Lee is from Ottawa in Canada and the heat in Kenya made a welcome change from the normal October freeze there even though he writes in his travel journal that the Masai Mara wasn't as hot as he was expecting it to be with cool spells in the morning and evening. He didn't wear any sunscreen at all but made sure he stayed in the shade.

Lee stayed at the Mara Sopa Lodge in a beautiful semi-suite with a huge bedroom and a shared sitting room.

What would the Mara be without lion? True to form and incredible in it's consistency, Lee's first game drive resulted in five lions being spotted (including two cubs) with a freshly killed zebra. Anybody that doesn't see lion here would be very unlucky indeed.

What makes Masai Mara lion spotting so regular? It's a combination of the vegetation consisting mostly of short grassland and wide open spaces which makes it easier to see the tawny cat and many eyes doing the searching (some say too many), all connected by two-way radios for quick directions to the lions location.

In fact, Lee was able to see them on every game drive that he went on and on one occasion a group of 4 adult cheetah. The only big cat to evade them was the leopard, but they are very shy and stick to the thicker vegetation along the rivers which makes them more difficult to see.

In addition to the cats there were lots of elephant, buffalo, antelope, jackal and hyena but these last were attracted by scraps that the lodge feeds to them in the evenings (not sure that is best conservation practise).

Lee was most amazed by the Kenyan people and their friendliness, hard work ethic and level of education.

How Much Did This Safari Cost?

If you are planning to go on safari to Kenya find out how much one similar to Lee's will cost you.