Eila in the Field: The Mara

Next we flew south to the Maasai Mara where we went on an insanely luxurious safari. We stayed at the all-inclusive Sentinel Camp (sentinelcamp.com). This eco-friendly, completely removable camp is set up and torn down twice a year. But that does not stop it from being everything a great safari should be. The Camp is nestled in the woods along the Mara river. Hippos and crocodiles can be seen all day long lazing in or out of the water. Not to mention the birds (I’m saving those for a separate post…)!

The Camp itself is more comfortable than most hotels I have ever stayed at. There is a flush toilet and a shower in each tent (after living in the bush for so long, this was beyond belief for me!). The lounge area was supplied with a wonderful collection of field guides and books on wildlife, conservation, and more. And the food was probably the best I have ever tasted, in the field or not. Every single meal was delicious from first to last bite and every one in between. There was an omelet station every morning, dessert after every lunch and dinner, and, of course, an open bar (nothing like watching hippos sun while enjoying a nice glass of wine).

We were welcomed into camp by the whole staff and a cold glass of mango juice. One word: heaven!

Most of our crowd looking over the Mara River.

The dining tent.

The lounge tent.

Sipia, who learned all of our names on the first go and all of our drink preferences!

Our tent!

The view of the river from the shared area, a great place for a sunset.

Happy guests:

Happy neighbors:

This little tine baby hippo might be a day or two old!

Did I mention this was a safari? Oh yeah, we also saw some animals….starting on the drive from the airstrip to the camp:

The Marsh pack:

Each day we had two game drives with our spectacular guides: Peter and Edward. We left around 6:20AM to catch the animals in the cool of the morning.

Our guides drove while our Maasai spotter helped find the animals.

Mid-morning we would return for breakfast, followed by free time to lounge around camp. Around 4PM we headed back out again for more wildlife. We searched long and hard for cheetahs and were finally rewarded with these two handsome brothers just as we were about to give up (great spot Clay!).

One afternoon we were surprised with a sundowner (watching the sun set with a beverage) out on a drive:

Another great photo opportunity!

Another day we went to see a crossing – this was the beginning of the wildebeest migration and thousands of wildebeest and zebra were lining up waiting to cross the river. They pile up on the bank until the pressure builds high enough to cross. Dangers in and out of the water are high. Both crocs and lions make out well this time of year, but the water alone can be deadly for the crossers. It was nerve-wracking, intense, and beautiful. I held my breath for the tiny baby zebras and wildebeest, but I didn’t see a single one fall. The experience of watching the crossing was incredible.

Here are some more of the photos I like from the drives:

A lion chasing a young wildebeest:

Poor girl did not stand a chance, the wildebeest was WAY too fast!

This wildebeest was not fast enough it seems: We came upon these spotted hyena feeding on a wildebeest carcass. They were joined by tons of vultures and some black-backed jackals that were cheeky enough to nip at the hyenas' heels!