Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Africa. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Game drive at Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Maasai Mara National Reserve in Narok, Kenya is a fantastic place to see African wildlife, being the center of the Great Migration, the annual migration of millions of animals to and from the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. In fact, it is estimated that 1,300,000 wildebeest, 500,000 Thomson's gazelles, 97,000 topis, 18,000 elands, and 200,000 zebras undertake this annual journey between July and October. The park also has an exceptional population of lions, leopards and cheetahs.

Getting there is a challenge and close to impossible using public transport. Which is why the best way to experience Maasai Mara is by joining a safari tour. You will definitely need a vehicle to explore the park. Walking around the park is not allowed for obvious reasons.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Game drives are the only way to explore the reserve. They usually start early in the morning and end late in the afternoon. So expect an exhausting but exciting day traveling around the highland savannas of the reserve.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We left shortly after an early breakfast to catch nocturnal animals that were about to get some sleep. Almost immediately, we saw impalas, buffalos, hartebeest, zebras, and lions among many others.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
In fact, we found a lion pride that was feasting on a buffalo they had just killed most probably the day before. You could smell the stench of death as vans got really close. But this was a rare experience, a few minutes of discomfort and awe.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We also had our first ostrich sightings, and got up close and personal with one. It was amusing watching the ostrich walk. But mind you, they run very fast and can be aggressive when threatened.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Wildebeest are the most common animals in Maasai Mara. I finally got to see a gnu!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
The guides are well-trained. Our guide knew the exact species of animals and birds I asked him to identify. And they also knew where to look for the elusive ones. He found a coalition of cheetahs hiding behind bushes!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
And there was Pumbaa! Funny too seeing warthogs walk around. You also won't miss the baboons!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
And the buffalos!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
And the hippos! Cute but deadly! Don't even try to swim when you see hippos. They will slice you in half with their powerful mouths even without provocation. We saw several bloats of hippopotamuses

And sometimes, you won't even notice they are there. So stay clear of the water!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Hippos are not predators. They will kill only as a precaution. But the waters of the reserve has a real predator, Nile crocodiles.

You can also cross the border without passport control! To the left is the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. And to the right is the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya.

For lunch, we looked for a tree under which the guide laid-out a blanket for a picnic. There was one group that was having lunch near the river. A few meters from their location, we saw a lioness! So watch out where you decide to have lunch. We continued our game drive after the quick picnic lunch.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
There are just too many zebras. You'll see a lot of them!

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Now this creature is also hard to find. We were lucky to see several hyenas getting some rest under trees, cooling off and escaping the heat of the sun.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
We also got our selfies with the giraffes. And we saw even more elephants.

By late afternoon, we were so tired and full of dust. So we made our way back to our tented camp. As soon as we got back to the camp, I went straight for the bed.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
The next morning was more of the same. We did another early morning game drive and got to see morning life at the reserve.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Good morning, lion! I think we woke him up! I think this was the same lion we saw on our first day.

Safari game drive at Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya
Before leaving the tented camp for the long drive to Lake Nakuru, we had photos taken with the local Maasai. Right before this photo was taken, the Maasai man beside me placed his shuka (garment) on me, gave me his rungu (wooden throwing club), and snap, laughed at how I look. Jambo from Kenya!

If you're interested to join safari trips to Kenya next year, e-mail me at ivanhenares@redvinta.com. Also check out my Kenya Safari album.

Part 1: Safari trip to Kenya's Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli

Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Safari trip to Kenya's Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli

Images of highland savannas and wild animals roaming around were vivid in my mind as we landed in Nairobi, Kenya. Many have asked me what destinations I have not been to. And my ready answer always is, "A lot!" And one of the places I was about to tick off my bucket list was Kenya!

I was about to venture on an African safari in a fantastic country at the center of Africa's great migration. We spent the night in Nairobi, Kenya's capital, which sits 1600 meters above sea level. So despite its location near the equator, Nairobi can get really cold.

Despite getting up really early, we ended up leaving Nairobi late in the morning after having to go through the city's notorious rush hour traffic as we picked up other passengers. 

Our first stop was at one of the many viewpoints for the Great Rift Valley which stretches 6,000 kilometers from the Red Sea to Mozambique.

From there, we continued driving down the valley, passing through wilderness and occasional small towns and villages before we finally made it to Narok. It was several more kilometers through dirt road before we arrived at our tented camp, where we were to spend two nights, our jump-off for game drives at the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

Tented camps are a cheap but comfortable way to experience Africa's parks. Note that we slept on beds and that each tent had its own toilet. Electricity is available only at certain hours in the evening and morning. But since it gets really cold at night, there's no need for air conditioning.

After tea at the camp, we proceeded to the park. We passed by several Maasai villages. And I like it how locals would wave at us as our van passed by.

At the gates of the park, we were greeted by Maasai ladies selling various souvenirs. The best buys would be shukas (woven blankets used as garments) and beaded necklaces and bracelets. They give the best prices, unlike the many curio shops that try to get as much money from you as they can.

The weather at Maasai Mara was pleasant as we spotted our first impalas, buffalos, zebras, giraffes, elephants, lions and hippos. The excitement that I felt seeing animals in the wild was worth all the hours spent trying to get here from Manila.

I'll talk more about Maasai Mara in my next post. But if you're interested to join safari trips to Kenya next year, e-mail me at ivanhenares@redvinta.com. Also check out my Kenya Safari album.

Part 2: Game drive at Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve




Wednesday, February 04, 2009

South Africa: Love affair with Cape Town, South Africa

After one year, I finally have a second guest post. It's all about wonderful Cape Town, South Africa! And it's written by my college blockmate and kabarkada, Lia Andrea Ramos. Sounds familiar? Of course since she was a former Binibining Pilipinas-Universe and Miss Photogenic at the Miss Universe 2006 pageant! Li-an is now modeling in South Africa and loving it! Hope the E-1 gang gets to visit you there soon!

In my quest for an exotic destination, I found myself traveling for eighteen hours to a small city situated at the tip of Africa. I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on a beautiful, cool summer day in November. Summer in Cape Town runs from November until March. Yet experience taught me that Cape Town weather is unpredictable.

There are days when I go through the wet, the cold and the hot in one day. Windy times in Cape Town are intense, the strong southeasterly winds from the Atlantic can literally blow you away.

Kaapstad, Cape Town in Afrikaans, is the most popular tourist destination in South Africa because of its scenic landscape and good climate. Its tourism industry is quite impressive, with a fairly developed infrastructure to support it. It is not a surprise that it is an easy pick for Europeans as their regular summer paradise.

Cape Town, as locals say, will not escape its name. It is a city yet maintains that town-like characteristic of a laidback atmosphere. It could be the beaches and the mountains that surround it that enhance this vibe. Familiarity is easily achieved; and in a month’s time, you would probably have met most of Cape Town. What I love about it is that it is a melting-pot of the young and the old from all over the world. It is a city full of dreamers and lovers. Its cultural diversity and free-spirited environment makes every person’s experience of Cape Town a unique one.

As a nature lover, my love affair with Cape Town happened in an instant. The first thing that captured me was Table Mountain, the city landmark, a flat-topped mountain that stretches about 3 kilometers from side to side, flanked by Devil’s Peak to the east and Lion’s Head to the west. It is a dramatic backdrop of the entire Cape Town City Bowl. During the summer, the peak can be reached through a cable car. For the adventurous, the hike up to the peak is quite a rewarding challenge.

In my five-month stay in Cape Town, I resided in Camps Bay, a posh residential and commercial area close to the beach. Camps Bay is the most popular among locals and tourists alike. The Lion’s Head (it was named such because it looks like a lion), and the Twelve Apostles, a mountain with twelve peaks, form an imposing background to this setting.

Restaurants and bars are nestled right along the main road of Camps Bay where you can enjoy good food and refreshing cocktails. Popular spots include Caprice, Paranga, and The Grand. Sunsets at Camps Bay are breathtaking, sky painted with red, pink and orange. The only downside to this almost perfect setting is that water is icy cold and one can last only a few seconds or minutes in the sea.

For a less crowded setting, Clifton beaches, which is divided into four sections - Clifton 1, family beach; Clifton 2, models beach; Clifton 3, gay beach; and Clifton 4, mixed group - are right next to Camps Bay. Exquisite holiday houses with breathtaking views of the mountains and the sea can be found in this area.

Food is one of the reasons to come to Cape Town. You are in for one gastronomic experience! Because of its cosmopolitan nature, restaurants of different cuisine have sprawled all over town. African and local isiXhosa cuisine are served in trendy restaurants in the city center, such as Marco’s African Place, Mama Africa and Nyoni’s Kraal. My personal pick is Africa Café, for the interiors and varied food selection. The server, dressed in traditional African clothing and painted face, brings six small portions of different African dish at a time. After three sets, you can order a repeat of whatever your taste buds fancy. For a traditional Cape Malay meal, the historical Bo-Kaap area is the place to visit.

Wine is a staple in every dining experience in South Africa. The Cape region is home to six winelands, three of which I have visited. Constantia, about fifteen minutes away from the city, boasts of the some of the oldest wine estates and homesteads in the country, such as Groot Constantia, established in 1685. Stellenbosch, further away from Cape Town, is the oldest wine route established in South Africa and most popular one.

Franschoek
, first occupied by the French Huguenots, produces many of South Africa’s top wines. The French influence is evident in the town’s guest houses and side street cafes. Eight of the country’s top restaurants can be found in this town, apparent of French flair in culinary arts.

The safari is a must see while in Cape Town if you want a close encounter of the big five - lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and cape buffalo. The term big five was coined by game hunters according to the level of difficulty in bagging them, due to their ferocity when cornered and shot at. Not for the faint-hearted, Cape Town offers quite a number of extreme sports to experience. You may go sand boarding and quad-biking in the sand dunes of Atlantis; kite surfing on Langebaan Lagoon or Bloubergstrand; paragliding off Signal Hill; bungy-jumping in Tsitsikama Nature Park, the highest bungy-jump point in the world; shark cage diving in Shark Alley; and skydiving to witness spectacular views of the city.

Cape Town is undeniably a premiere tourist destination for its extraordinary natural beauty and vibrant culture. It is however hounded with social and economic problems that can be rooted to its colonial past and troubled history. Breaking free from a long oppression from its colonizers, the city and its people has slowly evolved with the new freedom that they enjoy. Living in Cape Town and meeting its people have made me fall in love with a city of hope and incredible spirit.

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