Undeniably the Mara is the top savanna of Africa Safari. A bird's eye view of the action below stirs my anticipation.

Within a short time of flying into the Mara, we see an elephant and giraffes below, and on the banks of the Talek River, a pair of hippos partially visible from the water.

It's end of June, just following long rains and the period before the great migration and the savanah is brimming with tall golden green grass of different types.

As we steer through, we come across many Thomson's gazelles grazing by the road.

Farther, a parenting cheetah with a round belly looks our way as it eats the remains of an antelope. Meanwhile the cub is still savoring the kill, its nose red with blood.

"Cheetahs are diurnal. They hunt during the day," explains the guide. "They are not as well-built as lions and leopards, thus they eat fast otherwise their kill will be taken. They can even be driven away by packs hyenas or vultures."

Minutes away, we stumble upon another cheetah with her two cubs on an anthill. They watch us suspiciously but the mother's ears pick the sounds of the cowbells and she sits up conscious, sweeping the plains. The flock of Masai cows is way far off and sensing no danger to her cubs, she slops down again, at ease.

The heavy rains have halted and the plains are full of long grass making it challenging for the smaller species to graze. Mostly it is the sizeable animals like giraffes and elephants and the bigger antelopes that can be effortlessly be seen around.

This makes hunting difficult for the cats and they end up with strange strategies. It is not odd to see lions and cheetahs trying to mount trees and anthills to get a high vantage spot for spotting prey.

Cheetahs claws cannot foldup like those other cats and do not ordinarily climb trees, but because they should locate prey, they'll attempt anything.

Cheetahs, not like other predators, are not strong so they hunt minor antelopes, by running them to weariness as they target the jugular vein of their prey to make a quick kill.

moments after sighting the second cheetah, we find another cheetah Mother (Shakira).

"Shakira had five cubs but two were killed," the guide quips. "Cheetah mothers often keep shifting when they have cubs to dodge lions and leopards harming their cubs."

Further on a pride of twelve lions appears comprising of a male, females and cubs. The male roars, the roar echoing beyond the plains, as it flips over on its back. The females get up ready to roam the plains.

"This is my ideal time in the Masai Mara," says the guide, "because there is minimal traffic and makes it easy to spot animals."

In another week it will be July, and the plains will start filling with wildebeests as they cross from the Serengeti.

There will be a million plus wildebeests passing the Sand River and heading to the other end of the Mara before turning to make the cyclic trip. By the end of November, the whole grass will be consumed by the wildebeests and some 400000 zebras and other wildlife.

In one afternoon, inside a radius of 10 km, we have spotted lots of wildlife. What a way to start our Masai Mara safari.

The following morning, as the sun ascends in the horizon, the plains seem calmer. This sunrise we head out in search for the big five.

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