Get up close to Kenya’s wildlife : If you’ve never gone on a safari, you probably have images of distant cheetahs sprinting, lions watching, and elephants at a vast distance at some distant watering hole. The reality of an African safari can be quite different.
Many safari visitors have been shocked to find themselves just a few yards away from a carcass where lions are dining so closely that one might reach out and touch them, if one were so foolish. Elephants, too? Being in a 4 x 4 Jeep on a woodland trail directly behind a huge tusker who is taking his time and making you do the same is not entirely uncommon. In the jungle, it’s rush hour.
But what’s the hurry? Have you ever been forced to follow a sluggish elephant? Seize the day. For many tourists, these are the highlights of their safari experience the moments they will never forget getting up close to Kenya’s animals can be such an unexpected treat.
Wildebeests by the Thousands. When we talk about the Great Migration, we mostly refer to the 1.5 million wildebeests that migrate from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara every year in quest of survival-related higher grasses.
At the Mara River Bridge, you may witness this influx of Kenyan species into Maasai Mara Park up close. Crocodiles are waiting nearby, beneath the murky waters of the river, for the throngs of wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, and other animals as they try to find shelter on the neighboring banks.
All the big cats in Mara are waiting for them to arrive, including lions, cheetahs, leopards, jackals, hyenas, and you, not too far away.
You will observe this age-old struggle for existence as it takes place in the river, along its banks, and in the neighboring fields and forest. As the drama of nature’s forces unfolds in front of you, you’ll be there in the middle of it all. And you’ll get to experience firsthand what the animals does throughout the day.
Some Quiet Sightings. But not all of your wildlife sightings in Kenya will be this exciting; there will be plenty of chances for calmer but no less surreal interactions. It’s not uncommon for your guide to opportunistically notice a sleeping leopard perched on a nearby tree branch.
Additionally, when on a walking safari, you can “turn the corner” and find a stunning gazelle herd feeding in a clearing. They share your amazement. And everyone pauses for a beautiful second. As a shaky connection is felt, time stops.
Similar circumstances occur in more forested regions like Arabuko Sokoke Reserve, where monkeys chatter nearby and bush babies and tiny dik-dik discover you only a few feet away. Before they quickly run off into the thick vegetation for cover.
Pedaling Past Giraffes. A beautiful and distinctive method to get close to the wildlife in Hell’s Gate National Park is to go on a bicycle safari. On this special excursion intended to bring you unexpectedly close to these peacefully grazing creatures, you can bike past gazelle, zebra, hartebeest, antelope, and buffalo.
Who said that safaris are only for distant views of Africa’s wildlife? We’ll get you closer than you ever imagined to nature’s most prized creatures.
