A safari on the Masai Mara was not something I had ever thought would be a reality for me.
It still seems somewhat surreal...
even in retrospect.
Our drivers showed up at the guesthouse in Nairobi early one morning...
and we were soon on our way.
They posed beside the antique collector car in the parking lot...
rather than the Land Rovers we traveled in.
It was a 5 1/2 hour drive...
and so we made a few stops en route.
The first stop was at a viewpoint looking out over the Great Rift Valley....
a 6,000 kilometer trench that runs through East Africa...
beginning in Lebanon to the north and stretching to Mozambique.
The closer we were to the Masai Mara...
the worse the condition of the roads.
Our drivers had no fear...
and kept those Land Rovers flying.
We were still some distance outside the game reserve when we spotted our first safari animals.
We saw water buffalo...
antelope...
warthogs..
zebra...
...and giraffe before the safari had officially begun.
Our destination was the Marova Mara Game Camp...
...where the guard on duty allowed us entry.
I knew we were off to a camp within a game reserve...
and would be spending the next few days in tents.
I was prepared for that.
I was not prepared for what awaited us.
We checked in...at a rather lovely reception area.
From there we were shown to our 'tents'...
while someone else brought the bag which we were perfectly capable of carrying on our own.
The tents were another surprise!
Though the canvas walls may have had some resemblance to a tent...
that is where the similarity ended.
The floor was tiled...
the restroom was all marble and tile loveliness!
The shower had warm water on command...
and we had electricity.
Not quite the rustic place I had envisioned!
This was our tent home for the next few days...
complete with a patio.
I'll show you around the camp today...
and tomorrow morning bright and early...
we'll be off on our safari.
Since the safaris drives take place at the crack of dawn...
and then again later in the afternoon...
there is a lovely pool area for the guests to relax around during the day.
And relax we did!
The meals were fabulous...
served buffet style with more options than we could handle.
Since tourists come from around the world...
there was something to suit every palette and more.
Another unexpected was that I would ever be COLD in Africa!
By late afternoon it got rather nippy out on the reserve...
and by the time we returned from our afternoon safari we were chilled to the bone.
The fire pit in the lounge was just what we needed...
and we were somewhat reluctant to leave for our tents at bedtime.
Not to worry!
They had thought of everything...
from down quilts to his and hers hot water bottles.
We slept like babies (good ones, that is)...
and were up before the crack of dawn for our morning drive.
Feel free to join me...tomorrow.
What a wonderful adventure - animals that most of know only from The Lion King or the zoo, and accommodations fit for Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. I'm not much of a camper anymore, but I'm pretty sure that I could be a great camper in those conditions! :)
ReplyDeleteOnce again Scot and I enjoyed your post together......great pictures of the wildlife. We dreamt of 'camping' as you did....love the hot water bottles. We will be back for another peek tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJudy, that is quite the tenting experience! More luxurious than any tenting I've ever done. Your pictures are wonderful, and you have many great memories of your trip. Dairymary
ReplyDeleteNow that's a tenting adventure I could get into! What a lifetime experience this was Judy!!
ReplyDeleteThat tent is so romantic - takes camping to a whole new level. What a wonderful experience seeing all those animals!
ReplyDeleteLove that campsite! I've never really thought I'd want to go on a safari, but I want to sleep in that tent.
ReplyDeleteJudy, this is so amazing. A tent with a bathroom. The lovely main house with fireplace and pool! No wonder you felt it was surreal. It is so wonderful that we get to share in the experience through you and your camera. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHolly
I know how much Canadians love to camp and get rustic and all. How funny to arrive at an Africa camp and find that tent camping there means luxury. Makes me wonder what motor home camping is like there!
ReplyDeleteI hope you got a few "grub" shots too..the food to suit all palates must have been interesting.
Wow...you were really roughing it! ha! ha! Never knew there was such a place...that might entice me to go to Africa! :-)
ReplyDeleteNow, that's the kind of tenting experience that I could handle...all nicely set up..it looks like you had such an amazing time. I can imagine you creating a Shutterfly album with all the highlights to share forever and ever.
ReplyDeleteOh I'll be joining you alright. Oh how amazing this tour is. We looked at the post together tonight. . and made appropriate happy tourist sounds.
ReplyDeleteThat sure is nice to know that the tents they offer are so amazing. ..romantic ..even.
WOW...that's an amazing "tent". I read back through many of your Africa posts...so fun to see. We attended a Mennonite church for about 20 years and worked so many MCC sales. I always worked the Ten Thousand Villages booth. I never thought that I could enjoy a safari...but good heavens that was quite a camp. Wonderful photos...very informative posts. I loved peeking into your world.
ReplyDeleteNow if all tents were like that I just might decide to take up camping :). That is amazing & lovely. It seems they thought of everything to make the campers comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to learn that it gets that cold in Africa.
I missed this chapter but I'm glad I checked back. It sounds like a fantastic camp with great amenities. You must have had such a relaxing time there.
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