We land at 4 in the morning in Nairobi. By lunchtime, after a sleepy 5-hour drive, we are already down South in the world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve, along the Tanzanian border. Our Croatian friend Bartol, who has lived in Kenya with his family for the same three years we have lived in Gabon, wants us to make the best of our Easter stay in his adoptive country.
Our first safari in the hands of our Masai driver and guide is a resounding success and after just a few hours the Land Cruiser, we have understood that we are in for a very different experience than what we are accustomed to. Gabon is a giant, thick, mysterious and sometimes hostile forest where animals can be so hard to spot that the mere sight of a wild turkey can be the towering achievement of a 5-hour hike. In the Mara (as locals say), we are simply thrown onto the set of the Lion King: an astounding amount and variety of wild animals roam freely in majestic and infinite landscapes, in the green plains and hills, through the tall yellow grass of the rainy season.
The Masai Mara National Reserve is a place where you can have breakfast under an acacia tree, then pack, and realise that there was a group of lions basking in the sun a hundred meters away. It’s a place where zebras, giraffes and gnus pass you by without even seeming to notice, where you can slalom safely through a troop of elephants or wild buffalos, where eagles and vultures are never far above your head in search of their next meal, where no waters are hippo-free. It’s the place where we get so lucky we even see three cheetah brothers and a leopard – the most elusive of animals- for the first time in our lives. It’s one of these rare places where you feel like the world was born yesterday.
At night, from our cosy tented lodge, we hear at times terrifying noises and squeaks. Lions, leopards and hyenas on the hunt, and you definitely don’t want to go sleepwalking outside. A couple of Masai people are guarding the camp, just in case. Talking with one of them, we learn he is from Tanzania. His village is a few kilometres away in the Serengeti National Park. When he wants to see his family, he just takes a walk there. Masai people are indeed the only ones who are allowed to walk in the Mara – their knowledge of the land and wildlife grants them this privilege. The fact that the Mara is historically their territory also allows them to cross the Tanzanian border without any passport.
Experiencing the Mara in the company of a friend whom we have known for more than 20 years and his two daughters makes it all the more special. As we exit the park after two surreal days, we already know that the memories we are bringing back with us are lifelong, and that we started our stay in Kenya on the highest of notes!
P.S.: roughly half these photos are courtesy of our friend Bartol.
Tanad stories from Gabon 