The Mara Triangle is part of the Masai Mara National Reserve which is located in the south west section of Kenya. The Triangle comprises 510 square kilometers, which is approximately one third of the entire Masai Mara National Reserve. The Serengeti is the Triangle’s southern border. The Mara river is its eastern boundary and the Oloololo Escarpment is its western boundary.

“The value of a work lies in its newness: the invention of new forms, or a novel combination of old forms, the discovery of unknown worlds or the exploration of unfamiliar areas in worlds already discovered – revelations, surprises.” ~ Octavio Paz

The Triangle mostly comprises vast open red oat grassy plains dotted with Balanite trees. There are forests along the river courses and inselbergs down in the southern section. I was in the Mara in early October which is low tourist season meaning that there are fewer people. Importantly, this is the start of the short rain season (November and December). At this time there are vast build ups of cumulus and cumulonimbus cloud formations in the afternoons creating colourful, moody and dramatic backgrounds for our wildlife photography.

A view looking west across the edge of the inselbergs towards the Oloololo escarpment. At times in the mornings there is a slight blue haze which disappears as the sun rises and the day warms up. At this point we were not far from the southern border with the Serengeti.

It is not uncommon to find predators, such as lions and Spotted hyaenas, on the road first thing in the morning. This is especially the case if it had been raining the night before. The road is probably the driest place to rest early in the morning. This female spotted hyaena was sucking her cub when our approach by vehicle disturbed her motherly duties.

This family herd of elephants were making their way from the foot of the Oloololo escarpment towards the riverine forest along one of the main drainage lines leading down to the Saparingo swamp near the Mara river.

“We live in an age of universal investigation, and of exploration of the sources of all movements.” ~ Alfred de Vigny

This is one of the few places you could see Masai giraffe browsing on bushes close to the ground. It seems incongruent to see the tallest mammal in the world feeding off the ground. The reason is the vast grassy plains have very few trees on them. The browsers probably feed on the young trees preventing them from growing into full sized trees.

The scene from our breakfast table one morning which our Wild Eye camp had set up for us half way up the Oloololo escarpment. This was close to the scene in the iconic film “Out of Africa” where Denys Finch Hatton and Karen Blixen were picnicking and gazing east over the Masai Mara’s vast plains.

“The vastness of the African wilderness humbles you, reminding you of your place in the grand canvas of life. Here, amidst the towering trees and endless plains, one feels an acute awareness of our connection to the natural world.” ~ Peter Matthiessen

One morning we ventured up north in the Triangle towards the Oloololo gate. There are many side roads which take you down to various crossing points along the Mara river. This is also an area with a higher density of riverine forests. We stopped to watch the antics of the Olive baboon troop which was making its way along the side of the road towards the Mara river. Many of the youngsters were playing while others caught a quiet moment with their respective mothers.

The Maui Maui crossing point on the Mara river. It has a gentle entry and exit gradient on the banks but the crossing is treacherous for the wildebeest and zebras because the river flows fast over a rocky river bed and below the rapids the massive Nile crocodiles watch and wait for victims who have lost their footing and are swept across the rapids. There were no crossings when we were there as the main migration had moved south into the Serengeti three weeks before we arrived.

The Mara Triangle is one of the few places you can see Black rhinos. The stringent anti-poaching efforts do a wonderful job of protecting these endangered pachyderms.

This was a young bull Black rhino who looked very unsure of himself. He must have only recently moved away from his mother and he appeared very nervous and seemed to wander around without any purpose,

Approximately 850 to 900 lions live within the Masai Mara National Reserve and surrounding conservancies. Many of the lions lie in the open because as there are not many trees in the open grass plains. This male was closely guarding his lioness. As a mating pair, lions will mate for several days.

When a lioness is in estrus, she emits a distinct scent that attracts male lions. In the final days before estrus, a male will often follow the female until she is ready to mate. We did see this pair mating but they had their backs to us. Often the male lion bites the lioness on the back of the neck during mating, which triggers ovulation, increasing the chances of conception. The biting behaviour helps the male maintain control and prevent injury during mating.

The mating pair of lions had many onlookers. A herd of plains zebra just stood about 50 metres away and watched the mating pair for about 30 minutes assessing whether they were an immediate threat or not.

The Triangle is also known for its large herds of African buffalo. Herds of more than 100 individuals are regularly seen. The older bulls which have been kicked out of the herd by the younger stronger bulls form groups for protection from lions. The main buffalo herds are usually found near water sources, especially during the dry season. These two Yellow-billed oxpeckers had a smorgasbord of feeding opportunities in the large herd.

The buffalo calves are kept near the centre of the herd for protection from lions and hyaenas. They are reasonably safe during the day but lions and hyaenas are nocturnal predators so the nights can be a dangerous time for these youngsters.

“Don’t ever underestimate an African buffalo. Lions don’t and nor should you. It is fiercely and cooperatively protective. Its speed, strength, and attitude are not immediately apparent.” ~ Mike Haworth

Although the main zebra herds had migrated with the wildebeest there are always small groups which choose to stay in the Triangle. There is enough grazing for small numbers of herbivores outside the migration period in the Triangle. These herbivores also help sustain the predators who are territorial and do not move with the migration.

This is a good example of the large moody thunderstorm building skies with the sun illuminating the foreground in the late afternoon.

“The sky is an infinite movie to me. I never get tired of looking at what’s happening up there.” ~ K. D. Lang

A different male lion watching his lioness closely. They were a mating pair but he was lying about 20 metres from his lioness. They were lying in the grass out in the middle of a huge open grassy plain.

A view looking south west across the inselbergs in the southern section of the Triangle towards the Oloololo escarpment. The vastness and quiet are spellbinding.

Topis are medium­-sized antelopes with a striking reddish-brown to purplish-red coat. This species has a similar body shape to a Hartebeest but is smaller. The Tsessebe (Damaliscus lunatus) of southern Africa and the Topi (Damaliscus jimela) of East Africa are similar enough that they possibly constitute subspecies of a single species. Topi males are often seen chasing each other around and at times in their gallop they are completely airborne. Topis also produce a high stepping fast trot similar to Lipizzaner stallions.

A view looking up a drainage line in one of the large open plains. These drainage lines have many pools of water along their course and provide hiding places for herbivores such as reedbuck. Lions and leopards use them to provide cover when approaching their prey. Individual Spotted hyaenas can often be found lying in one of the pools of water in the heat of the day.

“Don’t forget, beautiful sunsets, need cloudy skies.” ~ Paulo Coelho

In the south of the Mara Triangle, the border between Kenya and Tanzania is demarcated by white border markers. Thankfully there is no fence and the wildlife is able to move back and forth across the border line without impediment. The safari guides treat the border with respect and do not cross it intentionally.

The Mara Triangle is a unique area with vast open grassy plains and big skies. The sense of space enlivens your spirit. Even though the migration had moved south weeks before there is still a diverse range of wildlife to see. The predators have to work much harder once the migration has moved on. Predator sighting and dramatic kills are also more likely at this time.

“If I had to define my philosophy, it would be about exploration, a journey, a story-telling.” ~ Hussein Chalayan

The wildlife and landscape photography is excellent and varied. Every day is different. The animals and birds we see are different, as is the light. Different sections of the Triangle offer varied landscapes. This is one part of our wonderful world I will never tire of.

Explore, seek to understand, marvel at its interconnectedness and let it be.

Have fun, Mike