Kenya 2025

Day 5 May 10, 2025 Masai Mara

Rob is to be in the lobby by 5:20 to get picked up for the balloon ride. About half our group is going. Connie got up shortly after he left to go to the lobby for internet access. Good idea but it was down more than up. Even when it was up the speed was too slow to do much of anything.

The balloon ride was a little different from others in the past. We did not gain much altitude but we could clearly see the many animals that from the road were hidden in the tall grass. Most animals can be 10 feet of the road and be invisible. However, It would have to be really tall grass for the giraffes to hide.

Those of us who stayed behind had breakfast beginning at 6:30. They always serve fresh fruit to include pineapple, watermelon, oranges and papaya. After the server cleared the fruit plates he put them on the nearby counter. Shortly afterwards one of the small local monkeys came in, grabbed an orange peel and ran out of the dining room. He was really fast! Pretty soon he returned for more.

At 7:30 those of us who stayed behind left for the park and to meet up with the balloonists. It’s another beautiful day. Sunny but with big fluffy white clouds. The farmers are taking the herds of cows, sheep and goats out to graze along the road. The Masai people are the majority of the nearby population. Whenever it is cool they wrap a black and red cotton blanket around their shoulders and upper body. Occasionally they wear a different color but that is rare. Some kids are walking to school. The Masai are not great supporters of education. Many of the kids are caring for the livestock instead.

Just inside the park are lots of various kinds of antelope. Many are in the distance so they look little. This portion of the park is fairly flat and goes for miles in all directions. It’s peaceful and quiet with an occasional bird call. The large birds are usually single birds while the small ones are in flocks.

We headed for the lion kill from yesterday to see what is left. We could see a large rack of bones but not much else left. The lions that weren’t allowed to eat yesterday are eating today. The remainder of the pride is not to be seen. The jackels and hyenas are missing as well. I’m sure they are around somewhere. They are responsible for eating the bones.

Our guide is sure the remainder of the pride is in the brush not far from the kill. He took us over there and sure enough laying in the bushes sleeping are the other lions. We counted at least nine. They are surprisingly well hidden. Good thing the guide was there to spot them. He drove right up into the bushes so we could see and helped to point them out. He took several different angles so we could see them. A couple of times one got up and moved a few feet to get in more shade.

Time to go meet up with the balloonists. They are having breakfast in the park. Great set up. They had a bar serving champagne and other nonalcoholic beverages. Tables and chairs were available. Off a ways from the eating area was a “Lou with a View”. They had erected a canvas outhouse with a camping style porta paddy. The zippered front faced out to incredible view. Outside the structure was a wash stand. Quite upscale. An attendant cleaned after every use.

Off we all went in search of more wildlife. This time we came upon a few ostriches. I thought they were only in Australia. Actually there were quite a few here.

A group of jeeps marked another interesting spot. A male lion was devouring a wart hog. You could here him crunching the bones. The scavengers are going to be out of luck. We were so close we could have reached out and touched him. That is of course if you don’t value your hand. He did move in order to get in the shade of the jeep. Some other females are nearby but he doesn’t share.

We came upon some vultures this time. Another of the scavengers. They are just sitting on the ground since there are no trees in the area. Not as large as some of our vultures and perhaps not as ugly.

We came across lots more antelope. Large herds of mixed members. This isn’t even the great migration season. That happens in July. Can’t imagine how that must look. There are so many you almost start thinking oh just some more. Quantities like the large herds of bison in Yellowstone.

We came upon three more female lions. Two were in the middle of the road. One was drinking from one of the large puddles of water. All three were panting from the heat and its not that hot. Not sure what they do when it does get hot.

A few more zebras and then back to the lodging for lunch. We also have a couple hours for a nap. The balloonists were very glad.

At 4:00 pm we head back to the park again. The guides have heard of a cheetah spotting so we are off to try to find it. They certainly gave it a good try but we never saw the cat. It had been seen in the brush in another area of the park. We drove in and around that brush but never saw it. We finally had to give up. They hide from the lions because lions have been known to kill cheetahs.

We did see a few hippos in the river. The banks were too muddy to get close. No one wants to get stuck out here. Not even many tourists here. The balloonists had seen them early in the morning. They do just look like big rocks. One was in the middle of the river. That one would dive under and then resurface. The rest are just sleeping along the opposite shore.

More elephants and antelope. You don’t have to look very hard to see those. This reserve has so many animals to see. They seem close together at times and other times far apart. They all stay a safe distance from the lions.

Some wildebeests are in the distance except for three males. A male lion is is the grass a safe distance away. The wildebeests are watching closely. As the lion gets closer they go a little further away. The wildebeests are reasonably safe because they can out run a lion. Not only are they faster they have more endurance. It was interesting to watch them play cat and mouse.

We must go back to the lodging for dinner. Everyone is supposed to be out of the reserve by 6:00 pm. Another beautiful sunset as we left. More rainbows and threatening clouds but we did get rained on most of it the way home. The small nearby town has a bar called the Hard Rock which gave us all a chuckle.