Kenya Safari, or "My first safari wasn't my last, and the second won't be either"

[amybatt]

What is utterly crazy is that, as I'm formatting this and going through photos, I'm hesitating before I post my last full day. It was just so good, I don't want the experience of even reliving it to be over! But here goes...

Edited March 29, 2014 by amybatt

[amybatt]

Alright, forget everything I may have ever said about having had the best game ride ever, because I actually think today may have been it. No, seriously, this day was spectacular, and so evenly paced that it kept us going all day. I'll have to explain.

We (the ladies from New Zealand and me) were up and on the road by 5:53. Yes, it is astonishing that that's the time that I'm resisting getting out of bed for work when here I am dressed (not showered, just lathered in SPF 30 and bug repellant) and in a vehicle on the road at least an hour before there is any decent daylight. But off we went.

Knowing that I am a big cat aficionado and in particular a Big Cat Diary fan, Jackson and Stanley whizzed us off to the west side of the conservancy on the border of the reserve where the Marsh Pride live. Sure, most of the Marsh Pride stars of Big Cat Diary have passed on, but this pride is epic. We pulled up to a shallow mound on which slept 10 cats: nine females and one male. All of them but one seemed to be sub-adult. The other was the mother of this group, according to Jackson. It was pretty cool to be there and try (again) to get a shot of lions against the sunrise. I think I may have failed there but we were right next to the pride when the matriarch rose and roared her lungs out. That is humbling to be sitting right next to. What was funny is the pride didn't flinch. They let her roar, she sat back down and it was business as usual. I think she was just declaring this her turf.

 

 

We next came upon a young male cheetah out on his own. He seemed to be just wandering a bit and not really committed to anything but he did look like he needed a meal.

Not too far from where the Marsh Pride was lounging about, Jackson and Stanley found a secluded island in the marsh on which was a lioness from the pride and her three young (under 6 weeks) cubs. I about keeled over with delight. This is, I think, the youngest lion cubs I've seen, perhaps younger than those in Tarangire last year. The lioness keeps them secluded from the rest of the pride until after 6 weeks of age, when she'll introduce them to the pride. With other, older, still-nursing cubs in the pride, there is the risk that those cubs would nurse on her and deprive these newborns of milk. All so fascinating, but bottom line, incredibly cute to watch her nurse and clean her tiny cubs. Already this day was a huge score.

 

 

We came across the same male cheetah reclining on a mound nearby and spent some time taking the requisite photos. It was a good angle and good light, so well worth the time. Cheetahs are never "off"; even when they appear to be sleeping, they keep waking to check what's going on around them. They need to be very aware of everything from predators to scavengers who would take their food.

 

Today seemed to be pretty full of warthogs. I learned that a group of warthogs is a "sound" of warthogs. And there is a tower of giraffe and a business of mongoose, I think. Who says safari is not educational?

 

We came across a pond covered in greenery and found a family of hippos in it, floating about under the greens:

 

 

One thing I've seen quite a lot of is male antelope species standing alone on a termite mound or other elevation, looking very stoic and proud. It's quite an impressive sight on a wide open plain. Jackson explained that this is how the males indicate that this is their territory. So it's not just all for show.

 

Fast forward through a half dozen or so birds...I'm not a big birder but the people I was with are, so I had to give equal time to the birds.

By this point we'd sort of wandered our way into the Masai Mara National Reserve again, only this time I was on the northwest side, so it was completely different from where we were on Saturday. And of course, a huge part of the Mara experience is seeing the Mara River and imagining the insanity of the annual wildebeest migration crossing the rivers and dodging the hungry crocodiles to get to the other side and continue on with this annual rite of passage. These prehistoric looking crocs are just massive, and often look like nothing more than logs floating in the river.

 

 

 

 

Today though, we got to see a mini-migration of three zebra. As they approached the top of the riverbank, they saw that there were two old (and hostile) Cape buffalo right at the water's edge. They probably also know about the enormous prehistoric looking crocodiles that live there; we saw them, they're hard to miss, more so if you could be their lunch, I suppose.

These three zebras apparently drew straws or did rock, paper scissors, and one was forced to take the lead and approach the water. First obstacle was to get past the buffalo. That was pretty easy. The next was to test the waters and check for crocs. The trio, led by the poor guy with bad luck, approached and retreated easily three times before they tread carefully across the river. They made it and disappeared up the riverbank. When we got to the top and saw them, I almost wanted to applaud. It was so nicely executed. And they live for another day.

 

Our next sighting worth mentioning (skipping a few birds and the Coke's hartebeest which I already gushed over at Ol Pejeta) was a female cheetah who had made an impala kill. What made this notable was that it was Malaika, Kiko's daughter (another Big Cat Diary reference). We pulled up to find the Norwegian photographer and his daughter watching it, and they kindly pulled back so we could see too. It wasn't as clear a shot as the kill on the first day, but it would do. Apparently this cheetah has made the chase and finished it off in thick hedging, which seems odd for a cheetah; they usually prefer open and flat with no obstacles. Good for her, I say.

The warthog sighting at the mudhole was notable only because we'd never seen so many of them wallow before. They would literally plop down in it and shimmy to get lower. It was pretty funny and actually looked pretty comfortable.

 

 

And a random agama lizard:

 

Our guides with hyper-eagle eyes spotted cheetah under a tree and there appeared to be two males and a female, all of which were Amani's cubs from her second litter (we saw her with her solo cub from her fourth litter yesterday). So it was good to see that she'd raised three to such good health. At some point soon the female will go off on her own, as females live solo unless raising cubs and the boys will stay together as a coalition.

The next sighting was our Double Crossing Pride four lionesses with 7 cubs. They were really flaked out in the heat of the day around a tall bush. It was very difficult to capture them all in one photo but probably best experienced as we came upon them. The cubs were in various states of rest; some out cold and some a bit awake. We saw two actively nursing and another two approached a lioness with these pathetic little "mews" that almost had me getting out to feed them. I think the kids were hungry and mom was too hot to give in. Eventually she did but not before I could hear them plead for a teat. I've really enjoyed being somewhere to come across the same prides or cats day after day and watch their lives unfold, even if today it was just nursing and sleeping.

 

 

 

As the day was drawing to an end, Stanley said "one more look around leopard country", to which I said "I'm feeling lucky!" Since today was my last full day here, I had a growing sense of desperation about getting to see more than a fleeting glimpse of a leopard. We looked and looked and looked. Finally we were all staring with binoculars into a thick bush convincing each other that those were actually leopard spots deep in the thicket, although to be honest it felt either like Where's Waldo or having a sighting of the Virgin Mary on a slice of burnt toast.

We went over to the other side of the streambed and looked down, only to find we had the wrong bush entirely and there actually was a leopard, two bushes down the stream, and it appeared to be Fig, the daughter of Acacia (another BCD reference), who is well known to the guides. She is also quite habituated to the vehicles so there might actually be the chance of seeing more than a spotted yellow streak or tail or back end this time. So back over we went. (This was no small feat since we had to cross the stream each time, which was running quite high due to the recent rains, but fear not, Stanley has proven to be an incredible driver). We got back over and plunged our Land Rover down the top side of the embankment right next to the bush. We stood on seats and peered down in, only to see....leopard paws. And sometimes an ear.

 

I spy more bits of leopard:

 

 

In any event it was obvious from the slow, deep cadence of its breathing that this cat was asleep and not likely to awaken soon. We passed around the area and discovered that there was a partially eaten baby impala kill hanging high up in a nearby tree, which is typical leopard behavior, so Fig was likely sleeping off that meal for now.

 

We decided around that time (5:00 or so) that we'd go for a ride, look for something else and check back. I reconciled myself to making tomorrow's half day game ride all about leopard. It was leopard or bust and I just didn't feel like today was going to work.

So off we went and again our guides with eagle eyes spotted the tawny brown of lion up on a large flat outcropping. We four-wheeled it over boulders and drastically uneven terrain and pulled up next to four lionesses in various states of REM sleep. These were the only four females of the Enkuyani pride, which did number 11 but since the pride had recently forced the females out, there are now just seven males. The girls seem to be doing well for themselves and Jackson says they are courting a couple different male prides out there.

 

 

With not a whole lot of hope, Stanley four-wheeled it out of there as he had heard over the radio that people across the streambed saw Fig starting to rouse herself, licking, cleaning and yawning deep in that bush. We quickly returned and took the place of honor right outside the bush (maybe 40 paces away). Finally a voice on the radio said she was moving and out she came.

 

 

 

She stopped and preened and posed and looked her gorgeous self. I was getting the exact leopard experience I wanted, this was practically a dream sighting! She played this up all very well. She'd go maybe 20 meters and stop and lie down, or yawn exaggeratedly. Fig was hardly bothered by the 10 or so vehicles tracking her every move, some following her every step. She went down the bank, crossed to the other side, climbed up, climbed down and then prepared to cross right under the impala kill in the tree. We all braced for some dramatic leap across, all cameras set on multi-frames per second. In the end she tip toed gently across, quite obviously hating water, and only leapt the last few feet.

What awaited her when she got up to the top of the riverbank were ten vehicles with easily 50 cameras pointed at her. This was paparazzi that only Princess Di would deserve. We all expected her to go directly up that tree and finish off that impala. Imagine our collective surprised when she passed next to us and under another car only to go further uphill and stare down the likely mother of this poor dead impala. And when that was done, she went further still and laid down. This Fig girl knew how to hold an audience captive and work a crowd. Except we all hadn't peed since about 3:00 and it was now 7:00 and we'd been on the road for 13 hours. We bailed out and headed for camp. [We found out at dinner from other safari goers that she did actually kill a second impala today and drag it up the same tree; so Fig does quite well for herself.]

 

What Fig saw:

 

 

(This small group of vehicles is absolutely nothing compared to the 40+ in the Serengeti last year, where the leopard was easily 40 yards away and asleep in the tree...)

 

Heading back into camp, the light was so dim by this point but on my side of the vehicle, there was a very large open space and in the middle it appeared that there was what I thought was a cheetah sitting in the middle. I pointed and said "cheetah?" and both Jackson and Stanley flipped out in unison and said "leopard!!!" and with that Stanley turned hard right and headed in the direction of the leopard while Jackson radioed the other guides about this sighting. He was speaking Swahili, but the only thing I heard that I understood was "Acacia" and knew we were on to something. During our stakeout of the bush that did not contain Fig, Jackson had explained to me that Acacia went missing about two months ago. When last seen she appeared to be pregnant, but no one was sure and no one had seen her since. Tonight she had reappeared, and I spotted her. It was much too dark for any good photos, but judging by how quickly all the other vehicles watching Fig got to our location with Acacia, this was huge news. I think the guides were far more thrilled with this sighting than any guests were, and that made me feel good knowing that they cared so much to have that sort of reaction.

Coincidentally enough, Jackson said that Acacia secreted her last newborns away under Simba tent here at camp. That tent is actually where I was staying for these three nights. And the guard who walked me to the tent tonight said that a leopard was spotted right outside my tent after I left this morning. Was it Acacia? Was she really just down below my tent in the streambed with her newest litter?

So that was our day, 5:53 am to 7:15 pm. Long in duration but went by in a flash. I can say unequivocally that this day was hard to top, even the non-cat sightings were hugely enjoyable. I'm glad it came at the end but also realize that this is only going to fuel the addiction to this safari thing. There is such a rush in going out there and not knowing what the day will bring and when it offers up so much about what is right in nature in plain view, it is just so utterly fulfilling and addictive. It has me plotting how soon I can get back.

Ah, for those keeping score, the meals today were:
Breakfast by the Mara River: hard boiled eggs, toast, pancakes, sausage and a spice cake with OJ and coffee.
Lunch by a hippo pool: chicken legs, pasta salad and cole slaw with raisins.
Dinner: cream of pea soup, beef stew, rice, spinach and delightful banana fritters.

I sit here now, 11:05 at night, knowing I'll have to be up at 5:45 for one more time tomorrow. I hear hippos out in the stream snorting and belching like they did behind my headboard all last night. I have just heard a lion roar way off, letting the plains know this is his spot. And I can't believe that I've just lived these last 12 days. I'm so incredibly blessed by all of this good fortune.

 

Post-script...most of the above was written there with very little editing here at home. I think it best captures my excitement and how incredibly thrilled I was by everything. Little did I know what the next day would bring, just hours before I set off for home....

Edited March 29, 2014 by amybatt

[graceland]

Amazing day@ Amyblatt....(its pouring here in Va and thrilled to have ST reports.)

 

What a fortunate, all enthusiastic report. The sightings must have made your heart sing. Each one gets better and better don't they?

 

I want the lion cubs all to myself. Let the mothers go off to find the "takeout"..they are so beautiful.....and innocent.

 

Fantastic sightings for you; made me happy ~~so must have made you "out of this world' exhuberate~ is that word?; I am so enthusiasitic, I dont know)~~ aren't you so happy you went!!! Everyone wonders if the second will come even close to the first, then find out they get better and better.....so much so!

Memories forever!!

 

You really need your third to be out in the wild, with private guides, mobile tents, a few wild women; you are made for it. Take a walk on the wild side.

 

 

OH, and I have one to suggest

[Peter Connan]

What a magnificent, wonderful trip!

[amybatt]

Woke for my last day in Kenya at an even earlier ungodly hour. A nearby lion decided to start roaring his head off around 3:15 and kept getting closer and closer to our camp until the Masai staff chased them off so we could get up and out for our game ride. Still though, that was one of the best reasons to be kept awake. I'll hear that in my dreams for a while.

When I'd left Jackson and Stanley last night, I high-fived them both and thanked them sincerely. I also said "anything more is a bonus", and I meant it. I didn't think it could get better and certainly didn't expect it to. I think with the sighting of the leopards, the pressure was off Jackson and Stanley both for me and the New Zealand ladies. They'd delivered four of the Big Five for us, in fine fashion. I wonder if that's a challenge for them with each new guest?

 

It was a beautiful clear morning and there was just a sliver of a moon out with the brightest star seemingly hanging off of it like a charm off a bracelet. I was anxious to get out and see what we'd catch at 6:00. Not far out of camp, Jackson spotted two female lions from the Enkuyani pride just strolling down the hill. We tried to capture them as silhouettes against the sunrise, but I think while my camera skills have improved dramatically over the last week, thanks to the Norwegian wildlife photographers who tutored me over dinner for four nights, I don't think I've nailed sunrise yet. As we moved on, we found a Double Crossing male lion who was on the hunt for these two Enkuyani girls, roaring his lungs off. As I mentioned before, these Double Crossing males are hanging out with two different female prides with no ill effects on the relations or the cubs. In fact, this male was seen mating with both of these girls earlier in the week. Nice life for him, I guess!

 

 

We caught a very rare sighting of a hippo out of water (indeed the Norwegians had planned to go back to that greenery-covered watering hole early today to catch the hippos heading into it). It caught us off guard but was a friendly reminder of just how big, and fast, they are. Jackson didn't seem too concerned about this one, as we were a good distance off and it was following a path. Apparently hippos stick to the same well-worn paths no matter what, and this one was no exception.

 

 

We decided to go back and see what Fig the leopard was up to. Turns out she was up in that same tree, with her second impala kill. She'd moved the first up to higher branches (long term storage, I guess) but she was in effect held hostage by a hyena who was circling the tree, hoping for either a dropped impala carcass or Fig the leopard herself. We were right under the tree with a great angle and the gorgeous early morning golden light. I took at least 150 shots here, so at least a few are bound to be enlarged and hung. She is just such a beautiful cat. I really felt honored to have gotten to see her in such a spectacular sighting, twice and this time to have such a clear, close visual! And with so few people around!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had to take the New Zealanders to the same airstrip I'd be going to much later in the day. So we cut the morning drive off at 9 and went back for breakfast. This morning they had a tremendously good museli of all dried fruit and nuts that was absolutely to die for. We zipped off to the airstrip where I partook of some seriously good sunshine while waiting for the plane to land and whisk my new friends off to the next phase of their adventure. I wouldn't feel sun like this at least until June at home, so I was storing it up.

 

We hit the road again and didn't take long to find Amani's three cheetah sub-adult cubs again, flaked out under a tree.

 

 

And right after that we found the Double Crossing females with the seven cubs again. It was getting close to my having to return to camp again and get ready to leave myself, so this was an excellent way to say goodbye to the Mara, revisiting all these "old friends" now. These cubs were really hungry and the moms appeared too hot and bothered to want to nurse. One cub in particular was really vocal, letting out these irresistible little squawks that apparently only I could love. Once I saw that everyone who wanted to nurse could, I felt good about leaving them. As if I'd be able to do anything about it in any event...

 

Heading back to camp, we came upon a topi kill. It appeared that it was a natural death, as there was no sign of trauma or even that anything had tried to eat it before the jackals got there. The jackal made a good start at it, but was chased off by different types of vultures and maribou stork. Several individual jackals made an attempt at getting the topi back for themselves, but the vultures won out in the end. Not really what I wanted my last sighting in the Mara to be, but it was sort of interesting to watch it play out. I think I'll just pretend my lion cubs were the last thing I saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some parting shots from this ride:

 

 

Lunch was really good back at camp. They have done wonderful pizza for us before and today was no exception. They also had a three bean salad that was to die for. I drank two more Tangwizi, my last while I'm here, and took a shower and packed up for the trek home.

It was sad saying goodbye to my guides and Joseph. I really enjoyed my stay at Porini Lion and I think they did an excellent job at catering to my particular interests. I'm still mulling over a return next year...I'm sure my photos will only fuel that desire. Unexpectedly, I just burst into tears as my flight took off. The sight of Jackson and Stanley waving at my plane was just too much. I meant it when I told them I hoped to see them next year.

A 45 minute flight on SafariLink had me back in Nairobi at 5:00, a full 5 1/2 hours before my flight. To kill time, my driver suggested trying dinner at Carnivore, which is world renown for their meat. This place has about 20 kinds of meat cooking on spits; everything from sausage of all types (turkey, pork, lamb) to beef, ostrich, alligator. They just keep coming to your table and carve it off right on to your plate until you tell them no more. I didn't try anything too adventurous, but it was great meat and especially good sausage. The pineapple pie with ice cream was good, as was the dawa drink, honey, sugar, lime and vodka, which was meant to help you eat more meat!

My flight out of Nairobi airport left on time at 10:40 and arrived early to Amsterdam, extending my already six hour long layover. Argh. Now that I was headed that way, I just wanted to be home, but I still can't believe just how amazing this all was. I'll be back.

Edited March 30, 2014 by amybatt

[michael-ibk]

You went there for cats, and you certainly got them. the drinking lion cubs and that adorable cheetah cub are the absolute standouts! Great sightings and report, thank you.

[Pennyanne]

@@amybatt Great report! What wonderful sightings you had of lions, leopard, and cheetah. I'm also a great fan of cats so think I must make a trip to the Mara. I love your enthusiastic writing describing the sheer joy of being on safari. It is so true, there is nothing like it!

[amybatt]

Random thoughts now that I'm back...

 

I keep a small notebook, jotting down every sighting as it happens. This helps when putting photos together ("what was that, anyway?") but also in tallying my game count. I had 84 individual lion sightings. That far, far, exceeds what I had hoped for this trip. I knew as it was happening that I was blessed and I fulfilled my wish to maximize the cat sightings. I just had no idea how damn good the sightings would be. Other than the first, slinky leopard, all of them were high quality sightings. Entertaining and educational. Now if only to abandon my mundane IT job for big cat research....sigh.

 

At Lion camp in the mess tent on the coffee table, there are books put together by the Mara Lion Project (I think?), which highlight the local prides and have photos of individual lions and how to identify them, either by distinguishing characteristics or by the unique whisker pattern each has (lion whisker patterns are like our own fingerprints, each is unique to the individual). They are looking for photos either head on or in profile of lions from the area, with a timestamp of when and where spotted to bolster their research and tracking project. I think it's a neat outreach program and certainly educational for us as visitors.

 

I cannot say enough about the staff at all three Porini camps, from the guides/spotters/drivers to camp managers to the staff keeping the camp running. I had little doubt about traveling on my own, as I'd done it before, but never on safari. But the staff at Porini made me feel like a rock star. I never had to worry about anything, and they bent over backwards to make sure I was looked after and enjoying myself. If any solo travelers are contemplating a safari but holding back for this reason, don't. Just do it.

 

There will, of course, be a "next" safari. Part of me wants to go back and situate myself at Porini Lion for the duration. Yes, I loved it that much. But I also had a guide in Russia once who told me "never try to repeat perfection, you are will only disappoint yourself". Sure, there are other places in Africa to see on safari, and even other places to see cats. But there's the draw of the known and revisiting the old friends there (human and animal alike). I'm making myself wait 90 days before making an impulse purchase. That's how this trip came about last year. Stay tuned...

 

Thank you for indulging me!!

[graceland]

Thank you @@amybatt for such a terrific Kenya report. I remember it fondly through your words and pics. I had forgotten just how many CATs are found in the Mara, and I too just love their faces, esp. the cubs.

 

Fig was a stunner!

 

I also get very attached to my guides,and always want to return to see them.

 

But then I get excited whenI read other's reports, and want to go THERE (wherever that may be!)

 

Oh, the circle of Africa!

 

 

[pault]

@@amybatt That was a great little trip. Very entertaining revisiting it with you. You certainly weren't short of big cats, and it's nice to see a decent number of cheetahs around, even if most were related. Great lion sightings - what impressive prides they are.

[Kitsafari]

Cats galore, and the lion cubs were adorable. But what stole my heart was the cheetah cub - she's gorgeous.

 

Your report is also making me wish or thinking of plotting a trip to the porini camps. So little time and so many places I want to go to!

[Sangeeta]

Great reading, super enthusiasm and lovely images, Amy. You certainly got your cat-fest but what I really loved was reading how well the conservancies delivered for you! Also very interesting to read that though you were initially attracted to the conservancies for the exclusivity of the sightings, eventually the whole conservation angle won you over and made you a convert to the cause. I think Porini do this really, really well because they talk the talk and walk the walk. All the way from top management to the people on the ground, they are committed to this cause and it shows.

[FlyTraveler]

Great trip report and very nice photos @@amybatt! It is also very nice to see Ol Kinyei all green. I was there last August and observed the same pride of lions, I recognized the place on your photos. The cubs were younger and smaller in August, of course - http://safaritalk.net/topic/11512-kenya-safari-masai-mara-amboseli-lake-nakuru-lake-bogoria-lake-naivasha-selenkay-and-ol-kinyei/page-3

 

How would you compare Ol Kinyei to Olare Orok (have not done game drives in the latter, just crossed it on the way back from Mara)?

 

Once again, great TR, thank you for sharing.

[Kitsafari]

@@amybatt just a question - i can see from what you've written that Porini Lion was your favourite area. how would you compare that with the other 2 camps, especially porini rhino?

[madaboutcheetah]

@@amybatt - Thanks for the report. Just catching up with it.......

 

I caught up with Amani and cub too last week. They are awesome. Also saw one of Amani's daughters in the reserve now seperated from siblings.......... and Oh! Amani's mum is Saba, not Narasha who is a much older cheetah.

 

Can you please tell me more about Ol Kinyei conservancy from the standpoint of the landscape and the topography and your impressions? Thanks ........ It's on my list of destinations in the Mara to try.

[AKR1]

Amy,

Great report. Lots of fun to read. Glad Porini delivered and not surprised about Ol Kinyei, as all the conservancies always deliver. We spent many hours on the Ol Kenyei border from Naboisho camp last year and were allowed to go into the conservancy only if following an actual hunt. Porini has a great location being the only camp in the conservancy but we barely saw any vehicles in Naboisho as well.

One line off your report jumped out at me. Man eater lions killing a human in the Masai Mara reserve and not some poacher coming from the Tanzanian side but a regular cowherd. I did not know that. Any details? I know this happens in places like the Kruger with Mozambique illegals crossing into South Africa and other far more remote places, but had no idea that it occurs in the Masai Mara as well. I assume the Kenyan authorities have to locate and destroy that particular lion or lions.

[amybatt]

Sorry for the delay here, I've been in the jungle of New York City the last few days...

 

 

Great reading, super enthusiasm and lovely images, Amy. You certainly got your cat-fest but what I really loved was reading how well the conservancies delivered for you! Also very interesting to read that though you were initially attracted to the conservancies for the exclusivity of the sightings, eventually the whole conservation angle won you over and made you a convert to the cause. I think Porini do this really, really well because they talk the talk and walk the walk. All the way from top management to the people on the ground, they are committed to this cause and it shows.

I really became a believer in the concept. I think it spoils us as nature lovers but also fulfills a need there. It'll be tough to go back to the crowds of national parks!

 

Great trip report and very nice photos @@amybatt! It is also very nice to see Ol Kinyei all green. I was there last August and observed the same pride of lions, I recognized the place on your photos. The cubs were younger and smaller in August, of course - http://safaritalk.net/topic/11512-kenya-safari-masai-mara-amboseli-lake-nakuru-lake-bogoria-lake-naivasha-selenkay-and-ol-kinyei/page-3

 

How would you compare Ol Kinyei to Olare Orok (have not done game drives in the latter, just crossed it on the way back from Mara)?

 

Once again, great TR, thank you for sharing.

 

So good to see those cubs, Fly! I think I read your trip report while I was waiting for this trip and never imagined I'd see the same cubs!

 

I think Ol Kinyei was more "scrubby" than Olare Orok. OO reminded me more of the Serengeti that I saw last year in TZ, just that flat open yellow grass but maybe with more trees of a different sort.

 

 

@@amybatt just a question - i can see from what you've written that Porini Lion was your favourite area. how would you compare that with the other 2 camps, especially porini rhino?

Conceptually and service-wise they are all cut from the same cloth. I think the staff rotate throughout the camps, so there is definitely consistency in how they work with guests and the meals, showers, activities etc. If you were blindfolded and moved between them, I think you'd be hard-pressed to know you'd switched camps, other than layout. I also got the impression there is communication between the camps, because I mentioned that the women in Rhino were coming to Lion the same day as I was, and would like to ride with them, and they said it had already been arranged, which was nice. Porini Lion was by far my favorite, but I think more because of the game-viewing and excitement than any particulars of the camp itself. Rhino you have varied wildlife (rhinos of course, and more hartebeest, no wildebeest) due to the altitude and definitely different vegetation, more green, more wet and cool than Mara or Lion.

 

 

 

@@amybatt - Thanks for the report. Just catching up with it.......

 

I caught up with Amani and cub too last week. They are awesome. Also saw one of Amani's daughters in the reserve now seperated from siblings.......... and Oh! Amani's mum is Saba, not Narasha who is a much older cheetah.

 

Can you please tell me more about Ol Kinyei conservancy from the standpoint of the landscape and the topography and your impressions? Thanks ........ It's on my list of destinations in the Mara to try.

Glad you saw Amani and the cub last week. I'd read on FB that Amani had been without her cub a couple days in the last couple weeks and they were worried she'd been killed or lost. Glad she has resurfaced or was only temporarily away. I also saw that her last daughter had broken from her two brothers right after I left. I think I may have seen the threesome on one of their last days together. But they also reported she's quite the huntress and doing well for herself. Any sign of Acacia?

 

I don't have a Saba anywhere in my notes, so I wonder why the guide got that wrong. Did you happen to see the cheetah with the abrasion on her lip? I'm wondering how she's doing.

 

As I said above, I think Ol Kinyei is similar to OO but maybe with more "scrubby" like trees. That's the only way I can describe it. Not real tall trees but shorter, denser trees. But pretty similar to OO otherwise, and certainly not as densely vegetated as it was up in Ol Pejeta.

[amybatt]

Amy,

Great report. Lots of fun to read. Glad Porini delivered and not surprised about Ol Kinyei, as all the conservancies always deliver. We spent many hours on the Ol Kenyei border from Naboisho camp last year and were allowed to go into the conservancy only if following an actual hunt. Porini has a great location being the only camp in the conservancy but we barely saw any vehicles in Naboisho as well.

One line off your report jumped out at me. Man eater lions killing a human in the Masai Mara reserve and not some poacher coming from the Tanzanian side but a regular cowherd. I did not know that. Any details? I know this happens in places like the Kruger with Mozambique illegals crossing into South Africa and other far more remote places, but had no idea that it occurs in the Masai Mara as well. I assume the Kenyan authorities have to locate and destroy that particular lion or lions.

 

I know they did find the lion and kill it, unfortunately. I know nothing else about it, other than someone was with him when it happened and that was how they identified the lion after the fact.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @@amybatt ..... I didn't see acacia - apparently she has tiny cubs hidden away. Saw her daughter fig though....

 

No didn't see the cheetah you describe - sorry.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @@amybatt ..... I didn't see acacia - apparently she has tiny cubs hidden away. Saw her daughter fig though....

 

No didn't see the cheetah you describe - sorry.

[madaboutcheetah]

Thanks @@amybatt ..... I didn't see acacia - apparently she has tiny cubs hidden away. Saw her daughter fig though....

 

No didn't see the cheetah you describe - sorry.

[Gregor]

Wow, great trip report and lots of amazing sightings. Some stunning photos.

 

Thanks for sharing.

 

/Gregor

[Atravelynn]

Why: My safari in Tanzania (report here) was the single best travel experience of my life. You people didn't warn me how addictive this would become! I wasn't home a month and was already thinking of how and when I could get back.

A month is not bad. I was planning a return a few hours into my first trip.

 

I detect a pattern in the titles. Next report will be, Number 3 But 4 is in the Works. Then, Fourth Report with a Fifth to Follow. I can't Quit at Half a Dozen.

 

3 equator crossings in 20 minutes is a feat in and of itself. Cheetahs right off the bat (ha ha, no pun intended) is a good sign. Feeding a rhino, very special! Along with the animals photos, the Maasai in Motion is a great catch!

 

Just wondering if you could estimate Daniel's age or know his background. Or maybe there's even a photo. Wondering if I had him as a guide at Lewa Downs.

 

Word of tourist antics always spreads quickly. I'm sure you gave many people some laughs with your snake reaction. I remember when I ran to the earliest rising camp staff members to fearfully ask why there had been machine gun fire near camp (in Kibale, Uganda) I was referred to for the rest of my stay as the "machine gun lady" even on outings that were far from camp. You were probably the snake lady. The machine guns, I was told, were used by rangers to scare the elephants away from the village.

 

Your trees shots are classic. An artist looking for interesting trees once accompanied me on safari. So much to look for.

 

Lion prides with cubs were all over the place!

 

I bet the bachelor eagle you describe was a Bateleur based on the features you mention.

Edited April 13, 2014 by Atravelynn

[amybatt]

Yes, I could come up with an entire series of trip reports, @@Atravelynn. Maybe I'll be the next Sue Grafton of trip reporti writing (A is for Acacia, B is for Bachelor Herd...) I do have an itchy trigger finger...a few domestic trips in May and June and then I'll start thinking of "what next"...

 

I looked last night, and no photos of Daniel. He was quite young (early/mid 20s, if that) and served as able-driver and sidekick to Benjamin, who was the guide. He also was a skilled mechanic, and was called away from one of my rides to repair another vehicle. Very sweet, soft spoken guy.

[Atravelynn]

Even late 20s would not be the same Daniel as I had. I like that alphabetic theme, especially because if you start using it for your next trip, it guarantees 26 more.