Masai Mara... the eighth wonder of the world!!!!

1st DAY

I chose to reach the Masai Mara not by plane from Malindi as usual but by car—actually by minibus! My wish was to see as much as possible of this wonderful land, this time having a few days available… my travel companion will be Francesca (another crazy woman in love with Africa like me!!) known as Rafiki!!! Picasso and "the President" Giorgio Napolitano, our guides, organised everything to perfection: the route, the stops, the overnight stays… We set off on 1st October and our journey will last 5 days… 5 days of true Africa, of breathtaking dawns and sunsets, 5 days of arid land, of villages, of huts, of animals, of bizarre encounters, of landscapes seen until now only in films, 5 days of polenta, chicken, goat, chapati and Coca-Cola, of roads without street lamps and without lanes…. 5 days with a heart full of life!!! We left Malindi at 4.30 in the morning..

vehicle: a safari minibus, travellers: me and my Rafiki, guides: Picasso and Giorgio Napolitano, drivers: the legendary Gambo and Bambino!!!! The road we'll travel will be the only paved one connecting Mombasa to Nairobi, and the kilometres separating me from my dream are about 700!! Once past the city of Mombasa, the houses and commercial buildings become fewer and fewer, giving way to immense expanses of dry grass, acacia trees and agave, until we reach the stretch of road that runs alongside Tsavo East and further on Tsavo West, where gazelles, zebras, baboons and giraffes grazed not far from us, waiting for the right moment to cross.

For lunch we stop in the town of Emali, near Amboseli… and to our immense good fortune, the clear sky over the mountains gave us the chance to admire the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro! Goat, polenta, a Fanta, and off we go again towards Nairobi… the impact with the capital is traumatic for everyone… even for Giorgino and Picasso!!! We wiggle our way through the traffic and set off again towards the Rift Valley! From Malindi the temperature drop is impressive; without even noticing, we've reached 2,200 metres of altitude and a spectacle unfolds before our eyes! We get out to admire the immense land sunken between the mountains, chat a bit with the local craftsmen selling sheepskins and hats, and take endless photos!! Nice and refreshed, we set off again right on schedule, which calls for a stop for the night shortly after sunset. We thus reach the town of Narok..

it's already dark, we can't see anything, but we trust our guides and reach the Shield Park Hotel! No tourists, only local guests, but we're welcomed kindly by the staff, who escort us to our rooms for a nice shower while waiting for dinner. I'm amazed by the order and cleanliness of the room! Exhausted but all happy and hungry, we gather shortly afterwards in the dining room! Dinner based on polenta, chapati, chicken, goat, vegetables and potatoes! A few more chats about the day gone by and the programme for the next day, then everyone off to bed!

2nd DAY

Wake-up at 7.30, breakfast, and everyone on the minibus!!! The Masai Mara is getting closer and the landscape around us keeps changing… we begin to see the Maasai with their cows, their red garments among the pastures, and their villages seem to take you back in time… Picasso and the President always ready and patient with our every question. Another two hours on the road and finally we're there!!!! We immediately begin the game drive… my goodness, what an emotion!!! The sky is a bit overcast and the animals hide less… we're lucky… after not even 10 minutes on the road, the guys spot a herd of giraffes! It's crazy how they can see animals from so far away; on the safaris I've done with them I've always wondered how it was possible..

beyond the distance, the colours that blend with those of the earth, of the bushes… but once in the savannah they become hunters, not poachers but hunters like lions, cheetahs in search of their prey.. fortunately not to kill but only to photograph!.. and their eyes.. they're not like ours.. and you'll understand!!! We continue our tour, enchanted by the landscapes the Mara gives us, between a bit of sun and a few clouds... It's the period of the Great Migration and the spectacle that at a certain point appears before us cannot be described… hundreds of buffalo, with their young and the little birds letting themselves be carried on their backs, enormous herds of zebras and wildebeest moving in search of water and a bit of grass…. For lunch we leave the park and reach what will be our camp for two days.. the Acacia Camp, belonging to the Maasai community.

It's a few minutes from the park entrance, run by Maasai alone, tidy, clean and made up of tents. Incredible: awaiting us is a lunch based on spaghetti… cooked in the savannah… prepared by the Maasai… terrible but the effort is to be appreciated!!!!;))))) Full marks, though, to the stew with green beans and carrots!!!!... there was no polenta..

Picasso skipped lunch! A half-hour nap and off we go again! For the afternoon too I'll never stop thanking my two guardian angels and the great Gambo… elephants, giraffes, vultures, jackals, gazelles, antelopes of all kinds and still very numerous groups of zebras, buffalo and wildebeest that seemed to form a carpet on the golden grass of the savannah! And then the pearl of the day… on a rock a family of lions; Gambo is mad, he takes us right below… the male and the female are close together, the younger ones doze in the shade… they say the lions of the Masai Mara are those with the biggest mane… I don't know whether this is true or not, but I assure you his head was truly majestic, mahogany and golden… proudly he looked far away. We stopped in silence to observe them for about twenty minutes, then set off again! It's not only the animals that make the Masai Mara a wonderful place..

but the shapes, the colours, the changing landscape, the clouds that create designs above the expanses of savannah, and the sun's rays that reach the earth directly… The hour of sunset arrives and we head towards the Acacia Camp. The tents are small but clean and the beds are comfortable and provided with blankets for the night.. don't forget to bring fleeces or a woollen jumper for the evening.. it freezes!!!!! The bathrooms are a short distance from our tents.. it's cold but a nice hot shower will make everything pass! For dinner: rice, meat, chapati, vegetables, soup and fruit! Then a lovely evening all together… the company made the difference!!!! Between African stories and Italian anecdotes, the time comes to go to bed!

3rd DAY

Wake-up at 6, breakfast at 6.30 and at 7 we set off for a new game drive.. this time Picasso and Giorgio had the camp cook prepare a packed lunch so we could spend the whole day in the park and push as far as the border with Tanzania! A Maasai boy joins the group. The day will pass rich in emotions and moments when, as you're living them, you must think to yourself "enjoy every instant because who knows whether you'll ever get to relive it!"….

We follow small trails… a family of cheetahs, and then the wonderful eyes of our guides spot a lion under the plants… but it's not alone… the whole family with cubs just a few weeks old! There's only one animal truly difficult to see… the rhinoceros! But even this one, thanks to them, to their extraordinary eyesight and to a good deal of luck, we managed to see!!! The Big Five are complete!! We continue towards the Mara River, where we can get out to stretch our legs a bit and, escorted by a ranger, admire hippos and crocodiles… caught by a sudden storm, everyone on the minibus to have lunch.. potatoes, toasted bread and grilled chicken! From there we continue towards the border with Tanzania and with the Serengeti park.

Still many animals between a bit of rain and a bit of sun, and off we go again, this time towards the park exit, complete with a cheetah busy with a gazelle it had just hunted! We return to camp for dinner, exhausted but happy with the day gone by.. tomorrow we set off again!

4th DAY

Wake-up at 7, breakfast, and everyone on the minibus! This time lunch in Sultanhamud at a local bar that has probably never seen any white person come in, given the astonishment of those working there and of the customers!!! Polenta, chapati, goat with sauce and peanuts! The road is long, we set off again immediately! Still many animals spotted in the prairies along the road, and fortunately, since it's Sunday, Nairobi is less chaotic… we arrive in the town of Voi, at the gates of Tsavo East, at dinner time… this time dinner and overnight stay at the Leopard Lodge, tidy, very clean and the rooms really pretty!!! We spend another pleasant evening all together: me and Rafiki still emotional about everything we've been lucky enough to admire, Gambo and Bambino worn out from driving the minibus, the President as mad as ever, making us die laughing, and Picasso always calm and composed… few wo

rds at the right moment.. little pearls of wisdom!

DAY 5

In the morning we set off again and around lunchtime here we are back in Malindi for a bit of sea and a few more excursions in the company of our most trusted guides! This trip will stay in my heart; I hope to hold on as long as possible to all the sensations I've been lucky enough to experience… thank you Rafiki… an excellent travel companion, adventure companion and shower companion in a bathroom in the middle of the savannah!! Thanks to Gambo, a truly capable driver whom I hope you'll be lucky enough to meet on your trip: cautious, precise and helpful. Thanks to Bambino for putting up with us! He's a very good driver too!! And for this adventure too, THANK YOU to you, Picasso and Giorgio Napolitano, who took care of everything down to the last detail, thoughtful, attentive and always present! Thank you for everything you manage to teach me each time about your land!!

This is the safari that Picasso and Giorgio organised according to my wishes and needs… Generally the Masai Mara is organised with planes departing from Malindi airport; you'll land directly in the savannah! A bit of "My Africa" can be found here…

Safari Njema! fra