Next stop was the main reserve in the Mara. Staying at the Mara Bush camp. They have changed the chef since 2020, because the food that was good before is now excellent, almost as good as in Lentorre. The tents are very good, nice size, running hot water in the morning and evening.
Everything to drink other than water is charged but is not a problem.
The experience in the Mara this time was very good. Not too many cars, at the leopard sightings maximum 12 or so and the same at the lion pride. In the past I had counted 25 of them. On the Talek side there were no other cars when we went looking for the Cheetah group of five.
We had a fantastic sighting of the big Topi pride with 24 lions (14 cubs in all) in the morning mist, lof of playful activity with the cubs. Also saw lions eating a huge crocodile that had been killed before sunrise. Our guides told us they had never seen it before. Saw the leopards Fig and Bahati.
Also managed to see the cheetah coalition. Sadly, four of the group killed the fifth one just a few days before we got there, so we only saw the remaining four, that too on the second day of an all morning drive spent simply looking for them. One downside of fewer people is that spotting is much harder.
We got some bad news a few days later, apparently one cheetah died of wound sustained possibly in a hunt, so now the famous Five Boys are reduced to just three.
The male lions in the Mara are among the best I have ever seen, one in particular in the Musiara marsh was mating so we got only a glimpse in the bush, but he is said to be the most magnificent of all in the entire reserve.
Overall a very satisfying visit to the main reserve.
