Masai Mara, September 2005

Trip Commander/Chef: Sarah Yates

Tent Packer/Beer Drinker: Ben Yates

Fruit and Nut Eater/OhSh!t-Handle Gripper: Erica Blumenschein

703 kms/18 hrs moving time

Moving average: 38km/hr

Mapping/SarahY/masaaimara20050911.gdb

10/09/2005 Nairobi – Acacia Camp, Masai Mara Game Reserve, Kenya

We started early (0745), which was to be our routine departure time for the length of the trip. The main roads are reasonably navigable, though the rusted, pitted sign indicating the B3 to Narok from the New Naivasha Road was barely readable. Kenya’s roads leave much to be desired and the road to Narok was no exception. After Narok (about 1.5) hours there was a nice 2 km stretch of tar before it all went to hell. The last 50 or so kms before the Sekanani Gate was ungraded dirt passing through open plains of cattle, zebra and thompson’s gazelles. Total driving time on this day was about 4 hours.

The Sekanani Gate was simple enough: Residents 500 shillings/day, non-residents $30/day, vehicle 500 shillings/day. Pay your camping fees at the campground. We paid for 3 nights inside the park and asked directions to Amicabre Camp, which had been recommended to me by a friend. The road was rutted dirt with large gullies, but we did see an elephant or two in the 15kms between the gate and where we eventually camped: Acacia Camp (500 shillings/night/person). Acacia camp is owned by a New Zealander who is never there and run by Michael, a Kenyan from Athi River. He keeps the Masaai groundsman in good order and the campsite is beautiful with continuous hot water supplied by a donkey and a large ground tent area. There were only three cooking stands, but the area could accommodate 3-4 land cruisers with roof top tents in a pinch. Acacia Camp also has tents with cots and does support overlander trucks coming through. [Ben adds: There was a bar.]

We checked out Amicabre campsite down the road about a kilometer, but the Masaai who greeted us charged twice as much (probably looking to bargain) and the campsite was not suitable for roof top tents. This area is in the vicinity of the Mara Sopa Lodge (that runs their generator ALL NIGHT LONG) and also Mara Hippo Lodge, all about 2-3 kms from the Ololaimutiek Gate.

We pitched camp early (about 1300) and had a nice lunch of ham and cheese sandwiches and Tusker. Dinner was Pasta e Fagioli Soup with pot bread. My passengers were suitably impressed.

11/09/2005 Acacia Camp – ‘Crocodile Camp’

In order to get to the main roads in the park, one must exit the park and come back in further down the road. We left Acacia Camp (allegedly outside the reserve) at 0745 and checked back into the park via Ololaimutiek Gate at about 0800. The road from the gate to Keekorok Lodge was very good dirt/gravel and we saw two female lions (and perhaps a male) and many zebra, wildebeest, and thompson’s gazelle. It was on this road when we realized that the Masai Mara is not really set up for the independent traveler. Signage was almost non-existent or ambiguous. In addition, safari company vehicles were rude, circling the good sightings (like the lions) and getting closer to the animals than I’ve seen in other parks. In addition, they all seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere and will charge past you in the rush to shuttle their passengers to where they need to go.

At the intersection at Keekorok lodge we were heading through a narrow series of mud puddles. The oncoming combi was stopped as we headed into the first puddle, but then flashed its lights and started pushing through towards us as we entered the second. We powered through (my brother was driving) and ended up splashing them (significantly, but not intentionally) as we were run off to the side of the road into the ditch to make way for them.

It had rained the night before and the road between Keekorok and Talek Gate had become a slippery mess of black cotton soil. About halfway to Talek Gate we met a large supply truck that had stopped moving forward. I did not see any reason for it to be stopped though the rear wheel of the vehicle was jacked up and they were attempting to put chains on. I debated giving them a bit of a tow to get them going again, but when they produced a very thin metal cable to connect the two vehicles I decided that I’d inform someone at Talek Gate that they were bogged down. Ben and I scraped about 2 cm of black cotton and weeds off our shoes and swapped positions- I took over driving for the day from that point on. The road worsened gaining the consistency of my dad’s favorite breakfast…oatmeal with maple syrup. I kept it mostly in low range and we did not get bogged down as we continued on.

We made it to Talek Gate and investigated Fig Tree Camp as well as the public campsites just outside the park. The campsites were sufficient for camping (one had a bar), but the long drops were not well preserved. I didn’t get the names of these campsites, but the staff at Talek Gate can direct you to them.

We were attempting to reach a ‘campsite by an airstrip’, but we never found it. Instead, after a brief snack of kippered fillets, crackers and some fruit, we continued on through the black cotton bog heading north north-west. This road turned out to be a ‘seasonal track’ and was a sort of non-descript mish-mash of tracks cris-crossing the area.

At one point we stopped to observe a cheetah sitting in the grass a ways off. I saw 2 Defenders about 2kms off down the road on a track parallel to ours and, I kid you not, one of them veered off the road and proceeded to bundu-bash in a direct beeline to us, having realized we were stopped for some reason. They finally got to the track we were on and the now mobile cheetah was making his way off to our rear. I was astounded at the complete disregard for the ‘stay on the track’ rule that was clearly written on our entry tickets.

We continued on though the boggy track and stopped at Governor’s Main Camp for a beer and a sit down. All that mud driving had disturbed my passengers who had no idea of the awesome power of the LC 80 series. At Governor’s we asked about camping in the area and were told about ‘Crocodile Camp’, which turned out to be code for ‘give these idiots bad directions’. We spent about an hour searching a 4 km stretch of the park for ‘Crocodile Camp’, even asking the nice lady from ‘Big Cat Diaries’ who stopped (at our insistence) to give us directions. She was staying at Governor’s on the BBC’s tab. She did tell us we could free camp along the Mara River.

Eventually we ran into 2 Masaai who said, in very good English, that they knew where ‘Crocodile Camp’ was and would take us there. As they hiked we followed in the truck and eventually we came to a tented camp (complete with tent privy and bush shower). We were told in no uncertain terms that we COULD NOT camp there as it was for ‘private’ campers, but we could make our way into the bush along the river and camp there. Again the Masaai guided us to an old camp site with a fire pit and we set up camp along the river to the sound of arguing hippos. The Masaai introduced themselves (Naballa and Goitoi), told us camping was 500 shillings/person and guard duty was extra. They stayed with us all night and we paid them the next morning before we left. They kept the fire going all night. I have to say that it was an excellent cultural experience and Naballa was a great resource for Masaai culture and also who won the game: Arsenal or Singapore. Apparently he catches some games on the TV at Governor’s. Naballa was most lingual and provided a lot of insight about the surroundings as well as excellent directions for crossing the Mara River the next day…down to the kilometer.

Dinner was chicken curry over rice, enough for 5. It was a tough day and we slept well- even me in the ground tent. We were serenaded to sleep by the hippos, the baboons, and the lone lion off in the distance.

Ben added this rhyme:

Blue jeaned

Sun-glassed

White knuckled

Mud blast

12/09/2005 ‘Crocodile Camp’ – Acacia Camp

We decided to take the easy roads today. We again had to exit the park to get back in on the correct road and this time entered at Olooloo gate after very good instructions from our Masaai friend. The only bridge across the Mara is about 6 kms upstream from Olooloo Gate after a Masaai village (called a manyatta). The road improved significantly! From the bridge the packed gravel brought us swiftly through the gate and then on to the Mara Serena (after a stop to see 2 male lions). It was in this section of the park that we started seeing huge concentrations of wildebeests and zebra that are part of the massive migration from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the Masai Mara in Kenya for summer grazing. The scenery was incredible, wildebeest and zebra EVERYWHERE! We even got down to the crossing points to see about 20 safari company vehicles bursting with passengers all gawking at the 5-10 zebras and wildebeests that took a swim that day. My understanding was that the major crossing had occurred earlier.

It was here that I was accosted by the only park management vehicle we had seen so far and was told that standing on my vehicle was ‘not good’ and that he was going to fine me and then he said he’d report me to his boss. I agreed to all and he ended up not exhorting any money from me. I pointed out that across the river there were 2 vehicles with people sitting on top dangling their legs over the side. Though I was in the wrong, it seemed to me that I was targeted as an example because I was an independent vehicle with no safari company insignia on my truck. I have a feeling that the park management turns a blind eye to the commercial vehicles (like the one that bee lined to the cheetah) because the tourists in those trucks have paid a significant sum to see the big sights and the safari companies provide it no matter what the cost to the environment or wildlife. I hope that I’ll be proven wrong. Down the river from the gawkers was the better action – large pods of hippo and many big crocs, as well as a few floating carcasses that became toys for the hippo pod.

This area of the park seemed a bit more touristed and the roads were much better, we even saw a few private vehicles like mine.

We proceeded to Hippo Pool on the Tanzanian border and then back to Acacia Camp via Keekorok. On the way there are many, many seasonal tracks leading down to the river where hippos abounded. There was no mud at all and the road was very good.

Returning to Acacia Camp was like coming home and we were greeted by Michael the manager and also by the Masaai. An overlander truck pulled in, but it was full of Netherlanders so we were able to have hot water for our showers. They had arranged Masaai dancing (at 250 shillings/person) so Ben and I joined in the fun.

Dinner was lentil curry, boerwors and pot bread, all well received.

13/09/2005 Acacia Camp – Nairobi

The trip was only 4 days, but it felt like a week. The trip home was uneventful except for the horrible road conditions. Ben got some more left-hand driving experience and he and Erica are off to Amboseli today in my truck.

Masai Mara Helpful Hints:

Bring wood, bring charcoal. Also bring your own supply of water.

Watch out for organized safari vehicles.

Bring as many maps as you can find of the area.

Only ask Masaai for directions.