 The turn off for the Maasai Mara just after Narok |
 Sekenani Gate to the Maasai Mara National Reserve |
 Distances to the various camps from the main gate |
 Baboon on the sign pointing the turnoff to the Mara Serena |
 Baboon |
 My first elephant in the Mara |
 Panicky zebra |
 Male lion resting |
 Lion |
 2 male lions |
 Lion |
 Broken-down overland truck |
 Vervet Monkey |
 Vervet Monkey |
 Hippos in the Mara River |
 Hippo standing in the Mara River |
 Egyptian Geese |
 Armed rangers escort visitors at the hippo pools near the bridge |
 Walking along the Mara River |
 Hippo Pools at the Mara River |
 That car used to be clean |
 New Mara Bridge, the only river crossing in the park |
 View from the Mara River Bridge |
 The western portion of the park is the Mara Triangle |
 Nile Crocodile |
 Nile Crocodile |
 2 Crocodiles resting on the banks of the Mara River |
 Nile crocodile |
 Hippos in the Mara River |
 Hippos getting aggressive |
 Hippos |
 Hippo unusually grazing on land mid-day |
 Hippo out of the water |
 The roads have numerous small water crossings |
 Zebra, Maasai Mara |
 The Maasai Mara is an extension of the Serengeti Plains of Tanzania |
 Zebra |
 Wildebeest |
 Maasai Mara near the Mara Serena Lodge |
 A main road in the Mara |
 Maasai Giraffe |
 2 Maasai Giraffes |
 Yellow-billed Stork and African Sacred Ibis |
 Vultures |
 Many vultures in a dead tree |
 Rüppels Griffon Vulture |
 Vultures flocking over a Mara River crossing |
 Vulture in flight |
 Wildebeest approach the Mara River to consider crossing |
 Crocodile and a dead wildebeest in the Mara River |
 Crocodile at the crossing |
 Many safari vehicles wait at the crossing |
 The wildebeest herd crosses the Mara River |
 The herd continuing their migration |
 Impala |
 Thomson's Gazelle running |
 Lioness on a mound in the Olpunyata Swamp |
 Lioness posing in the evening light |
 Mara Lioness |
 Lioness |
 Lioness |
 Waterbuck in the Olpunyata Swamp, which is fairly dry in August |
 Waterbucks |
 Evening on the Mara |
 Topis |
 Bird in flight at sunset |
 I camped 2 nights at the Mara Conservancy ranger station near the Serena Lodge for Ksh300/night |
 Balloon lit up over a tree of vultures |
 The Serena Lodge is easy to find by the tall tree on the ridge |
 Vulture landing |
 Sunrise |
 Hippo grazing on land at dawn |
 Sunrise over the Mara River |
 With the sun, the hippo heads back into the river |
 Vultures wait at the wildebeest crossing point near the Mara Serena Lodge |
 Eland |
 Spotted hyena |
 Spotted hyena and a Thomson's gazelle |
 Spotted hyenas out in the morning |
 Spotted hyenas |
 Balloon from Governor's Camp |
 Balloons from Governor's Camp |
 Balloons over the Mara Triangle |
 Balloon tours are expensive...around $400 each |
 Hippos in the Mara River |
 Dead zebra in the evening |
 The same dead zebra the following morning |
 Waterbucks |
 Wildebeest leftovers |
 The easiest way to find a lion in the Mara |
 Lion in the tall grass |
 The lions seem tolerant of vehicles |
 Lion near Mara Serena Lodge |
 Topi (Tessebe) |
 Topi |
 Topi |
 Eland in the tall grass |
 Immature Crested Francolin |
 Lilac-breasted Roller |
 Lilac-breasted Roller |
 Banded mongoose |
 Warthog on the run |
 Typical warthog view |
 African buffalo |
 Buffalo |
 Hippo climbing out of a mud pool |
 Hippo |
 Hippo |
 Buffalo and a topi |
 Buffalo |
 Mara River by Oryx Camp |
 Oryx Camp (Ksh 2500/nt) |
 Hippo diving for the river |
 Mara River |
 Buffalo |
 Hartebeest |
 Coke's Hartebeest |
 Maasai Giraffe |
 Warthogs |
 Hippos and the Mara River |
 Maasai Village just north of the park |
 Warthog |
 Helmeted Guineafowl |
 Northern Mara Triangle |
 Kichwa Tembo International Airport |
 Dash 7 arrived at Kichwa Tembo's airstrip |
 Maasai Mara |
 Kichwa Tembo Camp |
 Eland |
 There are many elephant arond Kichwa Tembo |
 Elephant |
 Elephant |
 Elephant rubbing a tree |
 Elephant near Oloololo Gate |
 Elephant and a tree |
 African Elephant |
 Elephant |
 Elephant |
 Elephants |
 Elephants |
 Elephant in the tall grass |
 Elephant close-up |
 Elephant |
 Elephant |
 Elephant |
 Leaving the elephant behind |
 Topis |
 Eland |
 Buffalo |
 Elephant |
 Happy zebra |
 Wildebeest herd |
 Wildebeest |
 The wildebeest cut the grass short |
 Secretary bird |
 Oribi |
 Oribi |
 Oribi |
 kenya4 480.JPG |
 Skies darkening over the Maasai Mara |
 Zebra in the tall Mara grass |
 Dead tree, Maasai Mara |
 Zebra |
 Zebra |
 Zebra |
 Elephants on the move |
 Wildebeest with a dark sky |
 Spotted hyena cub with a bone |
 Spotted hyena cub waiting patiently |
 Spotted hyena cub |
 Spotted hyena cub |
 Spotted hyena cub |
 Spotted hyena cub |
 Spotted hyena cub |
 Mara Serena Lodge |
 Balloon in the distance over a herd of wildebeest |
 Wildebeest, Maasai Mara |
 Wildebeest |
 Thomson's Gazelle |
 Tommy fleeing |
 Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
 Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
 Wildebeest crossing the park road |
 Vulture and wildebeest |
 Part of a vast wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
 Wildebeest herd, Maasai Mara |
 Mara River at the bridge |
 Thomson's Gazelle |
 Black-backed jackal |
 Black-backed jackal |
 Black-backed jackal |
 Black-backed jackal |
 Vultures with a dead wildebeest |
 Yummy...the eyes are the best part |
 Ruppell's Vulture bouncing to the meal (Maasai Mara, Kenya) |
 Vultures squabbling over the carcass |
 White-backed & Ruppell's Vultures (Maasai Mara, Kenya) |
 A Marabou stork waits patiently |
 Vulture |
 There are 8 lions in those bushes |
 Lioness, Maasai Mara |
 Lion in the bush |
 Lion leaving the bush |
 Lioness, Maasai Mara |
 Lioness, Maasai Mara |
 Lion cub |
 Lion cub |
 Lioness and cub |
 Lion cub |
 Lioness walking this way |
 Two lion cubs |
 Lion cub under the bush |
 Lion cub |
 Lion in the bushes |
 Wildebeest remains |
 Vulture and a zebra |
 Female oribi |
 Part of a large zebra herd |
 Zebra |
 Radio-collared spotted hyena |
 Radio-collared spotted hyena |
 Radio-collared spotted hyena |
 Non-radio collared hyena nearby |
 Spotted hyena on the Posee Plains |
 6km to Fig Tree Camp |
 Fig Tree Camp ($150/$200 single/double w/3 meals) |
 The porter takes my bags |
 Maasai at the front desk of Fig Tree Camp |
 Pool at Fig Tree Camp |
 "Tent" at Fig Tree |
 "Tent" at Fig Tree |
 "Tent" at Fig Tree |
 View of the Talek River from my "Tent" at Fig Tree |
 Maasai village near Fig Tree |
 Spotted Hyena |
 Immature Bateleur Eagle |
 Immature Bateleur Eagle |
 Here comes trouble |
 White-headed Vulture |
 White-headed vulture chases off the immature Bateleur Eagle and Spotted Hyena |
 White-headed Vulture |
 Spotted Hyena looking for a quieter place |
 Giraffe resting in the grass |
 Warthogs |
 Topi on a distant outcropping |
 Topi under a big sky |
 Maasai cattle inside the borders of the reserve |
 Maasai cattle |
 Elephants grazing in the distance |
 Saddlebill Stork, near Governor's Camp |
 A perfect tree for a leopard, but not today |
 Governor's Camp airstrip |
 Mara River near Governor's Camp |
 Nile Crocodile |
 Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) |
 Ostrich egg |
 Three cheetah cubs near Governor's Camp |
 Mother cheetah and her cubs |
 Big stretch! |
 Off mom goes |
 Cheetah cubs stretch |
 Cheetah |
 Three cubs |
 Cheetah hunting |
 Cheetah cubs |
 Very ominous sky behind the cheetah |
 Cheetah |
 Cheetah blend in well |
 Cheetah with a black sky |
 Cheetah |
 Cheetah taking a break |
 Topis in the rain |
 Black sky over the Maasai Mara |
 Very wet Hyena |
 Wet hyena |
 Lioness yawning in the morning |
 Lion cub playing with leftover warthog jaw |
 Lion cub near Fig Tree |
 Lioness near Fig Tree |
 Lion in the grass of the Maasai Mara |
 Big Yawn! |
 Elephant herd near the main gate |
 Mother and baby elephant |
 Elephant herd, Maasai Mara |
 Elephants crossing the road near the main gate |
 Elephants, Maasai Mara |
 Young elephant |
 Mom takes a look back at the road |