OPERATION: Find the Leopard

Day 6 started at 4:30 in the morning, and I woke up thinking a gang of motorcycles was rolling through the jungle. The sound was deep and rumbling, like engines revving in the distance—but then it hit me: I’m in the middle of the Mara, not a city. That noise? Elephants. A whole group of them must’ve been on the move nearby. Not the most peaceful wake-up, but definitely one I’ll never forget.

This was our second full day at Sarova Mara Game Camp, and the goal was clear: find the leopard. We’d already spotted lions, elephants, and buffalo. We were pretty sure the rhino would be hard to find since their aren’t too many in the park (spoiler: we never saw it), but the leopard seemed like it could be attainable. Our driver, Kevin, was on a mission. And when Kevin’s on a mission, you clear your schedule—because we were gonna chase that leopard down if it took all day.

The Morning Safari (6.5 Hours)

Before we left for safari, though, I had to have my breakfast. The morning food here was just as good as the dinner had been, and I made sure to put a lot on my plate.

After grabbing a quick breakfast, we were back on the road before the sun even fully showed up. The roads were rough—muddy, bumpy, and the kind of terrain that’ll have your spine asking questions. Here’s what it looked and felt like in real time:

We drove for a looooong time through different sections of the park, but couldn’t spot a leopard! However, we did see a lot of other wildlife along the way.

At one point, we saw a whole pack of impalas all staring in the same direction, and we couldn’t figure out why!

The standout sighting was an injured cheetah we came across after seeing a group of other safari vehicles huddled near a tree. The poor thing was limping pretty badly, and I’m pretty sure a bunch of safari vehicles circling around him didn’t help much.

The Balloon Breakfast Stop (and a Surprise Lesson)

Midway through the morning drive, we made a pit stop—not for the leopard, but at a spot where guests from the hot air balloon rides were having breakfast. We didn’t do the balloon ride ourselves, but they had a nice outdoor setup with food and a couple of bathrooms, which—after a few hours of bouncing through the park—was very necessary.

While we were there, we met a guy named Joe, who runs the balloon experience and also happens to be Maasai. And this turned into an unexpected highlight of the day.

Joe broke down the structure of Maasai society in a way that was super clear. The Maasai are one big tribe, but they’re divided into clans, and those clans have sub-clans named after animals—elephant, lion, hyena, rhino, and so on. Joe’s clan was Molelian, which means elephant.

What’s wild is how the family structure works. You can only marry outside your clan—never from within, because that’s considered incest. The child always takes the father’s clan, and over time, the clan branches grow through marriage, creating all these animal-named sub-clans. He said the Rhino clan was the biggest in his area because—well—the men married a lot of women, and those women had kids from different sub-clans that joined the father’s line.

Joe also talked about how the Maasai are modernizing, especially after going to school. By around age 18, people can choose whether they want to continue the traditional nomadic lifestyle or branch out and start something different. Joe chose the latter—he left the village, went to school, and ended up working here, while still keeping a lot of the culture he grew up with.

He even laughed about how there’s no such thing as divorce in Maasai tradition. If you want out of your marriage, you just kind of… quietly disappear, like a jackal.

The Mara River Walk & 2 Hippos Making Out?!?

After leaving the balloon site, we drove a bit further and made a stop at the Mara River. This part of the safari was different—we actually got out of the vehicle and did a guided walking tour along the riverbanks.

Our guide walked us through the terrain, where we saw the amazing atmosphere surrounding the river as well as many of the animals who inhabit the land.

Along the way, we saw a family of hippos lounging in the water. At one point, two of them popped up and started doing what I can only describe as play-fighting or making out—hard to say which one, but check out the footage:

We also spotted a massive black crocodile, one of the biggest I’ve ever seen, just chilling near the water’s edge

The walk led us to a bridge overlooking the river, where we stopped for a few minutes to just take in the scenery.

Standing at the Edge: The Tanzanian Border

After the river, we kept driving and eventually ended up at the Kenya–Tanzania border. There’s a big sign that says “International Boundary – No Entry Into Tanzania.”

So naturally, I obeyed the sign and kept on the Kenya side of the border…

Haaaaaa just kidding!

Even though the sign makes it sound serious, there’s also a border stone right next to it that clearly marks the line… and it’s pretty obvious they don’t actually mind if you step over in that particular area for a photo op.

Here’s a video of me crossing over the border!

And here’s something I didn’t know until that moment: the Serengeti—that iconic stretch of African landscape everyone talks about—is actually in Tanzania. I’d heard the name for years but had no clue it wasn’t in Kenya.

The Giraffe Family

As we got closer to the entrance to our hotel, we came across a family of giraffes. First we spotted a lone giraffe that looked as us like we were crazy for approaching him, but couldn’t figure out why.

When we looked to our right, though, we realized what was going on: there was another set of 4 or 5 giraffes out there, all grazing on tree leaves and grass. 

So, we took a sharp turn and headed over to take pictures and video!

Lunch at Sarova (And a Pasta Hack That Paid Off)

After nearly seven hours on safari, we finally made it back to Sarova Mara Game Camp just after 1:30 PM. I was starving. First plate was simple but solid—rice, vegetables, barbecue chicken, and a slice of vanilla cake with a little strawberry on top.

But I wanted to switch it up.

So for round two, I got a little creative. I grabbed some more chicken, chopped it up, and took it over to the pasta station. The chef was cool about it and threw together a bowl of shell pasta with marinara and the chopped chicken I brought over. Simple combo—but it hit hard. I’ve got both a picture of the finished plate and footage of the chef making it, and honestly, it was probably my favorite thing I’ve eaten on this whole trip so far.

This was also the first time I tried a Dawa—a drink made with lemon, honey, and ginger. I’d heard it was good for sore throats and boosting your immune system, and since I wasn’t feeling 100% that morning, I figured I’d give it a shot. Flavor-wise? Not exactly my thing—it was cold and a little sharp—but it definitely did the trick!

The Leopard: Finally Found

After lunch and a quick reset, we were back in the truck for round two of the leopard hunt.

Kevin had heard there might be one spotted near a cluster of trees, so that’s where we headed first. We pulled up, scanned the branches, looked under every bit of shade—nothing. A few birds, some distant shapes that turned out to be leaves, and that was it. Just another false start.

But then, a radio call came in: someone had spotted an actual leopard, in a different area that was about 10 minutes away!

Kevin didn’t say much—he just threw the truck into gear and took off. We flew down the dirt roads, veered off the trail into brush and thickets, and eventually pulled up to the spot.

At first, we couldn’t really see anything. There were lots of trees and leaves in the way, and we thought it might just be another dead end…

…but then, there it was: a female leopard, lounging in a tree, and sleeping like it had just finished a big meal.

She was stretched out on a branch, paws dangling, occasionally shifting positions or flicking her tail. Every now and then, she’d lift her head, look around, and then go back to chilling. We were close enough to get crisp video and clear shots—mission 100% accomplished.

As we headed back to the lodge, we continued to see some of the other animals we had seen before. And then, as we were turning onto the road that led directly to our lodging place, we spotted a jackal! He saw us and started running so he definitely didn’t want to be messed with, but I still managed to get a picture before he scurried away.

That’s pretty much it for the day! We got back to the hotel and, of course, they had another wonderful buffet meal set up for us to enjoy!

This day had me beat! I had lots of fun, though, and couldn’t wait until the next day to continue on with the adventures here in Kenya!

-Phil