ANIMAL MAGIC IN THE MASAI MARA; Gabrielle Fagan on safari in Kenya travel.

I MAGINE flying thousands of miles to escape the hassles of normal life and commune with nature in the raw... and ending up instead with noisy neighbours. They roll back in the early hours, oblivious to those trying to sleep, and carry on noisily partying - and woe betide anyone calling time on their fun.

That's exactly what I got on safari in Kenya. For two nights outside my tent in the middle of the bush, starting with the regularity of clockwork at 3am, I could hear obscene grunts and panting and heavy bodies lurching about.

A nightmare? No, a dream come true - and rather than pulling the duvet over my head and cursing I watched the outrageous antics from the safety of my tent window.

That was because the creatures aping the behaviour of the worst kind of chavs abroad were hippos.

Fat, noisy beasts whose hygiene leaves a lot to be desired - their idea of a spa break is basking in thick mud on the side of the river bank - were frolicking only a few feet away.

I hadn't the nerve or inclination to ask them to pipe down. Hippos can be quite aggressive and dangerous, but being so close to them was just one of the magical moments on an adventure in the heart of one of the most spectacular game reserves in the world, the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Every year, this National Park welcomes the Great Migration: two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle from Tanzania in search of lush grazing.

They join the resident community of other animals, including a star cast known as the Big Five because they were the most coveted by hunters - lion, African elephant, buffalo, black rhino and leopard - and a host of lesser players from hyena to monkeys.

For the first two nights we camped at Governer's II Moran on the banks of the River Mara in a huge tent with reassuringly solid walls of double-thick canvas. It came complete with electricity, king size bed, crisp cotton sheets, and en-suite bathroom with rolltop bath, shower and flushing loo.

There are only 10 tents at this intimate, exclusive sanctuary, which has no fences and blends so smoothly into the environment the wildlife feels as at home wandering through as paying guests.

The nearby plains are a natural habitat for big cats like lions, cheetahs and leopards and the camp is a favourite base for the BBC's Big Cat Diaries crew, who venture from there to film the daily lives of the felines.

While facilities and food at the camp are of the highest 21st century standard, the safari experience is like stepping out of time.

Awoken for tea at 6am - sunrise and sunset are the best time to see the animals - we climbed sleepily into an open truck to stalk the game.

Original safari hunters went armed, but nowadays only camera images are shot. At first, I photographed anything that moved, snapping a zillion pictures of giraffes and elephants which resembled artist LS Lowry's stick figures miles away on the plains.

Then I realised that slow, steady tracking by our expert guide/driver John made a zoom lens barely necessary if we remained patient.

Time and again he took us almost within touching distance of the game. I came within yards of a giraffe complete with a baby, skipping giddily along as its mother swayed behind.

Then we stumbled on the rare sight of two male giraffes necking - swinging their long necks and heads like clumsy mallets to try to hit each other and gain supremacy in the herd.

A family of elephants, with a baby trying to walk under its mother's belly, were led by a bull elephant. A solitary elephant following from a distance was, said John, an aged animal unable to keep up and doomed to die.

All the time John's anecdotes gave us a tracker's insight into the animals. He brought alive their characters and experiences by pointing out clues such as a broken tusk or a scarred head.

His eagle eye spotted signs that other creatures would soon be revealed.

Nothing compares with the prized sight of a pride of lions.

After hours of scanning the plains, there's a real thrill when you find them.

Golden-coloured and indolent, they lazed in the grasses, occasionally cuffing frolicking cubs with a lazy paw.

Magnificent males gazed imperiously at our truck or occasionally gave a shake of their manes and a huge yawn of seeming indifference to our presence.

After jolting and bumping for miles in the open truck over potholed tracks, breakfast back at camp is a welcome relief but it comes with the promise of another expedition at dusk.

Then, the sinking sun creates a new landscape. Slinky shadows with glinting eyes emerge as a leopard and two tiny cubs wonder past, and then a shrieking monkey family in a nearby tree signal a predatory cheetah legging it at top speed into the distance.

Later, our superb three-course dinners in the open air were enlivened by the musical accompaniment of the noises of the bush - croaking bullfrogs, crickets, the far-off cries of hyena and the occasional grunt from the hippos on the riverbank.

One night, sitting around the campfire we met some Masai tribespeople of the plains. The are semi-nomads who rear cattle and are famous for their garb of colourful, traditional shawls in vibrant red or purple, and beaded jewellery.

Encroaching civilisation brings new demands on these handsome, dignified people.

Nowadays, they're educated not to hunt or kill game that may threaten their stock, but instead to share their land and sometimes even to relocate to accommodate the safari boom.

As better-educated younger generations leave home for college and modern careers, these people's simple way of life may be threatened. They may, sadly, be a rarer sight in future than big game.

It was soon time to drive up into the hillside to our next stop.

Mara Bushtops is like an eagle's eerie with spectacular views across Mara Siana wildlife conservancy, bordering the Masai Mara.

This luxurious camp harvests and re-uses rainwater to minimise use of that precious commodity, runs mostly on solar power, and invited every guest to plant a tree to enhance the landscape.

Its accommodation is five-star, with tents on solid wooden floors facing out over the valley.

A verandah, complete with a hot tub allows you to 'wallow' in much the same way as animals at the waterhole far below.

Lying in bed with the tent 'doors' pulled back and watching a stunning, burning sunset is an unforgettable experience, while easing a few aches and pains after jolting around in a safari truck is easy. An infinity pool set like a ship's crows' nest on the prow of this development means you can swim and enjoy a scenic view of endless African plains at the same time.

TRAVEL INFORMATION

Gabrielle Fagan was a guest of Kuoni Travel (www.kuoniworldclass.co.uk or01306747001) which offers tailor-made holidays to Kenya. The Mara in Style safari combines two of the best tented camps in the Masai Mara-Il Moran and Mara Bush tops-after an overnights top over in Nairobi

Prices in 2008start atpounds 1, 746, including game drives in resort. Price also includes free connections to London with British Airways

CAPTION(S):

Staying at the Mara Bushtops (inset left) ensures you get up close and very, very personal with the Masai Mara's wild residents