Musings of a Virtuoso Travel Advisor …
My heart raced as I followed the female leopard and her two cubs searching for a lost third cub. Waving in and out through the brush on the edge of the open grassland, they walked near a stand of trees, unaware that they were inching closer and closer to a male and female lion resting together. This scene from Big Cat Tales on Animal Planet excited and unsettled me – not only because I worried for the leopard and her cubs, but because I have traveled to this exact spot in Kenya in the Masai Mara and spent several days observing a leopard and these famous lions of the Marsh Pride.
The Masai Mara is one of the most special places in the world. Life and death animal interactions play out right in front of your eyes. Safari trucks often go off road to catch the action: following hunting animals, tracking hard-to-find leopards, watching baby hyenas play. Guides spot impossible-to-see wildlife that you would swear aren’t really there. Elephants and their adorable babies are plentiful, and there’s nothing quite like seeing huge hippos romping in muddy waters.
Of all the majesty and magnificence found in the Masai Mara, the most astounding experience to behold is watching the Great Migration. There’s nothing like it on earth. Your heart will both pound in excitement and cry in heart-wrenching despair as you see zebras and wildebeest hesitate, then rush to swim across the Mara River, trying their best not to get killed by waiting crocodiles. Many of them don’t make it across. Watching from the banks above the river, it is easy to spot crocodiles as they inch closer and closer to slow-moving wildebeest or baby zebras that are doomed. Bloated bodies of dead animals mix with the commotion of splashing water, busy hooves, and panicked mooing during the crossing, and it is relentless. It is Mother Nature in action.
Travel is the remedy for boredom and the elixir for routine. It captures the imagination like little else. It widens horizons and broadens perspectives. Investing in travel experiences is money well-spent that creates memories connecting people together. I became a travel advisor because my inherent love of seeing the world is a springboard for helping others by curating travel experiences that capture your imagination, spark passion, and bring you joy.
alli.allen@TravelEdge.com
Travelista Alli 