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@BRACQUENEas always loving your report and photos! Did you enjoy the endangered species boma, and did you also visit Baraka while there?  The boma really exceeded my expectations (Najin was very naughty and kept pushing our land rover to retrieve a fallen carrot ) 

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy has one of the highest predator densities in Kenya with lions being the dominant species in this category. Some of the lions have been fitted with radio collars and we decided to do the lion tracking activity on the third day but were very unlucky not to find one lion which according to the local rangers was very rare but anyway we were happy to return to Peter our very experienced guide , who wasn't with us that morning ; Peter who lived in Nanyuki was a really nice guy and passionate about his job : he sadly lost his wife a few months ago and on the sundowner that evening talked a long time about that tragic event in his personal life  We  had a walk in the afternoon and came pretty close to a large herd of buffalo         The next day started very early with some Bat-eared Foxes And a confrontation between two giraffes !          And at sunrise a Southern white rhino ... posing before Mount Kenya         And there was perfect light for some excellent birding conditions    Superb Starling  Yellow-necked Spurfowl  Northern White-crowned Shrike   Martial Eagle  White-bellied go-away-bird        A herd of Impala       And Thomson's Gazelle with a new born    In the afternoon we went to Endangered Species Boma and visited the world's last remaining Northern white rhinos            The northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) is a subspecies of white rhino, which used to range over parts of Uganda, Chad, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Years of widespread poaching and civil war in their home range have devastated northern white rhino populations, and they are now considered to be extinct in the wild. Only two remain, both on Ol Pejeta Conservancy.   On December 20th, 2009, four of the world’s last remaining seven northern white rhinos arrived at Ol Pejeta. Najin, Fatu, Sudan and Suni had been living in Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic. All previous breeding attempts in the Zoo had been futile, and the hope was that the climate and rich grasslands of Ol Pejeta, a native habitat for the animals, would provide them with more favourable breeding conditions. To keep the northern white rhinos safe and in good health, Ol Pejeta dedicated 24hr armed security, a 700-acre enclosure, and a nutritious diet supplemented with fresh vegetables. Expectations were raised when Suni was seen mating with Najin in 2012, but as the gestation period of 16 months wore on, it was clear that Najin was not pregnant. With so few northern whites remaining, it was decided that a southern white male would be introduced to Fatu and Najin in the hope of producing offspring that would at least preserve some of the northern white genes. Again, this proved unsuccessful. In October 2014 Suni died of natural causes in his enclosure. His death left Sudan as the only northern white male in the world capable of breeding. In early 2015, checks by vets from the Czech Republic dealt us another blow – neither of the females is capable of natural reproduction, and Sudan’s sperm count was disappointingly low (but not surprising given his age). In July 2015, Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic lost Nabire, and in November 2015, San Diego Zoo lost Nola - leaving just three northern white rhino left on the planet. On the 19th of March, 2018, Sudan died. He had been suffering from age-related health issues and from a series of infections. Once his condition worsened significantly and he was unable to stand up and evidently, suffered a great deal, the decision to euthanise him was made by his veterinary team. The vet checks did conclude one last ray of hope – that artificially assisted reproduction was a possibility. The future of this subspecies now lies in the development of in vitro fertilisation techniques and stem cell technology, costly and complicated procedures that have never before been attempted in rhinos.     Tomorrow we would leave Laikipia and go to the Mara !   To be continued ...                         

Colobus mum and child, hanging out at Selous Kulinda camp, just outside Nyerere National Park, Tanzania.  

>>as well as some disconsolate Wildebeeste who looked like they had just got some really bad Gnus..   I see what you did there Groan!   Loving your adventure!

Part 8 which depending on length may well be in two parts:     First the drive back into Kenya to our chosen base in the Masai Mara. When we reach there you may note from the 'grey' traks that we are less than 50 miles from Robanda that we had left only four days earlier.   Much as we would have loved to have stayed longer at Speke Bay we had a schedule and a plane to catch in Nairobi in four days time so we settled our very reasonable account and having vowed to return we set off for Isebania and the Kenyan border some 160 km north. The drive took us passed Ndabakka gate into Serengeti once more and we stopped to watch a couple of Hippo feeding in a local Shamba     as well as some disconsolate Wildebeeste who looked like they had just got some really bad Gnus.. On back over the muddy stream that is all that is left of the Grumeti in dry season and through Bunda on a very good tar road. The road wound through lovely hilly country and progress was good. The road dropped back down to lake level as we crossed the Mara River Estuary on a nice modern bridge. The difference here between the muddy Grumeti and the wide Mara was very marked indeed. The Mara was a typical wide and deep river with attractive large areas of Papyrus etc., lining the banks. We all remarked on this and wondered about the birding prospects here if only there was somewhere to stay. A place to be explored at our leisure on another visit.   But not today as we still had 60km to the border as well as unknown territory to traverse to our destination. It had transpired that none of us, Emmy included, had any idea of the exact location of our chosen camp, Tayari Luxury Camp, and their helpful website made no mention of where it was other than ‘45km from Narok’ and ‘4km from the Park Gate’. Which gate of the many would that be then? So to get us ‘close’ I programmed ‘Gladys Garmin’ to get us to Narok hoping that as we got within range, 45km short, we would get a better idea.  Ha ha. They do say that it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive. Maybe today is the day we put that to the test? Anyway it was time to leave Tanzania and cross the border into Kenya and as we approached the town it seemed the Isebania Border Post was not as clearly signed as others we have used. Emmy’s normally sharp eyes could not pick out a suitable building so I just suggested the age old method of continuing until we were stopped, either by the usual ‘Crocodiles teeth’ barrier or remonstrating officials which is what we did. And it worked. We found both simultaneously and not a shot was fired as a man with a big gun at the slope directed us to pull in and park by a small kiosk outside a somewhat larger non-descript building in which was a door was marked “Entrance”. It looked like we had found the Immigration Officer or maybe he had found us? Either way we quickly had our Passports stamped by both Tanzania and Kenya in the same office and that was that.  Emmy took a little longer with the vehicle formalities, insurance etc., but after a cup of tea at the convenient cafe we were on our way back into Kenya. Gladys indicated that we left the main road and struck off on a decent tarred road eastwards and that is what we did. Sadly the tar ran out in about 30km and ‘traks’ warned that the road ahead was not good but as there was ‘only’ 100km to go we suffered the ‘African Massage’ cheerfully as we drove along the C13 heading east for Narok. The road was not that bad but we were very happy to read that Narok was ‘only’ 40km ahead as we reached a turn south onto the C14 and where we asked two youths if this was right for Sekenani Gate. They either misunderstood or were telling porkies. It was the road down to Talek Gate but we were not too lost as our map showed another junction lay not far ahead. Except there was no sign of it when the Garmin showed we were where it should have been. Either that or the map was wrong. By now the sun was getting low and dusk was fast approaching but pressing on south we met several ‘safari’ vehicles coming our way and one of which suggested we press on and just before Talek Gate there was a track we could take that paralleled the Game Reserve boundary. And so it turned out. See map below. Clue. It’s one of those dotted lines.   Oh well it’s going in the right direction so it’s either that or a night in the bush. Just as it petered out and grew fainter we were passed by a white Subaru going at speed. “Follow that car!” Which we did. Straight into a river crossing where happily the way across was marked with a couple of ‘withies’ showing the firmer ground. We could still see the tail lights of the Subaru so gave chase and followed as best we could. Luckily by the time he pulled over at what was probably his Shamba, we could see the lights of some sort of settlement ahead. After negotiating few more kilometres of interesting bits of track the settlement proved to be Sekenani and there was the tar road. Left up the C12 for 4km and we had the sign for Tayari Luxury Camp on our right. We were there. And dinner was ready!   Map of our actual trak as driven.   We were shown to our ‘tents’ which were more or less standard and set on raised platforms with ablutions at the rear. The added luxury was maybe the creaky floorboards which would give notice of any uninvited guests. A welcoming place run by Ether with meals taken in a communal shed with small bar and adequate stocks of cold Safari Beer. Our home for three nights so I shall break off here as too much excitement is not good for me.   In any event as I had not visited Masai Mara before now so it will be a good place to halt this narrative so that my report, whether good or bad can have a full post to itself.

When leaving camp on the second day at 6 it was still dark and unlike Zambia and Zimbabwe for instance the sun only rises at 7 and in the evening you have an extra hour ; so we went with Peter to the same place we had our sundowner last night and admired Mount Kenya just before sunrise on a cold and crisp morning . We then witnessed an incredible scene especially with that magnificent scenery in front of the mountain ,one of the highlights of this safari even more so than the "killings"  and the spectacular fights between lions and hyena we would see in the Mara later                     Next the video my son Willem made of the event :      Nearby hyena's were eating the leftover's from a night kill          After meeting a large herd of buffalo      And an other Kicheche Land Cruiser  There was our first Southern white rhino  : Ol Pejeta conservancy has 44 southern whites. The first animals were introduced into Ol Pejeta in 2005. It is in fact the only place  on earth where you can see Black, Southern white and the last two remaining Northern white rhinos . And some birds  T Tawny Eagle    Grey crowned Crane  Red-cheeked cordon bleu   We then visited the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary The chimpanzees’ natural home range spans from Senegal on the West African coast, through the central forested belt of Africa, to Uganda. They are not native to Kenya, but when a rescue centre in Burundi had to be closed due to the civil war outbreak in 1993 – Ol Pejeta opened its doors. The Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary was established with an agreement between the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute. The aim is to provide lifelong refuge to orphaned and abused chimpanzees from West and Central Africa. Over the last decade, Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary has been compelled to keep accepting chimpanzees rescued from traumatic situations - bringing the total number of chimpanzees in the Sanctuary to 35. Many are confiscated from cramped and unnatural living conditions, and many arrive with horrific injuries sustained from abuse at the hands of humans. At Sweetwaters, they get a chance to start over.           After a nice lunch we found our first kill of the safari          And this is the video Willem made of the scene  :        The first eland also and we would see them regularly and ending the second day with hyena cups at the den :       

It was. A gem that I am already making plans to return to.. Stay tuned.

We moved back onto the Dam wall as there was a couple of other cars stopped, it was time for a beer What were they looking at? It was the man himself with a girlfriend.     Love is in the air.     Another brother came down for a drink.       He was not letting her go too far on her own.           What a fantastic way to finish the day.  

Pumped for the afternoon drive we decided to head southwards and complete the H1-3 to S126, S36 and back on the H7 and have a beer at Nsemai Dam and see if we could find the lions again. We left about 3pm. There was plenty of plains game on the S126.         You always get abit nervous when these big guys are walking towards you and there is 2-3 cars lined up.   We got back to Nsemani dam and drove to the western side down a small side track when we saw some lionesses on the move, in total one by one they all walked passed. How awesome is Kruger.             They just kept coming. This one was blind in 1 eye. Then one of Caspar's brother came along - very impressive Cat.                      

We got close back to Satara and decided to go and one last look at Nsemani dam as it is only 7km's away. This proved to be a great decision. Behind the dam way off in the distance was 8 lionesses all sleeping.       I was chatting to a guy next to me on the dam wall and he asked if I had seen the 2 male lions on the S40 only a km or so away? I said no I didnt realise there were more lions - He said one of them is the white Male lion, Caspar. You cant miss him asleep with his brother next to the road......... Before he could finish the sentence we were off, it has been 9 years since I have seen this awesome Cat.   The "GHOST" I was longing for has finally made an appearance .  First glimpse of 2 Flat Cats.... It was about 11 a.m. and getting very hot - these guys were not going anywhere.     A Ghost's tale................   Caspar's brother. And then he sat up and we had some nice views of him. Other family members also had heard of the sighting and joined us there, we were all very excited.   The brother is an impressive guy.     Still abit sleepy   Off we went back to Satara for a late brunch, very excited to see a few Lions and especially Caspar again. The excitement on my kids ' faces I will never forget.