The much dreamt off destination of any wildlife enthusiast across the globe would undeniably be Masai Mara. We were eager to see the big cats. We reached from Naivasha to Mara in time for the evening safari. And just minutes into the safari, our keen eyes spotted the completely camouflaged felines; a pride of about thirteen. Three lionesses were resting as also keeping a watchful eye on the boisterous cubs. The young raced and rolled, pulled at and jumped on one another. One fell into a small ditch-cum-puddle. The others tried to pull it out. Sensing the hyper-active rescue operations, the lioness came to check on them. Finally, the cub emerged out victorious, only the dark murky puddle had made a panther cub out of it. Assured that it was in no danger, the lioness went back to rest. And the cubs resumed their play. The ferocious beasts that they were, to see their emotional side at display was wonderful. Not far away from this lot, slender and long, with a child-like face, the world’s fastest animals could be seen on a hillock. The Cheetah brothers were on a hunting mission; looking out for Gazelles. It was a big cat’s day out for us.

With new day comes new hope. Our last day started very early in the morning with an action packed hunt undertaken by a couple of Cheetahs. They were chasing gazelles. And some of our lot as usual interfered by encroaching their hunting arena. Vehicles and cheetahs running parallel after the gazelles who doubled their speed in fright. Only the actual hunters suddenly got confused as to who was actually hunting whom! They halted in their tracks; curiously and silently spinning their heads, stared at the vehicles surrounding them. Obviously, their prey had by now vanished from sight. Finally, concluding that we were not worth a duel and with a ‘mind your own business’ look, they gracefully walked off. With guilt strewn across our faces we drove away to the real event of the morning.

We took a balloon ride over the savannah grasslands. We could see all the action from above and the adjoining Serengeti plains. Imagine our delight, when we were informed that our breakfast would be amidst grazing zebras, wildebeests and gazelles. The possibility of a pride also joining us did scare us but that was not the case and it was a wonderful wild experience. We raised a toast to Masai Mara and its inmates.

The African lion had eluded us and since it was our last day, we were a bit saddened. We spotted a pride abundant with lionesses and cubs. We clicked the usual pictures and waited for a while. Everything was quiet. And suddenly, the King of the Jungle simply walked out of a bush (which until then had been just another bush), checked on his pride and settled in the shadows from where he could see them and we could see him. For seconds, he looked straight at us. Those fiery orange eyes! If looks could kill, one would have been dead. Concluding that we were no threat, the King resumed his afternoon siesta. We were awestruck with the majestic and powerful regal presence. Content we proceeded. Nothing more could have excited us or so we thought.

The Migration

A layer of dust rose over a darkened section. Our guide was visibly excited and the engine roared with equal vigour. A congregation of hundreds and thousands of wildebeests with intermittent giraffes and zebras awaited us. A drama unfolded. A pack of helpful zebras were trying to find a low-lying portion of the river for the wildebeests to cross. After disapproving two-three spots, the zebras, finally, chose one and gave way to the wildebeests. And we bore witness to one of the greatest natural phenomena – the migration (though on a smaller scale). Huge clouds of dust rose and obscured everything as they crossed over. Until then we had not noticed that the rivers were live too. Long and bulky Nile crocodiles shot out of the waters to trap innocent prey. Some succeeded. Some failed. But all had to retreat, because the amphibian hunters in their excitement had forgotten whom they shared the waters with. The hippos emerged out to see the cause of disturbance. Even crocodiles feared the enraged beasts. They retreated and the wildebeests quickly migrated lest they became a victim of somebody’s anger or somebody else’s hunger.

Migration marked the end of our safaris and thereby, our trip. And what an end it was! Only, rhinos were conspicuous by their absence. We couldn’t visit a Masai village, but we spotted a lot of them on the way; their tribe sporting bright and colourful outfits, striking out in the dry brown growth.

All in all, we thoroughly relished this journey to another continent, culture, tradition, language and populace. What remained consistent across all of it was the human emotion! Travel, time and again, brings it out and shows that we are not alone. Hakuna Matata..!!