The Mara produces great game and great wildlife behavior....

The Mara produces great game and great wildlife behavior on a consistent and reliable basis. It is possibly the premier African wildlife destination as many of the world’s documentary filmmakers would testify. The beauty of the rolling plains and the exuberant abundance of the wildlife are always breathtaking and this safari was no different.

Early on our first morning out we came across a young male lion who seemed to be intent on a mission. We followed him as he walked purposefully west for almost a kilometer before he topped out a ridge and headed down to the next valley where we saw three lioness and three cubs. Once I saw where he was headed we drove over to the family group to see what would unfold. The lionesses were very aggressive towards the male and they had several fierce altercations before he finally displaced them off their kill and they left.

We found the group of six every day while we were in the Mara, the second morning they had another kill and the cubs were playing in the long grass, chasing and ambushing each other.

Another great attraction of the Mara is the combination of wide open space and big skies which make the most dramatic landscape and wildlife photographs. Because of the proximity to L. Victoria the afternoons will often provide huge cumulus Nimbus clouds which force the sun’s rays to penetrate to the ground in dramatic beams. Throw a majestic giraffe into the equation and you get a haunting photograph.

The migration is here in full force, despite it being very dry and had arrived much earlier than usual in June instead of the end of July. We enjoyed scenes of zebras and wildebeests traveling around looking for the freshest grasses and covering the open plains like ants on a picnic rug.

Our last evening was spent celebrating a birthday party and we had a spectacular sunset and sun-downer cocktails to open the festivities.