AFRICA, UP CLOSE AND WILD
A safari in Kenya, even with Maasai warrior guides, is not for the faint of heart
There’s no slowing your heartbeat, not when a fully grown wild lioness is within five metres and still moving toward you.
It gets so close you can see its amber-coloured eyes delivering a piercingly lethal stare.
Not until the tawny-coloured cat veers away from your eightseat, open-sided Land Rover and continues on its hunt with seven other lions does the fear give way to excitement.
That’s one of dozens of moments you can experience on safari in the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya. In fact, after entering the reserve, there is never a moment of daylight when you can’t see a wild African animal, including Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, antelope (topi, impala, hartebeest, nyala, waterbuck, wildebeest, eland), baboons, hyenas, jackals, zebras, warthogs, elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes and rhinos.
Visiting Africa has always been an interest of mine. But it was only added to the bucket list in 2015 after digesting the entire bibliography of South African writer Wilbur Smith, whose historical novels offer a romantic and beautifully described window into that world.
When the opportunity came to visit Kenya, there was no question about travelling with a group of four other writers the 13,000 kilometres to Nairobi as guests of the Kenya Tourism Board, which is trying to boost its slumping tourism sector after several high-profile terrorist attacks.
These trips aren’t cheap. Dena Nicholls, a travel consultant, said prices for a 10-day safari trip to Kenya range from just less than $5,000 (including airfare, per person based on double occupancy) to in excess of $12,000 (not including flight) for the most luxurious.
“In 2016, people are looking for the ‘experiential’ and ‘authentic’ holidays, as much as anything preplanned can be considered authentic,” said Nicholls.
“But more people want experiences on their travels, not just viewing cathedrals and art galleries, and not the inauthenticity of a five-star resort in a destination where most people live in poverty.”
Our trip began in late May, a month before the start of the annual wildebeest migration (July through October) when more than two million of the animals migrate from Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park to the Maasai Mara, leaping from high banks to cross crocodileinfested rivers, and under constant threat from lions and leopards.
We started out in Nairobi with a two-night stay at the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel and visits to local landmarks, including a baby elephant orphanage, giraffe centre and the Karen Blixen Museum, named after the famous Danish author of Out of Africa.
Then we flew in a small plane about an hour north to the fivestar Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club hotel, the former playground of the rich and famous built on the Earth’s equator, for a two-night stay, followed by three nights at the Me To We Bogani Tented Camp and Cottages for a taste of voluntourism, meeting local mothers and children and visiting schools and health projects initiated by the Toronto-based international aid group, Free the Children.
For our last stop, we drove across the Mara for about five hours — it wasn’t that far, but very slow going — to the Mara Ngenche Luxury Tented Camp, with its truly luxurious accommodations and gourmet meals, situated at the confluence of the Mara and Talek rivers, overlooking a hippo and crocodile pool.
Each stop had its own unique offerings and characteristics, but there’s no denying it’s the animals most tourists want to see and experience, especially the “Big Five” — the African elephant, lion, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.
In Kenya, if you’re not flying to a destination, you’re getting an “African massage” — the local euphemism used to describe driving in rural areas, especially in the Maasai Mara, where roads are little more than rock and dirt trails, your body constantly jostled and juggled in an open, four-wheel SUV, which is a necessity, not a luxury.
On safari, be prepared for the elements, which includes a lot of
Lions and leopards see the safari vehicles as one large entity, but all bets are off if you step outside the vehicle.
dust and sun. So, a hat, scarf, sunglasses, drinking water and sunscreen are essentials. Of course, a camera is another essential. For those close-up shots, you’ll need a lens of a minimum 250 mm. WiFi is available at most camps and tourist destinations.
We were accompanied by Maasai warriors, whose expert knowledge of the land and its animals was a comfort. They will point out some of the more unusual animals you’ll encounter, such as the Roan antelope, the tiny dik-dik and the eland.
It was explained by our guide that lions and leopards see the safari vehicles as one large entity, but all bets are off if you step outside the vehicle. Mind you, elephants, rhinos and buffalo will attack if they feel threatened. That’s where a skilled guide is valuable to read the danger signs and know when to depart. That happened more than once on our trip.
The natural beauty of the land is compelling, the sunrise and sunsets enchanting, the Great Rift Valley landscapes awe-inspiring. But nothing beats being up close and personal with a wild lion.