No country is more fitting for a safari or legendary African tribes than Kenya. Its influence and landscapes have been seen across the big screen and some of Africa’s most boisterous wild life figures have stepped foot here from Karen Blixen and Peter Beard to David Attenborough, Ernest Hemingway, and Teddy Roosevelt. Even the country’s athletes dominate the running world racking up olympic gold medals and marathons around the world.
Many African nations remain a mystery to those abroad, but Kenya is known to almost all.
The fact that Kenya is home to the original safari and the Masai Mara is the epicenter of the industry should come as no surprise. Located in the Southwest of Kenya the 1,510 square km Masai Mara National Reserve is home to an abundance of game including the seasonal wildebeest migration. The migration is the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth, when over a million wildebeest cross plains, valleys, and rivers in search of fresh pasture.
Every day we went out into the park we saw something incredible. I was amazed watching hyena pups sniff our car tires, elephants rub against our tent poles in the night, and a pride of lions kill and devour a zebra. The wildlife spectacle that occurs everyday here is awe inspiring, but it’s not without peril. An all too sobering reminder when we were the first to arrive to on a poached elephant along the border with Tanzania.r