Misty morning at Masai

     Early morning, when the mist that had settled the previous night had not cleared completely, we set off for our first safari of the day. The sunrise was so colorful and the sky was glowing in its gradient. The mist along with these colors made the place look magical. Our first sight was a group of deer running in line, which we watched from above. Then we started to spot the Cheetah which is one of the fastest animals on earth. We were very lucky to see three of them, one sitting and eating the prey it had hunt down before we arrived, and two other cheetahs resting near a rock in an open plain of grass. The animals were so calm, they did not even move when the jeeps surrounded them. It was a very wonderful experience, seeing wild animals at a very close distance from us. Once we were done seeing them, We started back for our resort as it was time for breakfast.  The roads in the forest, due to the rains had become very wet and puddly, that our jeep at one point got caught in the puddle and we struggled for almost ten minutes to come out. By the time we reached the resort, our jeep was almost covered in mud. With the happy feeling of having spotted a few rare animals, we headed to have a "Bon Appétit".

 

Masai Mara National Park - Day 1

     "Hakuna Matata" is all that one can say about Masai Mara, meaning "No worries" in Swahili. Yes indeed, Masai Mara is a place which takes away all worries with its mesmerizing beauty and the wonderful creations, the splendid wildlife of Kenya. The Masai Mara National Reserve is one of the world's biggest wildlife reserves in the world with the widest species of wild animals. The Big Five Game is a phrase used to describe the five wildest animals. This name was used by the white hunters in ancient times, who came hunting for animals in Masai Mara. These are the toughest animals to be hunted on foot. They include African Lion, African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Rhinoceros and Leopard. They are very frequently spotted during the peak season.  Unfortunately, we were there during the off-peak season when most of the animals would have migrated to the Serengeti in Tanzania. Besides this, we were lucky enough to spot the big five, in small numbers though. After a long drive from Nakuru, we reached the Masai Mara National Reserve. For the first day'splan, we had an evening safari right after having lunch. It was a very cloudy day with frequent showers during the Safari. We spotted many elephants on the way. Just before leaving, we saw a pride of lions which had stopped for shelter inside a bush. There was a male lion which we could not see due to the thick bushes, though we saw its movement slightly. Most of them did not move because of the rain, except for one lioness, which came for a short round of walk and went back to its bush.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

     After the Safari, we came back to our lodge. We went for a stroll along the walkway at the backyard of the lodge. There was a bar beside a lake filled with Hippos. They were groaning inside the water. The already creepy place with the leafless trees became even more creepier with the noise of the Hippos. It was gettin darker when we saw a few birds of the night, owls and vultures. It was very dark, yet was able to take a few photos of them with long exposures. Owls are one of my favourite birds which i long to photograph in an extreme close up view. After a walk, we arrived at the hall right in time for dinner. It was accompanied by a performance by the Masai villagers, their traditional dance.

     After relaxing at the reception for sometime, we decided to retire for the day and came back to our cottage. It was pitch dark with only one light source. The starry sky and the clouds looked very beautiful along with the trees. The situation seemed quite right for a long exposure photograph, which comes out very well in areas where there is no light pollution. Long exposure photography is my favorite types, but it is very unfortunate that I cannot try it very often due to the high light pollution level in the city which makes the photo very messed up. It is almost impossible to get a good shot. I tried taking for sometime with exposures as long as 3 minutes. Finally i got a few pictures after certain trials and errors.