A "crossing" on the Talek River, in the Mara

We waited alongside the Talek river for more than an hour hoping to see a crossing of the zebras and the wildebeest.  As we are visiting during the migration - the herds of animals are continually moving through the park in search of water and grass.

There is a psychology of a crossing.  The crowd of wildebeest continue to assemble near the river with stragglers coming in from a far.  Then finally some older herd member decides to lead the way across the river.  They all move "in mass" as one and rapidly cross the river.  We had seen crocodiles along the river - lying in wait for the wildebeest to come.

This happens really fast.  The wildebeest jump wildly down the steep sides of the river and into the river.  After they have made it across they re-enter the river to drink.

A Parliment of Mara zebras, in the Mara

I love these photos of a "Parliament" of giraffes!  This little guy stays close to his mother.  But is erect stance looks like he is standing attention!  Mother giraffe keep her eyes on the intruders!

giraffes! 

Giraffes at Talek River, The Mara

The towering heads of the giraffes are visible over the bush.  Their awkward gait is funny to watch.  But these are beautiful animals.

Lioness in waiting, on the Mara

We spotted this lioness - very calmly waiting on the right time to chase down a wildebeest.  She is on a ridge just along some bush with the herd in her sights.



After some time of watching her - she starts to make her move - slowly moving through the grass to a shallow dry stream bank where the herd of wildebeest are grazing.

The Lion Kings!

We came across the group of single males - we'll call them the Lion Kings!!  Two of the lions were more in the open.  We could catch a glimpse of 2 others more concealed in the bush.

First Cheetah - in the bush

We come across our first cheetahs - a male in the bush. 

Just the start! Animals in The Mara

Impala ("McDonalds" has the arches of black on the rear) - above

A beautiful morning!  we are staying at the Sekenani Gate at the Mara Sentrim Lodge.  As we take 5 minutes to drive from the lodge - we start to see the multitude of animals.


We see Topi - below.  The "blue jeans" antelope





Vultures are everywhere

Masai Mara -First Glimpses

Above - a map of the Masai National Park.

Below - our first glimpse - 4 Mara giraffes standing in the bush just out of the blowing rain.  Our guides tell us it is good luck to see the giraffe early in the visit!



We are visiting the Masai Mara during the Migration!  There are thousands and thousands of wildebeest!



An elephant on the savannah.  Our rain windows are down in the safari vehicle - so I'm shooting very low from the truck in these first few shots.



The Zebras also migrate along with the wildebeest and we see them grazing together.

Flight to Masai Mara, from Wilson Airport

About a 45 minute flight to the west to reach the Masai Mara Park


Darrell and Steve are both pilots - so they were looking forward to the flight from Nairobi to the Masai Mara in a Caravan.  We flew from Wilson - the domestic airport in Nairobi.




We flew into a pretty good rain storm.  You could see the second storm coming in from the savannah and the pilot threaded the 2 storms to land on the airstrip.

We could see "dots" on the landscape - the dots were animals!  Thousands of wildebeests, zebra, gazelle and other animals.

Flight to Masai Mara, random shots

Views of the Wilson Airport private aviation terminal.  Where the bush planes bring tourists back to the city.

Views of the airport - overcast with rain moving in.



Amazing views of the Kibera Slum.  We had visited the slum the day before.  The size however is so much larger when viewed from above.



The Great Rift Valley - we flew over the escarpment descending into the Rift Valley.

A view of a Masai boma (village) below can be determined by the round cattle enclosure found in each village.

Cycles of Life, Nairobi National Museum

The Cycles of life exhibit demonstrated the culture of the African people and the stages of life from childhood to elderly.

Bead work jewelry is found in many of the
African tribes.


The earliest guitar can be found in Africa.  Slaves traveling to America made musical instruments similar to those found in their home tribes.

Birds in Nairobi National Museum

East Africa is known for its multitude of birds.  The exhibit at the museum prepared us for a little of what we might see while on safari.