After a restful night we rose early to finish our breakfast and head on our way to Masai Mara via lake Naivasha. It was getting harder to bid goodbye to each new place but did that knowing we were going to spend the next three nights in the luxurious Governor’s Il Moran camp in Masai Mara.

Just outside the reception we saw a number of weaver birds putting on a show on a tree. One little fella had fallen out of the tree onto the parking lot. Sundar tried to pick him up but the rowdy little bird decided to take off and fly away!! That was some short lived excitement 😉

On the way out we saw a number of birds and animals. The main exit road was flooded and that gave us an opportunity to take a break and really enjoy the amazing birds. We took an alternate road to get out and ended up stumbling on a couple lions and lionesses sleeping in warm sun right next to the road!!

Nakuru:

Baglafecht weaver (gold)
Dove
Scaly Babbler
Bison
Impalas
Great white Egret
Flamingos
Yellow billed stork
Great Cormorant
Egyptian goose
Pied avocet
Water bucks
Thompson gazelle
Ostrich adult and immature
Buffalo
Zebra
Mallard duck
Warthog
Two lions and two lionesses sleeping right next to the road

On the way to Masai mara we decided to stop by lake Naivasha (highest fresh water lake in the great Rift Valley) for a boat ride on the lake. We were richly rewarded with sighting of a number of hippos (including a baby with his mom protecting him from his dad who could potentially kill him), and a rich variety of birds.

Lake Naivasha:

Blacksmith blower
Lapped winged blower
Long tailed cormorant
White breasted cormorant
Great cormorant
Sacred ibis
Hadada ibis
Pied kingfisher
Hippo and baby
Fishing eagles who fed on a fish we threw
Squacco heron
African Jakana
Yellow billed egret
Sun martin swallows
Marabou stork
Hammer Kop – builds largest nest

We had one of the roughest road journey’s till date as there really was no road between Narko and the Il Moran camp in the Mara. We enjoyed it nevertheless as we were richly rewarded once we entered the Mara – a variety of wild animals including a lounging lioness, tens of thousands of migrating wildebeest and thompson’s gazelles. Nagy kept us rolling with laughter as he constantly kept quizzing Martin our driver if he knew where he was going. At times it appeared he really was lost!!

The lodge itself is not fenced from the wilderness but the camp tents were luxurious. The front bedroom with the luxurious bed was separated from the fully appointed bathroom in the back of the tent (if we can call it a tent). There was no wifi but there was electricity and running hot water. After some samosas and drinks we had dinner at eight – tomatoe soup, yellow dhal, pasta and desert. We settled in to our tents for the night being woken up by the sound of Hippos in the river below as well as hyenas and elephants walking through the camp. Apparently hippos come up the river bank and into the camp to graze on the grass as well. What a night!!

On the way to the lodge:

Wildebeest
Thompson’s gazelle
Guinea fowl
Common Zebra
Topi
Spotted hyena
Vultures
Lioness
Impala
Warthog
Grant gazelle
Water buck
Elephant and baby
Hippo and babies