Kenya: Masai Mara and Fig Tree Camp

Today we are up early to catch a flight to Maasai Mara. It is a game preserve owned by the Maasai people but operated as a park. It is not a national park. We were picked up at 7 am and driven to the local airport that is much like our FBO's only we had to put our bags through security. Traffic made the drive a long one. There were no restrictions on liquids thank goodness as we all had big water bottles with us.

When we boarded the little plane, a passenger load of 12, we were told that our stop would be the second one. Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the first stop was at Lake Naivasha where we had just left!! We actually flew right over Vance and Cherri's house!

The ride was a little bumpy going from there to Maasai Mara but not too bad. We landed on a dirt airstrip out in the middle of nowhere but there was a bathroom, thank goodness! 
 

We were met by our guide, Jonathan, who told us he would be our personal guide for the whole trip. As we drove to the Fig Leaf Camp, we stopped to view a large herd of elephants. 

There were several females with babies. It was a great way to start a safari trip! It was about a 45 min to one hour ride until we arrived at the camp. We were met with wet towels to cleanse our hands and a little glass of delicious juice of watermelon, pineapple and fresh mint. It was very refreshing. We were given information as to when there would be hot showers as it wasn't available all day and also when the generators would run for electricity. We were escorted to our rooms which we were told did not have keys but used zippers.

Fig Tree Camp Front Lobby

The Bar or Social Area

Inside the main dining where we would eat in the evenings.  We will eat breakfast and lunch outside on the patio.

Glamping in style!

Yes folks, we are glamping it. Glamping is tent camping in a more upscale way than a sleeping bag. We have a tiled bathroom with a working toilet and a shower! We also have actual beds in the tent surrounded by mosquito netting. We even have a closet and a safe! 

Lunch and dinner are served buffet style but you have a waiter who is your same waiter the whole trip. The food is included in the price but not the drinks including the 2 liters of water we drink between the four of us. The food we had for lunch was delicious! I ate roast pork, haricot vert, tiny little rolls and a couple of other things I don't remember. 

We also ordered a specialty juice which we thought was included but discovered it was extra. It was delicious though. It was pineapple, mango and orange with a squeeze of lemon and a touch of grenadine. It also looked really pretty in the glass. After lung we had about an hour to rest and I fell fast asleep. There is no air conditioning of course and it is quite warm during the day. I am thankful for my battery operated fan!  Our early evening safari was just amazing! 

We saw Thompsons Gazelle, Grants Gazelle, Topi and Impala. An easy way to tell the difference between the grants and the impala is that the white on the Grants' behind goes above his tail so if you are looking at the back of them it is easy! 

We also saw Elephants, Zebras, Warthogs, Silverback Jackel and a Giraffe mom with two babies of different ages. We saw large birds like the Hookbill and the Secretary Bird. Our guide is wonderful and has lots of information about each animal. The end of the tour was the real treat as we found a male lion all alone relaxing in the grass. We watched him for a long time before heading back to camp.

The hot water was on when we returned and we were nasty so we showered and changed for dinner. Dinner was also buffet and also delicious although the dessert has been lacking in yumminess. Vance ate a piece of cereal tart and said it tasted like old mushrooms. On the other hand, Danny liked it! The desserts tend to look pretty but aren't very tasty but that's just fine as we are full from dinner. We are back in our room and it isn't quite 10 yet but I am going to sleep now. Being in the sun makes me really sleepy. Tomorrow is a full day of safari. We are so excited! Until tomorrow....