Masai Mara game drive

Doing a Masai Mara game drive in Kenya was one of the highlights from our East African adventure!

After the Serengeti bush camp and safari we started the great migration north to Nairobi, Kenya.

When we arrived it was time to say good bye to our crew and most of our fellow travellers as their adventure came to an end in Nairobi.

Those of us remaining then headed out to have dinner at the famous Carnivore restaurant.

It was a mad feed but wasn’t a late night as in the morning we meet up with our new crew, travellers and new truck to start the second leg of the adventure!!!

Over the next two weeks we will go from Nairobi through Uganda, Rwanda and back to Kenya.

Our first stop on this new adventure will be the Masai Mara national park for a game drive.

So after we pick everyone up and load up the truck, make our way to the campsite just outside of the Masai Mara national park.

This camp site is awesome! There are 12 pet dogs that live here and they’re so friendly. What a squad!

We have another early night as we have a big day in the Masai Mara the next day.

But it was hard to sleep this night through… All night, all I could constantly hear was hyenas calling out to each other, very close to our tent.

At 5am it was game on! We had a quick breakfast then loaded up the 4×4’s for a whole day game drive in the Masai Mara.

Now any day on a safari is going to be a good day!!

As we enter the park we were greeted by some impala.

Then we saw some elephants as they crossed the road.

The Masai Mara is full of wildlife on these open plains!

Next we saw some giraffes hanging out nibbling on some acacia trees.

Did you know that the Masai Mara actually connects to the top of the Serengeti?

It’s just the border of Tanzania and Kenya that divide it.

Which is bigger/better – Masai Mara or Serengeti?

Well it’s been said that the Masai Mara has a higher concentration of wildlife compared to the vastness of the Serengeti.

So even though the Masai Mara isn’t as big as the Serengeti it sure packs a wildlife punch!

And considering the Masai Mara is still 1510 square kms (more than 370, 000 acres) there is still plenty of plains to explore.

Masai Mara game drive tips:

When in a national park with wide open plains, your best bet to spot lions is in the bushes….

Which I guess is similar to other predators who like to lurk around in bushes 😉

But in all seriousness this is where they often get some shade and are just relaxing.

And any river or waterhole you’re sure to find some wildlife…

Here we found this elephant having a drink which scared the hippos that were relaxing in the water.

Down stream was another pod of hippos all in hippo mode.

We jumped back into the 4×4 to see if we can find some more lions.

And we were in luck. There was a couple of cubs running around in the bushes while their mum and aunties were resting.

Our guide asked if we were hungry yet?… We sure were so time to find a place to stop for lunch.

So we drove about 2km away from the lions and got out of the 4×4 and had a picnic in the middle of the Masai Mara.. How fucking crazy is that!!

It’s amazing how many times we have gotten out of the 4×4’s in the middle of national parks on this east African adventure.

After lunch we were on the hunt for a cheetah. The Masai Mara is known for its cheetahs and it wasn’t long until we find one relaxing in the long grass.