8/11/2008 Maasai Mara, migration Mara River, early evening game drive

Breakfast at our lodge.  Ed and Karen are doing an optional hot air balloon ride over the Mara but we have decided to go to the Mara River in hopes of seeing the migration.  Cost $100 for our optional excursion.  We drop off laundry.

It takes us a few hours to get to the Mara River from our lodge.  On the way we see Maasai giraffe who are the commonest race of giraffes and have the most irregular coat pattern, dik dik, male impala, lots of wildebeest, elephant, male lion.  A unique looking sausage tree.

Dik dik

Male impala

Sausage tree

Wildebeest

Maasai giraffe

Lovely scenery

Elephant

Warthog

He is magnificent!

We reach Crocodile Point but there is no sign of any vast herds of wildebeest and zebra.  Here we see lots of dead wildebeest, lappet faced vultures, Ruppells griffin vultures, crocodile.  There is no guarantee we would have seen a migration crossing but we enjoyed our day anyway.

Vultures

Dead wildebeest

Vultures and dead wildebeest

Crocodiles

Ruppell's griffon and lappet faced vultures

Back to our lodge we have lunch before our 4:00 pm game drive.  Inside the Mara National Park Reserve we see warthogs, lionesses with cubs, male and female ostrich, black backed jackal with a dead animal leg in its mouth, duiker.   A big thrill was having a lioness come out of the grass onto the road walking beside the safari vehicles.  I opened our window to get some good pictures with Givan telling me to hurry up, take your picture, and close the window!  And the usual wildebeest, zebra, giraffe, elephants that we see on almost every game drive.

Zebra

Male and female ostrich

Lion cubs playing

Mother of the cubs

Sausage tree

Black backed jackal with dead animal leg in its mouth

Duiker

Dinner tonight is from a menu.  Our waiter is Francis.  I have beef with potatoes, cream spinach and corn.  A vegetable soup.  Dessert is fruit tart.  Coffee.  Richard has grilled pork chops and rice.  He chose a different soup.  It was clear and spicy with vegetables.  He had the fruit tart and a Tusker beer.