Safaridude and Game Warden's Excellent Adventure - February 2014

[Safaridude]

I am so glad you saw a hirola or two there at last. So sorry that they don't appear to be doing well, but maybe the females were hiding out somewhere way off road? There is so much inaccessible area, no?

 

@@pault

 

Perhaps… but I hold out no real hope for the translocated population (KWS has done two translocations of hirolas in the past from its natural range north of the Tana River into Tsavo East). Thousands of years ago, the hirola broke off from the hartebeest/topi tribe (for a reasibs only nature knows) to become a specialist. There are hints that the hirola's original range was much greater at one point, but the hirola settled into a niche area north of the Tana River into southern Somalia several thousand years ago. It is noteworthy that in that "new" hirola range, there are no hartebeests to compete with. In Tsavo East, however, the Coke's hartebeest is a dominant herbivore and surely acts as a competitor to the hirola.

[samburumags]

Great reporting superb photos ILove all the animal pics but the giant yellow orb through the palms was fantastic. Glad you finally got your Tusker GW my mouth is dry and yearning for one right now

[Game Warden]

Chapter 2 (cont) – Meru National Park (Gamewarden)

 

What stood out for me about Meru were the contrasting landscapes, wonderful panoramas and prehistoric trees. Mountains in the background, heat shimmers in the middle of day. Differing ecosystems, large plains fenced in by palms, long winding strips of green almost jungle along the rivers and streams: and it was on one route where it really reinforced to me the idea of being within an Edenesque paradise. A river course to our right, the palm trees, herds of zebra, giraffe, buffaloes which would be sat but at our approach stand, lumber closer, snort at us, their Cattle Egret passengers swaying and balancing atop them. Even in Meru one could not escape the members of Safaritalk. We drove into a wonderful and lush clearing alongside a river, majestic trees with perfect leopard branches surrounding us. The floor, scuffed down, grasses flattened. It was here @@twaffle had camped: there were still the grey ashes of their abandoned camp fires. I thought to glimpse the infamous cafetiere which perhaps former member had left behind by accident. In fact, at various times during the safari, I could almost hear the ghosts of his conversations, words and sentences caught upon the breeze filled my ears. I recalled that he had claimed of all the parks he'd visited, Meru was his favourite. I could understand why...

 

I was not fazed by the fact we'd not seen lions, leopards: I think in fact we only saw a solitary hyeana from a distance: @@Safaridude assured me the Mara would deliver and I had quickly learned to trust his expereince: the predators could wait. It did not matter - everything I wanted from Meru it had delivered and each evening as we drove back to camp following vivid sunsets I was sated with all it had offered me.

 

Meru was hot: I could have swum in the small pool but didn't - although I threatened to, pulling the lime green mankini from my pack on a couple of occasions. I was tempted to leave the thing up in a tree, it would have made a psychadelic leopard kill.

 

 

I didn't plunge but threatened to handwash my fetid underwear in the pool.

 

One didn't have to venture far from camp to see wildlife. It was on our last full day when Tanyth awoke me from my après lunch snooze to warn me of the elephants close to my tent. I padded gingerly along the path, burning my bare feet in the scorching Meru sand, carefully observing bushes either side until I arriving at the safety of my tent. And there in front of me in the river, where the day previous I had been sat with Sean and Tanyth at the water's edge eating spiced nibbles and drinking beer in the peace of the later afternoon, a huge herd of elephants bathed. Their deep rumbling trumpeting sending shivers through me, calves being nursed into the water by their mothers. Each taking turns to bathe, slowly as the heard passed from left to right in front of me - it took an hour for them all to pass until with some urgency the matriach at the rear chided them into moving along. And in this time there had been elephants surrounding my tent, not just in front of me. It was an incredible experience and even the best of my bad photos taken at the time does it no justice - a photograph just cannot describe the 360º sensory overload I had experienced....

 

 

Elephant bathtime...

Edited January 6, 2019 by Tdgraves
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[FlyTraveler]

@@Safaridude, @@Game Warden, this continues as a great TR! Stunning photos, I particularly like the cheetah youngster sequence and the winking jackal. Looking forward to the next installments...

[SafariChick]

On 2/27/2014 at 11:30 AM, twaffle said:

As far as the rhino sanctuary goes, I had initial reservations but it is huge and you have no concept of not being in the park, fences are not in your face and it is very nice indeed, and wild.

 

@@twaffle I haven't been to Meru or Kenya for that matter, but the way you are describing the Rhino Sanctuary is how I felt when at Phinda in S. Africa - we did come upon the fence a couple of times in the several days I was there, but you could drive for hours and not see it! So it really was just like being on a normal game drive. I understand the feeling of not wanting to be in somewhere fenced but it can be a great experience despite the fences especially if it is quite large.

Edited December 15, 2018 by SafariChick

[Game Warden]

Chapter 2 (cont) – Meru National Park (Gamewarden)

 

For me, Meru had been a tale of three antelope, (those which stood out), and which @@Safaridude so expertly captured. The Lesser Kudu, the Oryx and Gerenuk. Of elephants in the river, of a lonely chirping cheetah, palm trees and spectacular sunsets. James's first Crowned Eagle and a bumpy, sick inducing plane ride. It had also been the story of magical landscapes and secret rivers - the sensation that we were the only people in Africa. It had been about a well managed and authentic bush camp under the trees suffused with a great atmosphere and interesting conversation, hearty food and shared experiences, Tilley Lamp lit pathways to my tent at night and noises which kept me awake. Meru had been where I had got to know @@Safaridude, James, Sean and Tanyth. It had been my reintroduction to the wilderness. It was where we talked safaris long into the night.

Our last dinner lit by Tilley Lamps: talk of Meru, of the Mara, not a mention of beards...

I don't mind admitting I was sad to be leaving: we had not caught a site of my pangolin nor aardvark: but there was no cause to complain. I had stood barefooted upon the bench seats, breathing in the fragrance of wild Africa. Come back dusty everyday with my skin feeling tight, sunburned, my eyes tired having seen so much. We bade farewell to Sean and Tanyth who waved us off: with one last look behind us, we were away and as our safari continued so they would be welcoming in new guests, sitting round the table to new conversations. That was their life, not mine.

Meru's entrance was our exit.

At the gate, everything changed: tarmac roads, people and rubbish, fences, buildings. We were leaving Meru behind as this was where we would change vehicles, bearhug Stanley, use the loos and be off. This part of our adventure was over. The tarmac climbed ahead of us into the hills and that was were we would be soon. On the road - driving through Kenya...

So we said goodbye to Stanley

We threw rucksacks into the van: climbed aboard. Stretched out and I thought to sleep in the hours ahead. It was already hot so I wound down the window put my face in the breeze. The ndevu whipped back behind me. Through my shades a sepia tinted Africa: on this road I was going to be a part of history: people who saw me would always remember the mad Ndevu Mzungu...

And Safaridude and the Ndevu Mzungu were off - bound for Laikipia.

[SafariChick]

Enjoying the report immensely - carry on!

[TonyQ]

@@Safaridude

Great section on Tsavo -it looks good in your photos.

@@Game Warden

Excellent engagin writing - and I like your elephant picture - sounds like a wonderful experience with them surrounding your tent

[pault]

Nice colour contrast between used/unused Landcruisers in the last picture.

 

Great stuff, Matt - evocative!

 

Sorry Glad to hear the mankini wasn't used - but it appears to be still in the bag, so the danger remains with every new post.

[Safaridude]

 

Sorry Glad to hear the mankini wasn't used - but it appears to be still in the bag, so the danger remains with every new post.

 

The danger indeed lurks...

[Safaridude]

Chapter 3 – Zombies and Squack Before Wilderness Again (Safaridude)

 

After exiting Meru National Park via the Murera Gate on the way to Sosian Ranch, a steep climb up the Nyambene Hills lands you onto one of Kenya’s most prosperous districts – prosperous because of the miraa (a stimulant better known as khat, legal in Kenya) trade. A combination of the volcanic soil and cooler temperatures of the hills proves ideal for producing high quality miraa. Hundreds of men, women and children sit around arranging miraa in banana leaves, which help it stay fresh. Lorries bound for Ethiopia and Somalia load up heaps of miraa, drivers themselves partaking before the long, tiring journey.

 

The supposed prosperity of the Meru District is not apparent. Many who produce the miraa are hooked. Anorexic, blood-eyed, walking dead move about in slow motion, pangas dangling perilously from their hands, two or three curled fingers barely balancing the handles. Some men are sleeping face down on the roadside, but they actually look rather dead. After days with no sleep chewing miraa while packaging it for sale, their bodies have finally collapsed and gone limp.

 

The eerie scene right out of a Simon Pegg/Edgar Wright movie is soon replaced by the green farmlands of Laikipia and its capital, Nanyuki. We learned a couple of days ago that Sean at Offbeat Meru is a good mate of safari guide, Squack Evans (known to many ST members). Sean phoned Squack and found out that Squack would be just coming off a safari and in Nanyuki today where he makes his home, and Sean arranged for us to meet up with Squack for a cup of tea. I had met Squack (with former member at Joy’s Camp in Shaba) two years ago, and it is good to catch up with the incredibly knowledgeable and affable guide. Matt is like a kid in a candy store. He relishes the photo-op with James and Squack, two of the best.

 

Squack Evans

 

Matt, like a kid in a candy store, with James and Squack

 

A few kilometers north of Nanyuki, murram replaces tar, and some wildlife begins popping up again. The road skirts Ol Jogi Ranch and Mpala Ranch before heading toward Sosian. Impalas and dik-diks abound… We have entered wild dog country…

Edited January 6, 2019 by Tdgraves
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[PT123]

 

 

Sorry Glad to hear the mankini wasn't used - but it appears to be still in the bag, so the danger remains with every new post.

 

The danger indeed lurks...

 

 

Foreboding foreshadowing for sure…

 

Matt and SD, I'm very much enjoying your most excellent adventure! I’m especially enjoying Matt’s absolute enthusiasm.

[KasperW]

All the spots on Squack's shirt, is that residue from Matts beard?

[Safaridude]

All the spots on Squack's shirt, is that residue from Matts beard?

 

Ha! Squack, it turns out, is a messy tea drinker.

 

No, just kidding, it was drizzling.

[Soukous]

I've only got as far as post #20 so far but it already a 'must read'

great narrative and gorgeous photos.

AND you luck sods stayed at Offbeat meru Camp, one of my favourite places in Kenya.

[Soukous]

Up to date now and the TR continues to enthrall me.

Awesome story telling and a contsistently high standard of photographs.

[graceland]

Love seeing Squack in person and with such a star as GW; I'm sure he was suitably impressed and taking notes on growing a beard.

 

@GW that particular pic is definitely a framer for the HEADQUARTERS! Three handsome dudes on safari..photoshop Safridude in there for four!

 

I love the enthusiasm you are sharing. Much like a first timer!

 

And of course the photos are, as usual,exceptional.

 

Having serious safari envy.

[AKR1]

K and Matt,

Fabulous trip report. Really enjoying this. Looking forward to the next installment. However, GW make absolutely sure you give ample warning of any pictures of you in your mankini. I don't want to drop hot coffee on myself- actually might need something considerably stronger prior to seeing that picture.

[Game Warden]

I didn't take any mankini selfies...

[armchair bushman]

I didn't take any mankini selfies...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

 

In other news, I'm still thoroughly enjoying this. Safaridude's photos throughout have been fantastic. Love some of those Tsavo shots. It's been too long since I was last in Tsavo (either of them).

[Game Warden]

Chapter 3 – Zombies and Squack Before Wilderness Again (Ndevu Muzungu)

 

The van in which we left Meru, headed for Sosian by way of Nanyuki only added to the adventure: a door which tended to flap open whenever we passed over a big bump, windows which once wound down proved hard to wind up, windscreen wipers which didn't wipe when it poured with rain. But aside from the vehicle's failings, it proved to be an uneventful journey: I'd vowed to sleep but there was no chance for that - I wanted to absorb the many sights which flashed past outside. James said that perhaps until twenty years ago, the Nyambene Hills had been covered in cloud forest: however there was precious little of that remaining only in small conserved areas. The rest had been felled and cleared: in its place, stuby bent branched bushes dotted the landscape as we drove through it - these were the Catha edulis from which Khat is harvested. A mild amphetamine type stimulant - one chews the leaves: it's big business and it seems everyone is involved. You see people picking, packing, chewing, recovering. After days of harvesting and chewing, I saw many people passed out laying in the grass verges alongside the road, shambling around as @@Safaridude says above. Taxi motorbikes weave through the backed up traffic, three or four passengers aboard. We are constantly having to slow down, potholes, speedbumps, "security checks" with welded spiked plates spread across the road. Men look at us with suspicious eyes - kids smile and wave, I hear Ndevu shouted so I wave and flip them the peace sign, they wave back laughing and running towards us but we are already away. I wish I'd taken some photos but like most of the trip, I was too busy just absorbing everything to even think about grabbing a camera.

 

It turns out @@Safaridude is a Beatles fan. I had grown up with the Beatles, well, at least their music as it was all my dad would play. So we talked of sixties music and munched on the pack lunch as it rained and the windscreen wipers flapped limply and water came in through the window which wouldn't close. We passed cattle being led to market. James cast his professional eye over them - we would see much better examples at Sosian he said. We passed by stalls selling shoes, hundreds of pairs, old bikes and spares, bottle shops, small shacks optimistically entitled hotels. Everytime we slowed down, people in cars would look and point and smile. Kids would wave, women would look on amazed. I was one hairy tourist: not someone they'd seen before or would be likely to see again. African towns through which we drove were a hub of activity, colour, excitement. I wanted to get out and be part of it but we had a lunchtime meeting with Squack in Nanyuki and still had to pass Mount Kenya yet...

[pault]

I didn't take any mankini selfies...

 

 

 

 

Sorry Glad to hear the mankini wasn't used - but it appears to be still in the bag, so the danger remains with every new post.

 

The danger indeed lurks...

 

 

 

 

I didn't take any mankini selfies...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

 

 

Premature?

[Game Warden]

I didn't take any selfies, but that didn't stop @@Safaridude from taking them...

[Safaridude]

Chapter 4 – Sosian Ranch - Dog Day Afternoon (Safaridude)

 

I hold a dogmatic opinion (pun intended) on what a proper safari property on the Laikipia Plateau should be all about. Above all, it shall be an unpretentious homestead thing: just as a Luangwa safari shall involve open-air thatched chalets and a Serengeti migration safari green Meru-style tents, a Laikipia safari shall involve being a guest in someone’s home – preferably an old home, not the nouveau riche nonsense. Everything else falls into place from there. It goes without saying that at a Laikipia homestead, there shall be some cattle, a stable with horses, a vegetable garden, a never-used tennis court, three or four random Labradors running around, an uneven snooker table, and a huge collection of decaying old books and photos by the fireplace (if you bump into a barman named Godfrey, that’s usually a good sign that you have chosen the right property).

 

The view from the porch

 

A few of the beautiful horses at Sosian

 

A misty morning

 

Sosian is the real deal. You can make the experience as intense or as relaxing as you wish. You are their house guest, and your wishes shall be granted. Simon, who grew up at a nearby private ranch, and Rosie, a Brit, host as hands-on or hands-off as you wish. Megan is visiting from South Africa helping out and is temporarily in charge of the horses.

 

The first afternoon is cloudy and cool and perfect for a walk. Simon leads us on a relaxing jaunt after driving the vehicle well past a huge herd of buffalos. Near dusk, a shadowy figure cradled on the fork of a Boscia tree fools James. “Leopard”, he shouts. But upon glassing for the creature, the situation gets even more urgent than originally thought: it’s a carcacal, not a leopard. The caracal leaps off the tree as we approach and pulls a Houdini. We search in vain for several minutes, but he/she is long gone – vaporized.

 

The next morning, Matt decides to go for a horse ride, and James and I take a full morning drive north toward the plains of Sosian. Compared to Lewa, Loisaba and Sabuk (the three Laikipia properties I have visited with dramatic hills… Ol Pejeta, which I have also visited, does not have any), Sosian is endowed with the least scenic hills. However, Sosian has it over those others when it comes to the plains. Herds of Beisa oryx, plains zebra, and Grant’s gazelle fill the fantastic, endless grassland, as do small groups of Grevy’s zebra and Laikipia (or Kenya) hartebeest. Surprisingly, the Maasai ostrich, not the Somali ostrich, and the defassa waterbuck, not the common waterbuck, occur at Sosian (just a stone’s throw to the east at Lewa, the Somail ostrich and the common waterbuck occur. Is the culprit the Ewaso Nyiro River?). The reticulated giraffe here does not exhibit those acute, crisp polygonal patterns, and the patterns fade out in the lower legs, as they do on the Rothschild’s giraffe occurring to the west below the escarpment.

 

The plains area on the northern end of Sosian

 

The rare Laikipia (Kenya) hartebeest

 

Making oryx

 

Sosian has a good number of beisa oryx

 

Note the Rothschild's giraffe morphology creeping into these reticulated giraffes

 

Grevy's zebra

 

Vulturine guineafowl

 

But enough of this relaxation thing… We are to go look for wild dogs this afternoon. On the verge of extinction in Laikipia merely 15 years ago, dogs have made a remarkable comeback. It is thought that there are now over 200 wild dogs that roam the Laikipia highlands and the northern rangelands beyond. Three or four packs traverse the cluster of private ranches in the immediate area, and some members of the pack have been collared in the name of research. Conveniently, Sosian vehicles are equipped with radio antennas to track them – not exactly sporty but certainly handy in the thick terrain the dogs prefer in Laikipia.

 

On the eastern edge of Sosian, the antenna picks up their presence, and within minutes we not only find them, but also essentially become part of the pack as they begin hunting. 23 in all, with lots of puppies (old enough to be mobile), they set off with purpose in the cloudy, coolness of the early evening. Wild dogs are normally challenging to photograph anyway – so active, so swift. Add to that the dearth of sunlight today and the fact that these dogs are so dark (there is a general color gradient on the continent – the more north you go, the darker the dogs) mean no margin for camera shake error.

 

Wild dog sequence

 

 

 

 

Three or four dogs gang up and flush out a dik-dik. The thick vegetation obscures the chase, but judging by the noise the outcome is not in doubt. The adults regurgitate some meat for the pups, and the ravenous pups break out into a shark-like feeding frenzy. Three or four dogs flush out another dik-dik to our left. A couple of dogs flush out something to our right. Just in front of us, an exhausted and hapless impala, her tongue dangling down one side of her mouth, valiantly squeezes out a few more strides with a couple of dogs in pursuit. No doubt on that outcome either. This is simply chaos now. Several precocious puppies crouch into a hunting mode after seeing some vulturine guineafowls even though wild dogs don’t normally prey on them. The pups give it a full go, but the fowls escape easily. 45 minutes or so of this non-stop action, and we are as spent as the prey. But for a quick glimpse of wild dogs a few years ago, this is the first time James has spent any length of time with wild dogs since that serendipitous day in the Mara more than twenty years ago (wild dogs have since suffered mightily from canine diseases in the Mara region). James quips that he has to pinch himself to make sure he is not dreaming, and he cannot wait to tell his guide friends in the Mara.

 

More wild dog sequence

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following morning, we encounter a Boran cattle herd (one of several on the property) tended by the Sosian Ranch staff. Boran cattle, ranched mostly on private farms in Laikipia, are hardier, put on weight faster, and produce higher quality beef than cattle kept in traditional pastoralist areas. Some pastoralists have caught on to the advantages of Boran cattle, and they have been purchasing some Boran bulls to crossbreed with their cattle. James has seen Boran cattle before in the Mara region where he makes his home but never a whole big herd like this one. I can see James’ grin get Serengeti-wide as we approach the herd. So intimate is the connection between the Maasai and their cattle, I think it best for the photos to speak for themselves.

 

A Boran bull

 

James and Boran cattle

 

 

 

The Sosian staff pulls out everything but the kitchen sink for us the rest of our stay. Matt goes on another horse ride. A bush dinner by the Ewaso Narok River and a picnic brunch by the water falls, not to mention a special lamb roast on our last night… and we top off everything with a sighting of a Grevy’s/plains zebra hybrid and a greater kudu in the flower garden. This homestead thing in Laikipia rocks.

 

Salute!

 

BFF!

 

Grevy's/plains zebra hybrid on the right

 

Greater kudu

Edited March 3, 2014 by Safaridude

[Safaridude]

More photos from Sosian Ranch...

 

Necking giraffes

 

The vastness of the ranch

 

A bull eland

 

Bush dinner preparation 1

 

Bush dinner preparation 2

 

James by the pool

 

James in the main living room

 

James by the waterfall

 

A Sosian sunset

Edited March 3, 2014 by Safaridude