There is very little fishing news to report from Kenya at the moment, as June and July are the traditional “close” season months. This is the time of the year for maintenance and upgrades. Therefore many of the skippers and owners take the opportunity of a well deserved holiday themselves. And where better to enjoy a vacation but on Safari in Kenya!
The following is the diary of Howard and Sue Lawrence-Brown on their recent excursions into the bush:-

Howard & Sue Lawrence-Brown's safari May/June 2010

Our fishing season finished for us 7th April and not long after we hung up our fishing hats and put away all the fishing gear, placing KIPAPA in dry dock.

We picked up our safari hats and gear, said goodbye to the staff and our loving dogs (who knew we were up to something with all the bags being stowed in the Land Rover and made us feel guilty we were leaving them behind with that “hound dog” look).  We took off inland 18th May to start our journey “up country” and into some of Kenya's famous wildlife parks and reserves.  Wow!  We have had such a wonderful time and seen so much along the way, plus visiting with family and friends in Nairobi – catching up with all their news.  We just wanted to share this trip with you.

Satao Elerai Camp

Our first stop was Satao Elerai Camp which is situated on 9,000 acres of Masai land, half an hour away from the Amboseli National Park with all tents facing Mount Kilimanjaro.  An easy drive up the main Mombasa/Nairobi road and turning off at Emali onto a newly tarmac road.  We then took a left turn onto a good all weather dirt road for about 15 kilometres and by 12:30 were at the camp for lunch. It took us a comfortable 3 hour drive.  The camp's conservancy occupies 4,500 acres of land for wildlife which acts as a natural corridor to the Amboseli Park.  The remainder is Masai land for which there are various community projects that the camp helps to support.  Satao Elerai Community and Wildlife Trust.

Elerai camp is attractively decorated in a rustic style, very comfortable and welcoming.  The tents have a large bed room area with an equally generous bathroom en suite.  I might add that pulling the bathroom curtain aside, the toilet faces a window which looks out onto the mountain.  A nice touch!

This was our second visit to Elerai Camp and we were extremely lucky with the weather and so seeing the mountain each day (we spent 2 nights there) was just awesome.  We took half a day visiting Amboseli Park and were pleasantly surprised to see it so green after such a serious drought situation last year and now the marsh areas are full of water, wildlife and birdlife in abundance.  We saw so many elephants; small groups of ostrich; many varieties of gazelle (Impala, Thomson, Grant, etc); wildebeest; water buck; hyena; a lone hippo grazing out of the water and so many water birds it was hard to keep up with all the species coming and going.  Some of the ones we think we identified were sandpipers; ibis; jacana; storks; teals; egret; geese; plovers and the beautiful coloured flamingo.  Lots more and the list was endless.

After two nights there, we were forced to move on but felt we had been well looked after by Andy Gray the Manager and assistant Kim Pearce (community worker) plus all the staff who manned the bar; looked after our room; the chef (the food was delicious and artistically presented) and waiters who were attentive, friendly and helpful.  Thanks everyone for a great stay.

We arrived in Nairobi to typical “winter” weather......... cloudy and cold which prompted roaring fires in the evenings along with good company and many laughs.  After a few days in the city we decided it was time to get out and about and continue with our safari “up country”.  So we decided it was time to visit part of the Great Rift Valley.  Safari hats collected along with some over night bags; binocs, bird books and flasks of coffee and tea, we took our Land Rover off for another journey.

The Great Rift Valley - Sunbird Lodge & Flamingo Hill Camp

We stayed at a lovely small personalized lodge on the edge of Lake Elementaita.  Sunbird Lodge is about an hour and a half from the city of Nairobi taking the main Nairobi/Nakuru tarmac road. The entrance drive way is a short distance off the main road and the lodge well hidden from the nearby traffic.  Sunbird boasts a small reception/bar and dinning area with a patio facing the wonderful view of the soda lake.  In the distance you can see masses of pink and black colours as thousands of flamingo suddenly “up” and take flight over the lake.

Watching the balloon rise above the lake and slowly work its way around to the other side as the sun came up over the hills behind.  An hour later the balloon landed and the passengers were treated to a sumptuous “champagne” breakfast and then driven back to the lodge by the staff.  Tempted as I was, time did not allow us to do a trip. Pelicans and other water birds are evident if you take the time to visit the Soysambu Sanctuary which is just a few minutes down the road from the lodge and an easy drive around the lake.  We also saw quite a bit of wildlife; warthogs; eland; buffalo; giraffe; zebra; kongoni; thomsons gazelle, water buck along with the lesser and greater flamingo; yellow bill stork; white stork; olive ibis; secret ibis; plovers; kormorant; spur wing geese and so many more.

Back at the lodge after our afternoon game drive, we were greeted by a roaring fire in the lounge area. The chef produced delicious and well presented meals which we thoroughly enjoyed.  Howard enjoyed talking to chef who is a Tanzanian and comes from a part of TZ where Howard's family used to live.  We were well looked after by the lodge staff and after one night there we climbed back into the Land Rover next morning and headed further up the tar road to Lake Nakuru National Park.  We will definitely go back to Sunbird Lodge as it was a short trip from Nairobi and a quick “get away” from the hectic city life.

We arrived at the Lanet Gate Entrance to Nakuru National Park and proceed to find our next lodging. Flamingo Hill Camp is situated in the Park, tucked away behind a hill and 2 minutes from the main park entrance. The camp is enclosed in a large garden area with many tents.  The tents were comfortable with duvets on the beds and hot water bottles at night to keep the cold of the night at bay.  Such a welcoming and warm idea and needless to say much appreciated for cold nights. We had a pleasant stay at this camp which allowed us to visit the Park several times for game drives.  The camp will have a new swimming pool ready in a few months time so that in the hot dry season guests will be able to enjoy a swim in between game drives.

We saw a large herd of buffalo enjoying the fresh water coming into the lake; plus loads of “plains game” such as impala; tortoises; baboons, vervet monkeys, giraffes and many other animals.  We missed seeing the lion that are resident in the Park along with leopard which live in the forested areas of around the lake.

The park has a good road system which takes in the surrounding areas of the lake such as the road up the escarpment which provides a view point looking over the whole of the lake and the colour of pink being predominate along the lake edges.  Quite a stunning sight.  The tortilus acaia trees (or yellow thorn trees) are large mature trees providing huge canopies of shade around the lake shore. The contrast between the yellow bark; pink flamingos and green vegetation is one of nature's colourful aspects of this area.

Back in Nairobi again we refueled, repacked and headed out the door again this time to the Masai Mara Reserve which was a long drive from Nairobi..... I think about 6 hours not including bush and petrol stops along the way.  Mostly tarmac roads and making the longer stretch a comfortable trip until you join one of the many dirt roads in the reserve itself.  Most of the internal roads were manageable and we came across several saloon cars which were restricted to the “all weather” roads leaving the 4 x 4's to maneuver through the black sticky clay type soil after the rains.

Masai Mara Reserve – Mara West Camp, Sekenani Tented Camp & Mara Simba Lodge

It has to be said that the Masai Mara Reserve is one of the world's most spectacular places to visit, famous for it's annual wildebeest migration encompassing Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, the migration route is a sight to see.  This usually starts with phase 1 of the migration around middle of June with the massing of the wildebeest and phase 2 of some of the migration starting from Tanzania and by July/August phase 3 of the full migration.  The migration of these animals is dependant on the green grass which the Mara offers and once they have had their fill they return to the Serengeti sometime middle to late September each year.

Our trip to the Mara was primarily to visit the various lodges and camps that we would recommend to anyone who wanted to visit this Reserve and as May is a relatively quiet month for the Mara. There were very few mini bus safaris and we were often on our own viewing the animals.  The latter part of June will start to see more visitors as the wildebeest migration gathers momentum.

Our first destination, by kind invitation, was to Mara West Private Safari camp, American owned and managed.  Andrew Aho, Director and his staff graciously hosted us two nights in this wonderful camp situated on the Oloololo Escarpment with a view to take your breath away.  What a fabulous spot! The luxury tented cottages are nestled on a wooden area of the escarpment over looking the Mara Triangle.  Each cottage has a large bedroom area with bathroom ensuite. 

The rooms are beautifully done in wood finish with some brick work and canvas tenting.  Some of the windows in each cottage have been etched with birds and wildlife giving the rooms a “touch of class”.  A verandah runs along the front of each cottage allowing a full view of some of the wildlife close by and the amazing view beyond.

Being at 6,200 ft the evenings are cold so we came prepared with our winter woolies and enjoyed the evening log fires and drinks which was not only welcoming but provided us with good evening chats with Andrew prior to dinner.  The professional chefs at Mara West make delicious home made meals catering for vegetarians as well.  The dinning room; verandah and lounge areas are all in a central wooden and stone building as you arrive in the parking area.  The camp is a home away from home, beautifully built with lots of personal and artistic touches done by Andrew's wife, Deborah.

Mara West is associated with a non-government organization, Africa Mission Services providing financial support for the development of local Masai community projects such as building schools and medical clinics.

Mara West is a member of Eco Tourism Kenya promoting tourism by implementing conservation practices in their daily operations.  Many overseas visitors, family and friends come to Mara West to help out with the camp's local projects and whether it is building a new school room or a new medical clinic or helping to run the clinics, everyone chips in and comfortably accommodated at Mara West.

We took one of the camp's guides, Mark Liaram for a morning's game run down to the Mara Triangle area and were well rewarded with his knowledge and eye sight.  This is just one of the many services that the camp can offer, your own personalized game drives with the camp's vehicles and staff. 

After our two lovely days at Mara West we headed down the escarpment following the Mara River towards the South Mara River Bridge.  Along the way it was essential to do a “bush” stop (public road side facilities are not readily available until you reach a camp or lodge due to the long distance between).  Having got back in the car we set off a few feet and saw to our right a mating pair of lion resting a few feet from the road in the tall grass.  Fortunately our bush stops are close to the car and never in the bushes per se as it is always dangerous to go wandering off the main road.

You never know what close encounters you could have as the animals are wild and although use to cars, they do not always tolerate people out of cars.  It is against the Park and Reserve rules to wander out of your vehicle.   Having caught my breath we proceeded to take pictures of these two who could not have cared less if we stayed and gawked at them all day as they had their own agenda.  We left them in peace (no other vehicles in sight either) and moved about 20 yards down the road to find a lone male sleeping in the grass next to the road side on our left.  What a treat and again he was not the slightest bit interested in us as he must have been waiting his turn with the female we just passed.

Continuing southwards we found 4 cheetahs in the long grass but unfortunately too far away to get a good look other than with our binocs.  They had made a kill and were busy devouring their meal.  Such a treat to see these feline creatures that are not as easily seen as the lion.  Along our journey we saw many animals – the plains game, i.e. gazelle, zebra, warthogs, hippo, elephant, buffalo to name just a few.

Our stay was short but enjoyable as Mr. Lkupor the manager and staff at Sekenani Camp made us very welcomed.  During the evening meal we were called by the staff to see the resident bush baby – completely black in colour and devouring pieces of banana while a genet cat took the opportunity to grab pieces of meat dashing to and fro into the bushes nearby.  A small size wild cat also appeared to take advantage of a free meal and very shy. 

The next morning took us in the direction of the Simba Mara lodge which is located on the Talek River, a tributary of the Mara River, in a north-easterly direction. This lodge boasts a wooded scenic river spot with the Tortilis Acacia trees and local vegetation surrounding the lodge.  The lodge is built out of traditional materials with the restaurant, lounge and bar areas overlooking the river with resident hippo, crocodile and birdlife.  The bedrooms are built in blocks with 2 top rooms and 2 ground level rooms along the river.  There are a few luxury type tents as an option.  The general manager, James Koileken and his staff were very hospitable and welcoming.  The bedrooms were very comfortable and attractive.  The buffet meals were well presented and offered a variety of food for all tastes.

The Simba Lodges & Camps have venues at Lake Naivasha in the Rift Valley and Samburu which is in the north eastern part of Kenya.

After checking into the lodge we took ourselves northwards along the river to see what we could find for animals. 

Not far from the lodge we came across a troop of baboons and amongst this group was an albino female.  This was such an unusual sight to see and when we inquired at the lodge about the female we were told that the troop has been resident around the lodge area since her birth.  She was certainly striking and beautiful.  Further along our game drive we came upon a bat eared fox; a tortoise; buffalo; Thomson gazelle with a baby of about a month old; kongoni and elephant with young ones.

After a delicious lunch with too much to choose from, we headed out again in the direction of the Talek River for another game drive before dinner.  We saw wildebeest; ostrich; black back jackal; banded mongoose; secretary birds; marabou storks and De Frassa Water Buck.  These water buck are different as they do not have the white ring around their rumps as the Common Water buck has.

Our time in the Masai Mara had come to an end and after a sumptuous breakfast we headed out of the Reserve back to Nairobi where we changed dirty clothes for a new clean set and a day later drove out towards the Mount Kenya area to see the new Solio Lodge currently being built on Solio Ranch. This was a little over a 3 hour drive north east of Nairobi through the town of Nyeri and 20 minutes later onto a dirt road leading us into a portion of the ranch which is now a game sanctuary - a protected home for approximately 170 wiet rhino (a South African word meaning “wide” mouth and pronounced “white”) and over 65 black rhino.

Solio Ranch Lodge

Our son in law, Kevin Carr-Hartley, has been employed as Manager to oversee the building of the new lodge which will be an up market luxury tourist venue.  The Solio lodge will eventually have 12 large bungalow bedrooms each with an attractively decorated small sitting room with fire place; bed room area and an equally large bathroom ensuite complete with a bath tub with a fire place at the end of the tub; a separate shower stall and double basins.  The front of each bungalow will be glass fronted leaving guests with an “open air” feeling to the rooms overlooking the grass lands of the sanctuary and onto Mt. Kenya. 

The sanctuary already boasts a variety of wildlife – elephant, giraffe, worthogs, black backed jackal, Oryx, eland, impala, Loede's gazelle, Thomson's gazelle; lion and leopard not to mention the variety of birdlife as well.

We had a wonderful two nights in Kevin's small “fly” camp and his cook and general camp hand, Raffel, cooked delicious meals, washed clothes and ran around to-ing and fro-ing when ever extra help was needed. Our tent was comfortable with ample duvets and blankets as Solio sits at 5,600 ft above sea level and consequently the nights and early mornings are cold this time of the year.

Kevin joined us for a few game drives or sent us with one of his guides and we had a great time enjoying the savannah grassland areas where the rhino and antelopes graze and driving to the riverine acacia tree lined areas searching for the ever elusive leopard.
On a night game drive, Kevin was given the job to drive our Land Rover while Howard stood game scouting through our roof hatch.  Kevin is a "loyal" Toyota Land Cruiser fan and for him to be in a Land Rover, tested his abilities to a) not get us stuck and b) be polite about a rival 4 x 4 fan! We all survived and enjoyed our night drive but the lion and leopard eluded us. We did come across a huge herd of about 100 buffalo down in the thickly wooded forest area, all bedded down for the cold night. That was quite a sight to see.

Samburu Wildlife Reserve

The next part of our safari would take us from Solio to Samburu, through the farm lands of Nanyuki and Timau, past the cloud hidden Mt. Kenya to the low lands of Isiolo and into Samburu Reserve where the sun was shinning and we were able to shed layers of warm clothing.

Arriving at Samburu Simba Lodge, we were greeted by the Manager, Mr. Ibrahim Halake, and his staff.  This Lodge is about a year old and is attractively furnished with open plan dinning; lounge and bar areas all facing the Uaso Nyiro river, lined with Doum Palms.  A small water hole is below the dinning and lounge areas where a rather large resident crocodile lives and visiting wildlife can be seen.  Local artistry can be seen around the lodge in the form of almost life size animals fashioned out of scrap metal and welded so uniquely.  The main entrance to the Lodge has a large metal buffalo as well as a half hidden hippo in the shrubbery.  The lodge chef and kitchen staff did a sterling effort with an amazing selection of food and the desserts each meal, a work of art all on their own as well as being delicious.

Samburu being at a lower altitude has a much drier warmer atmosphere with white dust and consequently any rainfall that happened a few weeks back has quickly disappeared leaving the river area the only source of water for the wildlife. We were told that the reserve did have an enormous amount of rain a month or so ago with the river overflowing its banks and consequently some of the camps along the river were totally destroyed and are slowly being rebuilt.  The Usao Nyiro River rose to over 30ft above its normal level and we could see evidence of this with tree branches being swept along and left high and dry quite a distance away from the river bank.

We did a few game drives following the river and saw a good number of elephants, mainly females with their young from very small to 1 to 2 yrs old. This reserve has a wide variety of wildlife to be seen – lion, leopard, cheetah, impala, water buck, dik dik, gazelles, guinea fowl, oryx, guernuk, black backed jackals, baboons, vervet monkeys and lots of bird life.

We had not been up to the Samburu area for many years and it was good to go back after so long and see the area again for ourselves.

Our journey back to Nairobi was 6 hours long – all on tarmac apart from the diversions nearer Nairobi where the highway is being enlarged and as anyone travelling knows diversions should be avoided at all costs owing to the constant traffic jams they cause.  All in the name of progress!

Nairobi National Park

Our final wildlife park visit took place in the Nairobi National Park which is 45 sq miles and is considered a little “jewel” nestled so close to the city.  In fact, we have often taken our guests who arrive early in the morning from Europe straight from the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and into the Nairobi wildlife park – a 20 minute journey – complete with a packed breakfast.

We took the opportunity to do a Sunday morning run into the Park which is just 15 minutes away from the suburb of Langata where our family home is.  We were rewarded seeing all sorts of wildlife such as large herds of buffalo; a few eland; bush buck; impala; Thomson gazelle; giraffe; a total of 8 adult “white” rhino and 1 baby; dark chanting goshawk; marabou storks; black backed jackal just to name a few.  The Park has no elephant, but does have leopard, cheetah and lion if you are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time.  A great morning out and kept us out of the shopping malls!

We returned to our home in Mombasa beginning of July where I have finished writing about our safari and hope you enjoyed reading it and seeing the photos we took along the way. 

No matter where you might be travelling in the future “Safiri Salama” (safe journey) and hope to see you in Kenya soon.

Howard & Sue
Mombasa, July 2010

The heavy rains of April and May brought on a flush of new green growth with wild flowers blossoming and the level of Lake Naivasha rising considerably making it possible for the boat to go out again after being grounded for over a year and a half.

Towards the end of June and early July we experienced cool and overcast mornings with temperatures as low as 14 degrees centigrade and midday temperatures reaching between 25-28 degrees centigrade.

Bird life on the lake has been good yet again with the rise in lake levels. Good numbers of birds were recorded during the annual bird count that took place in mid July with several of them breeding; the Black-Crowned Night Heron has been spotted during almost all boat trips which is quite unusual since they are normally nocturnal birds. The splash  of vegetation that was growing where the lake had dried now acts as a very good breeding site for the African Jacana, Yellow Billed Ducks and the Sacred Ibis who in the past have been noted to breed on the southern side of the lake.

There has been good numbers of game along the shoreline in front of  Loldia House; eland, zebra, Dik Dik, warthogs and a big herd of impala with several of their fawns have been ever present especially in the evenings providing guests with lovely photographic opportunities, from the comfort of the verandah.

The grass round the airstrip is green and tall attracting herds of buffalo that have been grazing here regularly.

The resident leopards have been seen on several occasions during night game drives, one of them with two cubs just below the top cottage, much to the delight of our guests.  We have also had wonderful regular sightings of Silver Backed Jackals, Aardvark and the Bat Eared Fox during the night game drives.

There has been good rainfall in Lake Nakuru National Park causing the water levels to rise and the number of flamingoes to increase. The lake shore is tinged pink with flamingoes! The park looks well recovered with long green grass  and plenty of game in good health these  include; buffalo, eland, waterbuck, impala, warthog, zebra, Spotted Hyena, gazelles and White Rhinos. With tall bushes and long grass the Black Rhinos are becoming harder to see however, there has been a good record of sightings close to the Park headquarters.

Our guests have also enjoyed trips to Hellsgate National Park  where in addition to enjoying the spectacular gorge scenery there  has been good sightings of buffalo, zebra, warthog, Masai Giraffe, eland, gazelles, warthogs, Masai Ostriches and Cokes Hartebeest and the Ruppell's Griffon Vultures along the cliff tops.

Back on the ranch at the Loldia School the children finished their exams last week and they are all looking to the holidays which begin this week.

June through until the start of August saw the end of the rainy season with a few downpours at night and an abundance of glowworms and dragonflies. We also enjoyed some spectacular sunsets often mixed in with a thunderous storm on the horizon towards mainland Kenya and Uganda.

Our guests have enjoyed what felt like endless sunshine. All this sunshine has brought warm days of around 28 - 30 C drying up the island and causing Lake Victoria to recede by around 2 feet.

In Mfangano Island Camp the two resident families of Vervet Monkeys are doing well gorging themselves on an abundance of figs with the newborns growing up very quickly. The males are constantly having little scuffs over dominance and are seen regularly with injuries on their haunches. In the quiet sundowner hours one family all descend and socialize on the lawns. The biggest Monitor Lizard in camp measuring about 6ft is often seen in between the rocks on which the honeymoon suite is built on. The Nile Monitors and Land Monitors are also abundant in and around the camp.  At least 6 pairs of Hammer-Kops are nesting in camp and often socialize together in the marshy grasses in the evening. The Black Headed weavers are rebuilding a colony in the eves outside the honeymoon suite. Little Egrets, Hadada Ibis, Sacred Ibis, Black Kites, Egyptian Geese, Long-Tailed Cormorants, Greater Cormorants, Pied Kingfishers along with  a couple of Wagtails are resident and harmonious  grazers on the marshes and lake shore in the camp. The present but more elusive birds seen in camp include the variety of sunbirds, pygmy kingfishers, a pair of Greater Kingfishers, the diurnal Water Thick-Knee, white bellied go-away birds, Woodpeckers (evident only by their occasional tapping in the forest canopy) and an African Harrier hawk was recently spotted which provided a real treat.   

Fishing has seen a promising start to the season too. Our first guests enjoyed the thrill of catching 2 x 7kg Nile Perch off Nyakweri Village while out on a laid back honeymoon trawl back from the Mawanga Cave. An 18KG beauty in a battle of wits and stamina which places another name on the record board! Guests also enjoy plentiful wildlife viewing on fishing trips sightings include the African Spotted Necked Otters, Fish Eagles, Monitor Lizards and a bountiful array of other birdlife. Recently we have had guests catching Perch of ¾ kg's which is going down well for lunch/dinner. Around Nzenze/Atego Island  Mfangano's last crocodile is rumoured to exist, it's practically a myth with occasional sightings reported by villagers! We were delighted to discover a new den of otters on the north western shore of Nzenze with 5 or 6 individuals.

Governors' Camp July Game Report, Masai Mara

The Masai Mara received little rain this month, just 17.5mm with the grass slowly drying out, turning to a tawny colour and the roads becoming dusty. The grassland has been grazed right down in patches but we still have some good, lush grazing in the Musiara area as the herds of wildebeest are making good work of the grass up on Rhino Ridge. The marsh has all but dried out except for the main spring and the central pools at 'Lake Nakuru'. Our hippo pool near the airstrip has also dried out leaving a mud bath which is heaven for the warthogs.

The temperatures have been a bit cooler as these are our winter months with daytime temperatures averaging about 24 C. As we are a couple of degrees south of the equator the temperature decreases by 5-10 C at this time of year with cooler mornings and evenings, however the mid day temperature remains quite warm.

The elephant are no longer grazing the long grass on the plains as it has dried and is less nutritious. The majority of the large herds that were in and around the marsh area in the last few months have now moved out to the acacia woodland and into the riverine forest. Resident herds of elephant that we have come to know very well, frequent the forest around the camps at night breaking branches and leaving football size presents in the morning to clear up.

 
Photos courtesy of Samuel Kiplangat and Daryl Black

Buffalos too, have relocated to the periphery of the forest, moving in to graze at night feeding on the lush green grass that remains under the forest canopy. We also had an unusual sighting of two massive buffalos fighting almost to the death near the airstrip, no females around and not a known territory. The main breeding herd of between 400 and 500 have been circulating between the marsh and Rhino ridge.

The Warburgia Ugandensis (African green-heart tree) is the only tree with any fruit in the area, so many of the animals are coming in to the forests to feed from it; from elephant, baboons, Blue Monkeys and Brown Parrots.

There have been a few sightings of a very large 4 meter long African Rock Python near Mbila Shaka, a rare and awesome animal to see. Other rare sightings have been 2 very young caracal cubs hiding in the grass. These cats are a treat to see as we may only see them a dozen times a year. They are smaller, fairly strongly built and lynx like with tufts on their ears. The Side-striped Jackal has been in the area too, a small wolf like jackal with a thick coat, but very shy.

The annual migration of wildebeest and zebra has come into our area in smaller herds of a few thousand or so. They are very quick to move with various groups coming onto Rhino Ridge and down to the Musiara airstrip and then disappearing just as quickly. The main concentration we believe are still to come, they are down towards Look Out Hill near the Tanzanian border and many still in Tanzania. However we have had some large river crossings at the main crossing area near Paradise Plains, numbering 5000 - 10000. These occurred mid month, earlier on in the morning which is not typical as the wildebeest will often wait for it to get hot and then take tentative steps towards the water for a drink and then decide to go for the plunge! There have been many crossings since, but in smaller numbers.

 
Photos courtesy of Samuel Kiplangat

After a short absence of cheetah in the area our female cheetah and her young cub have returned and have taken to jumping on the bonnets of the vehicles, the cub a little small yet. Sadly the cub looks to be blind in one eye but this does not seem to impair it too badly. They seem to be preying on gazelles only as the wildebeest calves may be too much of a challenge for her. The three brother cheetahs have been seen regularly now, but they now move huge distances. They do not seem to be fraternizing with any females but are rather spending their time hunting, ranging from the Talek river to the Koiyaki area out of the reserve and back to us at the Musiara Marsh. They are confident enough to be taking on young wildebeest. The single female cheetah which was seen mating with the brothers over a month ago now has been back in the area, but not for long, moving out as quickly as she had arrived. Not looking pregnant yet, if she is it will not show for some time.

 
Photos courtesy of Kaoru Shimizu

We have had some wonderful leopard sightings this month, our beautiful resident female that has been a common feature of our game drives has been seen in her usual territory around the camps and the marsh. However she tends to remain elusive during the day and mostly appears in the later evenings. A very large male leopard has been in the marsh area, perhaps he is checking on the female as a potential partner. He is a shy leopard and rarely seen.

The female leopard Olive and her two cubs are still together and well, moving from across the Talek river back onto the Olare Orok river. One of our guides had the pleasure of watching her make a kill of a young wildebeest right in front of his vehicle, amazing! There is another female leopard not very far from Olive, she too has two smaller cubs and are seen on occasion.

The Marsh Pride of lion are well ensconced near the Musiara Marsh, with so much potential prey around they are not moving very far and are spending a lot of their time together. The pride has been hunting wildebeest on a regular basis. Three of the sub adult males are still spending most of their time with one of the lionesses. She incidentally has been mating with the dominant male. There are still the nine sub adults and nine cubs of the new generation, three of which are still fairly small at about six weeks old. The smallest cubs have been coming out and following their mother around. The second pride male has been near the pride, but is looking in bad shape and is not interacting with the rest of the pride at all now. He is missing all but one tooth and is limping badly from a fight he had not long ago. It seems his days with the pride may be numbered.

 
Photos courtesy of Daryl Black and Samuel Kiplangat

The Ridge Pride has been up in the rocky area on top of Rhino ridge amongst the herds of wildebeest. Surrounded by prey the pride does not have to venture very far.

At last the Paradise Pride of lions have given the hippo a rest and are feasting primarily on wildebeest and zebra. This may be as a result of all the male lions having moved across the river to their other lionesses. Notch the dominant male of the pride appears to be healthy although he is getting quite old now. The pride has been having fantastic success hunting on the Mara River banks at the wildebeest crossing sites. One of these lionesses took down three wildebeest as they exited the river one day. Lions being opportunists will capitalise on these situations. One of the six month old cubs had injured a leg and has not been seen recently, so we will be looking out for him.       

The vultures have also been feeding well at the crossing points, cleaning up what the lions and scavengers leave behind.
Back in Camp we have been doing lots of re-furbishing of all the camps. And they are looking stunning. The tents at Governors' Camp have lovely new interiors and we have re-done the bathrooms. There are also new family tents which sleep up to five people in one tent and the deck overlooking the Mara River has been re-done.

 
Governors' family tent and bathroom

Little Governors' Camp has new tent interior furnishings and the mess tent at Il Moran has a whole new feel.

 
Little Governors' tent and Il Moran mess tent

 We hope to share the magic of our corner of the Mara with you sometime soon. 

Contact information – Michael McInnes, Kenya Safaris. Marbella, Spain.
Tel: +34 951 317985 Mobile: +34 647 583498, E-mail: mike@safarikenya.eu  Web: www.safarikenya.eu

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