The Incredible Mara Triangle

I’m not sure what I expected from our visit to The Mara, the Kenyan stretch of the Great Rift Valley. The land extends into Tanzania, the bordering state to the south, where this landscape is called the Serengeti. What my wife Susan Mann and I found were superlatives. 

The Creatures: From the wildlife, not just beautiful portraits, but stunning behaviors—zebras fighting, giraffes in incredible duels in which males pounded on each other with their long necks like weapons, lions mating and baby cubs playing on top of mom, elephants and their babies, and 38 new species of birds for my “Life List.”

Giraffe Fight on The Mara in Kenya

Lionesses and their cubs relaxing on The Mara

The spectacularly colorful Lilac-breasted Roller

The animals of The Mara are protected, and it was wonderful seeing creatures that looked healthy in their natural environment. 

Zebras fighting near the Mara River

Female impala with her herd

Male lion in full roar mode

Angama Mara and Its People: We stayed at a lodge on the Escarpment above the valley. The views there must be among the best in Africa. I was so moved by The Mara, I agreed to take a balloon ride to float above it – something I NEVER thought I would do!

What a thrill for me and Susan to fly with Governors Balloon Safaris!

Everywhere, we met beautiful, gentle people who were authentically nice—including our driver/guide Robert and the excellent photographer, Jay. Plus, Diana, Violet, and other wonderful staff at Angama Mara. Thank you to all!     

Robert and Jay, with Angama Safaris, were superb

If you want a great African experience, Susan Mann and I highly recommend Angama Safaris. It was one of our best travel experiences ever (and that’s saying something)!  I hope these photos give you some idea of how wonderful Angama and The Mara are.

Very young baby elephant with its mother

Photos copyright Charles Bergman and Susan Mann