Last of two parts
(Continued from last Sunday)
At the bush airstrip in Maasai Mara, Kenya, we were greeted by guides clad in their distinctive, bright red robes.
The Mara is on a plateau at 4,000 feet, so the air is relatively thin and the temperature nippy.
Cottar’s is on a hillside at 5,000 feet, so the view of the sprawling plains below is spectacular. I was particularly thrilled to be informed that in our tent, previous occupants had included a couple named Brangelina.
On safari, our groups would take two convertible Land Rovers with tent tops on long drives, sometimes lasting six hours, as we searched the Mara for the Big Five: lion, Cape buffalo, leopard, elephant and rhino. The last is the most elusive, and sadly, we missed seeing any.
But they are there, as we heard other tourists come from other parts of Africa and show us their photos.
Hot air balloon ride
One day, we also took an early-morning hot air balloon ride, something I had never tried before. The balloon floats silently over the plains and affords a heavenly view of the landscape and the animals underneath, interrupted only by periodic bursts of the propane gas burner as the pilot keeps the heat going.
Wonderful pair Jomi Deveras and Kitty Jacinto enjoyed the balloon ride immensely.
Cottar’s is also located near a Maasai community, and we visited the village one afternoon. It was amazing to see the houses—built entirely out of cow dung—and the happy people who turned out in their finest to sing and dance with us. And sell us their wares as well, of course. After all, we were also there to contribute to the Kenyan economy.
Serengiti
After a few days touring the Mara, we moved to the Serengeti, to a camp called Singita Mara River Tented Camp. The Singita camps are the six-star glamps of the safari world. This is a camp with only eight tents, and are fully “green,” from solar energy to recycled and biodegradable everything.
But the tents also feature a full, open-air bathtub and good Wi-Fi; and dinners have a choice of three whites and three reds, which differ from night to night!
As its name implies, this Singita camp was right on the edge of a bend in the Mara River, and during the wildebeest migration season in August and September, the hoards of gnus cross the river right beside the camp.
The Serengeti and the Mara together is an enormous preserve, and it is heartwarming to see all the animals roaming freely within it. We viewed the circle of life and death, saw hyenas feasting on a carcass, watched a pair of lions mating, and spied newborn giraffes and elephants nursing from their mothers.
After two safari camps, we hied off to Zanzibar, an exotic island off the coast of Tanzania, with its Middle Eastern roots.
Our oceanside Breezes Hotel had a dive operation, so diver Rosan Cruz joined hubby Dennis and I on a couple of scuba dives.
On the way home with several kilos’ overweight luggage, we had a longer layover in Doha, and so Qatar Airways arranged a city tour for us.
It is amazing to see the relentless pace of construction in this city, as it leapfrogs from its medieval past into its football future, when it hosts the World Cup in just a few more years.
After our two-week trip, I would highly recommend a safari to anyone with a penchant for nature and adventure. And if you have a taste for photography, all the more should you go for it. That lion photo may be exactly what you need to hang on your wall.
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