I had the chance to do a walking safari with spear wielding Maasai Warriors in the Mara this morning. They have been living in the area for countless generations, so I put my trust in their ability to protect me from the local predators using their traditional techniques. First we drove to a shorter grassy area for better, safer visibility. There were two walking in front of me, two walking behind, and one next to me who also served as a guide. We did hear a lion bellow for its pride part way through our walk. They claimed it was probably 2kms away at the time.
Naboisho Conservancy Walking Safari
Sounds exciting, but most animals kept a wide berth. I found that staying in the truck gave far better photo opportunities. That afternoon I headed out with another couple for an evening game drive. I was quite thrilled to come across my first wild cheetah! A very beautiful animal. We stalked it for about 45 minutes and watched its cat-like behavior as it tried to pursue prey.
It was interesting to see how most of the herbivores would stand up to the carnivores with tremendous confidence, and send out the alarm to their fellow herbivores – all to protect their little ones. The cheetah was regularly rebuffed by teamed up prey (using strength in numbers), and eventually chased out of the area by three hyenas.
It is also interesting how most animals seem total unfazed about a safari vehicle shadowing them just meters away. Elephants would sometimes react, impalas would always move on after we would stop, but most would just ignore us – not realizing there were people inside.
