Maasai Mara Reserve

The golden eyes of lion watch us from tall red oat grasses in the Mara. We drive near the edge of the Oloololo escarpment, the setting for safari scenes in Out of Africa. Thanks to scheduled daily departures of Air Kenya, this corner of Africa is just over an hour�s flight from Nairobi. But there are no sacrifices of civilization as we drive into the glade that harbors the new Bateleur Camp, where CCAfrica introduced a touch of South Africa in Kenya. Bold mahogany beds, writing desks and polished wood floors distinguish this tent from nearby Kichwa Tembo, which seems a world away. There is a private verandah with stuffed leather chairs and your own view of the Mara. Appointments in the shower and lavatory, as well as elegant light fixtures, could qualify for any hotel in New York or London. On top of this, we are forced to eat lobster, entertained by the most charming staff this side of Malindi, and savor Sundowners in one of Kenya�s most sophisticated lounge areas. The setting was originally the private tent of Geoff and Jorie Kent, who established Kichwa Tembo and Olonana Camp, where tents have a view of hippo in the Mara River. These small camps in the Mara represent a growing trend in Africa for small camps, a move away from large groups, mini vans and volume. Quality is favored over quantity, accommodations are five star, and prices are high.

Because the Bateleur Camp is outside the Mara, you can visit with local Maasai, and take a walk as I did, to savor the extraordinary butterflies: Mocker Swallowtail, African Joker. Medicinal plants were pointed out to me by the charming Milka. Our chef George also has his charm, announcing menus with a smile nearly as wide as his white chef�s hat. Breakfast pastries were enhanced by his passion fruit curd, and there was fresh tilapia from Lake Victoria for lunch. But the beauty of this place is still the birds and the beasts. In addition to watching elephants that moved among the boulders of the escarpment, we were dazzled by Eurasia bee-eaters, cousins to the carmines that has flashed me in Lamu. My safari had come full circle, and it was time to return to New York and begin to assemble the facts for Fodor�s Guide to Kenya & Tanzania. After a farewell dinner at the Giraffe Manor (where Sandy the young giraffe was recovering nicely) I caught the big British Airways bird back to London. The BA Club World lounge at Gatwick not only has a private place to shower, but a sanctuary, where no cell phones are permitted, and people whisper or snooze. I helped myself to tall glasses of tomato juice, already longing for the fresh lime and passion fruit juice of Kenya.