Mara Migration
The Tanzanian border post was 12 km or so from the Sand River that denotes the physical border between Kenya and Tanzania. Either side of the river were large herds of migrating wildebeest and associated ungulates. Whether they had chosen this crossing point as there was little water in the river is unknown, so on this occasion we did not witness any dramatic crossings. But in the eastern Mara, columns of wildebeest herds stretched for miles, which was quite a sight.
The vegetation in the Mara was quite different from that of the Serengeti, more rolling hills and grasslands - explained by the constant rainfall and the higher elevation. There are numerous luxury lodges throughout the Mara and we called into the oldest (Keerokot) for refreshments. On the lawns they had a mature warthog (called Lamb Chop!), who was very friendly- behaving a bit like an oversized dog.
We headed west through the southern half of the Masai Mara, via the hippo pools and the Mara River. Further north, was came across two dozen or more safari vehicles crammed on to a small bank, crowding to see a few hapless wildebeest cross the river, with the waiting crocs and hippo to liven up proceedings. Compared to the Serengeti, this was a shock. There are so many mass tourist, zebra painted Kombi vans herding around a sighting, it spoils the beauty of the place. The animals were not daft, they were playing their usual extended waiting game, so we did not stop.
