With our overland safari tour already off to a good start, we wasted no time in kicking the adventure into full gear. We arrived at Masai Mara National Reserve in the afternoon after a long drive through Kenya’s Great Rift Valley. For the next few hours, we were treated to an amazing array of animals everywhere we looked.
The great wildebeest migration was well under way. Over the course of about a month, a staggering 1.5 million wildebeests make their way from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara. For wildebeests, it means fresh pastures and new sources of water. For lions, hyenas, cheetahs, and vultures, it means a buffet line just walked into their house. For us, it meant more exotic animal sightings in one place than we could dream of.
Here are my favorite shots from 2 days within the reserve. I hope you enjoy!
Vulture surveying the field.
It’s hard to hide when you’re 20 ft tall!
Family of impalas taking a stroll.
I initially thought this was an eagle, but an internet search leads me to believe it’s a black shouldered kite. Can any birders out there confirm?
Not sure if this is a topi or a hartebeest. Either way, it walked around like a boss despite missing an antler.
This bus!
Just look at those wings!
Shades of gold
Hyena on a sunset stroll
Topi
That night we slept at the campground on the edge of the park. Nothing between us and the untamed wildlife but 2 Masai guards and their spears! Masai Mara is far from city lights, so the night sky was just as impressive as the landscape. If we didn’t have to wake up before dawn the next day I would have stayed up to watch the stars and listen to the howling of the hyenas.
Day 2
We set out before sunrise the next day to catch the action before the animals took their midday siesta. As an added bonus, our timing provided us with the glorious lighting of the morning golden hour.
How do they make sure they don’t land in a lion den??
Apparently, we weren’t the only ones to get an early start. If anyone out there wants to sponsor a return journey and a hot air balloon ride, I’d love to see the savanna from their perspective!
One of my favorite moments was watching this herd of African elephants marching right past us.
Can you spot the baby?
Hyenas are both cute and terrifying all at once.
Grant’s Gazelle doing his best to blend in.
The hypnotic patterns of a zebra’s face put me in a trance.
Zebras win the prize for best-coordinated outfits on the savanna.
Scraps from the lions’ dinner last night.
Side-striped jackal looking playful.
You can hardly see them, but there’s a pride of lions sleeping behind this tree.
Catnap from a distance.
Baby pumbas on the run!
A very orderly wildebeest migration.
I can’t believe how close we got to this cheetah. Thankfully, it was resting with its belly full from a recent kill. Otherwise, it could have pounced on us like chew toys.
The face of a killer.
They say the Marabou Stork is the ugliest bird in Africa. They are correct.
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