Definitely the Mara is the greatest savanna of Africa Safari. A bird's eye view of the action below stirs my anticipation.
Within a short time of flying into the Mara, we spot an elephant and giraffes below, and on the banks of the Talek River, a pair of hippos partially revealed from the water.
It's end of June, just after the long rains and the season prior to great migration and the savanah is rich in tall golden green grass of different types.
As we drive through, we come across many Thomson's gazelles grazing by the roadside.
Farther, a mother cheetah with a rounded belly stares our way as it eats the remains of an antelope. Meanwhile the cub is still savoring the meal, its nose red with blood.
"Cheetahs are diurnal. They hunt during the day," explains the guide. "They are not as powerful as lions and leopards, hence they eat fast or else their meal will be taken. They can even be driven away by packs hyenas or vultures."
Minutes away, we come across another cheetah with her two cubs on an anthill. They watch us cautiously but the mother's ears pick the sound of the cowbells and she sits up alert, studying the plains. The flock of Masai cows is way far off and not sensing any danger to her cubs, she slops down again, calm.
The lengthy rains have ended and the plains are full of vegetation making it challenging for the smaller species to graze. Mostly it is the sizeable animals like giraffes and elephants and the bigger antelopes that can be easily seen around.
This makes hunting difficult for the cats and they end up with strange tactics. It is not unusual to see lions and cheetahs trying to climb trees and anthills to get a high vantage place for spotting prey.
Cheetahs claws cannot foldup like those of the other cats and do not usually climb trees, but because they must locate prey, they'll try anything.
Cheetahs, unlike other predators, are weak so they hunt minor antelopes, by scurrying them to weariness as they go for the jugular vein of their prey to make a swift kill.
Minutes after our sighting of the second cheetah, we come across another cheetah Mother (Shakira).
"Shakira had five cubs however two were killed," the guide quips. "Cheetah mothers often keep shifting when they have cubs to dodge lions and leopards killing their cubs."
Further on a pride of twelve lions appears composed of a male, females and cubs. The male roars, the roar echoing around the plains, as it rolls over on its rear. The females get up ready to roam the plains.
"This is my ideal time in the Masai Mara," says the guide, "because there is less traffic and makes it easy to spot animals."
In another couple of days it will be July, and the plains will begin to fill with wildebeests as they come from the Serengeti.
There will be a million plus wildebeests passing the Sand River and heading to the far end of the Mara before turning to make the cyclic journey. By the end of November, all grass will be eaten by the wildebeests and some 400000 zebras and other animals.
In one afternoon, on a radius of 10 km, we have spotted abundant wildlife. What a way to begin our Masai Mara safari.
The following morning, as the sun ascends in the horizon, the plains seem quieter. This morning we go out looking for the big five.
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