Walking Safari in the Masai Mara

Jackson pointing out plants

Since we were staying at andBeyond's Bateleur Camp in the Masai Mara we had the opportunity to head out on foot into the wilds for a walking safari. It is a very different way to experience the African bush and one that I didn't want us to miss. Our wonderful guides Jackson and Massek led us first through the neighboring jungle and then up the escarpment.

Watching the monkey turf war

  In the jungle we quickly came across a tree hyrax, which looks like a giant hamster but is actually closely related to elephants. It saw us and scampered higher up in the tree, but that is when we noticed a second hyrax head poking out a hole, and this one belonged to a baby hyrax. Then we heard a commotion nearby so we went to investigate. It turned out to be two rival troops of blue monkeys having a bit of a turf war. Massek talked us through what was going on and pointed out things before they even happened.

Maggie's natural Maasai toothbrush

  We then walked past a family of warthogs and started climbing the Masai escarpment. The views of the park got better and better the higher we got. With the birds eye view we could see lions on a kill, and watched as elephants ran off a rare black rhino from a shady spot under a tree.

Stunning views from the escarpment

  All the while we were finding interesting bushes, plants, and small animals right around us to learn about. We looked for tracks and found baboon and small antelope. Maggie's favorite bush was the toothbrush tree, which the Maasai people use to clean their teeth and keep their gums clean. I've often notice how nice their smiles are.

  The group was very interested in different scat that we found along our path. It was a fun way to mix things up and get a little exercise in the process.