Confession: I love safaris. That probably is not a surprise to any of you, but I always forget a little bit just how much I love them in between trips. Which is kinda cool, because then it's like, "whoa this is awesome!" all over again each time. So I was very much looking forward to my inaugural trip to Masai Mara, which has always held a coveted spot on my bucket list. But my experience there last week surpassed even my wildest expectations, and it was just the first in what I hope will be a series of visits.
Five days. Four planes. Six takeoffs, six landings. 26.5 hours spent on safari. Thirty-two lions. Eight lion mating sessions. Two cheetahs. Two (!) leopards. Seven black rhino. One baby black mamba. More than 50,000 wildebeest. Big Five. One amazing camp. 769 photos. Countless memories. And lots of stories to come!
I have now gone on safari in at least nineteen parks in ten countries on three continents (I fear I'm missing/forgetting one or two and am not counting Disney World), with amazing sightings and experiences in each one. But Masai Mara really was the experience of a lifetime, probably because it is the park I grew up watching on TV in nature shows and reading about in books and magazines, the quintessential savannah paradise. And I am so grateful that my career affords me the opportunity to experience things like this more than once in a lifetime.
So, as I sift through my hundreds and photos and videos and get ready to write a series of blog posts about the vacation, consider this a teaser post...
Five days. Four planes. Six takeoffs, six landings. 26.5 hours spent on safari. Thirty-two lions. Eight lion mating sessions. Two cheetahs. Two (!) leopards. Seven black rhino. One baby black mamba. More than 50,000 wildebeest. Big Five. One amazing camp. 769 photos. Countless memories. And lots of stories to come!
I have now gone on safari in at least nineteen parks in ten countries on three continents (I fear I'm missing/forgetting one or two and am not counting Disney World), with amazing sightings and experiences in each one. But Masai Mara really was the experience of a lifetime, probably because it is the park I grew up watching on TV in nature shows and reading about in books and magazines, the quintessential savannah paradise. And I am so grateful that my career affords me the opportunity to experience things like this more than once in a lifetime.
So, as I sift through my hundreds and photos and videos and get ready to write a series of blog posts about the vacation, consider this a teaser post...
3 comments:
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
I too am a safari junkie so please do me a huge favor and draw it out for me so my heart can handle it and take it all in, savoring every picture until we get to go!
Nomads, some day we're going to have to safari together :-). You will LOVE the Mara!
Agreed!
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