Mt. Kenya Safari to Maasai Mara

The Maasai Mara & an evening game drive
Our memorable Kenya safari adventure continued as we packed our Tauck duffle bag and flew to the Maasai Mara National Reserve in southern Kenya, where we were welcomed by Maasai warriors. We had lunch upon our arrival at the luxurious Fairmont Mara Safari Club, where an elegant tented camp is your home for the next three nights. We spent the afternoon relaxing, taking in the views and otherwise becoming acquainted with the Safari Club and our tented camp accommodations, evoking the classic safaris of yesteryear. We embarked on an evening game drive across the plains of "the Mara" in search of animals that make their homes here; we saw, antelopes, cheetahs, rhinos, alligators, hippos and elephants in their daily rituals. We returned to camp for a briefing on tomorrow's hot air balloon flight, followed by dinner.

Fairmont Mara Safari Club

Three minor tragedies:
1) The first night at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club tent camp the hot-water pipe under the sink burst and we had to do an emergency evacuation in the middle of the night, as our tent flooded. We eventually got a new tent, but it was a longer walk from the lodge. It turned out that it overlooked a section of the river where two Hippos blots lived. During the day, and every morning the were serenaded by the grunting, groaning, growling, and roaring from the Hippos. It was one of the many highlights of the trip.
2) In the process of the emergency evacuation, Carol lost her iPad. It was later found (about three months later). The hotel reimbursed us for the iPad and Carol ended up with a new iPad as soon as we got back home. The lost iPad was eventually found and was given to the person who found it. It would have cost about $300.00 to ship it back to the states.
3) The second night at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club tent camp, Wally suffered from food poisoning. It took about 24 hour to fully recover from this episode, he only missed one uneventful safari trip and an evening sunset campfire that was rained-out about 20 minutes after it started.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Female Defasssa Waterbuck

We were able to view two Male Cheetahs that had killed a Topi. They were eating as fast as possible before any Lions and/or Hyenas could see and/or smell the kill. The white mass in the middle of the rib cage is the stomach. The Cheetahs know that if they open the stomach it puts out a very pungent smell, and will quickly attract the Lions and Hyena to the kill. They don't open the stomach, until they are finished, and only if they are still hungry.