'Beests and Balloons

August 15, 2014

(Wild)life in the Maasai Mara.

I certainly hope you're not sick of safari pictures yet. Because if you are, you're in trouble.

I had the opportunity to go to Nairobi, Kenya for a week for work in August. I was very keen to experience working in another African country (an incredible experience in its own right), and I was also very keen to take advantage of the fact that it happened to be at the same time as the annual wildebeest migration. Win-win, right?

The annual wildebeest migration in the Maasai Mara is one of the world's greatest natural sights, and for those who find themselves surrounded by tens of thousands of these hideous animals, it's a bucket-list-checking experience.

M met me in Nairobi for the weekend (see, living in Joburg has its perks), and we beelined for the Mara to spend 48 hours soaking up this natural phenomenon. 

Having a fair amount of safari time under our belts (or at least a lot of hours driving around in the bush), we know all too well that nature is nature, and sometimes you will have amazing sightings, and other times you could drive for hours and see very little. While we fully expected to see a large number of wildebeests (and the other hoofed animals that come along for the ride), we did not expect to see so many predators. Really though, it makes total sense (if the Lion King is anything to go by...); the Mara is a world of feast or famine, and when the migration happens, it is one giant feast.

Our Friday evening game drive kicked off with a bang- we witnessed a male and female lion courting. It's quite rare to see a male and female together, as they only "date" for seven days before the female becomes impregnated and they go their separate ways.

On the Saturday we spent seven hours (yes, seven) staking out a giant heard of wildebeests that were on the ridge of the Mara River just itching to cross. Our guide estimated there was at least 5000 of them. They would inch up to the edge and the pack would get really dense, and then all of a sudden they would all back away and the herd would thin out...and then it would happen all over again. While we really wanted them to cross, it was an experience just to watch nature unfold in front of us. It was like watching National Geographic live. Highlights included a pride of lions sitting in the ridge to intimidate the herd, and a random bull elephant wandering in the opposite direction smack in the centre of the herd. While this herd never did cross the river while we were there, we did see a smaller herd cross the Talek River the next morning (nature's consolation prize, I suppose!).

This trip also included another major highlight for me. I have always wanted to go on a hot air balloon ride, and the Mara is renowned for it. I'm pretty sure at this point that M has given up on using the "I'm afraid of heights" card, as we usually end up doing said activity anyway (and for the record, he usually ends up loving it...if his ear-to-ear grins are anything to go by!). But, balloon rides come with a hefty price tag, so we gave some serious consideration as to whether we thought it would be worth it. In the end, these are exactly the experiences that we live in Africa for, so up we went. It was such a different feeling than anything we've ever done. It was so quiet, and we flew low enough that we could actually see quite a lot of animals along the way. It was a really cool view of the Mara, and a really different perspective of the lines and lines of wildebeests heading northwards.

While going to the Mara is definitely something we dreamed of doing, we likely wouldn't have made the trip to east Africa without the added incentive of me being in Nairobi for work. See, sometimes having a day job ain't so bad.

 Our ride to the Mara, with me riding shotgun. Oh wait, they call that something else in airplanes... CO-PILOT!

Cruising towards the Mara. Clockwise from top right: Kibera Township (largest urban slum in Africa); Great Rift Valley ridge system that runs through Kenya from north to south; "Spotted Plains" of the Maasai Mara.

This if Africa. These two were on their "honeymoon"- seven days of non-stop sex (our guide told us if they do it less than 3000 times the male will not in-pregnant the female. I haven't google-checked this as fact, but suffice to say we saw some action). 

Beauties.

See, I told you there was action.

Stormy skies over migrating wildebeests.

Incredible, ugly creatures.

While we didn't get caught in the rain, it definitely was storming on the horizon.

This gorgeous cat was chilling in the middle of the plains in the late afternoon. 

Sleeping lioness with a full belly.

Hyena on the run.

The Mara has some of the most dramatic scenery I've ever seen.

Who knew you get into a hot air balloon sideways?! When it's windy this is apparently the best way to take off...perhaps they just wanted to make us look silly?

This balloon was getting ready to tip upright...

...and this one was ready for lift off!

So cool to see all the balloons floating across the plains.

Zebras, wildebeests and balloons, oh my!

I love how you can see the line of wildebeests heading north with the balloon floating over-head. 

Photo Courtesy of our British balloon pilot, John.

This lady didn't move from her corner perch throughout the entire ride; she seemed mesmerized by the whole thing.

M & I over the Mara. Experience of a lifetime.

The "hot" in the hot air balloon. 

Deflated.

Back on the ground and ready for a champagne breakfast!

Hard to capture the scope of what was likely around 5000 wildebeests toeing the line and then backing off again..and again...for hours on end!

Hmm..I wonder why they won't cross?

This bull elephant found himself in the middle of the herd, heading the opposite direction.

He was causing quite a stir with the wildebeests and the vultures.

Chillin' while watching wildebeests, trying to will them to cross (it didn't work. Not this time anyway).

They're even uglier when they're huddled together.

What happens when you leave your telephoto lens on and there is a hippo in a puddle right beside the truck. Hello there, hippo nostrils. 

Baby giraffe hanging out in the evening. He was curious about us and just stared at us the whole time while we took photos.

Our Maasai guide saw this cow in the middle of the plains, so he went out to check if it was marked and belonged to someone. No idea what the verdict was; he got back in the truck and we drove off. We never saw the cow again.

 Just chilling as the sun goes down.

Nothing compares to getting starred down by a protective male lion. Serious shivers.

 Watching the colour fade from the Mara.

 Good morning, Mara!

Peace. 

 While it wasn't the 5000-strong herd we saw the previous day, we did manage to see wildebeests crossing the famous Talek River working their way north.

In and around Fig Tree Camp. From top: view of the Talek river from our safari tent (where we could hear hippos at night); enjoying a morning coffee in front of our tent after an early morning game drive; transportation at the local airstrip and the welcoming-committee heading over to greet the guests (see the far right of the bottom photo).