Fairmont mara Safari Club

We’re on the northern extreme of the Mara Game reserve where the Aitong rises in the horizon, over the edges of the world-famous natural wilderness where lions and elephants share space with the tiny zorillas and barrel-shaped, rarely seen aardvarks and hippos deep into the night.  Map of the Masai Mara game reserve

The one-hour flight from Nairobi brings us to this amazing world of the predators and prey, the hunters and the hunted. Nothing compares to the Mara.

Landing near the banks of the Mara river, a pod of hippos – nearly 50 on a quick count lie in the earthy waters of the river that flows from the hills that surround the Mara with the forests of the Mau draping them. The hippos, with just their backsides and top half of their heads – look like stepping stones in the water.

On the dry islet where the water shallow, two crocodiles sun themselves with a cackle of Egyptian geese waddling around the cold-blooded reptiles.

A cool refreshing cocktail awaits us and we toast to the Mara. Driving into the recently refurbished Fairmont Mara Safari Club, a happy hippo, sculpted from scrap metal by Kenya’s leading scrap metal artist, Kioko Mwitiki stands to welcome clients – it’s about the closest anyone will get to a hippo.

A herd of wildebeest in metal on the red ochre walls of the lodge portrays the significance of the comical animal that thunders in from the Serengeti from July every year– sometimes as many as a million – to feed on the rich succulent grasses in the mara after the long rains of April and turn around to Serengeti’s enormous sprawl ready for the calving season around October.

Tall trees from the old forest pattern the grounds and inside the foyer, the red ochre of the Masai adds a vibrant dash to show case Africa’s collection of functional art. These include the traditional three-legged stools and chairs with the ancient bao game played across the continent since the dawn of time.

Beads, gourds and cowhide skin – all used by the Maasai – become art deco in the lodge and temptation is highh to wear the traditional hide skirts on the wall worn by Maasai dames.

More hippos lounge in the river below as you step out on the verandah and a cute baby takes our fancy. A crocodile has swum quietly and lies still as a log awaiting the catch of the day.

A rustle in the grass catches my attention and I look down to see a shy monitor lizard beautifully patterned with yellow beads on grey take a quick stare at me and vanish into the steep banks of the river as a double-toothed barbet with a deep red chest lands on the branch by my tent.

A midday shower cools the day as we enjoy lunch on the verandah with the baby hippo taking a plunge in the water to follow his mama.

Termite mounds fill the plains to the horizons, tiny pyramids of clay usually hidden in the tall grasses but now exposed because of the drought. The tiny insects keep the soils of the Mara ventilated and porous for the grasses to take root.

A herd of elephants stroll through the plains, they are a little thin because of the drought. Tall giraffes nibble on the trees shaping them as only giraffes would do – flat from the underside.

“There’s a herd of blue jean antelopes,” jokes our driver-guide.

It’s the topi, only found in the Mara and in the unprotected stretch of wilderness on Kenya’s northern coast. Standing next to the herd of topi is the Coke’s hartebeest or the kongoni, and the two big antelopes graze with the sky darkening for more rain.

And then what everyone comes to the Mara for, a pride of lions have just made a kill and savour the buffalo. It’s a handsome pride of about 10 with the black-maned lion definitely in control of his pride.

In a playful mood, the young ones stage a mock fight rolling over each other and taking a swing with the paw. And too soon we have to call it a day – but a surprise awaits us………

More About The Masai Mara game reserve

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