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Popular Things To Do | Other Things To Do Tips | All Tips (178) The quality driver / guide is most important, as he could make the difference between a mediocre trip and a really great one. We were really lucky - Moses was a really good driver, an excellent spotter, very eager to please, knew his birds and wildlife, very flexible and spoke good English! These are the main qualities to look out for in a guide! Leave a Comment
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For a completely different perspective of the game, try a balloon safari. From your lofty viewpoint up in the sky (usually around 100m high), you have a fantastic view of the plains below, and the animals that inhabit it.
You leave your lodge around 5.30 am, setting out for the launch site. The basket we were in held 16 people in four different compartments, and the pilot turned the basket around several times during the flight so that you were not always at the back or the front.
You take off before the sun has risen, and watching the sunrise from the balloon is quite something.
The animals may still be asleep, as was the case of a large herd of buffalo we saw. Whilst still drifting, you make no noise whatsoever, but as soon as the pilot turns the burner on, the animals will wake up and make a run for it! It is great to see 200 buffalo stampeding across the savannah!
You are usually aloft for around an hour, depending on how strong the wind is. We headed towards the Tanzanian border and were lucky that the wind was only very slight, so we were able to stay up a little longer. You are not allowed to cross the border, and the pilot has to find a suitable place for landing.
Our balloon had a small seat to perch your bottom on during the landing (this is the first time I have seen that), as it can be quite bumpy and the basket may turn over on its side. Leave a Comment
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Masai Mara's black-maned lions are reputed to be the largest and most impressive in Africa, and have been the subject of numerous books and documentary films. Mane growth depends on the male hormone testosterone, so the size of the mane impresses females and intimidates rivals. On the open savannah, a lion's mane advertises his maleness from a great distance. To enhance his mane, a lion will do the "lion strut": tip-toeing on front legs, erect body and tail. The mane also protects against claws and teeth in male combat. Aside from that, it has little use and gets in the way of hunting—stalking males have been described as haystacks moving through the grass (which is why females do most of the hunting!). The mane starts growing from age 2, when sons usually get kicked out by the father. It darkens and thickens, peaking at age 5. As lions age they go bald!! Because their testosterone levels fall.
The prides are strongly territorial, occupying and defending specific areas. They mostly eat migratory herbivores such as wildebeest and zebra and live in family groups known as prides, with as many as 20 or 30 individuals and up to three adult males. Lions are quite lazy creatures, and spend as much as 20 hours a day resting! Females do most of the hunting, and often work together in groups. They usually hunt during the day and prey upon mammals like antelope and zebra. The phrase 'the lion's share' comes from the males' habit of eating before the rest of the pride.
Male lions can grow to 3m long and 1m at the shoulder and weigh over 20okg. In the wild they normally live for 15 years or so. Lions will breed at any time of the year, and gestation period is 112 days with the female giving birth to up to six cubs. The cubs are born with spots, but they fade as they get older. Young cubs are extremely vulnerable and only 20% will survive to reach two years old. Leave a Comment
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The giraffe is the world's tallest animal. Each giraffe's coat is unique. They have no extra vertabrae, but each of the 7 bones is greatly enlarged.
The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but placed in a separate family, the Giraffidae, consisting only of the Giraffe and its closest relative, the Okapi. Thel "horns" on top of their heads are used to protect the head in fights. Male giraffes are larger than females. Males weigh about 2,700 lbs and stand up to 19 ft tall! Females weigh some 300 lbs less and are 3 ft shorter. There are nine generally accepted subspecies of giraffes, differentiated by color and pattern variations and range. Healthy giraffes live about 25 years in the wild. Giraffes are non-territorial, social animals and travel in large herds that are not organized in any way. They can outrun most of their enemies and have been known to kill lions with a kick. A giraffe has just 2 gaits: walking and galloping, are among the very few mammals that cannot swim and usually sleep for only 10 minutes! The idea that giraffes are mute is very wrong, they make a variety of different noises.
If they need to, giraffes can go for several days without water, staying hydrated by the moisture from leaves. They feed chiefly on leaves of acacia and mimosa, using their extensible black tongues and mobile lips to secure food. Males and females tend to eat from different parts of a tree to ensure that the sexes do not compete for food. Life expectancy is between 20 and 25 years.
Female giraffes typically give birth to one calf after a 15 month gestation period. The mother gives birth standing up and the baby falls six feet to the ground. Young giraffes are very vulnerable and cannot defend themselves. While mothers feed, the young are kept in small nursery groups. While adult giraffes are too large to be attacked by most predators, the young can fall prey to lions, leopards, hyenas, and African hunting dogs. Only 25 to 50 percent of Giraffe calves reach adulthood. Leave a Comment
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If you have the opportunity, I would wholeheartedly recommend a night drive. It is totally different to a day time safari, as obviously you cannot easily spot the animals. The atmosphere, however, is quite eerie. With enormous spot lights, you search for the tell-tale sign of a pair of eyes reflecting in the light, then try to make out what it is.
We had a driver, a spotter and an armed guard with us, and were pleased to see quite a few different animals: Dik Dik, Bat Eared Fox, Scrub Hare, the strange Spring Hare which looks like a kangaroo when it jumps, Impala, Thomson's Gazelle, a large herd of Guraffe including six or so babies, lots of hyenas, jackals, Topi and Wildebeest. Leave a Comment
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The Masai Mara is a great place for bird watching enthusiasts, with 485 species of birds recorded in the area. You may wish to equip yourself with a good field guide and make sure your guide is knowledgable on the various species. A good pair of binoculars is a must, as is a telephoto lens of at least 400mm if you wish to take pictures of the birds.
If birds are your main interest, it may be advantageous to travel with a specialist bird watching company, as if you are in a group with other people, they are more likely to want to see big game than our small feathery friends.
We identified the following birds during our trip:
Crowned Crane
Marabou Stork
Wattled Plover
Black Bustard
White Headed Vulture
Jackson's Weaverbird
Ostrich
Tawny Eagle
Nubian Vulture
Lilac Breasted Roller
Superb Starling
Night Jar
Hammekop
Egyptian Geese
Cuckoo
Bateleur Eagle
White Headed Buffalo Weaver
Secretary Bird
Helmeted Guineafowl
Grey Hornbill Leave a Comment
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The name "cheetah" comes from a Hindi word meaning "spotted one".
An adult cheetah weighs 35 – 60 kg, is about 80cm tall, 130 cm long with another 75 cm long tail - females being slightly smaller than the male. Male cheetahs usually live in groups or two or three, whilst females are solitary except when they have a litter.
Males and females mix only to mate, females will raise their young alone. Gestation lasts 93 days, after which a litter of 1 to 6 cubs are born. Mothers give birth in long grass or thick undergrowth. Using her mouth to carry them, the mother moves her cubs continually. Cubs drink milk from their nursing mother until about 6 weeks when they begin to eat meat. Cubs from 9 to 15 months of age will attempt to make their own kills, though this will be successful only when they reach the age of about 2 years. At this stage they will be sexually mature and will leave their mother. Life expectancy is about seven years.
Cheetahs have extremely keen eyesight and hunt predominantly by sight. Active in the late afternoon and early morning, they are sedetary when the sun is hottest. The animal kills only for food (when hungry), and this happens every 3 days or so, favouring small to moderately sized mammals but also birds and rodents. Initially the cheetah stalks its prey, lying usually in long grass until it is within a short distance of its selected prey, then dashes out from cover and chases the animal at high speed. Top speed is between 90 and 112 kilometres per hour, maintained only for short distances. Once the cheetah is within striking distance, it will sink its dew claws into the hindquarters of the prey and cause it to fall on the ground, then swiftly moveing up towards the neck of its prey and biting just below the jawbone, effectively strangling the animal. Often the cheetah is so exhausted from the hunt that it needs to rest for half an hour before being able to eat. Leave a Comment
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Gregarious and sociable, buffalo can be found in herds of up to 1000 animals. Often considered to be the most aggressive and dangerous animal on the African plains, buffalo are actually quite peaceful amongst themselves. It eats grass, leaves, sprouts and stems, and needs to drink up to 30 litres of water a day. They have poor eyesight and hearing, so they rely on their acute sense of smell, which can detect a predator from up to 250m away. Their main predator is the lion, although crocodiles sometimes get them while crossing a river or a hyena may take an injured animal or a calf. When one herd member is attacked, others will come to its aid, and a group of angry buffalo are able to see off a whole pride of lions.
Gestation period is 11 months after which a single calf is born. The youngster will be kept hidden in the undergrowth for a few weeks where it will be nursed by the mother, until it is able to join the herd, where it will be protected by the other members. The life span is 16-20 years. They can grow to a height of 1.4m with the male weighing up to 800kg and the female 550kg. Both sexes have horns. Leave a Comment
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By the sheer fact that you are in the Masai Mara, you are obviously going to be taking a safari!
We were given a choice of safaris, all included in the price. You can have an early morning game drive (starts at 06.30) which returns for breakfast at 09.00, or you may take a picnic breakfast and stay out until 11.00. Then in the evening there is a further game drive which normally starts at 15.30 and returns at 18.30. Alternatively you may choose to start a little later at 08.30 and stay out all day with a picnic lunch, returning around 16.00. Leave a Comment
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Many people come to Masai Mara hoping to see the Big Five, elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo.
Commonly referred to as the Big Five since the days of trophy hunting when these were considered the most dangerous and challenging animals to catch, and therefore valued as trophies.
We did not manage to 'bag' all the five, we unfortunately missed out on the rhino! Leave a Comment
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on January 5, 2005
