Let's face it; Africa is AMAZING. As a black man from America, there is nothing like being welcomed, and the majority looks like you. Africa is one of the largest continents in the world, hosts to over one BILLION residents, and home to 54 different countries. As a traveler and with so much real estate to cover in Africa, the opportunities for activities are endless. Everything from city and wine tours, helicopter rides around a city, or shark diving; Africa is undoubtedly to have something that suits you. One specific heart-pumping activity that should be on everybody's list when visiting Africa is going into a National Park and going on a game drive.
Because I know you were wondering, a national park is a large amount of land that has fallen under the protection of the specific state. Get this; there are a total of 50 national parks in Africa, all full with large amounts of animals. Everything from lions, leopards, and elephants to zebras, wildebeest, and antelope. If seeing a lion behind a cage at a zoo was never good enough to satisfy you, then coming to a national park provides you the opportunity to see them up close in person and their natural habitat. During my 13 days in Africa, I managed to travel to two different countries (Kenya & Tanzania) and visit a whopping total of THREE national parks. Follow along as I take you through my journey through the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
Maasai Mara National Reserve
MY EXPERIENCE IN THE MARA
Let me start by saying that this park by FAR was my favorite. I'm no stranger to getting next to extra large wild animals. Inside a cage, I loved on, rubbed, and walked next to four of the biggest tigers I could when I was in Thailand. But, I'm almost positive the tigers were rocking with me that day or had something in them to make them chill. In these parks, there are no cages, sedatives, chains, or cuffs. These animals do and walk as they please. The thought of knowing I was going to do that in The Mara, FIRST, was everything.
After spending my first day in Nairobi, the only thing I could think about was making my way into the wilderness for the next two days. I had a two-day game drive waiting for me, and the anticipation was unreal. From Nairobi to Narok County (Maasai Mara County), it's approximately five hours; if you are driving, of course. There are options to fly into the park, but understand its way more expensive. Pulling up to the front gate of the park had me feeling elated. It was about a 20-minute wait before I could go inside because right outside of the gate, there was an office for you to set up a hot air balloon ride for an unforgettable journey over the park.
As soon as you enter the gate, you realize how far the land stretches — the area primarily filled with open, bright green grasslands and very distinctive trees. Think of the tree Rafiki often was on in The Lion King; they were everywhere. Riding in the Mara usually made you wonder how people knew their way around the area. There are no signs anywhere; instead, paths that had been previously driven on to help aid you around.
The Mara spoiled me very quickly as I saw the only thing I wanted to see within the first hour. LIONS. I saw two female lions sleeping with their four huge kids' right behind them. Wildebeest, antelopes, warthogs, zebras, and buffalos are in abundance during the first day of driving.
The second day, things turned up a notch. You realize very quickly that most of these animals live in unison unless you're a predator. Zebras are hanging with the wildebeests and warthogs chilling with buffalos. I even saw a leopard at the top of a tree sleep while two male lions slept below him. Although I'm positive, the leopard had no intention of coming down once he saw the two lions below.
Elephants were in abundance and were very exciting to see. There's absolutely nothing like an early morning cup of hot tea while listening to Chris Brown and having an elephant pose for me while I snap pictures. It was common to see them either by themselves or with their large families. Hippos also finally made their appearance, and they are massive and move in large packs.
Through it all, the highlight was seeing two lions have sex. It was the most random 20 seconds I've ever seen. Even though it was short, it looked like a good one that they both got off. The last thing I had to do more than anything was get out of the actual truck. I ended up just parlaying outside of my vehicle for about 20 minutes. Talk about heart beating moments and your head on a swivel. Ultimately, riding through the Mara was terrific. Some of my best photos came from being in this park, and the things I saw were off the charts.
FACTS ABOUT THE MARA
The Maasai Mara National Reserve is one of the most popular and well-known parks throughout all of Africa. It shares a direct border with the famous Tanzania national park, the Serengeti. In size, its 1,510 sq km and is home to 95 different species of mammals and over 500 bird species. It is also home to the seasonal wildebeest migration that generally starts from July and runs through October.
The name of the park comes from the local Maasai people that live in the area. In Swahili (the local language of the Maasai people and Kenya), "Mara" means "spotted" due to the many trees which dot the landscape. It's common to see locals living outside of the gate, as well as inside with the animals. This world-renowned park is so large that its total footprint is home to three different identities: The Maasai Mara National Reserve, The Mara Triangle, and numerous Maasai conservancies.
ANIMALS
When it comes to animals, The Mara has it all. As I stated earlier, it's home to 95 different species of mammals and over 500 bird species. The "Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo) are all present and usually always available to witness. Poaching of animals has been an enormous problem in Africa, specifically for elephants and rhinos. As of October 2019, only about 20 rhinos live in the Mara due to excessive poaching. It was, unfortunately, the only animal I didn't get to see while there due to the limited numbers.
Hippos, crocodiles, big colorful lizards, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, and so much more are found in this park alone. While some animals are extremely dangerous, at no point in time did I ever feel endangered by being around them, nor did I have to worry about animals sneaking around me when I wasn't looking. Maybe it's the weather or just the area itself, but all the animals are known to relax and chill. I do recommend keeping your distance, though. Don't think you can walk up on a leopard and turn around and walk back. It might not end; however, you may have thought in your head.
LODGING
Deciding where to lay your head while doing this type of activity can add or take away from your experience. Luckily, there are NUMEROUS lodges for you to pick and choose. You can be extra fancy and go with a luxury lodge, or if you want to keep it extra simple, you can put up your tent and sleep in a sleeping bag. I went the in-between route and stayed in a campsite in the woods about 10 minutes away from the park.
The name of my camp was called the Mama Safi camp. They had big tents that were suited for two people and two twin-sized beds. Right outside the back of my tent was a personal toilet, as well as an outside shower. After a long day of riding, the outdoor shower is the perfect way to start unwinding for the night. A woman named Mrs. Ann ran the camp, and the Maasai provided security.
While this was a comfortable campsite, it had the potential of having wild animals cross through the area. Elephants at times pass through the campground as well as baboons smelling and looking for food in tents. At night, generators are turned off, and power in the camp is entirely cut, leaving you with complete pitch-black darkness and total silence. It's very overwhelming as it took me almost an hour to fall asleep. My advice; use the bathroom before the lights go out. I didn't want to be out in the darkness with the potential of dealing with or seeing any animals.
MAASAI MARA VILLAGE
As I stated earlier, this is Maasai County, meaning the local people are everywhere. They are and have been living on this land for years. They are known to be fierce and smart warriors. Before the poaching of animals became illegal, Maasai men would have to go into the wild with no weapons, food, or water and come back with a killed adult male lion to be considered a man. If you ask me that is absolutely wild. While men were handling the lions, their culture has always had the women taking care of the home. Women built the huts that they stayed in, did all the cooking, tending to the children, and everything else needed within their community. Back when slavery was massive in Africa, the Maasai tribe was one of the only tribes that rejected those ways and maintained that they would continue to live life on their terms.
Today you can find the local Maasai living all over the area while practicing their same cultural traditions. They practice polygamy, make their fires from scratch, have specific dances for certain occasions, and treat and trade cattle like its money. Men are often out taking care of the cattle, while women are tending to their community. Usually, in support of their community, you can find them selling items, doing some of the driving for tourists while in the wild, and acting as security guards for campsites like mine.
Conclusion
My time out in the Mara was a complete blast. Those two days were filled with excitement as well as my adrenaline always pumping. Some of my best photos came from this park, and I got to see so many animals. It was something so many people that I knew said I was crazy for doing, but here I am telling you about it. If you don't feel like two days is enough time for you, then you can choose tours that provide a more extended stay in the Mara. If you are planning on coming to Africa, I highly recommend spending some time in a national park. If you are in Kenya, trust me when I say, you should not pass on the Maasai Mara National Reserve.
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