[libranof1987]

Wow. This thread is simply mind-blowing. You seem to have every experience that we typically see over severla NatGeo episodes.

Again, wow! I read somewhere that you went with a group. How feasible is it to plan such a trip by yourself (logistics-wise). And cost, if you don't mind sharing.

[pugram]

Wow. An amazing travelogue with equally amazing pictures.

I wish there were "Thanks" buttons on each and every image posted in this thread. Awesome clicks.

The wild animals seem immune to the papparazi around. They seem to have got used to it.

[Saanil]

This is a fantastic travelogue. Your photos are beautiful and are accompanied by crisp narration. This place seems perfect for people who have a passion for wildlife photography. There were many tour groups in their respective cars in many of your photos – I am guessing there would be a lot of normal tourists also in there who wanted to experience such an amazing wildlife! You also highlighted how a father and his son were taking photographs with their mobile phones – why were they not stopped by their tour guide?

[//M]

There are so many wonderful travelogues on the forum, and then once in a while we come across a truly inspirational one-of-a-kind travelogue that makes us crave for a similar experience once in our lifetimes. This one is right there on top of my favourite logs.

The travelogues about the African Game Reserves and the Scandinavian Countryside are always a wonderful read. Masai Mara, being the grand daddy of all African Game Reserves, is definitely one of those dream destinations for many including me.

Thank you for sharing this incredible wildlife experience supported with such wonderful pictures. Witnessing the wildebeest migration is truly a feather on the cap.

Request you to kindly share the typical costs involved in planning a similar trip. Also, please let us how difficult is it to plan a similar trip without any agencies or operators involved.

[sainyamk95]

Absolutely amazing travelogue this is, to say the least. Your words and pictures weave a story few others can. This place is definitely on my bucket list now!

Originally Posted by Stryker

That looks like mud sticking to the top of the horn, from the digging she has been doing in search of food. Which is what the horns were meant for anyway, not for impotent men to resurrect their flagging...

Attachment 1800513

^This sentence is the highlight of your write up for me.

[earthian]

You had a lovey time, it seems. Great narration and beautiful photographs too. Thanks for sharing.

[Stryker]

Thanks to everyone who has commented and liked the posts. I am truly overwhelmed by the response.

Originally Posted by Rudra Sen

Thanks for sharing this beautifully detailed trip. Great looking images too.

Thanks Sir, that is indeed a compliment.

Originally Posted by Thermodynamics

May be Masai teaches important management lessons

Thanks, Thermodynamics. LOL, you never know, there is much team management that one can learn from animals, especially lions who seem to have distilled team hunting down to a science.

Originally Posted by SCORPION

I have watched all this a million times on Nat Geo and Animal Planet, but it feels more surreal reading and seeing pictures of an actual Safari, rather than watching it over and over on TV.

Thanks, SCORPION. Yes I too have been seeing it on TV but believe me, it is like watching a match at a stadium. No matter how many times you have seen it on TV, the live experience is so much better. And makes you want to keep coming back for more.

Originally Posted by Venom_rider

Just amazing set of photos!

Thanks Venom_rider. Good to know you liked them.

Originally Posted by ampere

And yes, is the last picture of yours, you should have put the "capture machine" alongside!

Thanks Ampere! "Capture machine" indeed! While places like Kabini have their own charm and lure, the Mara like you say is quite an upgrade.

Originally Posted by laluks

5 stars to you

Thanks laluks.

Originally Posted by hemanth.anand

I went through the log again now for the second time.

Thanks hemanth.anand. The log took quite a while to write and proof read. Good t know you (and many others) appreciate it. As I said earlier, thanks for taking the time to read thru the log.

Originally Posted by libranof1987

Again, wow! I read somewhere that you went with a group. How feasible is it to plan such a trip by yourself (logistics-wise). And cost, if you don't mind sharing.

Thanks libranof1987. I'm a Libran too! Yes, I went with Toehold as a group, mainly because of the fact that I don't have to worry about logistics and the accompaniment of a tour skipper who is highly knowledgeable about local conditions and is a photography guru. The cost for this trip was approx. INR 2,50,000/- all inclusive. But if you want to plan it yourself, it is quite easy actually. The only thing is that the guide/driver will be assigned to you based on which resort you stay in, as they all have their own vehicles, operated by one of several safari companies and you will have to share the vehicle with other tourists, unless your group is large enough. Companies like Toehold will also organize personal or family group trips, so that you can relax without worrying about the quality.

Originally Posted by pugram

I wish there were "Thanks" buttons on each and every image posted in this thread. Awesome clicks.
The wild animals seem immune to the papparazi around. They seem to have got used to it.

Thanks a lot pugram. It is really good to know so many people appreciate the photos! The animals are definitely used to the vehicles and are not bothered by them at all. As long as you don't get out of the vehicle, it is quite safe too. The only problem is that sometimes their movements are dictated by the presence of vehicles, as the route they want to take may be blocked or a hunt may be interrupted by a vehicle driving across (which happened once in front of us, no fault of the vehicle, he couldn't have seen the hunt in progress) but otherwise, the vehicles are as much a part of the landscape as the animals themselves.

Originally Posted by Saanil

I am guessing there would be a lot of normal tourists also in there who wanted to experience such an amazing wildlife! You also highlighted how a father and his son were taking photographs with their mobile phones – why were they not stopped by their tour guide?

Thanks Saanil. Oh yes, there were several people whose only equipment was a cell phone! There were even people whose only aim seemed to be to take selfies with a lion in the background, mostly the younger lot and especially ladies! I'm not sure why the father and son duo were not physically stopped by the tour guide, since our drivers made it very very clear to us that in no circumstance were we allowed to step out of the vehicle, except at designated spots. Maybe the tour guide did warn them and these two ignored him with that typical Indian attitude of "Do you know who I am?"

Originally Posted by //M

There are so many wonderful travelogues on the forum, and then once in a while we come across a truly inspirational one-of-a-kind travelogue that makes us crave for a similar experience once in our lifetimes. This one is right there on top of my favourite logs.

Request you to kindly share the typical costs involved in planning a similar trip. Also, please let us how difficult is it to plan a similar trip without any agencies or operators involved.

Thanks //M, that's very high praise indeed. As I mentioned, it is quite easy to plan a trip all by yourself. You just need the time to haunt sites like TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet to get some idea of where to stay and the costs involved. Flights of course are simple. But the driver is what makes all the difference to a safari in any place, especially the Mara and this is the one point over which you have very little control if you do the booking by yourself.

Originally Posted by sainyamk95

^This sentence is the highlight of your write up for me.

Thanks sainyamk95. That sentence is heartfelt, believe me. Seeing those vulnerable and beautiful animals being brought down just for their horns is very cruel and I hope the d***ks of whoever takes the medicines shrivels up and drops off!

Originally Posted by earthian

You had a lovey time, it seems. Great narration and beautiful photographs too. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks earthian. Yes, I very definitely had a love time out there.

[am1m]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Since you've visited protected forests here as well, am interested in your comparative experience. Was the national park in Kenya better managed than say Ranthambore? Are the tourists vehicles allowed to get too close to the animals like they are here (looks like that though)? Are there fewer tourists because of the higher cost?

I've read that the national reserves in Africa encourage a high-value/low-numbers approach towards wildlife tourism. Curious to know if that works/helps. (Helps the animals and conservation effort I mean, not the tourists or photographers. )

[Sunrock]

Wow! That is some National Geographic stuff, should have been one hell of an experience to see this. For all of us who have grown up seeing all this on the TV, this is making us jealous! How different was this experience from the Indian Safari's.

[Stryker]

Originally Posted by am1m

Thanks for sharing your experience!

Since you've visited protected forests here as well, am interested your comparative experience. Was the national park in Kenya better managed than say Ranthambore? Are the tourists vehicles allowed to get too close to the animals like they are here (looks like that though)? Are there fewer tourists because of the higher cost?

I've read that the national reserves in Africa encourage a high-value/low-numbers model approach towards wildlife tourism. Curious to know if that works/helps. (Helps the animals and conservation effort I mean, not the tourists or photographers. )

Thanks am1m.

Better managed? Not really. Most of the permits and stuff are handled by the resort in which you are staying, so you don't have to book permits yourself. But that is more or less the same here too. The entry and exit into the park is quite well managed, unlike places like Ranthambore where it is a total chaos at the gates.

Better policed? Definitely yes. There are Park Rangers roaming in many places and there is almost always one around when there is a crossing or near the rhinos. The drivers are very respectful of the Rangers and are very scared to cross limits when they are visible. Year long bans and stiff fines act as a deterrent and although bribery is ever present (after all Kenya is a very poor country even compared to India), the Rangers are by and large very dedicated people.

Some places in Africa encourage high-value / low-numbers approach, but Mara is not of them! Sometimes, it looked like there were more vehicles in the park than animals. I asked Newton (our driver) how many vehicles were allowed at one time into the part and he said there is no practical limit. One reason is that the park is so huge that it can accommodate all the vehicles and still seem empty. Unlike our national parks which are very limited in size. For example, the forest department in Kabini allows only 16 vehicles in the park per safari. Mara generally has in excess of 500 per safari! But Kabini is 600 sq. kms. of which the the actual safari zone is limited to only around 100 sq.kms., whereas the Mara is over 1,500 sq.kms. with no limits.

[arijitkanrar]

Everything in this thread, right from the location, to the photographs to the narration is simply mind-blowing. You sir have a way with words and with light!
Thank you so much for sharing it here. As BHPian libraryof1987 already mentioned, you seemed to have experienced every episode of Nat Geo Wild in person!

Beautiful post and pics. Hats off to you sir!

[snaseer]

Thanks for sharing your experiences.

What a way to start my weekend. Lovely photos and superb Write-Up.

[Nempuguru]

Terrific set of pictures, equally good narration. Natural light, vacant landscape enhanced the depth also gave different dimension. You must plan a coffee table book with short narration!

Thank you for sharing. Felt as if reading a NatGeo documentary.

[Joxster]

Originally Posted by Stryker

Masai Mara. Just the name triggers a sense of awe and wonder. Mecca for all wildlife enthusiasts around the world.

I am so jealous right now!!! Thank you for sharing this amazing experience with all of this! The pictures truly do justice to the captivating narration.

A trip to one of the big African game reserves is on the cards for me, and I will most likely get to do it next year. Your travelogue just makes me look forward to it even more!

Originally Posted by Stryker

This is a female warthog, it is called Pumba in Swahili. Do you remember Pumba from the movie, Madagascar? Named for this character.

My apologies for pointing this out, but Pumba is from The Lion King, not Madagascar.

Cheers

[revvenant]

They say the best travel writers and photographers can leave you with nostalgia about places you have never visited. That is exactly what you have managed through your lenses.
Kudos sir, for the better part of an hour I was with you in this piece of heaven called Masai Mara.