A Canvas Boasting Kenya’s Wild Landscapes As Captured By One Of Our Very Own Pilots

It’s early morning in the expansive grasslands of Kenya’s national reserves and the golden rays of the sun are just beginning to stretch their fingers across the still misty sky. Through the fog, colourful hot-air balloons packed with tourists emerge, floating silently, even as, below them, the eternal tale of the hunter and hunted is played out over the wild, seemingly endless landscape. The Rongai lion pride are hungry and on the move. They’ve only had a ‘snack’—a warthog—since the previous evening. This is just the beginning of the hunt… and the fight for survival for the innumerable species—cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, zebras, cranes, and storks, to name just a handful—that call this savannah home. As the scenery changes from light-blue skies to deep-orange sunsets and dark thunderstorms, experience the varied hues of the Masai Mara National Reserve and Amboseli National Park on a journey of discovery through my camera.

TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKE A JOHNSINGH, CAPTAIN, VISTARA

Masai Mara — A magnificent tusker dwarfs the snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro overlooking the Amboseli National Park.

A tower of giraffes strolls with stately elegance
through the grassy plains of Masai Mara.

Masai Mara — The piercing, laser-focused gazes of the lionesses from the Rongai pride as they seek out their prey in Masai Mara.

Enjoying evening tea with the hosts at Masai Mara, against a stunningly serene and scenic backdrop of vast grasslands enveloped by the sun’s golden rays.

A group of tourists is fortunate to come face to face with the queens of Masai Mara and take once-in-a-lifetime photographs of the magnificent creatures.

A hot-air balloon carrying tourists emerges soundlessly from behind the clouds, hovering over a solitary acacia tree and the elusive residents of the savannah.

Masai Mara — An aptly named flamboyance of flamingos are a vision in pink as they wade through the rippling waters in Amboseli National Park.

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