The quick and the less adventurous

[Treepol]

I have just read your trip report in one sitting - wonderful photos and a great safari story. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this report and post photos.

 

All the photos are wonderful, however I think the ox-pecker shadow on the buffalo boss is my favourite. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets, lion cubs, crowned cranes and cheetahs.

[twaffle]

But wait, there's more!!!

 

I usually catch the afternoon flight out of the Mara, overnight then fly out to home, this trip we left on the morning flight and transferred straight across to JKIA and caught the 7pm flight out. Worked very well.

 

As I've said before though, I've never seen much on the last drive and have no idea why. After a leisurely breakfast (after a sleep in) we made to head off, not realising that it was going to take my son quite so long to say his goodbyes to everyone on staff.

 

I occupied myself with a photograph of some fungus.

 

 

We hadn't gone far when we came across 2 newly born wildebeest calves. So if the goodbyes had been quicker we may have witnessed the births!!

 

 

 

 

Already the last drive was productive. Shortly afterwards we found a small herd of elephant bulls scratching on trees. One left his tree and came and investigated our vehicle, but they were all very placid.

 

 

 

 

 

As we wound our way towards the air strip we noticed a herd of zebras with some activity going on. A line of zebras were taking it in turns to roll in a particularly good part of the dusty ground so we watched for a while until we saw two stallions having a serious fight. They were some distance away so by the time we were close enough to see what was going one stallion had gripped the hock of the other zebra and was not letting go. The two lay in silence on the ground, the one biting deeper and deeper, the other trying to find a purchase spot for a bite of his own. The rest of the herd wandered around and watched.

 

 

 

Hard to get a decent photo as the grass was reasonably long and the zebras spent 10 or more minutes just lying and shuffling.

 

Eventually the stallion loosened his grip and his protagonist struggled free with both galloping off kicking out at each other.

 

Not far away we came across a pride of lions, perhaps 8 individuals although it was quite hard to see in the shadows so it may have been 7 or 9. Some young males amongst them. Not much activity although if they had noticed the fighting zebras perhaps they would have leapt to action.

 

 

 

 

Finally the time had come to say our goodbyes. I never realised just what a busy little airstrip the Mara North one is with a number of vehicles already lined up with more arriving after us. There must have been 5 or more flights land and take off before our flight arrived, and of course I tried not to think about the new arrivals and the sense of excitement they must be feeling.

 

 

Looking through the vehicles.

 

 

Getting dusty.

 

 

 

Impossible not to have a lump in the throat as the vast savannahs slowly disappear.

 

 

[twaffle]

A brief round up of the camp and conservancy/reserve.

 

This was my third visit to Serian's Mara camp and some things have changed.

 

My original tent I stayed in has been dismantled. This is the one a lot of people didn't like as the bathroom required a walk down some steps and so at night it could be a little daunting.

 

There are now solar lights in the tents which is convenient although one does miss the lanterns. The lanterns are still used on the paths.

 

Adrian has put in some universal power boards so that you can plug chargers in with all sorts of different plugs. He has one at Nkorombo as well which is very convenient.

 

I suggested on my previous visit that some canvas kneeling pads for the vehicles would be handy for those photographers who like to lie and kneel on the floor. It took him a while (as he told me) but they were there and made a huge difference to my comfort level. You possibly need to ask for one though as many visitors wouldn't be kneeling.

 

The mess tent and guest tents at Nkorombo have been updated but still have an old fashioned feel. Similar to the Southern Serengeti tents but not quite as big or as well furnished, much more of the mobile feel. The mess tent is very welcoming and comfortable with still the nice grass between it and the river to eat outside.

 

There is a very low (12 in) wooden fence along the river bank in front of the tents. Not obtrusive and I thought it was to stop hippos walking straight onto the tent area. Apparently it has more to do with stopping ill advised tourists from walking down to the river!!

 

Adrian has a beautiful bit of lawn behind the Ngare mess tent which looked very welcoming on the hot day we wandered over to check it out.

 

Meals were excellent but not over the top. Good comfort food in the evening, just what's needed after a long day. The picnic meals were as good as I remembered with lots of variety.

 

I enjoyed having James as a guide and Serian is continuing its guide training as I found out with some of the conversations we had. I thought he was very proactive but very considerate of the wildlife. Having guided some very well known professional photographers he did approach interesting subjects with a great deal of thought and was very happy to reposition the vehicle as often as needed. Mark showed lots of promise and has only recently moved from the kitchen to learn how to guide. Both had very good sense of humours, but both were quite gentle.

 

The stand out things which Serian does very well hadn't changed. You still have a private vehicle with guide and driver and now the camp has a number of new vehicles which looked very nice. We used one of the older ones as there were only the 2 of us and we hardly need 3 rows. All the vehicles are open, although the new ones have a higher canopy over the seats which would be better in the hot sun, especially as we age!

 

One thing I should mention; the staff can set up the vehicles with the photographer in mind and will remove rows of seats to give more space for tripods, lying on the floor or for filming. I didn't need this but Mosquito had seats removed for his safari and said that it was a great help. Alex mentioned that he also has a filming door (like you see on BBC docks) but I didn't feel a need for that either.

 

All the drinks are included apart from champagne or vintage wines. The wines we had were very nice and there is a large selection of international brands of spirits.

 

Adrian and Roisin are lovely hosts and Adrian's brother Craig is following along in the hosting footsteps very well. The three of them certainly make you feel very much part of the Serian family.

 

The Mara North Conservancy was busier at some sightings than I remembered but mostly ordered. Only the last cheetah sighting was a bun fight although rangers were managing the situation. We saw the rangers out every drive and they always were with the cheetahs even though sometimes we were with cheetahs for an hour or two before they caught up. They also kept an eye on the lion prides so they were very much in evidence. Mostly the vehicles seemed to behave themselves, certainly much better than in the reserve itself. Most of the time we were on our own, even for predator sightings, so was pretty acceptable. The cattle were evident in their grazing areas but didn't appear to be encroaching on the prohibited areas. Mostly it seems to be well police. The shorter grass in the rotational grazing areas attracted large herds of herbivores.

 

The Mara Reserve had much higher grass than the conservancy but had the usual problems with numbers of vehicles, mainly around Governors and the Talek river near Rekero. Apart from those hot spots we had much of the reserve to ourselves. We didn't see cheetah in the reserve but many many lions. With such high grass we no doubt missed many smaller animals and this was the first time that I didn't see serval. It is a pretty good time to travel, despite the grass which is at the whim of the rains. Crowds aren't too bad and there are lots of baby herbivores.

 

The two elephants with missing trunks was a concern and the problems with poaching are worrying everyone.

 

If I think of something else, I'll add it in later. All in all, very happy with my choice to stick with Serian as the two camps combine nicely to give a good overview of the area.

 

Thanks to everyone who commented on my report, I'm very grateful to know that you've stuck with it.

 

 

 

 

[PT123]

Thanks for a great and thorough report! I very much enjoyed it.

[africapurohit]

I've just spent my entire lunch break reading this report. Thank you @@twaffle for an amazing account and visual feast. I probably shouldn't admit it, but one photo that's stuck in my head is the Egyptian goose standing on a rock and surveying the plains - I've never seen that before.

[twaffle]

Thanks everyone. I quite liked that Goose as well africapurohit, although I almost missed seeing it because of all the zebras. Just shows how easy it is to get distracted, well for me anyway.

[graceland]

Just catching up with the end of the safari. I love arriving at the airstrips and the excitement at what is to come. Fondly remembering our fantastic trip to Serian and also combing the two camps. What a special place!

 

As usual a very detailed, exacting and beautifully photographed report!

 

[Dot]

I love coming in at the end of a Twaffle report, I get to read it all in one foul swoop, no having to wait for the next instalment.

Excellent story with the usual brilliant photos, well done!

When's your next venture?

[twaffle]

Thanks Dot, nice to hear from you again. You must have done a couple of trip worthy safaris recently?

 

I'm off to Kenya in August with former member(and my husband, before anyone starts rumouring). Laikipia, Meru, Ishaqbini. Can't wait.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Tdgraves
p

[Game Warden]

Quote

I'm off to Kenya in August with former member

I love the fact that members go on Safari together.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Tdgraves
p

[twaffle]

On 4/4/2013 at 9:22 AM, Game Warden said:

 

Quote

I'm off to Kenya in August with former member

I love the fact that members go on Safari together.

former member  may be singing a different tune come September .........

Edited January 7, 2019 by Tdgraves
p

[Dot]

Unlike some we only go to Africa every 2 years (lol)so, finally going in 31 sleeps!

Vic Falls, The Hide, Ithumba (YIPPEE), Amboseli, Tarangire and St Judes in Arusha to meet the girls we help educate, so not quite all about big grey cuddly things!

Your trip sounds great, we can get more adventurous when our dog moves on.

Look forward to reading your report on the 1st Sept!

[Atravelynn]

I am up to the beautiful lanterns. Just a bunch of hanging lanterns, but you made them art. That hippo BBQ is something to remember as a gift for the person who has everything. Wonder if the creator ships worldwide?

 

Your approach to the leopard worked well, some great shots!

 

How sad about your tree. I'm sure you felt a connection to it. At least it is well documented. Looking forward to the rest.

[twaffle]

Thanks Lynn.

[pault]

Another magical report that I finally caught up with. I prefer the "installments" method of reading, as there is so much to see and think about, but reading it all and browsing all the pictures in one sitting is certainly a pleasure. I suspect I hardly need to thank you for posting - the report is clearly a labour of love - but I will anyway.

 

Your photography is ever more interesting and I can definitely see some things you are doing (even) better in terms of the documentary series and the compositions in the close-up shots and the colour, as mentioned. What a treat for the eyes and if anyone wants to know what Mara North is really like, point them here!

 

What a great little trip - it is so hard to not want to got here again after reading this, although I am intent on doing something different. I like the stories and the feelings - and like Lynn, I am sorry for your loss! You observed everything so well.

 

So many beautiful photos that I don't know where to start with 8 pages to go through. After page 1, which I already commented on, I personally love these ones though

The leopard with cushion

The buffalo with cushion

The lone cheetah on mound with blue sky

The storks on the tree - I actually like the static one more

The massive monochrome elephant with the tusk fully in focus

The topi framed by the tree

The first of the guide portraits

The bend in the river and the baboon prints

The colour feast in the jewelry shot

James posing on rock

The amorous lion - especially in B&W landscape orientation

The elephant close-up with the lovely green mark on its head, matching the background (you probably didn't even notice that at the time, but there it is!)

Muddy ele calf

Triangulated cheetah

Abstract ele with escarpment backdrop

Looking through the vehicles

 

And of course so many beautiful sunsets and sunrises and silhouettes. Is anywhere in the world better than Mara North for those shots?

 

The failed hunt shots really capture the build up and the "shaggy dog" end that is most lion hunts and the leopard crossing the river in beautiful light was a wonderful way to end the day.

[Safari Cal]

@@twaffle

 

Your photos are amazing. Love the trip reports. It's been a decade since I was last in Nairobi National Park, when I lived in Nairobi. There were so many problems at that that time with the poisoning and spearing of lions as the habitation of Kitengela was occurring; it was all too depressing. But from your photos and report it looks like things have turned around there.

 

Your Mara report is awesome and I can sympathise with your experience with the guide. Thats why I always self drive now, I only have myself to blame if I get it wrong and miss the shot, however in the Mara I know one of the Rangers who contacts me by local cell phone if he spots anything of note and this at least gives me an option to head over to his location.

 

I'm back in Kenya in mid July and heading from Nairobi - Treetops (1 night) - Samburu (3 nights) - Nakuru (2 nights) - Naivasha (1 night) - Mara (7 nights). Can't wait to get back again, when I land at JKIA it just feels like I'm home again.

[twaffle]

Thank you Paul for such a thoughtful response, I'll have to look back at the photos to see which ones you mentioned, especially the green elephant!

 

Mara North is lovely but there is so much to explore elsewhere. What a dilemma.

 

Thanks Cal, appreciate the comments. Sounds like a good trip coming up for you. Hope we see some photos.

 

 

Fortunately it wasnt long before our guides and us were all singing the same tune and it was a minor blip.

[Atravelynn]

So many captivating shots and not just the animals. The endless vehicle windows were really cool. Even the vultures are attractive in flight and in their groupings. The wet and muddy lion with flies all around shows the tough existence lions have that we may forget when we see them sleeping lo many hours a day. My last comment on the BBQ hippo was before I saw your final shot of it and maybe a hole pierced by a tusk?

 

It may have been less adventurous than some trips, but it was highly photogenic. Yet another terrific report.

[moosh]

You have a way with the camera. The shot of the hartebeest glancing at you over its shoulder is superb and the look toward Ngong Hills is quite unlike any i have seen of the hills. Great stuff.

[twaffle]

Thanks Moosh. I liked that one of the Ngongs too so I'm glad you noticed it.

[johnkok]

Came back for a re-read of your wonderful TR, and enjoyed it immensely yet again. What a great eye you have, and of course, a born raconteur.

 

Picked up again on some imagery I would like to emulate too. One day ...

[twaffle]

Thanks Johnkok, what a surprise to see this on the new content list.

[SafariChick]

@@twaffle well it's going to pop up again on the new content list! I just re-read the whole report in anticipation of my own trip to the two Serian camps featured here coming up in just about a month! Really getting excited now, and re-reading this just adds to that excitement! Such lovely photos and you really did see a lot. I wonder how the grass will be in the Mara Reserve for us - anyone have any clue, i.e. how have the rains been so far? Or will it depend more upon the next month or so?

[twaffle]

Thanks SafariChick, glad you liked it. Wish I was coming with you. Plenty of rain as far as I've seen but the Mara North has never been too grassy when I've been there. The Reserve was quite long on this trip but not in the previous two but the Serian guides will find plenty for you I'm sure.

[Kitsafari]

@@twaffle it was a good thing that @@SafariChick put this thread back on the content list as I read the entire thing in one reading. it really comes in useful as it now raises my expectations to see the same gorgeous views when we are there next month! if only i can capture half as good as what your pictures captured, I'll be very happy.

 

short or long grass, I'll be very contented just being back among the wildlife and open plains, and enjoying stunning sunrises and sunsets.