Maasai Mara Reserve
On September 13th we left for the famous Maasai Mara Reserve where we would spend our remaining time in Kenya. This reserve is also known as the Masai Mara. The locals call it the Mara. This reserve is named in honour of the Maasai people (ancestral inhabitants of the area). Mara which is Maa(Maasai language) for "spotted" a description for the circles of trees, scrub, savanna and cloud shadows that mark the area. This reserve is globally famous for its exceptional population of lions, leopards and cheetahs and the annual migration of zebra, Thomson's gazelle and wildebeest to and from the Serengeti every year from July to October. The area covers about 580 square miles.
Before we got to the reserve we had to spent the morning driving on the highways which are for the most part in very good shape. These next snapshots were all taken through the window while we driving on the highway so I could record the landscape and some of the people that we passed. The area above looked very pretty with the cattle around the lake .
Some locals that we passed on the road. This would be a typical scene of shops along the road in the small villages and towns.
I loved the beautiful colours of the clothes that the native woman wear. Needless to say Coca Cola was very popular. I took this picture because I liked the contrast of the different outfits the women were wearing.
Houses next to the shops.
We passed a lot of women with their donkeys.
While driving on the highways and passing through the towns we would often see many young men standing around with their motorcycles so I asked Peter about that. It turns out that motorcycles are used as cabs in Kenya.
I saw a lot of potato stands along the sides of the road.
I often saw men sitting beside the shops or just along the side of the roads. Unemployment in Kenya is at 40% and 70% of those unemployed are between the ages of 15 and 35. The high level of unemployment has been blamed for the escalating incidents of crime and insecurity in the country. Forbes Africa recently released a list of Africa's 30 best entrepreneurs under 30. Interestingly enough 7 out of the 30 are Kenyan. Anthony Mwange, a 25-year-old Kenyan, discovered technology that can enable human beings to charge phones through their shoes. Evans Wadongo has invented solar-powered lantern lamps that can be used in rural and poor urban homes which cannot access electricity. Obviously the Kenyans have many talented and creative people. Hopefully the government will be able to promote and encourage this kind of innovative thinking.
There were often animals mixing in with the people in the villages.
Some school girls that we passed by on the road. The children all wear school uniforms. We saw kids walking to school all the time and I always wished that we could stop and talk to them.
We finally arrived at the reserve where there were many Masai women selling their hand made jewelry.
The landscape of the Mara featuring Acacia trees, also known as thorn trees.
Joanna Williams led the photography tour. Joanna picked excellent places to visit and stay in. She has hired the same guides on all of her trips so they were very experienced and knowledgable.
The Topi is a highly social and fast antelope.
Topis are either numerous or absent in an area. Scattered populations do not last long so they either increase or die off. The health of topis in a population depends on access to green vegetation. Herds of topi migrate between pastures. The largest migration is in the Serengeti where they join the wildebeests, zebras and gazelles. We did see many of them during out safaris. The Serengeti (much larger than the Mara) and the Mara are part of the same eco-system. They are both diverse with wide open plains, forest areas and boulders. These reserves are beside each other. The Mara is located in Kenya and the Serengeti is located in Tanzania. At one point during our trip the van briefly entered into the Serengeti.
It was always easy to spot the giraffes.
Zebras were also plentiful in the Mara.
Vultures were everywhere.
This was the last photo taken in the early afternoon before heading to check into the hotel.
Comments
Regardless, you managed to get good shots from the bus.
The Sony produced some nice shots, but really don't have the same "pop" as the D800 images. But much more convenient way to capture life in action...