It was a few hours drive from Nairobi to our next destination, Maji Moto in Masai Mara. We were greeted by our Masai hosts with a song and a dance, then shown around the camp site where we had a lovely shaded spot for our tents. Our hosts took us for a visit at the nearby widow’s village and then on a walk up the surrounding hills, and afterwards impressed us with their fire-making skills.
The widow’s village was a place where women, who have become widowed, move to live with their children as according to Masai tradition they are not allowed to re-marry and can’t live among the rest of the villagers. Their houses, which they build themselves out of cow dung and clay, are set in a circle in a middle of which is a pen for cattle. The houses are small and simple but quite cosy comprising of bedrooms and a room with a fire pit.
Bedtime came early again as the women in the widow’s village wanted to show us how to milk cows in the morning. It turned out to be lots of fun, although my cow was reluctant at first to have a stranger milking her and kicked my cup over a few times. One of the Masai was certain that I had milked cows before back home, so I guess I did quite well!
We then went on a long walk with our hosts around the surrounding hills, had a bit of ”warrior training” and then visited a local private school, which had started as a sort of rescue center for girls to give them an education instead of being married off too young.
It was then time to say goodbye to or hosts and start driving towards our next destination, the Masai Mara National Reserve. It was easy to tell when we were getting close, as the scenery turned into rolling hills and lush greenery as far as the eye could see. A bit different from what we’re used to seeing in natural documentaries, that are typically filmed in the dry season when the grass is short and yellow!
At camp we quickly put up our tents and went for an introductory game drive. In only a couple of hours we managed to see giraffe, elephants and even the elusive leopard! Back at camp we had quick dinner and got ready for a very early wake up.
The following morning we drove in complete darkness to the famous Masai Mara Natural Reserve. As the sun rose we drove around and saw animals in their thousands! Dozens of different species all grazing side by side peacefully, spotting the occasional predator here and there. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined the amount of animals we would come across in just one day, at home I get excited if I manage to spot a squirrell every now and then! We saw at least: elephant, zebra, giraffe, thompson’s gazelle, great gazelle, impala, jackal, hyeena, lion, leopard, buffalo, warthog, wildebeest, ostritch, crowned crane, secretary bird and a bunch of other birds whose name I don’t know, just to mention a few. There were animals everywhere you looked!
Our drivers were local Masai men and they were amazing! We went off-roading quite a lot, and they were incredibly skillful in getting us through the most challenging spots. And you could tell they were loving it, I noticed that often to get from a to b they chose the more difficult off-road route instead of the shorter and easier route available. And off-roading was just so much fun!
After about nine hours of driving it was time to go back to camp, and everyone was pretty exhausted at that point. Tired, but happy!
Jenni's Africa 