Guess who won a 5 day trip to the Masai Mara National Park?
This was something I was truly looking forward to. I've never been much of a beach to hotel and back again type tourist, so this would be real adventure in a place I'd never been to, and I was horribly excited.
First and foremost, ... Read review
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...5 day trip to the Masai Mara National Park?
This was something I was truly looking forward to. I've never been much of a beach to hotel and back again type tourist, so this would be real adventure in a place I'd never been to, and I was horribly excited.
First and foremost, though, was the safety aspect. I went off to the doctor who consulted the map and told me to have the Yellow Fever jab, and to take anti-malaria ... .../>
We stayed in the Masai Mara Game Lodge and it was fabulous. The only things was that I hadn't allowed myself to truly think about the conditions there, so it was a bit of a shock to find that there was only hot water twice a day, between 5am-7am and 5pm-7pm and the same went for electricity as well. The nearest doctor was in Nairobi, about 500 miles away. The insects that you may find in your room, aren't the same as the ones back home, and if ... more
Guess who won a 5 day trip to the Masai Mara National Park?
This was something I was truly looking forward to. I've never been much of a beach to hotel and back again type tourist, so this would be real adventure in a place I'd never been to, and I was horribly excited.
First and foremost, though, was the safety aspect. I went off to the doctor who consulted the map and told me to have the Yellow Fever jab, and to take anti-malaria tablets. The side effects of both of them could be pretty nasty, but I had to remember that they wouldn't be half as bad as the full blown illnesses. Plus, the Yellow Fever jab would last for 10 years so at least there was some milage in that pain. The malaria pills, Paludrine, had to be taken for a few weeks before leaving then for 4 weeks after our return. They were likely to cause headaches, stomach upsets and possibly dizzyness, - I'm not even sure that they advise you to take them now as they were so unpleasant - but it had to be better than malaria.
Packing the case was easy. T-shirts, shorts, swimsuit, hat, sunblock, suntan lotions and lots of moisturising creams with aloe vera. Trouble was when we got there and found that the first safari was at 5 am, that time of day it's freezing cold! I borrowed the old man's jumpers and closed my ears to the guffaws from others (I'm 5ft2 he's 6ft3). But be warned. The "best" safari is the first one of the day when the animals are active and on the hunt for food, and it is cold before sun up. Take enough warm clothes and jeans to get you through that bit.
We stayed in the Masai Mara Game Lodge and it was fabulous. The only things was that I hadn't allowed myself to truly think about the conditions there, so it was a bit of a shock to find that there was only hot water twice a day, between 5am-7am and 5pm-7pm and the same went for electricity as well. The nearest doctor was in Nairobi, about 500 miles away. The insects that you may find in your room, aren't the same as the ones back home, and if they are, they're twice as big.
The accommodation was excellent, being constructed like a large round hut. Our bathroom had a huge shower, and every morning my hands would shake as I started to pull back the curtains as I was convinced I'd find a tarantula or something equally terrifying, lurking on the wall. It never happened, thankfully. Plus the Lodge thoughtfully supplied a large can of something called "Doom" which you just aimed and squirted at whatever it was offending you, so I did feel safe. Hubbie didn't.
Safari's were booked twice a day, and off we'd go with our spotters books. Our guide told us he was taking us to find some White Rhinos that were in the park. There were 3 of them in 300 square miles of game reserve! Find them he did, bless his heart, and there were 6 very happy tourists in our little mini bus.
The mini bus can cause mini heart-attacks, the worst being when you need to get up or out of somewhere and the wheels can't get any purchase. The most uncomfortable few minutes I spent there was whilst we were inside the bus, at a waterhole, watching lions devour a wildebeest carcass (honestly not as gory as you might think), with them less than two feet away from my window, and trying to back out of there and getting nowhere. I have the video of the moment, and all we do is rock backwards and forwards with lots of wheel-spinning noises in the background. Oh and my heart pounding. The lion was getting a bit fed up with us and lifted his head and stared coldly. Straight at me. It took about 5 minutes before we managed to move anywhere, but it seemed like a life time. I had visions of the Lions thinking "Hmmmmmm..... afters....."
They do carry walkie talkies and a gun, but our driver promised us that he'd never had to use it in all the years he'd been doing the job. It gets dark quickly out there though, and I know that he was concerned we were miles away from the Lodge with the light fading. God love him, he gots us back in the dark proving that he really did know the place like the back of his hand.
We managed to see and photograph Zebras, Wildebeest, Giraffes, Elephants, Water Buffaloes, White Rhinocerous, Cheetahs, Lions, Hyenas, Jackals, Vultures, Secretary birds, and Bush Pigs, although to my infinite sadness, not many were in any great numbers. Wildlife really does still need looking after.
We were taken to a Masari Mara village. Here you can buy beadwork, look around their houses and lifestyle in general, and take excellent photographs. The young warriors will also perform their dance for you, and usually humilate the Whiteys by getting you to try and jump as high as they do. Not a chance. These guys are amazing - This next bit's a tad off the track a bit, but it's one of my favourite stories... Nike paid the locals a small fortune to have adverts made with them doing their dances wearing Nike trainers. This they did, with much gusto, singing and dancing. Upon returning, Nike played the completed tapes of adverts to their bosses. One of them knew enough Swahili to know that the warriors were singing things like "Nike are crap"... "We don't like these shoes"...."Don't buy them"...
Handy Swahili:-
Hello - Jambo. How are you? - Habari? Good, very well - Mzuri. Thank You - Asante. Please - Tafadhali. Goodbye - Kwaheri. Nike are crap - Nike are crap.
Climate: -
Sunrise: 6-6.30am Sunset 6.6.30pm Rainy Seasons: - Mid April till end of May and November to Mid December. Inland average: approx 85F/ 29C
Currency:-
Everyone arriving in Kenya had to fill in a currency declaration form which was turned in on departure. DON'T change money on the black market, it's illegal and highly dangerous. Defacing Kenyan currency is a jailable offence, so please make sure that you treat the money with respect! They also advise that only 100 shillings may be taken out of Kenya on departure.
Customs:-
Very hot and rightly so on illegal merchandise such as Ivory, animal skins, game trophies and animal bones.
Manners:-
We found the Kenyans to be really friendly, and they love to shake hands a lot. Please ask before taking photographs, and remember that you shouldn't attempt to photograph Maasai or Samburu people without asking first. Some believe that cameras capture your soul and will refuse, others may ask for money, but please ask first.
I loved it in the Masai Mara. You don't know what you're missing until you've sat on a balcony at midnight, listening to singing frogs and the occasional roaring of something big and scary.
Advantages: learning about an amazing culture/stunning scenery/up close with the animals Disadvantages: food and drink where we were staying was not inclusive so rather expensive
I travelled to the Mara as a part of a seven day safari. I stayed at the Serena lodge for one night and spent two fantastic days here.
The beauty of the Maasai Mara is the abundance of wildlife, we went on four game drives and were not disappointed once. Here in the space of two days we marvelled at lions, lion cubs and lionesses (one would have been enough for me - I was thrilled!) we watched them view "their" territory early in the morning and ... ...many other wonderful animals such as a cheetah and her cubs,a leopard, meercats,hyenas, zebras, wilderbeast and many many more.
The photographic opportunities were surreal, really stunning shots!
We saw the sun set over the Acacia trees as we finished our game drives - a truly african experience.
We were taken to the mara river where we saw crocodile and hippo.
all this in two days!
We were also treated to a visit to one of the local Maasai ...
Sophie-Kaia 20.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
Advantages: Once in a life time experince. Magic destination. Luxury accomodaton Disadvantages: Cost,
Key points
Medical Issues:- It is strongly recommended to see you GP at least 4 weeks before travel. ( 2 weeks at a push). You will have to be immunised against Yellow Fever ( around £45), along with all the standard immunisations (Hepatitis A, Typhoid, etc) Anti malarial should be taken at all time. The best ones on the market at the moment are called Malarone. They happen to be the most expensive (around £70 for a 2 week holiday) but there the ... ...peak time in our summer time. In kenya however it is their winter and the coldest time of thew year. It is still very warm during the day. In the Mara however besure to take warm clothes as in the early mornings and at night, it can get very cold.
What to expect:- You can plausibly say that after a few days in the Mara you will see the Hunters Big 5 ( African Elephant, Water Buffalo, Lion, Leopard and Rhino). Not to mention Maasai giraffes, Impala, ...
sknipe 22.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
Advantages: Once in a lifetime Disadvantages: No hot water !
I am not your typical Ciao reviewer, as the really long winded reviews bore me a little. So I find it easier just to tell you how it is with a few helpful pointers.
I had planned a safari into my travels in 1998, but hadn't booked anything until we actually got into Nairobi. A bit of a scary place if you arrive with a backpack on and have no idea where you are going. Anyway we booked into a hotel and went for a wonder around the city. You must be ... ...on getting mobbed by touts trying to sell you their safaris, obviously on a commission. All you have to do is use your instinctives and go for one that you feel comfortable with.
We were very picky and finally chose to go with this guy called Charlie who showed us a brochure and lead us into the tour operators office. The operatour was very helpful and gave us all the information that we required and offered us the right safari for our budget. Now ...
Porky2005 23.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
Advantages: Stunning scenery, amazing wildlife, holiday of a lifetime Disadvantages: cold mornings and evenings, very early mornings, unsafe food and water
...our trip was a the Masai Mara national park. We rose early every morning (you are must likely to see animals at dusk and sunrise)and set out in our safari van. Our guide was friendly, cheerful and extremely informative. He knew where to go to find the best wildlife and also knew how close we could get - one time he had to make a quick get-a-way from a herd of angry male elephant. It is so crucial that you feel 100% secure when you are out there, ... ...video camera or even tape recorder to secure that the stunning scenery, wildlife and sounds are captured indelibly. Another tip is take warm clothing - Kenya may be extremely hot in the middle of the day, but at night and early morning it can get very chilly!
This really is a holiday of a lifetime. Once you see this kind of scenery once, you'll be hooked. I promise you. ...
lec299 06.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
Advantages: An experience of a life time Disadvantages: Long times spent bumping on unmade roads, getting covered in dust, so be prepared
As part of a recent Safari holiday in Kenya, six of us travelled with Somak Holidays for two and a half days at The Mara Simba Lodge. Its well bumping down all those Kenyan dirt tracks for hours to get to the Mara.
The Simba Lodge is a recently built lodge on the edge of The Mara, it sits in among the trees created from local materials along the edge of the river bank. The communal areas are all open sided and overlook the river where crocodile ... ...the bar each night with a couple of musicians playing.
Rooms were great, very clean and spacious, food, wine and service were also to be recommended.
We went on two game drives each day, and our wonderful driver found us all the Big Five managing to jostle us in to good positions for wonderful photos.
The most exciting time we had was on a sunrise hot air balloon safari,leaving our lodge at 5.15am to join up with the balloon and crew at Keekorok. ...
Fionabailey 31.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Masai Mara National Park (Kenya)
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