This is a long report written for the Safaritalk forum, I have not edited it because it would take too long. I will add photos at the end as I am becoming bogged down with computing at the moment. It has been a fabulous holiday and one I will never forget. I met my work colleague and friend Sue at Heathrow and we had lunch together and a good old natter the day before I flew to Nairobi, that was a great start to the holiday. Now for the rest, read on.............
I have never written a report like this before and certainly not one to be read by people who know more about the subject than I do and certainly not with photography which people who are experts are likely to see but here goes. It was another wonderful outing in Kenya and I just wish I was back there.
straight into their jaws! The scene was too far ahead of us to photograph but I I was uneasy about travelling on my own but I can honestly say that I never felt lonely once. At both destinations, Sweetwaters and (dare I say it) the Ashnil Mara Camp I was welcomed with open arms and felt more at home than I do at home!
After overcoming the mind boggling security which Nairobi airport now offers, finger printing and photographing passengers, I was met by my friend and guide Peter from Somak who I have known for about 10 years. It was great to see him again and he drove me through the horrendous Nairobi traffic to The Serena where I was to stay one night. It was a lovely day and so after a short nap I spent the afternoon by the pool indulging in a couple of Tuskers.
I flew to Nanyuki on a Cessna caravan and, after a short drive during which we spotted lions mating, arrived just in time for lunch. When I entered my tent, which was large and well fitted I found to my great delight a complimentary bottle of wine, there was electric lighting too and so no problem for charging cameras and phones .After leaving my luggage in the tent I immediately met a beautiful waterbuck eating the hedging around my tent and looking very happy to be amongst humans!
I was fortunate to have my own guide for the drives at Sweetwaters and we certainly saw plenty of wildlife that afternoon. Being a big cat fan our first encounter was with lion, followed by elephant, Zebra’s both Grevy’s and Hybrids, a fabulous Fish Eagle, reticulated giraffes, rhino both black and white and the lovely little dik dik’s. I was taken to the Rhino Conservancy and there I met Baraka the blind rhino. Baraka (the name means blessing) has been given his own enclosure and considering his problems he seems a very happy rhino. I was able to feed him suger cane and scratch his nose which was quite an experience.
We then drove to the Chimp conservancy and spent some time viewing the chimps in the trees and on the ground. They also have a vast enclosure and it is wonderful to see how well these orphans are and how caring the staff are.
On the way back to the lodge we saw a pair of steppe eagle – what a bird – unfortunately he was too far away to get a good shot, how I wished I had cameras like my ST friends. There were lots of vultures of course, lilac breasted rollers, and a helmet shrike another bird I had not seen before. Apart from the gazelles, water buck, eland, tommies and giraffe I was surprised to see so many warthogs with young. I dont know what the collective noun for warthogs is but there were certainly hoards of them.
Had an early dinner and sat outside my tent with a glass of wine watching giraffe and rhino at the water hole It was an extremely cold night but the two hot water bottles made the bed beautifully warm.
DAY 2 SWEETWATERS
Up at 5.15am for tea and 6.30am drive. Set off hoping to see more cats but it was not to be. Saw a pair of Steppe eagles on the nest. Fabulous birds with an enormous wing span. Its such a shame I havent got a big lense. Animals were a little sparse on this day but the sunrise over Mount Kenya was stunning. Returned to camp to a huge breakfast and stole some bread to feed to the birds outside the tent.
Lots of activity around the waterhole with elephant, zebra, various gazelle and impala, waterbuck dozens of warthogs, giraffe and later on a lone rhino.
Tea at 3.30pm Drive at 4 but hakuna simba leo. However we watched a herd of Elephants with babies for quite some time in a beautifully green marsh area. We also spotted white and black rhino. We returned to camp around 7pm and it was so cold I could not enjoy my G & T ice and slice so had a hot shower and a lovely glass of red wine.
I was given a new swahili name at dinner, my guide Sam told the staff that I was to be called Mama Simba and it stuck with me throughout the holiday.
Day 3
The weather was decidedly cool on the third day. Of course I had forgotten that Ol Pejeta is nearly 7,000’ up and I could really have done with a bit more in the way of warm clothing.
Saw a Kori Bustard, Tawny Eagle and Lilac Breasted Roller, lots of Grants Gazelles and Eland not to mention herds of Tommies, several elephants and hippos.
As a I have mentioned before I have been to Kenya quite a few times but have never seen a kill. Well this time I did but not quite the kill I had imagined. As we were driving up a hill we disturbed two warthog piglets. They raced up the hill in front of us and break-neck speed only to be met at the top by two jackals – could see everything clearly with my binos. The jackals played with the two piglets for what seemed like hours. One jackal thought he had killed his victim and lay it down on the road so he could help his mate dispatch the other We could not believe our eyes, when after the second piglet had finally succumbed, the first got up and started to run away! The poor little chap didnt get very far of course and soon we watched the two Jackals trotting of with their prize. Exhausting viewing and not particularly pleasant to watch.
The best part of day three came in the late afternoon when, after watching spotted hyena, and buffalo we came across a pride of 18 lions. What a fantastic sight. We spent almost two hours watching until they moved on. The rangers told us that the male was a huge black maned lion which I would have loved to have seen but no luck there.
Day 4.
Woke up with a nasty cough and a cold. I intended to have a light breakfast but they say feed a cold, so that is precisely what I did. Bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes toast and coffee.
Today was the day of the cheetah and we saw several and spent a lot of time with them. Naturally we saw all of the rest of the inhabitants of Ol Pejeta as well but two new additions for me were the Coypu and some Bush Pigs.
Day 5
Arrived at Nanyuki airport for my flight to the Mara. Spoke to the pilot of the Cessna Caravan and was invited to join him in the jump seat. That was really exciting. I met my guide Francis and we waited for two other passengers, a young German couple on honeymoon. Standing beside our vehicle I noticed this tall handsome Maasai. Big Cat Diary followers will know who I mean, it was Jackson and I was introduced to him and had a photo taken.
Immediately we left the air strip we saw a pair of lions doing what comes naturally (there seemed to be a lot of that going on on this trip!) The temperature in the Mara was perfect it was the first time I had been warm in four days!
I really must say at this point that the Ashnil Mara Camp was by far the best camp I have ever been to. The facilities, service, accommodation and food were second to none. There is no visible high fence as some people have reported and the camp cannot even be seen from beyond its boundary. Having read all the damning reports I must say that in my opinion they are unfounded. If this was a rhino breeding area then I agree it is a shame they were disturbed but they have found another spot and so no harm has been done. I will probably be unpopular with the anti Ashnil party but I would not hesitate to recommend this camp to my friends. There now I’ve got that off my chest – back to safari
On our afternoon drive we went down to the river to see if we could view a wildebeast crossing. There were lots of gnus around but none were taking the plunge. We did see however lots of hippos and dead wildebeast along with a large croc and several storks. On the riverbank we watched a lioness with two year old cubs. After leaving the river we came upon a beautiful cheetah with a tommie kill. She stood guard whilst her cub had his fill and we realised that the tommie had been pregnant and the cheetah cub was eating the baby. Immediately after leaving the cheetah we spotted a leopard high in a tree. Here again with limited photographic skills I was unable to photograph this gorgeous cat because the sun was right behind the tree. Through the binos it was a lovely sight and as I had photographed leopard before on both still and video I was not too upset about being unable to do so this time
Day 6
This would be the second morning that my German companions would arrive at the landrover late, this time by half an hour!
Today we saw a cheetah with 6 beautiful cubs, elephant, vultures on a kill, warthogs, giraffe and various gazelle and impala. The range wardens allowed us permission to go off track to photograph three fantastic male lions, asleep of course. After the drive I had a drink with my guide who told me about his 16 years in the business and his family life.
Day 7
German couple had now left so only myself and Francis
! We watched 7 balloons take off from the Mara Serena area and spent a while watching 3 cheetah. We then followed a single lioness who was obviously looking for the rest of her pride. Further on we found another lioness
We went down to the river hoping to see a crossing but most of the wildebeast had been and gone and we saw lots of bodies being devoured by storks and crocs. Not too pleasant a smell around the river so we moved on. More lions .
Day 8
we found another lioness eating a wildebeast and watched this for about an hour. On the way back to camp we met a large herd of wildebeast. Of course this was not all we saw but most of the animals I have mentioned before. They were all there everyday, but it is impossible to mention them all by name on every page. On my last drive we again went down to the river, and watched the hippos and the crocs and storks feasting on the bodies of those that had gone before. We had a thunderstorm that afternoon so we picked up lion tracks easily and found three femals asleep, I had never heard lions purr before but purr they did.
On our return to camp I was approached by the manager Richard who told me that the staff had all said what an entertaining guest I had been and how much they had enjoyed my stay. I had another superb dinner, finished the bottle of red wine which the lodge had given me and got up to leave. My waiter said “please sit down Mama Simba we have something for you” This turned on the alarm bells! And I heard in the distance a “choir” warming up. The doors opened and the entire staff of kitchen and lodge appeared singing the welcome song of Kenya “Jambo”, with flaming torches and drums. They went twice round the restaurant and stopped at my table where they presented me with a beautiful cake. Well this is where the tears started! We cut the cake and shared it amongst the rest of the guests – it was wonderful.
After all that I had to retire to the bar for a quick red wine, emotional or what! One of the barmen then presented me with a hand made Maasai club which is now one of my treasured possessions.
One the morning I left the Manager, Richard, carried my bags to the vehicle and just about the entire staff turned out to say goodbye. It wont be goodbye if I have anything to do with it, just au revoir. - C'est la vie
I have never written a report like this before and certainly not one to be read by people who know more about the subject than I do and certainly not with photography which people who are experts are likely to see but here goes. It was another wonderful outing in Kenya and I just wish I was back there.
straight into their jaws! The scene was too far ahead of us to photograph but I I was uneasy about travelling on my own but I can honestly say that I never felt lonely once. At both destinations, Sweetwaters and (dare I say it) the Ashnil Mara Camp I was welcomed with open arms and felt more at home than I do at home!
After overcoming the mind boggling security which Nairobi airport now offers, finger printing and photographing passengers, I was met by my friend and guide Peter from Somak who I have known for about 10 years. It was great to see him again and he drove me through the horrendous Nairobi traffic to The Serena where I was to stay one night. It was a lovely day and so after a short nap I spent the afternoon by the pool indulging in a couple of Tuskers.
I flew to Nanyuki on a Cessna caravan and, after a short drive during which we spotted lions mating, arrived just in time for lunch. When I entered my tent, which was large and well fitted I found to my great delight a complimentary bottle of wine, there was electric lighting too and so no problem for charging cameras and phones .After leaving my luggage in the tent I immediately met a beautiful waterbuck eating the hedging around my tent and looking very happy to be amongst humans!
I was fortunate to have my own guide for the drives at Sweetwaters and we certainly saw plenty of wildlife that afternoon. Being a big cat fan our first encounter was with lion, followed by elephant, Zebra’s both Grevy’s and Hybrids, a fabulous Fish Eagle, reticulated giraffes, rhino both black and white and the lovely little dik dik’s. I was taken to the Rhino Conservancy and there I met Baraka the blind rhino. Baraka (the name means blessing) has been given his own enclosure and considering his problems he seems a very happy rhino. I was able to feed him suger cane and scratch his nose which was quite an experience.
We then drove to the Chimp conservancy and spent some time viewing the chimps in the trees and on the ground. They also have a vast enclosure and it is wonderful to see how well these orphans are and how caring the staff are.
On the way back to the lodge we saw a pair of steppe eagle – what a bird – unfortunately he was too far away to get a good shot, how I wished I had cameras like my ST friends. There were lots of vultures of course, lilac breasted rollers, and a helmet shrike another bird I had not seen before. Apart from the gazelles, water buck, eland, tommies and giraffe I was surprised to see so many warthogs with young. I dont know what the collective noun for warthogs is but there were certainly hoards of them.
Had an early dinner and sat outside my tent with a glass of wine watching giraffe and rhino at the water hole It was an extremely cold night but the two hot water bottles made the bed beautifully warm.
DAY 2 SWEETWATERS
Up at 5.15am for tea and 6.30am drive. Set off hoping to see more cats but it was not to be. Saw a pair of Steppe eagles on the nest. Fabulous birds with an enormous wing span. Its such a shame I havent got a big lense. Animals were a little sparse on this day but the sunrise over Mount Kenya was stunning. Returned to camp to a huge breakfast and stole some bread to feed to the birds outside the tent.
Lots of activity around the waterhole with elephant, zebra, various gazelle and impala, waterbuck dozens of warthogs, giraffe and later on a lone rhino.
Tea at 3.30pm Drive at 4 but hakuna simba leo. However we watched a herd of Elephants with babies for quite some time in a beautifully green marsh area. We also spotted white and black rhino. We returned to camp around 7pm and it was so cold I could not enjoy my G & T ice and slice so had a hot shower and a lovely glass of red wine.
I was given a new swahili name at dinner, my guide Sam told the staff that I was to be called Mama Simba and it stuck with me throughout the holiday.
Day 3
The weather was decidedly cool on the third day. Of course I had forgotten that Ol Pejeta is nearly 7,000’ up and I could really have done with a bit more in the way of warm clothing.
Saw a Kori Bustard, Tawny Eagle and Lilac Breasted Roller, lots of Grants Gazelles and Eland not to mention herds of Tommies, several elephants and hippos.
As a I have mentioned before I have been to Kenya quite a few times but have never seen a kill. Well this time I did but not quite the kill I had imagined. As we were driving up a hill we disturbed two warthog piglets. They raced up the hill in front of us and break-neck speed only to be met at the top by two jackals – could see everything clearly with my binos. The jackals played with the two piglets for what seemed like hours. One jackal thought he had killed his victim and lay it down on the road so he could help his mate dispatch the other We could not believe our eyes, when after the second piglet had finally succumbed, the first got up and started to run away! The poor little chap didnt get very far of course and soon we watched the two Jackals trotting of with their prize. Exhausting viewing and not particularly pleasant to watch.
The best part of day three came in the late afternoon when, after watching spotted hyena, and buffalo we came across a pride of 18 lions. What a fantastic sight. We spent almost two hours watching until they moved on. The rangers told us that the male was a huge black maned lion which I would have loved to have seen but no luck there.
Day 4.
Woke up with a nasty cough and a cold. I intended to have a light breakfast but they say feed a cold, so that is precisely what I did. Bacon, eggs, sausage, tomatoes toast and coffee.
Today was the day of the cheetah and we saw several and spent a lot of time with them. Naturally we saw all of the rest of the inhabitants of Ol Pejeta as well but two new additions for me were the Coypu and some Bush Pigs.
Day 5
Arrived at Nanyuki airport for my flight to the Mara. Spoke to the pilot of the Cessna Caravan and was invited to join him in the jump seat. That was really exciting. I met my guide Francis and we waited for two other passengers, a young German couple on honeymoon. Standing beside our vehicle I noticed this tall handsome Maasai. Big Cat Diary followers will know who I mean, it was Jackson and I was introduced to him and had a photo taken.
Immediately we left the air strip we saw a pair of lions doing what comes naturally (there seemed to be a lot of that going on on this trip!) The temperature in the Mara was perfect it was the first time I had been warm in four days!
I really must say at this point that the Ashnil Mara Camp was by far the best camp I have ever been to. The facilities, service, accommodation and food were second to none. There is no visible high fence as some people have reported and the camp cannot even be seen from beyond its boundary. Having read all the damning reports I must say that in my opinion they are unfounded. If this was a rhino breeding area then I agree it is a shame they were disturbed but they have found another spot and so no harm has been done. I will probably be unpopular with the anti Ashnil party but I would not hesitate to recommend this camp to my friends. There now I’ve got that off my chest – back to safari
On our afternoon drive we went down to the river to see if we could view a wildebeast crossing. There were lots of gnus around but none were taking the plunge. We did see however lots of hippos and dead wildebeast along with a large croc and several storks. On the riverbank we watched a lioness with two year old cubs. After leaving the river we came upon a beautiful cheetah with a tommie kill. She stood guard whilst her cub had his fill and we realised that the tommie had been pregnant and the cheetah cub was eating the baby. Immediately after leaving the cheetah we spotted a leopard high in a tree. Here again with limited photographic skills I was unable to photograph this gorgeous cat because the sun was right behind the tree. Through the binos it was a lovely sight and as I had photographed leopard before on both still and video I was not too upset about being unable to do so this time
Day 6
This would be the second morning that my German companions would arrive at the landrover late, this time by half an hour!
Today we saw a cheetah with 6 beautiful cubs, elephant, vultures on a kill, warthogs, giraffe and various gazelle and impala. The range wardens allowed us permission to go off track to photograph three fantastic male lions, asleep of course. After the drive I had a drink with my guide who told me about his 16 years in the business and his family life.
Day 7
German couple had now left so only myself and Francis
! We watched 7 balloons take off from the Mara Serena area and spent a while watching 3 cheetah. We then followed a single lioness who was obviously looking for the rest of her pride. Further on we found another lioness
We went down to the river hoping to see a crossing but most of the wildebeast had been and gone and we saw lots of bodies being devoured by storks and crocs. Not too pleasant a smell around the river so we moved on. More lions .
Day 8
we found another lioness eating a wildebeast and watched this for about an hour. On the way back to camp we met a large herd of wildebeast. Of course this was not all we saw but most of the animals I have mentioned before. They were all there everyday, but it is impossible to mention them all by name on every page. On my last drive we again went down to the river, and watched the hippos and the crocs and storks feasting on the bodies of those that had gone before. We had a thunderstorm that afternoon so we picked up lion tracks easily and found three femals asleep, I had never heard lions purr before but purr they did.
On our return to camp I was approached by the manager Richard who told me that the staff had all said what an entertaining guest I had been and how much they had enjoyed my stay. I had another superb dinner, finished the bottle of red wine which the lodge had given me and got up to leave. My waiter said “please sit down Mama Simba we have something for you” This turned on the alarm bells! And I heard in the distance a “choir” warming up. The doors opened and the entire staff of kitchen and lodge appeared singing the welcome song of Kenya “Jambo”, with flaming torches and drums. They went twice round the restaurant and stopped at my table where they presented me with a beautiful cake. Well this is where the tears started! We cut the cake and shared it amongst the rest of the guests – it was wonderful.
After all that I had to retire to the bar for a quick red wine, emotional or what! One of the barmen then presented me with a hand made Maasai club which is now one of my treasured possessions.
One the morning I left the Manager, Richard, carried my bags to the vehicle and just about the entire staff turned out to say goodbye. It wont be goodbye if I have anything to do with it, just au revoir. - C'est la vie
