Lions, Leopards and the Lipault Ladies

[SafariChick]

Gorgeous close-up, @@Kitsafari! Continuing on, we ran into Malaika and her cubs. (It was now about 12:12 and we were still having great sightings!) This time, it was all play and no hunting. This was the day when we saw the cubs with the found beanbag and boy were they having fun with it!

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple of videos of them playing, one including Mom:

 

 

[Kitsafari]

love the second tape - the interaction between malaika and cub, and then the cubs playing with each other. i enjoyed that sighting a lot.

 

@@SafariChick captured quite a lot of the action but they were so fun to watch that i've just to to supplement a handful more.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2015 by Kitsafari

[graceland]

That was quite a morning, wasn't it! As much as I hated to leave the lovely simplicity of Nkorombo and James, I was very excited at the prospect of OMC and Mara Plains,having read so much about it!

 

Dan our MP guide drove us quickly into the action as shown above by @@SafariChick and @Kitsafari; the mating lions and of course the above action packed "beanbag" segment. It was so endearing we did not want to move on..

 

Not going to repeat all the above (Having three in the vehicle and its positioning,we pretty much have the same snaps); and Safarichick's film turned out way more stable; great job on those @@SafariChick!

 

I have one pic to add; sitting on the far left of the vehicle I see one of the cubs running towards us, reminding me of the lion cub in the mara who did as well.... They were all hyped up with that new toy of theirs!

 

I turned quickly to grab a shot, but those little ones are fast....as evidenced by the videos above.

 

All I have - a tail from cub hiding under our vehicle....you can see the shadow of the MP vehicle,

 

 

 

 

 

(yes one of my better shots, haha)

 

A fine beginning to our two days in the OMC!

Edited March 21, 2015 by graceland

[Girlsnstilettos]

I'm loving all the great photos and stories! I don't think anyone minds if everything is in perfect order, at least I don't Anything you share is nice to read and see. I'd like to hear as much as I can since I'm going on my first safari every early next year! This has to be the coolest 'girl trip' ever

Edited March 21, 2015 by Girlsnstilettos

[Kitsafari]

@@graceland until you put up the picture i totally forgot they came close to the vehicle.

[graceland]

@@graceland until you put up the picture i totally forgot they came close to the vehicle.

Yes, they were so fast...I saw the cub running towards us - then quick as lightening under myside of the vehicle. And that quickly gone!

 

You both captured the essence of the time spent with them; that camera bean bag was a great prop!

[graceland]

I'm loving all the great photos and stories! I don't anyone minds if everything is in perfect order, at least I don't Anything you share is nice to read and see. I'd like to hear as much as I can since I'm going on my first safari every early next year! This has to be the coolest 'girl trip' ever

@@Girlsnstilettos

 

We will be looking forward to your first safari trip report as well. I know you are excited

 

When there are three telling a tale, things can get mixed up for sure.

 

There's much more in the OMC to come, so stay tuned!

[SafariChick]

@@Kitsafari those cubs were photogenic, weren't they? But very quick so hard to get decent shots! @@graceland I forgot they went under the vehicle too - you were quick to capture that tail!

 

At last we arrived at Mara Plains and met our lovely hosts, Shawn and Amy. The actual camp is rather well hidden - when you arrive, all you see is a bridge which you walk over to then have revealed to you the beautiful main mess tent. There were still some flowers left over from Valentine's Day on display.

 

 

View in the other direction of the main mess tent. Graceland talking to Amy, with one of the staff members in the background.

 

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[graceland]

Yes, the camp was quite beautiful~ one of those wow moments when you walk in. Shaun and Amy were so nice and put everyone at ease. It was decorated personally by Beverly Joubert (you know of THAT fame) so one could wander around and see exquisite touches everywhere.

 

But I do love my simple camps as well. A little bit of lux goes a long way.

 

I had forgotten the pic of the Valentines flowers. Good idea to take a shot, @@SafariChick.

 

We left our lovely wildflowers - suitably so, at the wild Nkorombo!

 

Although I tried to keep one of the feathers, it must have blown away!

[SafariChick]

We were the only guests in camp at first, although there were also two photographer/videographer guys there from South Africa who had been hired by the Jouberts to put together some material for the Great Plains website I think it was, or other promotional materials - @@Kitsafari and @@graceland please correct me if I'm wrong. They were spending a couple of days at Mara Plains and also several other Great Plains Camps. One of them was actually a guide as well and one had been a photographer/videographer for television shows including Survivor and I think it was Top Chef or one of those cooking shows, so they were very interesting to talk to when they shared some of our meals with us.

 

We sat down to a delicious lunch, lots of salads and yummy vegetarian things for me! All the food there was excellent. The table we sat at for lunch overlooks the plains (I have a photo from later in the stay which I'll post when I find it) and it was very peaceful and relaxing.

 

Our rooms were totally luxurious and enormous! Kit and I were in the family rooms area so our rooms were right next to each other - we could almost shout from one room to the other if we wanted. Nancy I believe was in the honeymoon suite? It was in a different direction, yet she could see our tents from hers.

 

Here are a few photos of the opulence of my room.

 

 

 

 

and here's a view of the bridge looking from the camp out to the Plains

 

[Kitsafari]

We never took the picture of us three by that copper bathtub in the end. But it sure was a really comfortable and uber lux room. I was happy being tucked in bed, warm and snug, when we had the terrible thunderstorm one of the nights. Food was incredibly good at Mara plains. I think possibly one of the top three in all the camps/lodges I've stayed in Africa.

 

Yes Oli and james were doing a promo video for GPC. They had come from old donyo and were heading to Mara toto the day we were leaving. Very nice and friendly chaps.

Edited March 21, 2015 by Kitsafari

[SafariChick]

Very soon after lunch and settling into our rooms it was time for tea and afternoon game drive! Before heading out on our drive, though, we were given the most spy-like briefcases I've ever seen in real life. I think they were made of titanium or something! Each contained a pair of Swarovski binoculars (fabulous, definitely an upgrade from my own Nikons which are decent but not Swarovskis!) and a Canon camera. These are on loan for the time you are there, and they will put the photos you take onto a disk for you to take home at the end. Shawn gave us a little lesson on how to use them and then we were off!

 

We headed out and soon came upon a lioness with cubs and also another group with eleven cubs. I am not sure which group my photos were of - there was a learning curve for us all using a DSLR as we all had bridge-type cameras. The first thing we noticed was how heavy they were with the lens attached. I enjoyed using beanbags to rest it on, but we only had one in the car and Dan kept promising but then forgetting to get more, so we shared it. One time I managed to drop it out of the vehicle at a sighting, but Dan was able to manuever the car around and open his door and pick it up without causing too much trouble!

 

Here are some of the photos I got with the Canon of the cubs and lionesses. This one cub was naughty and would not stop playing with his Mom's tail and she was NOT happy about it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have more photos from this sighting that are better and sharper I think, which I will post in a little while - have some kid duties to attend to now. But even though these photos weren't the sharpest I thought they were cute so I wanted to post them.

 

Here's a video of the mischievous cub and his long-suffering Mom:

 

Edited March 21, 2015 by SafariChick

[graceland]

That was indeed a good sighting of the playful cubs.

We were so fortunate on this trip with the CATS! @gamewarden and the Dude need to follow us around!

 

Those rooms were enormous; I felt a bit alone in mine and did not know what to do; it was like a treehouse.

So I walked up to the public areas most of our downtime and hung with Amy or Shaun...and watched the DRONE used by the photographers' @@SafariChick wrote about. I actually walked into a scene not knowing it was a scene. Whoops...only me

 

James Suter is the pro/guide's name. He has a nice website and FB page i told him I'd share..

 

"Through a Guide's Lens with James Suter"

 

My DH has a DRONE OBSESSION, so he was texting me loads of questions for James which he kindly answered on behalf of my other half. Mara Plains does have wifi.....not neccesarily a great thing

 

Now we can get back to cats!

[Girlsnstilettos]

@@graceland, oh no....already talking about my TR! lol We shall see when that time comes. I'm not much of a writer or shutterbug! I know I'll take photos, but won't be behind the camera too much, and I'm definitely not one to take notes. I want to focus on what's in front of me at the moment and soak it all in

 

@@SafariChick, great pics of Mara Plains camp! Wow, it's gorgeous to say the least. Talk about 'Glamping' to the max, that's about as luxurious as it gets. I think it's too fancy for me, although I wouldn't turn down staying there if I had the opportunity

[graceland]

@@graceland, oh no....already talking about my TR! lol We shall see when that time comes. I'm not much of a writer or shutterbug! I know I'll take photos, but won't be behind the camera too much, and I'm definitely not one to take notes. I want to focus on what's in front of me at the moment and soak it all in

 

@@SafariChick, great pics of Mara Plains camp! Wow, it's gorgeous to say the least. Talk about 'Glamping' to the max, that's about as luxurious as it gets. I think it's too fancy for me, although I wouldn't turn down staying there if I had the opportunity

 

It was Glamping for sure; two nights was great. But I do like to walk straight out my tent and into the dirt- well..the bush..but there is plenty of dust no matter where you are

 

I think that was probably the end of my "Glamping Days", but what a way to end it!! Probably the most beautiful camp I've ever been in!

 

(I did love the shower)

[AKR1]

Ladies,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip report. I always love reading about and seeing pictures from the Mara. Miss being there. Mara Plains looks stunning, but I have to say Mara Toto, just less than a km away is close to my ideal safari camp with superb tents, good food, stunning location and that's about it. Just about perfect for me, along with a PV and superb guide, of course

Edited March 21, 2015 by AKR1

[SafariChick]

@@graceland I've actually been enjoying a drone lately - since I got back from our trip - but mainly because of how much my dog, Dusty, enjoys it! He's a big chaser of birds and squirrels, and when one of the regulars at our dog park started bringing an inexpensive drone lately, it drives him nuts - he cannot stop chasing it and barking at it. Some of the other dogs do too, but he's the leader and the craziest about it. Even when he's panting so hard he can hardly run he still runs after it - it's the best exercise and the guy with the drone enjoys seeing the dogs run. His own dog is a little Pomeranian who had it land on her back accidentally when he was first learning to use it so now she's scared of it, poor thing.

 

And thanks for posting the name of James Suter's website and FB page - I had forgotten he was another James - we sure met a lot of them in a short period of time there! His FB is really good, I will enjoy looking through it. They were very nice guys.

 

Anyway, back to the cats! Here are some more photos from that group with the cheeky cub - sorry so many, I couldn't restrain myself (though I didn't post all the ones I took, believe me!) They are just so cute - and I'm not sure yet how my other photos with the loaner camera turned out, have to finish going through them!

 

 

 

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[KathBC]

Another great installment and photos! Love those cubs!!!

 

What bridge cameras did you take?

[graceland]

Ladies,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip report. I always love reading about and seeing pictures from the Mara. Miss being there. Mara Plains looks stunning, but I have to say Mara Toto, just less than a km away is close to my ideal safari camp with superb tents, good food, stunning location and that's about it. Just about perfect for me, along with a PV and superb guide, of course

@@AKR1,

 

I agree -a bit simpler is all we need...I wish I had thought to ask Dan to take us by Mara Toto...we were so involved in so many "cat" escapades it slipped my mind!

Mara Plains did tell us they provide all their guests a private guide/vehicle. Do they do as well at Mara Toto?

[SafariChick]

@@graceland if I recall correctly (which I might not!) I think that Dan had told us that they provide a private guide and vehicle but when it came up in conversation with Shaun and Amy they said something to the effect of they try to but there can be times if they are full, depending on how many parties are in the tents, where they might need to double up. It would be nice to see and stay in Mara Toto to compare - but I did enjoy the Mara Plains experience and glad I got to try it!

[AKR1]

 

Ladies,

Thank you for sharing this wonderful trip report. I always love reading about and seeing pictures from the Mara. Miss being there. Mara Plains looks stunning, but I have to say Mara Toto, just less than a km away is close to my ideal safari camp with superb tents, good food, stunning location and that's about it. Just about perfect for me, along with a PV and superb guide, of course

 

@@AKR1,

 

I agree -a bit simpler is all we need...I wish I had thought to ask Dan to take us by Mara Toto...we were so involved in so many "cat" escapades it slipped my mind!

 

Mara Plains did tell us they provide all their guests a private guide/vehicle. Do they do as well at Mara Toto?

I understand they try but definitely not guaranteed. However, the extra cost for a PV, as I recall was reasonable ( especially compared to Botswana). More difficult was getting Ping, just a superb guide. That is where an agent with connections comes in. To the best of my knowledge you cannot pay GPC to guaranty you a specific guide, but they try their best to accommodate for repeat guests. This is different from a company like Kwando where they charged us extra to get their star guide Hobbes at Kwara.

[graceland]

@@graceland if I recall correctly (which I might not!) I think that Dan had told us that they provide a private guide and vehicle but when it came up in conversation with Shaun and Amy they said something to the effect of they try to but there can be times if they are full, depending on how many parties are in the tents, where they might need to double up. It would be nice to see and stay in Mara Toto to compare - but I did enjoy the Mara Plains experience and glad I got to try it!

@@SafariChick, not sure about Mara Toto, but I do remembering questioning Amy on it - as I know we REQUESTED the PV - and we were chatting about guides in general and vehicles, etc...and she specifically said, Here at Mara Plains it is part of the experience to have your own vehicle....(and of course at their rates, one should!)

 

@@AKR1, we did request Ping as well; he is so well known;however he was on leave. darn.

 

Dan was a good guide, but I personally have had better communications with others; i.e. listening to the guests; other little things I noticed during the two days. For example, we were in back of him and whereas James at Serian would turn his head and say, "Everyone ready?"- when he was about to leave a sighting; Dan just went for it...even if we were in the middle of filming or taking a photo. It's as if he forgot we were there. And the infamous ONE bean bag for three people; we kept asking for more; they never appeared. A few other bits n pieces, but I knew we were only there two days-- so go with the flow....

 

Perhaps the other Ladies can address their thoughts, but I also was a bit surprised when we were following a cheetah specifically" hunting" - that he switched course on us, thereby us missing the kill. Things like that. I guess I kept comparing him to James (unfairly, but natural) and to me he came up a bit short......HOWEVER I've never seen 10 cheetah in one day..so I give him a 10 for that.

 

Overall great; but could work on a few things in my opinion. I don't want to be negative at all; but when he left the cheetah I was frankly shocked. And indeed the outcome was exactly what one would expect- with all the game in the mara at the time.

 

I had no idea Hobbs was an extra charge? I wonder if that has changed since our visit in 2012 where he was just handed over to the folks he met at the airstrip; and THEY had no idea who he was - or his celeb status, LOL. I filled them in of course so they could have some bragging rights. And showed them Hari's photo book in the lounge as well!

 

I believe @@SafariChick had him as her private guide a few months later. I don't recall - and she would tell us I am sure- if she had a celeb charge attached!

Ok back to the Mara -, this was an amazing time in the Mara and I cherish my memories. February from now on for me when I return!

Edited March 21, 2015 by graceland

[AKR1]

I had no idea Hobbs was an extra charge? I wonder if that has changed since our visit in 2012 where he was just handed over to the folks he met at the airstrip; and THEY had no idea who he was - or his celeb status, LOL. I filled them in of course so they could have some bragging rights. And showed them Hari's photo book in the lounge as well!

 

You only pay if you want him definitively as your guide and have a PV. Otherwise he is just on regular duty with whoever is next in the regular vehicle. At least that was what was explained to us a few years ago when I was there.

 

Ok back to the Mara -, this was an amazing time in the Mara and I cherish my memories. February from now on for me when I return!

 

Totally agree February is a great time to visit with lush greenery and no crowds- of course the possibility of rain but we were lucky, as were you. One of the spirited discussions I had on ST was my great regard for the main Masai Mara reserve and while I completely believe in and support the conservancies and had many completely private experiences to cherish there, I felt the main reserve was an absolute must as a complement to the conservancies, which, in my opinion, were not substitutes. Several fellow STalkers disagreed and said they were very happy exclusively in the conservancies without visiting the main reserve. I particularly appreciated GPCs location of Mara Toto just inside the main reserve but with access to both OMC and Mara North (no longer OMC as Mara Plains is now open) and our ability here to go in and out of the reserve and conservancies without the hassle of going through gates while following hunting predators was just great. A few days later at Nabisco, another superb conservancy, the distance and entrance formalities into the main reserve on a day when things were slow at Nabisco, were acutely felt.

 

I know someone who stayed at Salas camp near the TZ border and recalled an amazing experience of sitting outside their tents having coffee with hundreds of wildebeest passing literally feet from them, an experience they said was highly unlikely outside the main reserve. My view remains, as long as you stay away from the Masai Mara during the migration, at other less crowded times, staying both in a conservancy and in the main reserve is the way to go.

 

Interested to hear your views on this- clearly Serian has this all figured out with a fly camp in the triangle, which you experienced.

Edited March 21, 2015 by AKR1

[graceland]

As an adjunct to @Safrichick's fun video of lion cub playing adult lions tail....this cub did not give up!

 

SOMEONE PLAY WITH ME!

 

The same cub back once more for the tail.....then decided to try yet another sleeping lion to climb on; or perhaps an older cub might give a tussell.... the results were too funny. It cracked me up so I have to add ONE more vid of these guys...for your Sat. night movie might. Grab a sundowner.

thanks for indulging us!

 

https://youtu.be/EIQPaAlrsww

Edited March 21, 2015 by graceland

[Girlsnstilettos]

@@graceland, can't have too many cute lion cub videos either! I watched your video with my boyfriend and he said the cub is 'Such a brat, but an irresistible brat!'. He said he'd be tempted to kiss it (which he'd never do of course!), but then his mother would bite his face off.....