Masai Mara- Day 3

It was another early start for the group as we headed to the Masai Mara National Reserve around 7:30 am this morning.  Today was more about quality than quantity of animals, and since we had time we spent quite a bit longer in spots and were able to observe them.  We saw herds of elephants, giraffes, impalas, gazelles, topis, wildebeests and zebras roaming around.  Our two big spots of the day though were a leopard, which we saw emerge from the bushes and climb up a tree, and a cheetah with its two cubs who were these little balls of fur.

 

We returned back to the Siana Springs Tented Camp around 1:30 pm for lunch and a leisurely afternoon.  Chantal, Shevonne and I got to chat with Junior, a 21-year-old Maasai man and the camp conservationist about the history of the Maasai people.  He took us to a secluded place on the grounds and spoke about the creation of the Maasai, traditional rights of passage and roles for boys/men and girls/women, the importance of cattle, religion and education.  As more children are educated they have more choices about how they want to live their lives.  Junior, who went to boarding school, exists between two worlds but wants to be a change agent for his community, which is fantastic.  He is fairly progressive as he is against female circumcision and wants to modernize the practices of the Maasai people.  He hopes to study wildlife conservation at university next year, but it would mean moving to Nairobi.  I was very impressed by him and hope he gets to achieve his goals as he is so articulate and would make an excellent leader.

At our last dinner we were once again treated to a performance by the Maasai men and a market afterwards.  I bought a wooden giraffe and elephant for my niece and nephew.  We have had such a nice stay at the camp and the staff have been so friendly and welcoming.  The grounds are lovely and coping with limited hours for power and hot water has been a breeze.  Tomorrow we are back on the road as we head off to our next destination- Lake Nakuru.