Day 34 - Mara Triangle

It was time to leave the amazing Masai Mara & Kenya. Breakfast was early but nothing like the 4am start the previous morning. We'd be driving most of the day to reach our next camp across the border in Tanzania on the banks of Lake Victoria. There was no time for meandering across the plains looking for animals. The drivers were on a mission. We did stop a couple of times including for this warthog family. They're odd creatures. They crouch down on their front knees to eat the grass.

We reached the Mara River close to where we'd been the previous afternoon. There's a narrow bridge across the river right where the Mara flows into Tanzania. It's the only bridge over the river in the entire reserve. I can't fathom why the wildebeest & zebra don't use the bridge, but wild animals are understandably wary of man made structures. On the other side of the bridge is a ranger station & more importantly, a toilet (the toilet block is in fact in Tanzania). While we were stopped to relieve ourselves in Tanzania, we also checked out a beach of sorts next to the bridge (below). The beach is the scene of carnage where hundreds of wildebeest have been washed up having not made it across the river. Injury, drowning or crocodile attack all factor toward this macabre scene. It's an easy meal for the scavengers.

An overnight lion kill had this mob of vultures interested. The killers were nowhere to be seen & were probably lying under a tree sleeping & digesting.

Just in Tanzania a few giraffe were enjoying the acacia leaves.

The Western third of the Masai Mara bordered by the Mara River to the East, the Tanzanian Border to the South West & the park boundary to the North West is called the Mara Triangle (map below).

We didn't have time to explore the area properly because we still had a long way to go & the onset of rain was making our two drivers nervous (more on that later). It was a shame because it's a beautiful part of the park and was loaded with animals at the time. Most of the migration had already crossed the Mara River and were moving through the Triangle & into the Serengeti to the south. The animals that are injured crossing the river make easy pickings for the predators in the Mara Triangle. The Hyenas were the first to appear. They'd elusive to see to so far only being spotted in near darkness when we couldn't see them properly let alone photograph them. This one was really quite close to the van & was looking straight at us & sniffing the air as though we were food! Hyenas get a bad rap but they have their place like every other animal of the Savannah.

Not a mile up the road lions made their grand entrance. Two lionesses with three cubs were at a wildebeest kill. The wildebeest was a mess & the lions all had distended stomachs. There was no way the lions were leaving the carcass to the hyenas.

One of the cubs found a tasty morsel left behind.

She had a bit of a pick at it then wandered back to the others. Maybe her tummy was full after all.

One of the lionesses wasn't done either.

The vehicles were probably disturbing her so she decided to drag the carcass behind a dirt mound where she could have some peace.

 Once again, we were forced to move on. It was such a shame because we were on a roll now! The overcast/rainy weather made it cool enough for the predators to do something other than sleep.

 Another mile down the road & the luck continued. A loan cheetah wandered across the road in front of us then right alongside the van! The temptation was to reach out & pat it but a rush of sanity made me pull my hands & head back inside the window!

We tracked north beside the Mara River toward the Oloololo Gate. The lush vegetation attracts a number of water loving creatures. The elephants were in their element playing in a shallow pool at a bend in the river before munching on the long green grass.

The waterbuck love the water & the green vegetation as well. This doe was comfortable enough to nurse her fawn.

The Mara Triangle was the first place we saw Uganda's national emblem, the Crested Grey Crane (below). They strut around showing off their extravagant head wear.

Regrettably we reached the Oloololo gate. Regrettable because we had to leave the incredible Mara. We'd had such a fantastic time in this unique reserve.

Right after leaving the park, the road headed straight up the Oloololo Escarpment. Once the rocky track levelled out we were very suddenly in farmland. The zebra & wildebeest disappeared & were replaced by goats, cattle & those annoying people things. I'd become accustomed to the park where nature was protected & farmers were shunned for the most part. I'd forgotten that the Mara is surrounded by relatively highly populated farms & villages. The track became very muddy & slippery & it became abundantly clear why the drivers were in a hurry.

The 4WD vans and our very capable drivers managed to do an excellent job of keeping us from getting us into trouble... Unlike others... The yellow truck (above) was in some trouble, but not as much as the beached safari truck (below). The safari trucks rear wheels had lost grip & slid off the road. Once the centre of the chassis touched the crest of the road they were stuck. It would take them some hours to get out. We did see them again a couple of days later so they made it out without being mugged by the locals (and that's a real risk).

We eventually hit tarmac which was a welcome relief after 3 days on the rough stuff. It was only another 10 kms to the Tanzanian border. We had lunch in the big car park at the border post & said good-bye to our trusty drivers with their amazing 4wd Toyota vans. I take back anything bad I may have said about the vans at the start of the tour. Commo (below) & the other driver took us across to the Tanzanian side of the border to meet the drivers who would take us all the way to Arusha. The Kenyan drivers would then leave us & head North then East along the sealed road that skirts around the Mara Reserve & eventually back to the main highway we'd been on so many days ago on the way to Nakuru. That would lead them home to Nairobi around 7pm that night. A tough day at the office for those two. Thanks guys.

We transferred our gear into our new vehicles (below) & sorted out or visas & passport stamps. The new trucks are affectionately called Arusha Specials. They're Toyota Landcruiser troup carriers that get some special modifications in Arusha. The modifications include stretching the body, cutting a hole in the roof & adding a wildlife viewing hatch, installing extra cushy seats, adding big side windows, and installation of power points for camera chargers & a travel fridge to name a few. Toyota in Japan have come to Tanzania to look at these machines intending to make genuine versions in the Toyota factory. These are purpose built safari vehicles that are bullet proof. I still think the vans are a bit more comfortable & have better vision but without the power points & fridge. The Arusha Specials are much more effective at traversing rough terrain.

We'd been sharing the van with Verena & Fabien for the last few days but decided to be sociable & change it up for the second half of the trip. Catherine & Peter were going to be our travel buddies this time. We met our new driver, Luis & started chatting away & getting to know him a bit better.

The Tanzanian roads were flatter & wider than the Kenyan ones & it was a nice relief from the bumpy roads of the last 3 days or so. Tanzania didn't seem anywhere near as heavily populated as Kenya. The farms were much larger & less densely planted. The scenery had changed as well. There were lots of volcanic rock outcrops and the hills & valleys were much more dramatic than where we'd been.

About an hour into the drive we crossed the Mara River (below). The river flows from the Masai Mara snaking south then West & into the giant Lake Victoria. This crossing was quite near the lake.

At the end of a 2-1/2 hr drive we reached our tent village beside the mighty lake. I think we were all very happy to be out of the vehicles after spending the whole day in them. The camp has a nice main building with a bar & dining area. We would be in tents (nice tents) that would follow us for the rest of the trip. The biggest attraction was the brand new shower block with proper showers with water pressure & even hot water! We were very excited! The "squat toilets" weren't really my thing but were better than the grotty mosquito infested toilets in the Mara.

We relaxed by the lake's edge for the last little bit of daylight with a few beers. Our new Tanzanian chef cooked up a storm for dinner (a sign of great meals to come). The lights from the dining area attracted a swathe of moths (below). They were leaving little dust trails in front of the spotlight.

After dinner we had some more beers before turning in for the night. For once we didn't need to be up early in the morning.