Kenya
In my life, I will never forget the sight of a lion eating its prey, a leopard lounging on a tree branch, or the wildebeest migration. Africa! Everyone should experience a safari at least once in a lifetime.
GETTING THERE
Most people arrive in Kenya at Nairobi's International Airport NBO, on direct flights from Europe. Travelers also arrive overland from neighboring countries.
I was a solo traveler but I booked a group tour from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara Reserve. The group tour was well organized, and had Maasai guards to keep us safe from predators. The guards surrounded our campsite, and wore their traditional red robes, a rectangular piece of fabric, wrapped around their bodies, and flung across their shoulders.
AMAZING EXCURSIONS
Kenya's expansive Maasai Mara Reserve had grasses about three feet tall, with patches of trees scattered around, and at times just a lone tree dotted the grasslands. Kenya's so called Big Five were here, the list changes but for my visit they were Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo, Elephant and I saw them all! Also herds of Giraffe, Ostrich, Hyena, Warthog, and many vultures eating the remains of a fallen prey. I was lucky enough to see a Black Rhino with its big horn and smooth dark skin, much different than Nepal's Rhino which had armored plates on it.
I was about 15 feet from a pride of six lions, two adults and four cubs, as they feasted on a fallen wildebeest. They attacked their meal from the soft belly, sticking their entire heads inside, grunting, groaning, growling at each other as they ate.
The cheetahs were remarkable, with their black teardrop markings off their eyes, sitting and laying majestically on the Mara. The leopards preferred to lounge high up on a large tree branch, their legs dangling off the side, watching all around, and they took their meals up there too to be safe from scavengers. The hippos wallowed in watering holes, dozens and dozens of them together, mostly submerged, their ears sticking out and twitching.
I visited during the migration, when thousands of Wildebeest, Zebra, and Gazelle start arriving from Tanzania's Serengeti plains. My guide said the zebra lead the way in the migration because they had good memory and good eyesight. He said the wildebeest followed the zebra because they know the zebra were heading to food, and the gazelle followed the wildebeest at the end because they needed less water to make the journey.
One afternoon when the other travelers were resting in their tents after a safari, I was playing solitaire because I always take a pack of cards with me on my travels. Much to my surprise, one of the Maasai guards sat down with me and said "play?" I asked "what?" He replied "poker" with a huge grin on his face. I asked him "you know how?" He smiled even bigger saying NO, while nodding his head YES. So I went over basics, showed him two of a kind and said "good." I showed him three of a kind and said "better." He caught on quick and we had a few fun games. Then another Maasai man came up and wanted to learn. The first guy showed the second one how, and before I knew it I was sitting with five Maasai guys playing poker, they were hooting and hollering as they won... and always insisted on knowing who came in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the game!
My adventure ended at a popular restaurant in Nairobi which served up various exotic meats, traditionally roasted on swords. Carvers came to the table, offering up slices for the feast. I tried everything!
A safari to Africa is a must do, at least once in a lifetime. To be up close with prides of lions, to see cheetah hidden in long grass, and experience the wildebeest migration was something I will remember forever.
