Kenya is one of those classic safari destinations that should be on everyone’s bucket list. For us that bucket is quite a large one, but fortunately we have already started to make good progress in filling it up.
Preparing your Trip
Now, before going on safari you should do a bit or research to ensure you get the trip that matches your dreams…do you want to go at the peak of the migration, where the grass is high, the animals are in their millions and you will be next to some dramatic river crossings (July, August, September); or do you want more of an off-season trip where less food and water is going to mean more competition for the wildlife to get a meal and congregations at the watering holes just waiting for the perfect picture; do you want a fenced camp that gives you the freedom to walk around and see the animals from safety without being an option on their menu, or do you want to walk on the wild side with some glamping out with the elephants and lions with nothing but your tent fabric separating you from the wildlife? Do you want classic African savannah,wooded plains or hilly outcrops? And what sort of wildlife do you want to see? Depending on your research and selection you can craft this dream holiday to your liking.
For us, we skipped all the research(!) – except for timing – and put ourselves in the hands of fate for what we would get…Hakuna Matata! Our roll of the dice ended up working perfectly for us and hopefully it will give you a few ideas on what to go for in your trip.
Getting there
We stayed at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club, a couple of hours north from the Maasai Mara National Park and 6 hours drive from Nairobi (along very bumpy, very dusty roads), or 45 mins scenic flight from Nairobi Wilson airport to Mara-Ngerende with Air Kenya; if you are lucky you may even get a bit of a flight detour as we did where you land at an airstrip on the way and end up having wildebeest crossing the runway just as you are trying to take off for the last hop of the flight…fortunately, the pilots are ready for this and know how to handle wildlife on the runway! Ngerende airstrip is just that, a dusty strip with an open air lounge where you will get a cold towel and welcome drink when you land; the camp is just a 10 minute drive away, but this can take longer depending on which animals cross your path on the journey and your first sightings of zebra, giraffe, baboon and antelope.
The Fairmont Mara Safari Club
Game Drives in the Conservancy
We timed our trip for mid-July, with the hope of catching the great migration in full swing, where millions of animals (mainly wildebeest, along with zebra and antelope) make their way north from Tanzania to Kenya. As it turned out, we were 
probably a couple of weeks too early for the migration owing to some late rains that kept the herds munching in the south…you can never really predict mother nature! Nonetheless, together with our amazing game driver from Fairmont – Allan – we saw so much that we hardly had time to worry about seeing the migration in full flow. Allan was a kind of cat whisperer, we could come up with our desires of what we wanted to see and Allan would track them down for us , even if it was a last minute dash to race against the sunset to get us those elusive cats – prides of lions (both in cute, rub their tummy mode and savage hunter mode); coalition of cheetahs (always in alert, cute mode); solitary leopards invariably up a tree relaxing or snacking; herds of buffalo and elephants; baby giraffes just learning to walk and Matt’s favourite, the sprightly dikdik, the smallest of the antelope. 
Some drives you may not get to see what you want but as Allan says “It’s not over until it’s over” and you could collect the Big-5 all in one drive (as we did one morning), seeing lions chasing cheetahs and then hunting and feasting on a warthog which was sadly in the wrong place at the wrong time, face off to a raging elephant (although we backed off pretty quickly) or a leopard going for a sunset stroll.
The unique thing about a game drive here is that it is set in a conservancy area opposed to a national park…meaning that the rules of the park are a bit freer and allow the search to jump off the roads and get into the savannah and bushes in search of the wildlife. Each morning get ready for your 6.30am drive, and if the hippos haven’t woken you then your butler will, with a merry “jambo jambo” (hello!), together with some fresh coffee, tea and biscuits to start your day right.
The early morning drive (6:30) can be extended to half a day for further exploration and with a packed breakfast you can enjoy your morning meal with the lions. With afternoon drives (from 15.30) there is plenty of opportunity to find the animals you desire..culminating in a beautiful African sunset at the end of each day, just keep your camera handy as it does not hang around for long and getting that giraffe or acacia sunset shot will take some planning. Over the space of a week, we had 10 trips out, with each one being unique and new in what we saw, we felt like we could just continue doing this everyday.
The conservancy is also home to two white rhinos – Kofi Anan and Queen Elizabeth – who are under 24-hour guard by the park wardens but will allow you to get up close to them on foot among the bushes, where despite their huge size and scary horn an encounter with these beautiful leviathans will leave you speechless with excitement.Hot Air Ballooning
but for this price we would recommend only going for it if the migration is in full swing as otherwise the animals can be a bit sparse and this becomes just a delightful balloon ride with a knowledgeable and friendly pilot rather than a once in a lifetime experience. If an amazing balloon experience is your dream (at a good price) then head to Cappadocia in Turkey for something you won’t forget (blog to follow).
Get your e-visa up front as entry will be quicker; the Maasai Mara area is marked as a malaria zone, so anti-malarials are recommended (although where we stayed there were no mosquitoes and we did not get a single bite all week) and if you are moving onto the Seychelles, then make sure you have the yellow fever vaccine and carry the certificate as they will want to see it when departing. Above all, enjoy!