ART OF SAFARI MAGAZINE Great Wildebeest Migration | Page 44

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The place

I doze in a state of utter contentment, soaking up the rays of the sun which bathe me in their warm caress. Never mind witnessing a river crossing, being practically in the path of the Great Wildebeest Migration I’m half expecting a pool crossing! This prime location, in the remote western Masai Mara on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment, is one of the key reasons I chose to stay at Kichwa Tembo Tented Camp. Earlier, when I asked my guide about the name, he told me Kichwa Tembo means ‘head of the elephant’ in Swahili, and that the camp is located in a private concession of the same name, leased from the Maasai.

It had a been a wonderful morning: a prompt wake-up call with the local Kericho Gold tea I’d asked for last night followed by a long game drive through the open grasslands of the abundant Masai Mara. As it’s migration season, we’d opted for a packed breakfast, which we tucked into parked among a sea of wildebeest.

After our successful morning drive we decided to spend the afternoon relaxing, and what better place to do so than at the infinity pool, which comes with uninterrupted views of the Masai Mara and its very own wildlife sightings of passing zebra and eland.

I’m not sure how much time has passed when my spouse taps me on the shoulder; it’s time to go back to our tent to dress for dinner. Already the afternoon sun is waning, lighting up the sky with a weak orange colour, prescient to the burnt African sunset I’ve come to expect.

The room

We’re in one of 40 stylish tents, each stationed apart for complete privacy where forest and

PHOTOGRAPHY: &BEYOND

Enjoy uninterrupted views of the Masai Mara and the Oloololo Escarpment at Kichwa Tembo: from your tent, the restaurant or the infinity pool, or nearby on safari, while tracking the Great Wildebeest Migration.

MASAI

magic

by Melissa Andrews