Garuda Indonesia Colours Magazine April 2017 | Page 126

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Travel | Masai Mara
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So you want to safari?
By the time we returned to
Nairobi, we’d driven 2,000km
through some of the greatest
wildlife territory in the world...
throughout what may have been the most
invigorating morning stroll of my life, but
when I asked Lucia at breakfast if she’d been
nervous, she shrugged and explained that
she knew that the guides wouldn’t actually
let her get close to lions. (continuing into the dusky hunting hours for
the big cats) are not allowed in the reserve itself.
Ol Kinyei is within a short drive of the centre of
the park, and so we spent an entire afternoon
there, watching a group of young cubs tumbling
and tussling in the savannah grasslands.
Our base at Porini Mara Camp, in Ol Kinyei
Conservancy, combined all the fun of camping
with the benefits of expert guiding, hearty
dining and pristine (and uncrowded) wilderness.
With other guests – some with kids – we spent
long evenings chatting around the campfire,
which Lucia was soon calling ‘the bush telly’. I’d narrowly missed seeing the migration on
several previous trips, so this time, hoping to
catch it in full flow, I enlisted the help of one of
Porini’s ace guides to get us into the best position.
There are several initial decisions to be made
in planning a Masai Mara safari, and the choice
of location is probably the most important of all.
Most first-time visitors imagine that the best
experiences are to be had as close as possible
to the heart of the great reserve, but the Mara
is surrounded by Masai land which has been
leased to safari operations. Since the park is
unfenced, you often see just as much wildlife in
these so-called wildlife conservancies as in the
park itself and, at the same time, there is the
added freedom of movement that you don’t have
in the park. Early-morning walks through lion
territory and long afternoon game drives
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After the dust had cleared on one of the most
dramatic crossings of recent years, I was relieved
that the sheer breathtaking violence was not
matched by the body count. When the full herd
had scrambled up the bank to trot onto the
grasslands around our Land Rover, we counted
just six dead wildebeest left in the water. The
resident crocs were apparently so sated by the
‘moveable feast’ that is the Great Migration that
they had summoned the energy to snatch only
that single unfortunate calf.
By the time we returned to Nairobi, we’d driven
2,000km through some of the greatest wildlife
territory in the world, and Lucia had had the
adventure of a lifetime. Kenya had, once again,
surpassed all expectations.
Erikson Rover Safaris offer fully equipped
4x4s from just US$120 per day. There’s an extra
charge for camping equipment, and they can
arrange for a driver and even a chef too.
Gamewatchers Safaris offer advice on all
aspects of your trip and all their properties are
suited to kids. They offer a four-night safari (at
Nairobi Tented Camp and then at camps in the
Mara) on an all-inclusive basis for US$1,790 per
person, including return flights from Nairobi.
www.roversafari.com; www.porini.com
Erikson Rover Safaris menyewakan
kendaraan 4x4 mulai dari 120 USD per
hari. Ada biaya tambahan untuk peralatan
kemah. Mereka juga bisa menyiapkan sopir,
bahkan juru masak. Gamewatchers Safaris
memberikan rekomendasi untuk semua aspek
perjalanan Anda dan semua properti mereka
cocok untuk anak-anak. Mereka menawarkan
perjalanan safari empat malam (di Nairobi
Tented Camp dan di tempat-tempat
perkemahan di Mara) seharga 1.790 USD per
orang termasuk tiket pesawat PP dari Nairobi.
www.roversafari.com; www.porini.com