EXPLORING THE MAASAI MARA
Emily Speed
On the 1st of June, my mum and I got on a plane to Nairobi, Kenya, to spend a week at Elephant Pepper Camp in the middle of the Maasai Mara North Conservancy. The trip had been a long time coming; my mum was born in Somalia and my grandmother was born in Kenya, and my mum’s childhood memories in Africa meant she had wanted to take me there practically since I was born. For years she had told me how beautiful Kenya is, and how amazing it is to be in such close proximity to some of the most magnificent and fascinating animals on the planet. When we boarded a small internal flight to the north conservancy, I therefore had high hopes.
Suffice to say, even my greatest expectations were surpassed, as demonstrated by this small collection of the some 9,000 photos I took during our week stay! The sheer number of animals we saw was genuinely incredible, and we were lucky enough to catch sightings of not one, but two leopards, which are remarkably rare and very shy creatures. We even caught sight of the last pair of white Rhinos in Kenya, Queen Elizabeth and Kofi Annan, so named because they share birthdays with their namesakes.
Our trip wouldn’t have been the same without our wonderful guide Javan, a Maasai guide and wildlife photographer (follow him on ig @javan.guddy) and all the brilliant staff at Elephant Pepper Camp. This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience; seeing the animals in their natural habitats felt so special, and seeing how animals and humans coexist in harmony in the Mara gave me hope for the conservation and future of these phenomenal species.
This article first appeared in PRISMA, Issue 2.