The Miracle Safari - part 4

Buffalo in the Masai Mara

After 4 days on safari it was time to make our way back to Tanzania. Turns out the lodge didn't take credit card and when they guy had said it wouldn't be a problem he had assumed we have our own vehicle. From what I gathered he was from Narok and figured he'd take a free lift home with us, we'd give him cash and he'd take it back the next day. He wasn't so keen to come with us to Narok when he realized we'd be hitchhiking back.
Our plan was to go to the park entrance and see if we'd get a lift from there. He sent a junior member of staff with us and arranged for us to pay him in Narok. After about a few hours waiting at the gate we got a call from the hotel saying that they had new guests arriving by taxi and that we could arrange for the driver to take us to Narok for a fee.
We decided to go with this and returned to the hotel A few minutes later one of the staff tell me there is someone at reception looking for us. I assume its the driver so I prepare myself for haggling over the cost of the taxi. I arrive out and the guys asks where I want to go, he says he can take us to Nairobi. I ask how much and he says 10 dollars, I was expecting him to say 100 dollars or more! Turns out he wasn't the taxi at all, just a guy who was returning after a delivery to a lodge inside the Masai Mara. The officials at the gate had seen us waiting earlier so they told him that there were two people looking for a lift. He took us to Narok, waited while we got cash to pay for the safari lodge and then took us back to Nairobi dropping us to the door of our hotel. It couldn't have worked out any better!

Related Blog Posts:

• Why is there meat hanging from that tree?
• The Miracle Safari - Part 1
• The Miracle Safari - Part 2
• The Miracle Safari - Part 3

The Miracle Safari - Part 2

We were walking out of Narok town in the direction of the Masai Mara hoping to catch a lift. A few mini buses stopped but none were going where we wanted, eventually one stopped and said they'd take us to another town from when we'd find a bus going to the entrance gate to the Masai Mara. After a very cramped 20 minute bus journey we stopped at a major junction, said goodbyes and waited for the next bus.

Hitchhiking in Kenya

We wait for about 1 half hour before some locals approached us and explained that the next bus wasn't until 2pm. They suggested that we were better taking a bus to Narok and getting a bus from there. We explained that we'd just come from Narok! We ignored their advice as we didn't want to back track and soon afterwards a family in a 4x4 stopped. We took their offer of a lift but about 10 minutes in the journey we realized that the town they were going too was about 200km away from the entrance gate we wanted.


Soon we passed some people in training gear looking for a lift to the Masai Mara Marathon. At this point we decided it was a good spot to try get a lift so we said our goodbyes to the driver of the 4x4 and his wife. They gave us their number told us to call should we have any problems. We were closer to the Masai Mara but not quite there. A few more cars and busses passed but none were going where we wanted. Finally a minivan with only 3 passengers approached, we spoke to the driver and he'd take us for 100 dollars. We laughed at this suggestion and so did he. I suppose you can't blame him for trying! Then the lady who was sitting in the back surrounded by bottles of coke and junk food said we could have a lift if we wanted. We confirmed it was a lift for free and not for 100 dollars! She ran a catering business and had hired the van for the day and said we were free to come along.

Dirt tracks through the Masai Mara Conservation Area

Soon we were traveling on dirt tracks through the Masai Mara conservation area. The tracks were in very poor condition so it was a slow and arduous journey but quite an amazing way to make the journey to the game reserve. We passed small herds of elephants, zebras and saw herds of wildebeest migrating south to the Serengeti.

Wildebeest in the Masai Mara

A couple of hours later we arrived at the finishing point for the Masai Mara Marathon. The lady had hired the van to take supplies to sell at the end of the marathon. Somehow we were destined to attend the marathon. After helping to unload the supplies we chatted the lady and the driver of the minivan. They said we could stay at the marathon event as there was plenty of food, drink and room for camping or if we wanted the driver would take us to the park entrance.

Venue for the Masai Mara Marathon

We decided on the park entrance, we set off on the 70km drive to the park entrance. The driver was very interested in what we were doing at the Masai Mara and what our plans were and what we would do when we got there and how we would get back to Nairobi.
The conversation went something like this:


Him> Are you meeting people at the reserve? 
Us> No 
Him> Do you have friends there? 
Us> No 
Him> What will you do when you get there? 
Us> We'll find somewhere to stay or we'll camp. 
Him> Do you not have anywhere booked?
Us> No
Him> Do you have a vehicle? you'll need one to enter the park. 
Us> No


The conversation continued in this manner, question after question eventually he started laughing and repeated the words "The Miricle Safari". 

Talek Gate entrance to the Masai Mara National Reserve

About two hours later we arrived at the Talek Gate entrance to the Masai Mara National Reserve! To be continued...

Related Blog Posts:

• The Miracle Safari - Part 1
• The Miracle Safari - Part 3
• The Miracle Safari - Part 4
• Presidential Safari