see it witH Caa |
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The Plains of africa |
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CAA MeMber ChoiCe VACAtions |
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breakfast , house : britney hope ; sign , leopard : flpa / alamy ; giraffe : kellie davenport |
Breakfast on Mount Kenya
the clock throughout their 280-hectare enclosure .
Rounding a corner on my afternoon game drive , we spot two guards , rifles at the ready , standing near a hulking grey mass . The animal , with her wide snout and short ears , happily grazes on grass 10 metres from our vehicle , oblivious to the tourists ogling her every bite . Her guards , however , mean business . They immediately instruct us not to take photos , which can be tracked by poachers via electronic location stamps . Everyone sets their cameras aside to revel in this once-in-a-lifetime moment .
A couple of dAys post-rhino and another short plane ride later , I step onto the legendary savannah of the Maasai Mara . The sprawling 1,500-square-kilometre region is the undisputed jewel of Kenya ’ s national park system . Famous for the Great Migration of wildebeest herds , it ’ s also home to the legendary Maasai warriors .
At the airstrip , I meet our guide , who is outfitted in a colourful shuka , a bright red-and-blue checked wrap . After a pleasant exchange of jambo ( a more affectionate version of “ hello ” in Swahili ), I learn he is Jackson Ntirkana , one of the region ’ s last lionkilling warriors . While he maintains a traditional Maasai way of life , Jackson also works as a cultural ambassador for
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Canadian charity WE .
One of Kenya ’ s 44 tribes , the Maasai are a semi-nomadic people . They migrate between southern Kenya and the Serengeti of northern Tanzania , a region known collectively as Maasailand . As an ancient and fiercely proud culture , steeped in legend and ritual , they ’ ve largely withstood Western modernization . But things are changing .
Over the next few days , I ’ m immersed in Maasai culture and learn about their customs , home life and , yes , killing of lions — a practice that ’ s now illegal in Kenya . During visits to local villages and nightly fireside chats , the story of Jackson ’ s warrior life emerges . He is part of a generation trying to improve the tribe ’ s well-being , while preserving their way of life .
Jackson explains the many nuances of the Maasai , starting with the basics . “ I was not named when I was born . And the year and date of my birth were not recorded ,” he says . “ Maasai people don ’ t follow a calendar . We know when a year has gone by through the passing of the seasons — rainy and dry .”
There ’ s something oddly liberating about this system , though it ’ s not without its challenges , as Jackson discovered before a trip to Canada . “ I didn ’ t have a birth certificate , let alone a passport ,” he says . “ To get a birth certificate , I was asked my age . I guessed I was about 50 »
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a 14-day city and safari adventure , including game drives , a traditional bush dinner , visits to animal sanctuaries and a maasai village . Caa members also get exclusive perks . Connect with your local Caa travel Consultant for more details : caask . ca / Travel-consulTanT
Giraffe Centre When you get the chance to kiss an endangered rothschild ’ s giraffe ( there are less than 700 left in the wild ), you take it ! you can get seriously up close and personal with the world ’ s tallest mammal at this urban sanctuary , whose breeding mission seeks to repopulate kenya ’ s rothschild ’ s herds .
Karen Blixen ’ s House the Out of Africa author was devoted to the education and wellbeing of local villagers . as a tribute , the suburb around her former coffee plantation now bears the name karen . the danish writer lived here from 1914 to 1931 , throughout her legendary love affair with big-game hunter denys finch hatton .
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