It’s a nomadic life on safari. You have one carry-on bag and one backpack, 33 pounds total, and you literally throw it into the back of your land cruiser every day or every other day as you move across Africa. The lack of “stuff” was a liberating experience.

As we left the Lake Nakuru area and headed to the Maasai Mara, a few things caught our eye. One was a huge souvenir shop. We stopped and spent about an hour enjoying the huge warehouse full of carvings, paintings, even iron works. The staff were helpful and eager to make us a good deal. Several of my guests found items they couldn’t resist, at very reasonable price points.

The Mara has a strong, permanent population of game. We saw several firsts on our initial game drive here.

First, we saw two cheetah brothers hunting a Thompson gazelle. They came within just 3-4 feet of our land cruisers, using us as camouflage as they approached the herd.

Then, just as the rain began to fall, about a mile in the distance we saw an enormous male lion crossing a clearing. He lumbered along, and then just laid down, enjoying the rainfall. We were over the moon. Little did we know we would be within spitting distance of 18 lions on the very next day.

Several Maasai warriors came to our tent camp that evening for a jumping performance. You must see it to believe it. Their robes are nothing short of spectacular. Vivid red, spotlessly clean. Their lifestyle is fascinating, and several customers visited their camp the following day.

We saw every African creature within the Mara that you can imagine, including a large pod of hippo’s.

This is where a very large male elephant was eating grass, holding it tight with his trunk and using his front foot to kick it and pry it loose from the hard soil. He kept getting closer and closer to my corner of the land cruiser. When he got within 4 feet of me the driver started our engine and pulled away. I could hear him chewing and breathing. Amazing experience.

Our final day here began with an incredible bush breakfast. We then had one final game drive through the Mara, ending at a dirt air strip where we boarded a 24 seat plane and flew out to Amboseli. We had to say goodbye to the four driver/guides we’d been with during our first week. I am not ashamed to say there were several tears. Lovely people, incredible experience. We were very grateful to that dream team.