Depart Porini Rhino camp after breakfast and return to the airstrip for your flight to the Masai Mara. Your guide meets you and takes you for a game drive through the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, a private concession bordering the Mara, and soon you arrive at Porini Mara Camp. This stylish tented camp is perched on the bank of the Laetoli River, where thirsty animals often come to drink.
During the Great Migration between July and September, in excess of a million wildebeest, zebra and gazelles pass through this area, driven by an instinct as old as time to seek out water and fresh pastures. Outside the migration period, however, plenty remains to be seen. Resident animals include the Big 5, and wildlife encounters of a first-class nature abound.
Driving through this wondrous landscape of grassy plains dotted with flat-topped acacia trees that stand like lone sentinels, you feel the immensity of the space that surrounds you.
A cheetah sits on a mound, surveying the scene with eyes that can pick out prey at a distance unimaginable to your own. In the glowing light of the early morning, you watch as it sits like a statue, scanning the horizon before gracefully slinking into the long grass, intent on a purpose that is driven by the instinct for survival. First you can see it moving away, then only its head, and finally the white tip of its tail is the last sign of it you see as it disappears among the swaying golden grass.
Your guide unlocks the secrets of this fascinating world with you, how the interconnecting web of life fits together, who depends on whom, and where the animals are to be found. Selecting a tree on the horizon as a destination, he drives you to where you discover a picnic table set in its shade, a mouth-watering selection of dishes laid out for your enjoyment. As you take in this spectacular scene, sip on a chilled drink and indulge the appetite you have worked up in the morning’s excitement. Afterwards, relax in the shade as you daydream in the gentle breeze. Feeling refreshed, you then continue the adventure, letting nature dictate your pace as the afternoon wears on. Under the spell of the endless plains, you watch the herds on the move; find the lurking predators, wonder at the silent passage of a multitude of elephants. As the sun dips toward the horizon, your guide selects a scenic spot to stretch your legs, and a sundowner hamper appears. You stand gazing at an unending vista, cocktail in hand while the sun paints the sky in otherworldly colours, marvelling at the wildness and beauty of the moment.