[trip style = active & adventure]
{Editor's Note: Today is the last installment of my trip style = active & adventure getting to, glamping and going on safari in the Masai Mara. If you ever have/take the opportunity to do a safari, it's awe-inspiring and other-worldly.}
Just landing on a dirt runway that had just been cleared from herds hanging' below in Kenya's Masai Mara was momentous enough, not to mention a five-day adventure roaming sun-soaked plains, getting up close and personal with lions and watching hundreds of wildebeest and zebra race across the Mara river.
Visiting in the fall is bliss; it's just before rainy season and during the great migration when thousands of animals journey up from the Serengeti. Here's a taste of my million-times-better-than-a-zoo experience in the Masai Mara.
A Kenyan Safari
{We didn't see any lions or cheetahs on our first game drive, but we did have the opportunity marvel at this orangy, just-before-sunset, shadow-effect on our Land Rover!}
{Just a regular morning in the Masai Mara... This picture is taken standing a few feet away from the rhinos---beside guards with large guns. The guards were charged with protecting the last 6 rhinos in the region. Apparently their tusks go for $100,000 on the Asian black market. Very sad.}
{Yes, I did get this close and it was ba-na-nas!}
{Love how baboon babies hang on to their moms.}
{Giraffe: towering over trees.}
{It takes two to tango.}
{Last giraffe picture, I promise, they are just so elegant and stylish, aptly sporting this season's hot camel colour.}
{Male and female zebra with not-that-big (for the region) termite mounds in the background.}
{Apparently the yoga trend has caught on in the Mara too...}
{Don't get in the way of a lion couple's lazy Sunday afternoon and their dinner. Did you know the lionesses do most of the work and the lions just sit back and wait for their dinner to be served? Reminds me of Leave it to Beaver re-runs.}
{A lioness at her best.}
{The king, on his way to a royal meeting.}
{The dainty, yet viciously powerful (male) ostridge.}
{Momma and baby elephants.}
{Words can't describe...}
{Cape Buffalo: one of 'the big 5.' This picture looks like it belongs on a 'cheer up' greeting card.}
{The Mara's version of the fast and the furious: the cheetah.}
{After waiting two hours for the timid wildebeest and zebra to cross the Mara river, the frantic crossing took place. Did I mention that large, snap-happy crocs were lying in wait, monitoring just the right moment to create a raucous? Thank goodness there was only one casualty of war... }
{Here's a better picture (that I didn't take) showing the migration scene at the crossing.}
{Heading back to the lodge...}
{A picturesque end to our safari adventure. I got goosebumps the night I saw this sunset, and still do every time I look at this picture.}
{With our Safari guides Moses and Moses, ending our search for the Big 5 (lions, cape buffalo, leopards, rhinos and elephants). Leopards, who spend a lot of time in trees, are hard to spot. We didn't see one. Oh well, as if I needed an excuse to go on safari again!}
Safari Tips
- Off-roading in a Land Rover (or like vehicle) on the uneven ground can be a semi-rough ride. An old lady I met brought a pillow with her to lessen the impact on her behind! Also, I get motion sick on any moving thing including chair lifts, yet didn't get sick despite the bumps.
- Bring a hat and sunscreen.
- There's a reason why safari-wear is khaki: it's dusty and the light colour is good at warding off the mid-day heat.
- Bring warm clothes, it can be chilly in the early morning or late afternoon when there's no sun.
- Bring a good camera, we only brought a point-and-shoot Sony digi cam and I wish we could rewind and go back with a better camera.
- All lodges offer similar game drive packages, make sure you go on an all-day game drive---a highlight in terms of seeing more territory and animals.
Related Content Africa Month :: Glamping Africa Month :: Jambo
[images by @tripstyler & @nate_fri]
[trip style = safari]
{Laminated 
{Looking out the waiting area's window at our first plane....while holding my laminated boarding passes and reading about Air Kenya's safety record.}
{Boarding our first plane. Notice the UN World Food Program plane in the background.}
{When Air Kenya flies into the Masai Mara it's a milk run. Each party is dropped off at different runways coinciding with their resort's location. Here, our pilot is taking off for the last 10-min leg of our trip.}
{The quintissental tourist out-of-plane window shot, in anticipation of what's below.}
{No joke: the duty-free shop at our landing strip.}
{A special Masai welcome for my friend who just got married and was staying at a resort beside ours.}
{Arriving at our resort/home for the next five days.}
{Our transport/safari vehicle.}
{The resort's main entrance. We were greeted with warm towels and mango juice. So apropos.}
[trip style = sun + beach + weekend getaway] {more pics below}
{Looking from the hotel to the ocean}
{Love the Arabian Nights-esque details}
{Tempted to pick one of the bananas on the property}
{Resort's chapel area}
[trip style = sun + beach]
[trip style = sightseeing] [more pics below]
{Us in Riomaggiore, overlooking the Mediterranean}
{Lovers locks. In case you're not up on the trend---I wasn't either until there---people who are in love attach locks in special places they visit to bind their love 'forever' and mark the significance of the destination.}
{And more lovers locks, in such an inventive, original spot}
{Pathway between towns 4 and 5. This one was easy. The paths between the other towns can be steep and tiring, but the reward is a) amazing views and b) working off the pasta you eat at every meal.}
{Manarola ~ notice the grape vines surrounding every corner of this town}
{A diff view of Manarola ~ we ate lunch, pizza & salad under the yellow umbrellas fronting the ocean}
{Man going about his daily business}
{Pizza Shop, notice the stacks upon stacks of choices}
{Vernazza, looking up}
{Vernazza, looking down ~ a taste of the stunning views the hike between towns offers}
{Views coming into Monterosso}
{Monterosso ~ where our humble, yet 250 euro (per night) 'hotel' sat somewhere in there}