The Mara had other ideas though, with a sudden storm triggering a human stampede to our Jeeps. The unflappable team also staged a picture-perfect finale for our last journey into the savannah, setting up a mini bar and bonfire for a sundowner drinks experience. This richly varied ecosystem attracts millions of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles that flood into the Mara each June in search of food during the annual Great Migration. The first half of the reserve’s name honours the area’s ancestral inhabitants, while Mara means “spotted” in the Masai language (Maa), a reference to the area’s savannah plains speckled with riverine forests‚ mountain ridges and natural springs.
Either way, we maintained a careful watch during stops to “pick a flower” and “walk the dog” (Festus-speak for al fresco loo breaks). A fellow safari-goer swore she saw a retreating rhino from afar, but that might have been what our knowledgeable and witty guide Festus referred to as “Alts” (animal-like trees). Spanning around 580 square miles, the Mara is home to more than 100 mammal species including the Big Five: lion, leopard, elephant, African buffalo and rhino.įour of these five kindly put in close-up appearances during my group’s game drives, with just the last proving elusive. But the highlight of my transformative trip was, of course, the region’s star attraction – the wildlife. The lodge is pitched as a “retreat for the mind, body and soul” and with so much on offer, it lives up to the hype. With an animal path cutting through the otherwise enclosed grounds, walking around alone in the dark is a definite no-no for non-warrior types, as one of the experts explained after spotting a hippo stomping along close to my “tent” (think amped-up glamping rather than camping). These local warriors are employed to patrol the camp around the clock and to guide guests after night descends. After touching down at the reserve’s Keekorok Airstrip in a teeny 12-seater plane from Nairobi, our group was greeted with champagne to refresh us for the half-hour drive to the lodge, where chanting Masai warriors lined the path to the entrance – a wobbly wooden suspension bridge crossing the river. Set beside the Talek River on the edge of the Mara, as locals call it, the global luxury brand’s debut safari venture has been welcoming guests since the start of April, in unforgettable fashion.
The indoor bar in the Fig Tree Lounge serves cocktails and mocktails with ingredients from the JW Garden
0 kommentar(er)
