You haven’t been to Kenya until you have been to a safari to Masai Mara, Here’s how our safari experience at Masai Mara Holidays unfolds. On day 1, pick up time was at 6:00 in the morning at our visitors Airbnb, our Masai Mara Holidays driver, Peter was actually five minutes early so be sure to be ready on time as you don’t want to be stuck in the morning traffic jam, especially in Nairobi. Our excited visitors hopped on the 4×4 tourist van to Masai Mara, we left Nairobi at around 8:30 a.m. and reached Maasai Mara at around 4 p.m.
A long the way we had a first stop at the Great Rift Valley viewpoint at around 10a.m. where we could enjoy the breathtaking views and sceneries while taking some photos. There you can also find a shop selling souvenirs and another one besides selling water and snacks, on the opposite side you can find a local coffee shop selling tea, coffee, hot chocolate, milk, chapatis, mandazi at pretty decent prices. We had a great cup of coffee and our visitors tried something new, amandazi. It was delicious so don’t worry if you didn’t have time to have breakfast in the morning as you can have it at the first stop. And most importantly, they do have toilets which are situated inside the souvenir shop
After almost 30 minutes break at the Great Rift Valley we were back on the road for another two hours to our lunch destination, at restaurant Olare. They have a Buffet style lunch with several local dishes, with chapatti of course. There is also a souvenir shop besides the restaurant and once again you have to go through it to go to the toilet. After a yummy lunch we were set to go for our last stretch of our journey to Masai Mara for another two and a half hours. You know you’ve made it to the Maasai Mara when you see those toll stations where the Masai people collect park entrance fee to let you go through. There were a few of them and also the ride starts to become a bit bumpy. You will be able to spot some Maasai ladies selling artisanal accessories to you from the van. You can also bargain with them.
Finally, we reached our accommodation at around 4 p.m. We were briefed about the different timings for electricity and hot showers as well as our meal time. We had electricity from 5:30 to 6:45 in the morning and 6:30 to 10:30 at night. Water supply was restricted also. Then, we were led to our respective tents which were pretty decent with proper mosquito nets and an ensuite bathroom. It was literally in the wilderness which was so cool! You could even see cattle grazing just beside your tent! It was different from what you’re used to and this was so exciting for our visitors! In half an hour,we put our bags in our tents and had a cup of hot drink before we left for our very first game drive.
Peter our driver opened the Van’s rooftop and off we went on the adventure! It was surreal! We saw giraffes gracefully walking around. It was such a beautiful sight! Dazzles of zebras and wildebeest peacefully grazing in the wide plains. We circled around the first lioness that we saw. She was sitting alone quietly with an injured tail. Afterwards we spotted two hyenas feasting on a carcass! Last highlight was the two cheetah brothers who were waiting for the right time to attack their prey. It was so beautiful to see both of them walking and moving in synchrony. There was such an understanding between them and this really amazed us at how nature works. We saw all these just in barely two hours into our safari!
This is nothing like in a zoo! It’s a different thing altogether to see animals in their own natural habitat, going around with their daily business. It’s a whole new way of appreciating those animals. On top of that, we were very close to the animals, giving us the opportunity to take close photos and videos. Peter was highly appreciated for being experienced, he knows just the right spots and brought us up close to the animals that definitely set the tone for the start of our pain and suffering experience. We returned back to camp at around 6:30 p.m. had tea with a new group of friends before heading back to shower and rest, we were indeed exhausted from the long and bumpy rides but it was nothing compared to what we just experienced stay.
It’s advisable to make use a safari company and tour packages when planning a safari to Masai mara, there is no way you are going to get the most of it by doing it yourself, you can find a lot of challenges. At Masai Mara Holidays we offer the best rates for Masai Mara safari packages including pickup from your hotel or Airbnb, transport to Masai Mara and the entire safari with airport drop-off if need be, accommodation with breakfast, lunch and dinner.
