Staying in a camp located in one of the Conservancies around the Mara doesn't mean that you can't visit the Mara itself, and today we took a full day trip down to see how it compared.

Along the way we saw hyena and baboons, together with an increasing number of wildebeest (). It wasn't yet time for their annual migration, when numbers increase dramatically: these were resident wildebeest that don't take part in the migration (don't ask me why not). Passing a herd of elephant, one chose to keep a careful eye on us (), while the others continued with their business of foraging.

Entering the Mara we had a stream to cross, but waited to let another vehicle try first (), below, before making our own crossing (), below - no problem!

     

Very soon afterwards we came across a very much alert lion (), and soon discovered what he and others of his pride were (), below, were so interested in - a herd of wildebeest not all that far away (), below.

     

Although we watched this scenario for quite some time, it became obvious that matters were still at quite an early stage, so we moved on. Bird sightings then took over, with a number of crowned crane milling around close to the track (), before we entered ostrich country, seeing males and females together (), below, followed by a female on a clearly visible clutch of eggs (), below. Finally a striated heron (), opposite, supplied us with yet another new sighting.

     

Then it was time for big cats once more, in the shape of a male and female leopard () and (), below, together with their cub () opposite.

     

Now it was time for lunch (), opposite, by the banks of a stream. After lunch we toured over to the main river, () opposite, where a very large crocodile was spotted, baring its teeth (), below, only to be joined by a couple of hippo (), below, who appeared to be more curious than afraid. Further along we were able to take a close look at an example of the sort of runway (), opposite, that hippos create within steep banks, in order to facilitate their getting down into, and back out of, the river.

     

Further along was the strange sight of a number of hippo, all piled one on top of each other, but out of the water, on top of some rocks (), closely watched by a number of wading birds, including a yellow-billed stork (). Further along still we saw a family of elephants coming down to the river to drink (), below, after which they crossed over to the other side (), below.

     

On our way back to the Conservancy we saw further cheetah together with ostrich , and then came across a local vehicle that had been carrying a large number of women and children, and which had become bogged down on its river crossing. Accordingly we hitched up our own (4WD) vehicle to what was really only a minibus (), and hauled it clear, to grateful thanks (). The final sighting was of defassa waterbuck ().

     

Our verdict on our visit to the Mara? It was actually a very good experience, but only because our guide kept us away from the central region where the crowds congregate. The problem is that most of the camps here cater to the mass tourism market, and, so far as game viewing is concerned, this market prefers quantity to quality - and so this is what it gets!

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