intentionally tried to save the baby was then surrounded and harassed by the other guides. The policy is that you don’t interfere with nature’s course. You are supposed to leave as little a “footprint” as possible. That is why there are no fences around our camp and why we stay in tents instead of permanent structures.

Well, a kill on New Year’s Eve is one thing, but the evening was capped off with a magnificent sunset over the plains. It was absolutely amazing! Not only was the sunset amazing, but on the opposite horizon, a full moon appeared over the mountains immediately after the setting of the sun. There was also a demonstration by the Masai tribesman which was really incredible. Click on the link to read more about them. One could not have written a more perfect script. I don’t know if a New Years celebration like this can be topped.

Today, we went down to the main part of the Masai Mara National Park. The highlights for today were seeing two baby lions with their mother and a baby cheetah with his mother. The baby cheetah was possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. It was only three months old and was covered in fuzz (see the picture). It was incredible to watch the mother cheetah scan the horizon for enemies and food. One could tell that it was soon going on a hunt, but unfortunately we were not around to watch its endeavor. Throughout the course of the day, we also saw zebra, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, jackals, hippos, crocs, mongooses, wildebeest, water buffalo, storks, vultures, warthogs, and many different kinds of antelope.

Last night no animals came into camp. It was a little of a let down, but on our way back from the safari drive today we saw a lion about half a mile from camp. Presently the lion is walking around the outside of the camp stalking water buffalo, zebra, and wildebeest in the plains. The lion is approximately a hundred and fifty yards from our tent trying to find a meal. Don’t worry. Again, I tell you that we have to walk around camp every night with an escort. Our escort is a Masai who carries a spear and a flashlight, and I have full faith in him. Tomorrow, we wake up at 6:00 a.m. to see the sunrise and find a leopard before flying out later in the morning.