Masai Mafia (sorry) Mara - Kenya

A few miles after leaving Narok we encountered our first sign for the Masai Mara directing us to leave the B3 and turn onto the C12, still on tar. Further on at Ewaso Ngiro we reached the point of no return, here the C12 branched right to become the C13, to reach the Talek gate we would need to take this road towards Aitong instead of carrying on the C12 to the Sekenani Gate.  

The C13 looked little more than a minor dirt road whereas the C12 looked much more defined and still on tar so we hesitated to check the map again while we weighed up our options, big mistake number two!

As soon as he saw the map an old Masai sitting at the side of the road shot over and introducing himself as Simon claiming to be a retired expert guide who could tell us where all the best places where in the reserve. Normally we just politely fob these guys off as you know it's mostly bullshit but amongst the various signs at the side of the road was one for Riverside pointing us to continue on the C12 towards Sekenani so we were now unsure whether or not to take the C13 to Talek especially as it looked so little used.

We told him we planned to camp at Riverside and enter the reserve in the morning at the Talek Gate but wondered why the sign seemed to be saying we should go to the Sekenani gate instead. Simon said most people going to the camps outside of the Talek gate transit the reserve by entering at Sekenani then exit again at Talek. He said the guys at Sekenani would definitely charge us a day's entry into the park, plus the road was flooded so it was much better to do as we planned and take the C13 instead.

By now we were surrounded by a group of locals amongst which was a guy, either pissed or on ganga, who kept trying to get in on the act as Simon was trying to push his case. Pretty soon the situation deteriorated into something resembling a Benny Hill farce as every time Simon tried to say something this other guy egged on by the crowd put his four pence worth in, resulting in Simon swinging out at him - it would have been very funny except time was getting on and we wanted out!

As all this was going on we were passed by a succession of lodge vehicles with their upmarket passengers who just continued on the C12 to Sekenani - that in itself should have convinced us to do the same but no we like to try the unorthodox so eventually more to get on than anything else we gave Simon some money (by now he had drawn all over our map of the Mara where we could see which type of animal including Wild Dog!) and took off down the C13, the die was cast!

The road started off ok but soon deteriorated with pieces almost washed away in previous floods and at times it was difficult to follow as it branched this way and that. At one point we thought we may be on a wild goose chase as the track narrowed and narrowed but then we saw a truck coming towards us and they confirmed the track was going to the village of Aitong which we knew we had to pass through before reaching Talek.

When we reached Aitong the landscape, which till now had been quite closed in with bush on either side, started to open out onto plains and we started to see our first Thompson's Gazelles (Tommy's) which are like a small Springbok. These were mixed in with Grant's Gazelles similar but larger both of which are absent in Southern Africa.

From here on we drove through quite a bit of game, Giraffe, Hartebeest, Impala, Zebra & Topi, more than you sometimes see in some game parks further South so our spirits were raised that the Mara was going to live up to our hopes and expectations.

We eventually arrived at Riverside Camp at 6.20pm just before it got dark, as we approached the camp we could the Talek Gate and the official entrance to the Masai Mara reserve was just around the corner, great we would not have far to go in the morning, looks we had made the right decision as all we had to pay tonight was the camping fee for Riverside because we were clearly outside of the reserve!

At Riverside we were met by Jackson who introduced himself as the camp manager. Riverside like the camp we stayed at in Amboseli is owned and run by the local  Masai community but when Jackson spoke we were quite taken aback as his command of English was excellent spoken with a very posh public school accent.  He explained he had learnt English at the local mission school  - we later met a number of Masai who spoke good English with similar posh voices, it was Sue and I who sounded rough!

Apart from camping they also had chalets which Jackson said were KSHS 3000 p.p.p.n (~ £22 p.p.p.n) double what was quoted in our Bradt guide book. We took a look but they were  quite grim and dark so we opted for our roof tent. We couldn't believe the price but just assumed the guide book had got it wrong, big mistake number three!

The campsite was empty, in fact we hadn't seen any other tourist vehicles since leaving the C12/13 junction. Dotted about the campsite were small thatched Lapa's which are great in case it rains so we took our pick and put up the roof tent. The ablution block consisted of two showers and two long drop loos, the loos were surprisingly not bad, not smelly as befits most long drops and spotlessly clean. The showers in contrast were dreary, dark affairs with just a trickle of hot water but this was ok once mixed with the cold.

As we were setting up camp we heard Lion calling in the distance, always a good sign. Jackson had offered us the services of a night watchman but for an additional fee, this again was unusual as most campsites include a guard at no extra charge, in fact they are usually mandatory. To Jackson's obvious displeasure and surprise we declined the guard, not because of the costs but because we actually preferr not to have one prowling around throughout the night as your trying to enjoy the sounds of the bush.  

There was a huge stack of firewood in the middle of the site but it soon became clear that because we had opted out of the guard we would have to collect it ourselves, no problem we are used to doing this, so finding a one handled wheel barrow we loaded up a big load.

We had a lovely evening, nice big fire, good food and drink and just the sounds of the bush all around, we started to  feel quite mellow and looked forward to entering the park proper the next day.

The next morning the weather which had been quite cloudy the day before was lovely and sunny, by now we were feeling quite at home as you normally do after the initial rigours of arriving at a new camp. Jackson had offered us a guide to take us out on a game drive or a walk along the outskirts of the park and to the Manyatta (homestead), he intimated that this would be as good as being in the reserve as the animals roam freely in and out anyway so for the modest outlay of a guide we could have just as good if not a better game drive without paying the high park fees.

Our first inclination was to decline and stick to the plan of driving into the reserve after breaking camp. However the more we thought about it we decided why rush? The reserve would still be there tomorrow and once in we knew we would be driving without a guide so we could afford to delay by one more day and take advantage of one of the Masai showing us what lay just outside the park, especially as there were few tracks to speak of and we would be unlikely to visit the area again anyway.

Thus we were introduced to Amos, our Masai guide who would take us out on an afternoon game drive. As the day was nice and sunny Sue decided to catch up on some laundry and I did a few odd jobs. We arranged for Amos to come round at 3.30pm which would give us a good three hours drive before darkness.

When we met Amos in the morning he had been wearing trousers and shirt so we were pleasantly surprised when he turned up in the afternoon to see him changed into the full Masai Moran regalia, lots of red and glitter, very colourful, we congratulated ourselves on making the right choice once again!  

With Amos squashed into one of the rear seats we went off on our game drive, following his directions we soon lost track of where the camp was as we meandered through the bush and over the plains. Now and again we saw other vehicles from game lodges but paid them no heed.

We have to say Amos was excellent at spotting game and knowing where to go as we quickly found first a Cheetah, then a male lion followed by two Lionesses with three yearling cubs then another lone male Lion finally finishing off with a mating pair of Lions, not to mention an assortment of antelope, Ele's, Giraffes and Buffalo - not bad for our first drive and with all the Lions Sue was in seventh heaven!

We got back to camp just as it was just starting to get dark, we had covered 26 miles during our game drive but hadn't a clue where we had been. A light drizzle had started so we were grateful we had the Lapa, especially as later the drizzle turned to heavy rain. As we were relaxing another young Masai also called Amos came around for a chat, he had been around in the afternoon chatting about all and sundry mainly as an excuse to ask if we wanted to visit his Manyatta? (we did not!) and did we have any books/clothes/watches/shoes or anything we could let him have (we did not!), so to distinguish him from Amos the guide we nicknamed him Cadger Amos.

During the night we heard Lion way off in the distance and then Hyena much closer skirting the camp. We were both still fighting off colds but it was very cosy by the fire so we were excited by the prospect of entering the Masai Mara, the park we had most looked forward to seeing since setting out from Cape Town almost a year ago.

Next morning as we we packed up camp Cadger Amos came around yet again this time with a form for some cause or other which he wanted some money for. We wouldn't have minded donating if he had looked down and out or asked in a less demanding manner but he was dressed very very well, much better than me in fact and looked the very picture of health, in the end we gave him a few shillings just to get shut of him.

It had rained off and on all night and the morning was cloudy and humid, after breakfast we headed off for the Talek Gate and the Masai Mara. We reached the gate in no time, at first it looked deserted then a guy in civilian clothes appeared, scowling and warily looking us up and down, checking Rupert out, not the friendliest welcome we had ever had! 

Now in all the African parks that we had ever visited we had paid all our fees at the first gate we came to so naturally we assumed that in the Mara the same rule applied - big mistake number four!

I explained to the guy that we were heading for the Trans Mara to camp at the Mara Serena Lodge where there is one of only three public campsites in the whole reserve, the others being at the Sand River gate and at the Oloololo Gate on the extreme western edge of the reserve . He told me to follow him into the office so he could issue our entry passes, once there he asked where we had spent the last two nights, I thought this a strange question but told him we had camped outside the park at Riverside Camp.

"Did we go on a game drive or walk while we were there"? I didn't like where this was going but told him we had gone on a drive the afternoon before, "where he asked"? 

I told him we had hired a Masai guide so we just followed his directions but we were outside the reserve. At this he just shrugged and adjusting his date stamp tool, stamped our entry tickets,  he told me entry was US$40 each plus KSHS 800 for Rupert plus $20 each for camping, total $120 plus KSHs 800 (~ £6) for just one night, not cheap! I handed over the cash, he gave me a wad of tickets which I had just glanced at and put away in my bag, then he opened the gate and we were in the Masai Mara - at last!

We could see from our map there was a main track leading to the Mara River bridge, the entry point for the Trans Mara, but as we had plenty of time and it was a nice morning we decided to explore and take the back tracks instead.

It was a lovely route up and down dale with not another vehicle in sight, the weather was good and we came across the largest herd of Eland we had ever seen. The Eland, the largest of all the African antelope, represented such a huge amount of meat on the hoof that is a favourite subject for the San (Bushmen) in their rock art going back thousands of years. Sadly for some reason you don't see that many in the various parks nowadays so this was a great surprise.

We had been going for over two hours when for no apparent reason an image came into my mind of the dates on the entry passes. I asked Sue what today's date was and to check what was stamped on the passes. Sure enough they had been stamped with yesterdays date, the bloody idiot at the gate had got his date stamp wrong. Problem was we couldn't just ignore it and carry onto the Mara Bridge as once there they would not believe we had only just arrived in the park so by staying overnight there we would be charged again, effectively paying for 48 hours when we had only had 24 hours in the park.

There was nothing else for it but to race back to the Talek Gate and get them to correct the date. We were fuming as this would now mean rushing back to Talek over the direct route and then rushing back again to the Mara Bridge, arriving at the campsite a lot later than planned.

Back at Talek we screeched to a halt,  the idiot who had stamped us in was no longer alone, a bunch of Masai where with him, including one guy in a rangers uniform. Ignoring the others I shouted that he had stamped the wrong date and we needed it changing.  Mumbling something to the others he started to walk over to his office, presumably to get his stamp machine or so we thought.

At this point the ranger stood up and without any introduction aggressively asked where we had stayed the night before? I didn't know what it had to with him but I said we had stayed at Riverside Camp. "Did we go out on a game drive?" Yes once again I told him we had gone out with a Masai guide outside the reserve.

He started to rant that it didn't matter if Riverside was in or outside the reserve as it was all Masai land and we must pay to be on it - it then dawned on me this was no case of simple human error, this had been intentional, in short they were charging us for yesterday as if we had been in the reserve.

We were gobsmacked at such a blatant piece of extortion, I calmly explained that the boundary of the park is where the gate was and as we had not crossed the gate till this morning then how can we be charged as being in the reserve, especially as we had already paid Riverside for our two nights camping.

The ranger just ignored this and refusing to even look at our map he carried on about it all being Masailand and we had to pay fees even if we had stayed overnight in Narok which was over 100km away!!

This was clearly all bollocks but emboldened by the rangers stance the guy who had stamped the passes now chipped in that we were lucky he hadn't charged us for the first night at Riverside but as he had seen us arriving late he had taken pity on us!

There then ensued the mother off all arguments as Sue started losing it and I accused the ranger they were effectively robbing us, at this he was almost apoplectic with rage so in the end I insisted they get Jackson the manager at Riverside and Amos the guide over, at least they would be able to calm things down and may them see sense - big mistake number five.

They got on their mobile and Jackson and Amos appeared soon after, Amos who we had got on well with looked especially sheepish and avoided my eye. Jackson spoke to the ranger and other guy in Masai, not knowing any Masai it was impossible to know what was said but even so it was clear he was asking them how much they had charged us as he couldn't help letting out a low whistle when the guy who stamped the passes told him having to use the word Dollar.

Eventually Jackson turned to me and in his perfect public schoolboy English said he had feared the guys at the gate might do this which is why he had warned us if we went on a drive (he hadn't). We said we were never warned and how could we know if we were in the reserve or not as Amos was the guide and we just followed his directions.

At this point the ranger asked Amos in English to show him on the map, the same map which till now he had refused to even glance at, where we had driven the night before. Amos sheepishly started to trace a route which started outside the reserve but then at one point just hopped over the boundary, Ah Ha the ranger shouted in triumph "so you did enter the reserve" adding that nothing goes on in the area that they don't know about!

It was now becoming clear that Riverside and the guys on the gate were in collusion and we had been stitched up from the moment we had arrived at Riverside. How many other poor unsuspecting sods they had they pulled this scam on we could not say but from their attitude and well practised routine we were pretty sure we weren't the first. 

It was also clear we were getting nowhere fast and with time against us (we had already wasted over three hours) we had no choice but to get in the car and head back into the Mara. 

As we left the Ranger was looking particularly smug so I shouted that we would complain to the warden at the Trans Mara once we got there and warn everyone we met against ever staying at Riverside or entering the Mara via the Talek Gate.

The ranger just smirked even more and said "no matter more will come", which was unfortunately true. Jackson just shrugged and said he had work to do, the only one who seemed remotely unhappy was Amos, probably because we had told him the day before we would employ him as our guide the next time we came to the Mara for the migration so he saw the chance of a nice little earner disappearing before his eyes.

By now it was after 3pm and the weather which earlier had been nice and sunny was becoming very overcast, we still needed to get across the Mara River and to the Mara Serena so there was nothing for it but to swallow our pride and get going if we were to reach our campsite before dark.

We reached the Mara River bridge, the entry point into the Trans Mara conservancy at 4pm. By now it was raining very very hard so when the guys at the barrier asked how long we would be staying we decided to keep our options open and just said we would decide in the morning. At least here the guys were very pleasant and said fine we could continue on our passes from Talek and just pay any additional fees at the Mara Serena lodge once we had decided.

The sad thing was the incident at Talek had left such a sour taste in our mouths that it had pt us off the Mara, of course the fact the weather was so bad was not helping, we just couldn't believe our luck after looking forward to coming here for so long!

By now the rain was so heavy we could not open our windows even an inch without getting soaked and they were quickly steaming up, this was very frustrating as we could see on the plain below us as we climbed to the Serena large herds of Wildebeest and Zebra and then we came across four Lionesses with five cubs on a fresh Wildebeest kill, exactly what we had hoped to see however by now the sky was so dark you couldn't get a decent photo, still we watched them for a while but then had to get on as it was getting quite dark.

The tracks in the Mara, especially the smaller ones, are mostly on the dreaded black cotton soil and in this sort of rain they very quickly become sodden and then clog your tyre tracks in an instant so you slip and slide all over the place, it was like driving Rupert across a skating rink so we had to go at a snails pace.

We reached the Mara Serena lodge at 5.30pm, it was still pouring with rain so there was no sunset tonight and no game drives by the looks on the guests faces. At the reception a young Kenyan tells us the cost to camp would be $10 p.p.p.n, this was in addition to the $20 we had been charged at Talek!

He explained there were two spots for camping, one near to the Wardens place which was within the lodge property and the other just outside the lodge property down a small track in a small copse of trees. He looked at us as if we were mad to even consider camping on such a night, which in all honesty we were, so we asked if they had rooms available which considering the late hour they could let us have at a reduced rate?

He went off to check and came back to say god news they did have vacancies and they could let us have a double room for $275 full board including one game drive. We asked what the normal rate for the room was and without a missing a beat he said $275, did he think we couldn't add up! We explained this was no reduction and as we would not need the game drive could he at least take that off? He went off again but came back with, "sorry no". We were now starting to really resent the Mara people in general especially the fact that the buggers believe they have you by the short and curly's so can charge whatever they like! So even though the weather was foul we decided to tough it out and camp, where we cutting off our nose to spite our face, absolutely, but we had already spent $140 in park fees just getting here and we didn't want that to rise to $415 for just one rainy night in the park, also the rain must surely ease off eventually!  

We left the comfort of the lodge and drove around first to check out the camping spot near to the Wardens house, luckily someone was already camped there, we say luckily as the spot was awful so we left the lodge and headed off in the storm to find the other site in this copse of trees.

The guy at reception said we would see a small sign but in the dark and driving rain we couldn't see a thing, however following his directions we took what we thought must be the track down a small hill into a small copse of trees. Normally the track would be fairly straightforward, slightly narrow and steep granted but nothing Rupert couldn't handle, however we now had to factor in the pitch darkness, the heavy rain and the black cotton soil!

As we descended I suddenly realised that one small mistake and we would skid and side swipe into any one of the trees that lined the path, this was becoming a nightmare! More by luck than judgment we made it down into the copse without mishap, not surprisingly not a soul was there. We could see in our spot lights various places where folk had camped in more pleasant circumstances but for now we just wanted to get the roof tent up, try and have something to eat and drink before collapsing into bed - it had not been a good day!

As we put on our rain gear and jumped out as if by magic the rain started to ease to a drizzle, fantastic, by now we were grateful for any small mercy's. We had the roof tent up in less than five minutes and we put out the awning so we would at least have cover. Enheartned, we then decided to try lighting a fire under the awning, all the wood round about was thoroughly soaked but we thought if we could just get it going then at least that would warm us up no end.

We had been carrying a bag full of old rubber strips for just such an occasion so amazingly with them and firelighters we got the fire going quite well before the heavens opened again. Thanks to the awning, the fire and the sherry's we were warm, dry and snug. We had originally fitted the awning to Rupert with the idea it would give us shade from the sun but in actuality we have found that it really comes into it's own when we are camped overnight using the roof tent and the weather turns nasty, just like tonight!

It rained heavily all night and by 7.30am it was still raining, although we lay in bed snug and warm this was not good, we couldn't lie there indefinitely nor did we want to put the tent down wet and get soaked in the process.

The main problem was the roads, being black cotton soil they are a disaster waiting to happen, uncontrollably you skid all over the place and have a very high risk of getting stuck, not a problem for the local game viewers as they just get on their radios and call for help but we have no backup, we get stuck out there that's it, of course it's a risk we face every time we go out but here the risk was too high.

After all the trouble we had getting here it was very disappointing that the rain showed no signs of letting up so we decided very reluctantly that staying in the Mara was no longer an option. Even over good roads the journey back to Nairobi would take all day but now after all this rain there was no knowing what would happen.

In the pouring rain we put the roof tent down, it was soaked which wasn't good, another thing which wasn't good was we needed low range four wheel drive and diff lock just to get up the slope leading out of the camps site!

First stop was the Mara Serena to pay for another days park fees, now unavoidable due to the crooks on the Talek Gate. The girl from the conservancy who took our money listened to our tale and just said we shouldn't have been charged anything by the guys at Talek.

It turns out in the Mara it is where you sleep that decides which part of the park you pay i.e. if you spend the night in the Trans Mara conservancy as we did then you are allowed to transit the Narok part free of charge, the guide books failed to mention this little detail so we ended $140 worse off.

At the lodge the guests were tucking into breakfast whilst morosely gazing out at the awful weather. If we felt bad then imagine these poor sods who had paid thousands to be here but were effectively marooned in their rooms. We didn't know when we would get the chance to eat again so even though we needed to get going we decided to have breakfast which at KSHS 1000 each (~ £8) wasn't exactly cheap although it did come with a glass of Champagne, which we think the lodge put on just to try and cheer everyone up!

Eventually we left the Serena at 11am far far too late to reach Nairobi before dark but the rain was still coming down and we didn't want to hang around any longer and get hit for another days park fees, there was nothing else but to go for it.

By now the rain had eased a little so as we left the Serena we could see a few lodge vehicles down on the plain trying to do a game drive along the river. Feeling somewhat cheated by our experience so far we decided before we left to take a track leading down to to the river to see what we could.

As we gingerly drove down the track we could see that the lodge vehicles had gone off on either side presumably to get better traction so we did the same. We were descending ok until a big truck with some workers appeared coming up the hill towards us. Although there was room for us both it would mean one of us making a new track and it was clear the truck had no intention of moving so I decided to bump back onto the main track thinking that was a better option, last big mistake!

The sides of the main track were banked high where the graders had moved the black cotton soil so as we gingerly climbed over the bank nearest to us and dropped onto the track itself we suddenly lost traction and literally started to do a 360 degree pirouette sliding backwards down the track until we came to rest on the other side straddling the bank, where we were stuck!

The truck just kept going, they were clearly not prepared to stop and risk getting stuck themselves, so we were left to fend for ourselves. The first attempt to get off failed but in Cape Town we had fitted an ARB Diff locker to the rear Axle which luckily was the one stuck on the bank. It works by compressed air which locks the Diff completely until you switch the compressor off, once locked it applies full power to whichever wheel has traction, unlike the integral Landy central Diff. It's not cheap but if your travelling on your own in remote places like we do then we would say it's almost a necessity at least on one axle.

We switched it on and in low range with a bit of rocking we finally got free. We decided not to tempt fate a second time by continuing as all roads around the river are black cotton, wiser to get back on the main track which is treated and has much better traction. It's alright for the lodge vehicles as they are lightweight Landcruisers with plenty plenty torque and if they get stuck they just get on the radio to call for help, we being far far heavier just don't have that luxury so sometimes discretion is the better part of valour.     

As it happens back on the main track we came across plenty of game anyway, first a big herd of Wildebeest with Zebra and Impala, then a load of Vultures on a Wildebeest kill, then more Wildebeest herds, sadly we saw no predators and by now the rain was coming down so hard we couldn't even open the windows to take photo's but at least it was something.

At 1.45pm we arrived back at the Trans Mara gate on the Mara River, from here it is only 25km to the Serena which gives you an idea of how slow going it had been, by now we had given up any hope of reaching Nairobi by even early evening, we just resigned ourselves that today was going to be a bitch.

At 3pm we reached the Sekenani gate where we exited the Mara altogether. As we drove out I told a ranger about Talek and again asked if we should have been charged, he didn't seem surprised by what had happened but it was his next comment which was the most telling as he just said we should always come through this gate in future! Right now the way we felt about the Mara and the Masai in particular we couldn't see there being a future!

From here we were back on the C12 public road to Narok, bad at the best of times now it was raining very heavily again the road, a mixture of Black Cotton and Murram, was atrocious! The road is so bad that normally everyone drives on the shoulders to avoid the worst of the pot holes, but now the shoulders were little better than fast flowing rivers so everyone was hogging the crown struggling to get though as best they could.

At 4.30 we still had 50km to go to Narok and had passed a number of vehicles either bogged or broken down, we didn't dare stop to help in case we ended up stuck ourselves. Eventually at 5.25pm we finally reached Narok and were back on the shitty B3 road that is supposed to be tar but is in fact also just one continuous stream of potholes.

The next few hours were truly horrendous, heavy driving rain, pitch dark, a slippy road which was nothing more than one big flooded pothole where if you made a mistake and slid off the crown you ended up in a fast flowing river on either side. Add to this the assortment of trucks and vehicles which are so badly maintained they either have no lights or are on permanent full beam and you get a feel for the conditions.

We finally reached Nairobi at 10pm, too late to pick up something to eat but we were too tired anyway, we were just relieved when we pulled in at Indaba. It looked in virtual darkness but then Henie came out to meet us with the key for our room. We had called from the Mara to warn him we were coming back early and he had stayed up to make sure we got back safe and sound which was nice.

Ater a nice hot shower we collapsed into bed totally exhausted, our first self drive trip to the Masai Mara trip had turned out to be an expensive disaster, so disappointing, then just to rub our noses in it as we dropped off to sleep we heard Lion calling from the Nairobi National Park, typical absolutely typical!