The African Safari

Been to both Masai Mara and the endless plains of Serengeti. And this is the kind of view we were able to capture over there.

Once you go on an african safari, you won't feel like visiting any other national park to see these majestic wild animals. They are in their natural habitat and are not afraid to come close to the vehicles. You can see them hunting, playing, eating, sleeping, mating and fighting. I will give details of both the national parks along with some photos that my wife clicked. And needless to say, this is a paradise for photographers in general and wild life photographers in particular. The whole area is a part of the Great Rift Valley which extends 6000 Kms from Lebanon to Mozambique. It provides a safe harbour for the wild life and has a balanced ecosystem for all kinds of predators, prays and birds to flourish.

Complete Itinerary with places we visited:

Masai Mara:

This is in Kenya and most of the tour operators have their base in Nairobi. You need to have a good guide else it can completely ruin your trip. We booked through Karibu Safaris and our guide was amazing. He kept telling us about the history of the tribes and was quick to spot wildlife. He was able to answer all our questions and took the effort to refer to his book wherever he was stuck. We were on a 4 day trip and covered Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara.

The positive things of Masai Mara:

• Its smaller so it is densely packed with wild life. So chances of seeing the big 5 are higher.
• Greener compared to Serengeti.
• Cheaper than Serengeti.
• There is no defined path for the vehicles and you can drive really close to the animals.

Negatives:

• If you want to stay inside the national park then there is no option for that. You have to camp outside and check in each day.

Now time for some pics.

Lake Nakuru:

Masai Mara:

Serengeti:

There is a reason they call it endless plains. Its huge. Its much bigger than you can imagine and wherever your eyes go you will see the plains with rarely any trees. These bushy forests without big trees give a good hunting ground for the predators and hence supports a big number of wild cats. We booked through Ancient Wild Safaris. Here we had a bad experience as the Driver/Guide was too busy chatting with his buddy in a loud voice and least interested in interacting with us. Still we managed to see 20+ lions in a day. The trip also included Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara.

Positives:

• The entry to Serengeti involves a drive through a long dusty road which feels like the scenes from Mad Max - Furry Road.
• You can camp inside the national park. (Could be a negative for some as we were warned not to keep any food items inside the tent as it attracts Hyenas :) )
• More wildlife as it is huge.

Negatives:

• The size ensures that the chances of seeing hunting and other behaviour are less likely.
• The rules are a bit strict and the vehicles restrict themselves to the roads built for them.

Pics:

One thing that I could have changed in my itinerary was to skip Serengeti and spend some time in Zanzibar instead.

Hope this helps the fellow travellers!

Picture Credits : Shilpi Samantray