When on a safari the big goal is to see the quintessential large game species. We were lucky enough to tick one of the safari musts by 9am on day two of our 43-day safari with Acacia Africa.

From Nairobi, we headed south toward the border of Tanzania, to the Maasai Mara National Park.  The park is named for the traditional people that live in the region. The park is home to all of the big five: water buffalo, elephant, leopard, rhinoceros, and of course the lion.

Cape Buffalo

One of the easier of the big game to spot, due to their size and their numbers, we spotted several large groups in the Mara.  I caught this shot while the Oxpecker birds game him a spa treatment cleaning and removing the ticks.

Elephants

Another easy to spot target is the largest land mammal on earth, the African elephant.  We got within a few feet from these oddly beautiful creatures in the park.  Several families with calves roamed the park.

Rhinoceros

On the first day, we saw a black rhino, one of the 15 estimated to live in the Mara.  We may not have gotten the greatest views, but never the less we saw him.  We will be on the lookout for a better angle on the Rhino, but our guides tell us we may have to wait toward the end of our safari in Namibia for the best viewing.

Leopard

Notoriously elusive, the leopard hid from us until the second morning, but then came within a few feet of our vehicle through the tall grass.  Many safaris go without seeing the spots of a leopard, so we are lucky, and even luckier to see them all in a matter of a few hours.

Related Article: Leopard Spotting In Yala National Park

Lion

The king (or queen) of the jungle was the highlight of our trip to the Maasai Mara park.  We saw this lioness with her four cubs just a few minutes before sunset of day one.

Related Article: Real Life Lion King In The Serengeti 

Next time I go on safari I want to time it with the wildebeest migration, my friend went and it looks epic! When you go on safari you never know what you are going to see or not see, that’s the thrill of going on game drives.

If you are looking at taking a safari on your own, we’d recommend booking with Tour Radar and getting on an Acacia Africa operated overland.