The marvels of wild experience at the Mara are legendary and as KEVIN OGUOKO found out on a visit to the eighth wonder of the world, always expect the unexpected

The plane touched down on the murram runway of  Ol- Kiombo Airstrip on the plain Savannah of the Masai Mara. Being one of the best times for a Safari to experience one of the Seven Wonders of the World — the wildebeest migration, I was anxious and excited ready to marvel at the pleasures of the Mara.

A guide from the host camp, Base Camp Masai Mara and Base Camp Eagle View, that was going to be my home for the next two days, met me at the airstrip. Derrick was dressed in the full traditional Maasai attire complete with belt beads and rubber sandals. He carried my bag as he led me to the open sided safari 4x4 Land Cruiser with a unique earth brown colour and leather finishing. 

Annette, a bespectacled chatty lady from New Zealand greeted me with a ‘Jambo’. She is the Head of Operations at Base Camp Explorer, which comprise of Basecamp Masai Mara, Basecamp Eagle View and Dorobo Bush Camp.

Animal ‘planet’

My thirst to see some wildlife was quenched a stone throw’s away from the noisy airstrip. A young elephant showed off its skills in the bushes jumping from side to side with the adults feeding from tree roots not far away.

Derrick, a Silver Star guide illustrates how to differentiate a male elephant from a female one. It’s all in the shape of the tusks — not what you are thinking!

Everyday is a new experience here. We shortly witness a young lioness barely out of her cub years judging by her spots, making a kill. The meal to be-an old wildebeest faced the lioness and charged to fight back when the lioness came running. The wildebeest made a wrong move though. In low tones and still clicking on her Nikon camera, Annete revealed that she had only been lucky to witness five kills in her five-year stay, this was her sixth. Lucky me, I had barely been in the Mara for an hour.

On crossing a little stream, we entered the Talek area of Masai Mara. By now, my curiosity of the Base Camp, holder of a prestigious Gold award as an Ecotourism Camp according to www.basecampexplorer.com had already picked up. Being among the handful of camps and lodges that practice Eco-tourism in Kenya, I was curious on what made it stand out.

Tall trees that had completely covered the camp, making it look like a small forest. It made the camp stand out from the surrounding area. We came across a front side of the ‘forest’ with a signboard written Wangari Maathai Forest, named after the famed Nobel Peace Prize laureate. A little further we came across the Obama Family forest planted by the Obama family during their stay in Base Camp back in 2006.

Eco-tourism

Tree planting, is one initiative we take very seriously at Base Camp Annette tells me. This is because we are aware that climate change now poses a threat to plants, animals, and human communities worldwide.

“We have taken the challenge to initiate our ‘own’ carbon-capture project. We plant and closely monitor large growing plantation so as to bind carbon dioxide, thus offsetting carbon emission caused by our business and also by all our guest flights”, she adds. This is based on the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle. Hence, the slogan ...Leave a positive footprint!

The camp surrounded by a flowing River Talek, has a total of 12 tents constructed on the river edges. Each tent stands alone on a platform, with every deck facing the river Talek and having a unique view of the Masai Mara Reserve. There is an adjoining bathroom and open-air hot water shower.

Warm welcome

Here, a smiling Maasai lady Grace, the camp manager, one of the handful Maasai female camp managers in the Mara, welcomes you. Probably the only one am informed. Shortly, am escorted to the tent — same tent that the US president Barack Obama slept in during his last visit to Kenya!  I get the ‘presidential’ feeling on making my first step on the wooden floor of the magnificent tent. The view is breathtaking. The river flows smoothly downstream in between tall green trees deep into the park. 

On the tent’s balcony, hangs a green hammock and two chairs overlooking the mesmerising view. The interior tent décor has Maasai influence with earthly colours and leather finishing in the bed and wardrobes. Each tent has a bio toilet that separates dry and wet waste. This is later collected and turned into manure compost and used in the large carbon bind forest. 

Lunch is served at the open gardens overlooking the park, and here, you enjoy Game viewing while enjoying your meal. The camp also uses solar energy as part of its environmental concept to provide a quiet and serene environment with only the chirping of the birds as the source of outside sound.

During the evening game drive, we encounter a couple of vultures sharing a carcass and hyena trying to hunt aimlessly. Derrick schools me on the various types of birds in the Mara widening my curiosity into the amazing world of bird species. We take a sundowner break with a cold drink and bitings while we watch the sun set in the Savannah horizon of the Mara, amazing!

Game drive

After a long and comfortable night sleep, we set off for an early morning game drive. Indeed in the wild, time keeping is still a factor. Nasser, a United Arab Emirates national from Durban on his one-week safari joins us.

In the middle of the game drive, Derrick serves us hot breakfast under a low grass field part of the Savannah. It so happens to be Nasser’s birthday. On our way back, we catch the site of a Secretary bird gulping down a fairly long snake down her throat.

We get back to the camp and pack ready for another exciting experience at Base Camp Eagle View in the Naboisho Conservancy.  It is recommended that guests staying at Base Camp Masai Mara, also get to experience Base Camp Eagle View, a combination of the two camps compliments your safari perfectly!

We make our way to the newly built Base Camp Eagle View Tented Camp located in the Naboisho Conservancy in the remote and untapped part of the Mara, where you experience best Game viewing with the highest concentration of the big cats.

Spectacular view

Living up to its name, the camp provides a spectacular view of the Mara Savannah perched atop a ridge, and stunning views of this undeveloped and pristine area of the Mara ecosystem is a feature of every room. Clever use of eco-friendly technology provides for open-air hot water shower.

 Among the scenic sights is the view is the Koiyaki River, where every now and then, various wildlife animals including giraffes and elephants come to drink from.

Annette gives us a brief  of the camp. But she makes a stern heads up; to give it a more natural look the camp is not fenced! You are likely to encounter a lion outside your tent at night. Often, we find a lion kill in between the tents in the morning. So walking around at night is strictly prohibited.

However, there are guards outside each tent. The thought of wildlife walking around my tent at night sparked a thrilling feeling of ironic excitement between Nasser and I as we exchanged grinning glances. I  couldn’t wait for the night. After a late lunch, we set off to check in on the tents. The tents have two bathrooms one inside, and another outside — an open-air hot water shower overlooking the escarpment.

Dinner was served in the dining area under open skies and bright stars. A surprise dessert was to follow.

The surprise dessert turned out to be a birthday cake for Nasser served in the midst of a well-choreographed Maasai dance, sang in beautiful low and high tonal variations of the local language, Maa. I stayed a little longer overlooking the escarpment, listening to the lion roars from a distance and hyenas laugh from afar the Tents, gazing at the stars in the clear sky, under the warmth of a Maasai blanket and a campfire before calling it a night.

Walking safari

In the morning, I did a walking safari where you literally walk in the Savannah and enjoy game viewing at the closest range, sampling facts about wild animals with the help of our guide Derrick, and two other Maasai guards, from a closer look and hand grabbing feel.

It had been indeed a rejuvenating holiday, full of authentic experiences, the Base Camp way!