I flew from Nairobi to the Amboseli National Park, and stayed just outside the park on a Maasai (an African tribe) animal conservancy. I staye at the Porini camp (a private camp), which has a partnership with the Maasai people to help create jobs and generate revenue for their people, in exchange for being on their reserve. The Porini camp is also a very Eco-friendly facility and their camps are designed to have minimal impact on the land and animals. I spent 2 nights here and made 2 full days of safari in both the National Park and Conservancy, with Maasai warriors as guides. We also got a private tour of a local Maasai village, where they showed us some of their daily activities and performed a native dance for us. These people have a very very basic way of life, but are wonderful people. All of our guides and camp staff were Maasai, and I was impressed that most of them are well educated and have college degrees. It was very fun to get to know them and their way of life.
After Amboseli, I moved on to the Maasai Mara National Park... this is one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had. It is mass migration time, and there were over 1.5 million wildebeests which have migrated up from the Serengeti, which is the Tanzanian end of the same plain (Mara & Serengeti are one continuous plain). The animals follow the rain and fresh grass to graze and it is best in the Mara from June through September. The wildebeests also play an important part of the Mara Eco-system and provide ample food for all of the predators (ie lions, cheetahs, leopards, crocodiles,hyenas, vultures, etc.)... and we got to see them all do their thing.
On the Mara, I first stayed at the Mara Explorer camp, which is a 5 star accommodation right inside the National Park. They have a river that runs through their property and houses crocodiles and hippos, while also providing a ready source of water for a lot of the local wildlife. After 2 nights of pure luxury, I moved to another Porini camp, the Porini Lion Camp, which is a bit more my style. This camp is also on a Maasai conservancy, and is of the same Eco-mind as the camp at Amboselli. One other advantage of staying on the conservancies, is that we can go on night safaris, which is not allowed in the National Parks.
After staying at the Porini Lion Camp, which lived up to it's name, I flew back to Nairobi for a few hours of R&R before catching my 2am flight to Istanbul.
I wasn't sure what to expect from the safari life, but I truly enjoyed it. I'm not a hunter or into killing (it's kind of that Buddhist thing) but it was very interesting to learn about, and begin to understand, how everything in nature is so intertwined and interdependent... which as it turns out, is a very Buddhist concept. Each species in the ecosystems we visited (Amboselli and Mara), are absolutely dependent on water - plants, animals, people - and not just directly for themselves. They are also dependent on the survival of each other. The plants need the water to grow and and flourish,so that they can provide food for the grazers, who in turn provide (are) food for the carnivores/predators. The people need the water for themselves as well as their livestock and plants. They also depend on the animals as a source of jobs and their livelihood. It all goes around oneway or another, and each is dependent on the wellbeing of the other. When their is a lot of water, there is growth and everyone flourishes (ie animals grow strong and/or reproduce)... but when the water is scarce, it's a different story. The migration leaves for greener pastures, and the predators go hungry and some die out. But in its wonderful way, nature works it all out in a delicate balance. Nothing goes to waste and everything has it's purpose... we should try to learn a little something from this...
I will post separate pictures of each of the camps...
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Location:Kenya
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