At our first conservancy, the baboons and hippos were active at night which made sleeping a challenge but I didn’t care about a lack of sleep; we were there to primarily see the Great Migration as this experience has been on my husband’s bucket list for as long as I’ve known him.

The Great Migration is when the herds of wildebeest and zebras head north from the Serengeti in Tanzania to the savannah replenished by the rains of the Maasai Mara in Kenya.   The Migration typically starts in July but it depends upon the rain.  We thought August would be the safest bet.

We learned from our first guide (of the Maasai tribe) that the Migration is the ever-moving circular migration of over a million animals across the Serengeti- Mara ecosystem.  Their journey begins in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area including its crater and journeys up the Masai Mara in a circular motion only to return to Ngorongoro to give birth.  The soil in the crater is rich in nutrients making for excellent grazing for the health of mother and offspring.

It’s a dramatic time as thousands of animals, typically the weak or young (easiest prey) are taken by predators and thousands more are born, replenishing the numbers and sustaining the circle of life.  We saw tens of thousands of animals, some in the distance of the Serengeti with our binoculars and some up close and personal from the safety of our vehicle.  Both the wildebeest and zebras are shy creatures and we found them running from us, unlike the lions who are truly royalty and maintain their ground.   Lions don’t go anywhere unless they want to.

Along with the wildebeest and zebra, the Topi and gazelle move along in the system guided by their survival instinct.   Predators are not limited to lions, they also include leopard, cheetah, hyena, wild dogs and crocs.  We witnessed kills from the lions and a cheetah.

Our final evening in our camp, Offbeat Ndoto (Maasai word meaning ‘dream’), we came upon a lion pride who had taken down a Cape Buffalo which are large creatures with horns that resemble a hat that Napoleon would have worn.  The buffalo was missing his head and at least three lions were gnawing at his back side.  When suddenly 100-200 Buffalo came running down the hill to rescue their own.  They chased the lions away and tried desperately to wake the buffalo by nudging and licking the carcass.  As the lions continued to approach, they were chased away by the buffalo.

Then the hyenas began to circle; ten of them appeared as if out of nowhere.  The buffalos began to retreat realizing that there was no helping their friend.  A hyena quickly swooped down and began gnawing on the carcass but the lions came back and he ran away.    By this time, darkness had fallen and it was time to shower from the dust of the Mara.  We were told by our guide next day that many lions continued to feast on the buffalo through the night until nothing was left.  The hyena has the strongest jaw/bite of all the animals and would have easily munched on any remaining bones and no doubt the vultures would have picked at anything left come morning.

The Maasai Mara and the Migration didn’t disappoint.  In fact, we also witnessed plenty of elephants, giraffes, a few rhinos, jackals, warthogs,  an array of birds including owls and ostrich,  and all sorts of grass feeders such as the tiny Dik-Diks, Elands, Kudu’s Waterbucks and Impala.

FYI, we love the work that a Conservancy does – more of that in a minute and our guide was fabulous as all the Kenyans who worked at Offbeat Ndoto.  Unfortunately, their vehicles let them down.  Due to poor tires, we found ourselves stuck in the mud twice and when we needed a tow and two flat tires which required us to go back to our Conservancy from the Mara Triangle (1/3 of the Maasai Mara National Reserve) which was the prime spot to witness the Migration.  For this reason and the fact that the Manager did not connect us with the owners as we had asked, we cannot recommend Offbeat Ndoto at this time.  We feel our time and safety were compromised.

After four days, we left the Mara for the foothills of Mount Kenya to another Conservancy called Borana Lodge.  I shed a tear as we departed our lovely camp because every day had been spectacular.  The flight was no less.  Our pilot pointed out a lake that was rimmed with pink – the ‘pink’ being flamingos.

The lodge, conservancy and permaculture farm are owned by the Dyer Family.  Borana Lodge was built at the heart of Borana Conservancy in 1992 and is a Global Ecosphere Retreat accredited by The Long Run, dedicated to the sustainable conservation of land, wildlife and building local livelihoods.  Profit generated by guests are invested into numerous conservation and social development projects within and around the conservancy.

Borana’s work is inspirational.  They have an intricate tracking system to ensure poachers stay out of the Conservancy.  Unfortunately, we were told that the Chinese Government seduces Kenya’s senior politicians who in turn bribe some to allow poaching for their medicinal reasons.  I was happy to learn that Borana hadn’t lost an animal to poaching since 2019.

We learned about their tracking system when we were joined by one of their guards who tracked rhino for us as we walked on foot.  It’s a remarkable thing that the rhino population is protected and their numbers have grown due to the efforts of the Dyer Family, their staff and the surrounding communities.  We did a walking safari to Pride Rock, the actuary rock that inspired the makers of The Lion King.  The rock formations and landscape of Borana, Kenya influenced the design of Pride Rock and its surrounds.

We had to wait three days before seeing the peak of Mount Kenya, surrounded in cloud each day before, we were told she is a shy mountain.  On our last evening, we saw a lion pride of over twenty including nine cubs and three old males who had the scars to prove their long, successful lives.  I wanted to jump out of our vehicle to cuddle the cubs but knew the lionesses would be on me like white on rice if I did.

Being a cat person, watching this pride was a favorite moment – that and the communal dining table and amazing living room (that I called the Great Room) replete with a giant fireplace and big, comfy sofas where we had our pre and post dinner cocktails.  Borana was a social experience with guests sharing their lives and tales from the day.  Although not part of the Great Migration, the beauty of the hills, the staff and the ambience and the magnificent work they are doing at Borana get a 10 out of 10 from me.  If you fancy a safari on a conservancy, Borana should be on your list.

Finally, what I love about the Conservancy concept is that it’s a win/win/win experience.  Your heart will melt watching the animals and your mind will expand with new knowledge; the surroundings communities of Kenya (or wherever you choose) will benefit from the education and support from the Conservancy and most of all, the important thing here is the conservation of the animals from their deadliest enemy, man.