How to find 40+ lions and the Big Five while on safari in the Maasai Mara

Africa was the trip of a lifetime! Seeing all the animals roaming in their natural habitats was so much better than watching animals at a zoo. We found 40+ lions, the Big Five, and more in the Maasai Mara! Here’s how we did it…

Scroll down to watch our video of our trip to the Maasai Mara!

All pictures were taken by us! See our camera gear here: African Safari Packing Essentials

Where to stay in the Maasai Mara and find the best guides!

We stayed at the Tangulia Mara Camp where we had the best guides to find all the animals we were dying to see! Benjamin and David greeted us at the airport as soon as we landed on the dirt airstrip and were with us on every game drive after that! They were knowledgable about the animals and their behaviors, knowing where to find them or look for them at any point of the day. I still don’t know how they spotted a leopard from miles away! pun intended.

Our guides were so patient and would go out with us for hours. There was only one other couple staying at the camp while we were there, so we lucked out and had a private car all to ourselves! This is a huge benefit when you find an animal you’re interested in and can sit and watch for hours… like we did with the lions and leopard.

We’d usually start out early around 6:30a/7a to see the most action from the animals waking up. Breakfast was packed in the car, so we’d make a stop at some point, which one of the other guides called it going to Starbucks! Haha!

We’d see lions in prides and sometimes on their own, usually a lioness with the cubs. If we drove around after the sun was fairly high in the sky, we’d find lions together taking a cat nap after their morning breakfast.

Animals to find in the Maasai Mara and the Big Five!

We found the Big Five while we were on our safaris, which were originally called this because they were the most difficult and dangerous animals to hunt on foot! We weren’t here to hunt, obviously, just observe. The Big Five include the African elephant, lion, leopard, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo.

Scroll down to watch our video of our trip to the Maasai Mara!

There were many other animals to see, including:

• Oryx

• Spotted hyena

• Topi antelope

• Thomson Gazelle

• Banded mongoose

• Maasai sheep

• Maasai giraffe

• Hippo

• Cheetahs

• Wildebeest - THOUSANDS of them!

• Baboons

• Crocodiles

• Zebras

• Warthogs - they call them Pumbas!

Our guides were telling us how there are 5 cheetahs that travel together and are rare to see but are considered celebrities if you see them. About an hour later someone spotted them, and we had to find them! We saw a bunch of other safari vehicles and knew there they were. The cheetahs walked right around our vehicle and would call to one another if one of them were out of sight. We were SO CLOSE to them, it was unbelievable.

Tangulia Mara Camp Accommodations

The camp was beautiful, overlooking a saltwater lake from a saltwater spring. There was a river behind it but they aren’t connected. Animals often came through for drink from the waterhole, so it was nice to sit in our room or up at the lodge just to watch them come and go.

We had room 1 at the very end of the camp, which was closest to the water and a great place to watch for animals.

They called the area near our room Hippo Highway because the hippos would come up at night to eat the grass! Sometimes they make odd noises that sounded like evil laughs! Kinda creepy at 2am but also very exciting.

Meals and Food in the Maasai Mara

Meals were provided in the lodge and the food was wonderful! Dishes would come family style, and they would keep coming even when you thought you had enough! Meals included dishes such as chicken, pork, vegetarian lasagna, avocado salad, green salad, fruit salad, delicious bread with an assortment of spreads, and always ended with dessert!

We enjoyed having a sundowner, a drink around happy hour as the sun would set. I tried a Doa which had vodka and lemon juice with a sugar rim, both refreshing and sweet!

Watch our video of our trip to the Maasai Mara:

Overall, we loved our visit to the Maasai Mara! We saw the most animals on our safaris and had amazing guides. I’m glad we spent more time there than our first 2 stops in Saruni.

To book a trip of a lifetime like this, I highly recommend using the travel agency, Scott Dunn! To speak to a safari expert at Scott Dunn, call 858-523-9000 or visit scottdunn.com/us and tell them Kathleen and Josh Cregg sent you. This is not a sponsored post, all thoughts and considerations are my own.

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