https://au.trip.com/moments/detail/maasai-mara-national-reserve-797-119931311/
JARED MACK

A supreme experience in Masai Mara | Watching antelopes crossing the river while having breakfast

I dare say this is a unique experience on the whole network. Here's the thing. Masai Mara, due to the severe drought this year, has no fresh grass, so the classic scene of antelopes crossing the river in August has not appeared, and the antelope army has not been able to migrate from Tanzania, so all the tourists who came in the peak season have not seen the great migration. In early September, Mara finally had a few light rains, and new grass slowly grew a bit. The day we arrived, it was raining heavily, and the guide said everyone was waiting for this rain, and perhaps our Mara trip could have a surprise. The camp we stayed in Masai Mara is very niche, with only 15 tents, occupying a prime location by the Mara River. Early the next morning at five o'clock, we were going to watch the sunrise, but the driver received news of antelopes crossing the river in front of the hotel, so we rushed back. Then, wow, the scene from the documentary appeared, with thousands of antelopes crossing the river in groups from the river bay in front of the hotel, and many more were gathering on the opposite bank, with the buzzing and mooing sounds all around. What's more exaggerated is that it's right in front of our tent, it's a 360-degree unobstructed view of the river crossing. And because this location is the hotel's private territory, cars from outside can't come in and don't know the location, so only the hotel guests' 3 cars watched this spectacular scene for an hour. I thought we were lucky enough, but the next morning when we were having breakfast at the hotel, more antelopes appeared, on a larger scale than the day before. All the hotel guests went out for the game, and only the three of us were incredibly excited to have such a view. The funniest thing is, when we were fully immersed in this miracle, we suddenly turned our heads and found that all the hotel staff were standing behind watching, even the chef came out with his phone to take pictures😂 According to our waiter, he has been working here for five years, and this is the largest scale. Our driver also said that this is the highest density and duration of river crossing he has seen since 2012, which can be called the best in ten years. When the river crossing was almost over, a few photographers came over, their faces not looking very good, because they couldn't take good photos from their nearby positions. He looked at my unfinished Benedict Egg and couldn't help but laugh and cry, saying 'This is truly luxurious.' Indeed, the real luxury is such unpredictable and untraceable moments of serendipity, there's no regret when it's not there, but if you're lucky enough to have it, enjoy this moment to the fullest.
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*Created by local travelers and translated by TripGenie.
Posted: Dec 25, 2023
Jessica I’d
picopico_trip
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