A first-person travel vlog transcript of a safari in the Masai Mara, Kenya, by Nate and Kara Buchanan. The chunk covers the rough three-hour drive into the park, immediate wildlife sightings (large herds of wildebeest, giraffes, topi/gazelles, a cheetah, crocodile, hippos), arrival at a tented safari lodge with amenities, and conversational interactions with Maasai guards about cultural practices (scarification, hunting, diet). Tone is informal and observational.
Sa.
Just pulled off the main road. We're already en route to the Mara down to Bumpy. I'm exaggerating this a little bit.
Usually my next ball is a neck brace. Pretty sure we'll be sore tomorrow.
Ah, this dirt road is beautiful. Never thought I'd enjoy dirt road so much.
Tons of wildebeest.
If you want to use the washing tower, we take this entrance to Masay. If you look closely, you can see the head of a giraffe.
It's been a long and bumpy ride.
Three hours of.
And we saw lots of animals far away. But I think we're about to see a bunch of animals close up.
There is literally an entire herd of wildebeest behind us. We just got into what I think is the Masai Mara National Park.
We're paying to get into it.
If they have national parks in Kenya, that's probably where we're at.
Yeah.
It's currently 11:30, so that was about three hours of the roughest roads I've ever been on. It's going to be totally worth it, though. Tonight we're staying at a safari lodge. And so this afternoon we're going to be going on a safari. And then also tomorrow morning.
Look at the giraffes.
We just drove through the gate. We've been in here for like three seconds. And we see a family of giraffes and all the wildebeest migrating. Yeah.
You can see it's quite huge.
These are Thompson gazelle.
This is amazing. These are called topi.
I love the sounds. The mel impala.
Large group of cars up here. Have a feeling we're about to get to see something cool.
It's a cheetah.
Look at this. Lands. All right, we're going digital zoom.
That is a massive crocodile.
They're letting us get out to see the hippos. I'm not sure if I'm getting out yet because we just saw a cheetah.
We're getting out.
No, we just saw a cheetah.
Hey, you got out of the van.
I'm out of the van. It just kind of happened. I didn't do it on purpose.
I cannot believe this is a loud. This is the only time they let us out.
Small.
Whoa. Look how big its head is.
Cara. Was it worth getting out of the van?
It was worth getting out of the van. I'm glad we did it. But now we're getting back in because it's time for lunch.
Look at those tusks.
We just pulled up to the hotel and we are literally in the middle of the Mara.
I think we're sleeping in tents tonight.
Whoa, look at this camera set up. Oh my gosh.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
It's delicious.
Cheers.
Whoa.
It looks like a hotel.
In a tent. What?
This is so cool.
And show us here, by far the nicest bathroom we've had.
Thank you. We just dropped our stuff off in our room and we're going to lunch right now. That wasn't the real safari that we just went on. It was just like a preview of the safari. Then the real one's at 3:30 and we get to see the sunset.
Where are we going?
No.
Ah, video.
All of us?
Yeah.
So this is Jonathan and Simon there. Security guard. Simon killed a lion. Did you kill a lion, Jonathan?
Yeah.
Yeah you did? Oh, he got one too.
Do you have your marks?
Let me see. Is this your. Yeah, yeah.
This is what the women. Does this mean you've killed a lion?
Do you have a w. Do you have a. A w. Wife? Yeah. You, you have two wives? No, just one.
One.
Just one. Do you have.
Do you have marks on your arm as well? Yeah.
Wow.
Ah.
Nice.
Good job. So. Oh, they burned you everywhere. What do they do? They just have a stick and they get it in the fire and then they.
Yeah.
And you just stand there like, how do they make these? Yeah. How do they do. Knife.
A knife.
When, when you were little or big?
Little.
When you're little.
What pieces?
This is the burn. Yeah. Because you're a man. So which one of you can jump higher? Jump jumping? Yeah. Who can jump higher? You jump higher or do you jump higher?
Did you kill your lion with the spear? Yeah. Yeah. Does everyone kill with the spear? Yeah. Not with the club?
No.
No.
And then do you have to carry it by yourself back to your village?
Yeah.
Is it really heavy? They kill the lion, they put a skin all the Oreo, they go to the village.
So you cut it open right there. Old mama, old ladies, they come, they put dishes. What do you do with the. The lion body? Like the body after burn it or you feared it?
Yeah.
And then you put it on you and walk back home?
Yeah. Do you eat the meat? Meat?
No.
You must say eating blood for cow, right?
You only eat cow.
The cow blood.
Okay.
Do you do that? Yeah. You do that? Yeah. Do you do that?
Yeah.
Does it taste good?
Yeah.
Do you like it?
Yeah. Go.
Too many questions.
Oh, this is the property.
Oh, wow.
The wildebeest don't touch the fence. Oh, they spotted us.
Language.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Our security guard turned into our tour guide.
See you tonight.
It's seven, right? See you later.
See you later.
See you later.
That was awesome. Our place that we're staying employs Maasai to guard the property to make sure we don't get eaten by crocodiles at night. We struck up a conversation with one, and then he took us to the edge of the property and showed us a huge herd of wildebeest.
And now we're going on this party.
Real one.
I'm hungry, Hungry, Hungry Hippo.
When I was a young wolf. When he was a young wolf. I cannot believe we're in a tent right now with a shower on the river in the middle of the Mara in Kenya right now. Oh, gosh.
We just go with the flow.
Spreading butter with one hand is not easy.
I think I got bit by something.
Out wear.
