Tall grass is bad... and other experiences from JJ's visit to the Mara

On the way to pick JJ up from the Mara Serena airstrip when he first arrived, we came across a pair of lions blocking the road.

That's when we knew we were going to have an amazing time during JJ's visit. It was hard to keep up with the blog during his visit because we stayed so busy, so I wanted to recap some of the highlights of our two weeks together.

1) Traveling several hundred kilometers through the Mara River Basin in a 1994 Land Rover

2) Building and deploying 3 nutrient diffusing substrate arrays throughout the basin with a total of 180 individual samples

3) Collecting and filtering an epic number of water samples

4. Seeing an incredible amount of wildlife, including miniature giraffes!

5. Living in a safari tent, where you can hear lions just on the other side of the canvas

6. Seeing wildebeest and zebra jumping down a cliff in a dramatic river crossing

7. Having lunch at a luxury tented safari camp with good friends

8. Walking 4 km along the banks of the Mara River, counting 3,376 wildebeest carcasses

9. Collecting water samples and water quality information from the banks of the river

10. Kick netting for macroinvertebrates in "The Most Dangerous River in the World", full of crocodiles, hippos and wildebeest carcasses

11. And of course, from  the title of the post, learning that "grass is bad" after surprising, and being surprised by, a buffalo! No pictures of that experience... we were too busy running!

Thanks for an amazing time in the Mara, JJ! We're looking forward to your next visit!