Off to the Savannah
After our adventures with the gorillas, we took a small 8 passenger plane to Massai Mara Conservancy in Kenya. I’ve never been in this kind of aircraft so the experience was new and interesting. Luckily we had really great weather on all our small flights – not sure if I’d want to try this during a storm. Just a few picts to remember what it was like. Our plane landed in a wide open space right on the conservancy. Shortly after landing our guides showed up and took us to our camp.
Our guides greeted us at the plane and we made our way to our camp.
I was immediately struck by the breathtaking and unique landscape. The vast open spaces and expansive sky created an openness and sense of freedom. Our first animal encounter was a giraffe and a group of gazelles, a remarkable scene to see these amazing animals sharing the land. It was surreal, almost as if I had stepped into Jurassic Park.
Here are a few of the first animals we saw on the way to our camp.
Upon our arrival at the camp, the manager warmly greeted us with a wonderful smile and relaxed demeanor. He explained everything about our schedule, meal times, internet stations, evening campfires, and the lounge areas.
Here are some important things we were told about staying at the camp :
- Do not leave your tent at night. Staff members will escort you to and from your tent before and after dinner.
- Expect to hear animal activity at night. Recently, a lion killed a zebra behind one of the tents. You are safe as long as you remain inside your tent, and each tent is equipped with an emergency button if necessary.
- Water conservation is crucial as the camp operates on a conservancy, and all water is brought into the camp.
- Showers in the tents are bucket showers. If you desire a shower, a staff member will heat water for you, bring it to your tent, and assist with hoisting a bucket for your shower.
- Each morning, an attendant will wake you up and provide hot coffee and warm wash water.
- Drinkable water is available in the lounge area.
After checking out our tent we rested a bit and then headed out to see what we could find. Below are a few more images from that magical first day.
