Majestic Moorlands, Peaks and Falls - a Return to the Aberdares

[Atravelynn]

More time on eles than horses. That's a claim few can make! You did not go swimming with the dogs? I guess the swimming tiger shots were preparation for the swimming and romping dogs. Nice leaping Tommies! Your walk was just full of birds.

 

Nutella--I love the stuff. But have not gotten it in years because of the palm oil. I wonder how palm oil receives the sustainable title.

 

Looking forward to seeing the luck of all those 4-leaf clovers.

[TonyQ]

What a great trip to Ol Pejeta! Lovely lion shots - but the video works so well in showing the digging lion + just how deep he is going! The leaping Tommie fawn is fantastic - full of life and energy. Great to see so many elephants as well.

[TonyQ]

Palm Oil is so complicated (which is why I put this in a different post so as not to sidetrack this great report)

I do not eat Nutella (not because of Palm Oil but because it is disgusting ) - but it appears there are far worse companies

For example PepsiCo is one of the world's biggest users of Palm Oil and there are questions over how fast it is moving towards "sustainable" Palm Oil

 

I will re-post this with some links I have been looking at in my Borneo Trip report so that any discussion doesn't divert the flow of this report!

[Atravelynn]

"Even though I had applied suncream I had clearly been quite negligent about some areas and had underestimated the power of the Equatorian sun even on a cloudy day - I was badly sunburnt especially in the hollows of my knees."

 

An important warning. Been there, done that, burnt my various body parts. The clouds and cooler temps are so deceiving. Ouch.

[michael-ibk]

Lynn, it is a very easy claim to make if you have done horse-riding exactly once.

And ouch indeed to the sunburn - I would have to pay for my negligence quite a bit the next day when we were going on a hike.

 

Finally, on our last try, the ele herd was becoming a bit more relaxed about us and allowed a somewhat closer approach.

 

We spent a good half hour with them, just watching them feed, play and just interact as a familiy.

 

 

The population of Ol Pejeta is estimated with about 300 indivuals. The numbers are always changing though, since the animals use the corridors up further North to Lewa and Samburu.

 

 

Few things are as heartwarming as young playful eles.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

We finally wrenched ourselves away from the herd and went on our way to have lunch - it was past 13:00 by now, and it´s obligatory on safari to eat all the time.



Waterbuck in water.



Jackson´s Hartebeest. They are not doing well, only about 185 left in Ol Pejeta, and they are declining. So management has created an enclosure for some of them to get their numbers up again. Lions and hyena predation apparently is the main reason for their dwindling numbers.



A nicely horned Grant´s.



Muddy Buffalo



We saw our first (Black) Rhino. Ol Pejeta is the largest Black Rhino sanctuary in East Africa and home to more than 100 animals. Density in Solio is undoubtedly higher, though, we´d see a total of three in Ol Pejeta this day. And they have far fewer (Southern) White Rhinos, we didn´t see any.



Of course Ol Pejeta is also home to the very last few Northern White Rhinos. They are struggling and struggling to get one of the females pregnant, but have failed so far. They are extinct in the wild, with only five(!) individuals left. Soon they will be gone from the Earth forever. We had no wish to see them (in their enclosures, for an extra fee), it would have been too depressing.

To get back to a lighter tone:



At the public lunchplace we visited a very special Rhino:



Here is the poor guy, totally blind. Ironically his name means "Blessings".



Apparently he has adapted reasonably well to his condition, we wouldn´t even have noticed that he´s blind from the way he moved. And it was kind of awesome feeding and touching this gentle giant.



Don´t think he really cared for - or even noticed - our touching him, but he definitely loved the sugar cane we were given for him.







This is the eye where he developed a crystalline cataract.





Of course I asked about "Safaritalk the Rhino" (see here: http://safaritalk.net/topic/7317-safaritalk-the-rhino/page-3?hl=%20safaritalk%20%20rhino%20%20pejeta), but neither Paul nor Baraka´s wardens knew anything about her.

We also visited the small museum, mainly to be polite since the warden has asked us to. I always like stuff like this, though:

[michael-ibk]

Paul asked us if we wanted to see the Chimps. There´s a sanctuary for them in Ol Pejeta, established to provide lifelong refuge to orphaned or abused apes. 42 are there at the moment. After not too much of a discussion, we decided against it because we couldn´t shake the feeling that it wouldn´t be much different from a zoo. They are in an enclosure (a "vast" one though according to Ol Pejeta), and not even native to Kenya after all. Maybe it would have been great, though - has anybody visited? Would be interested to know what it´s like.

Our afternoon was pretty slow. We searched for some cats (or even dogs), and Paul drove and drove and drove and looked and looked and looked but we didn´t see anything out of the ordinrary, and no predators at all except for some Jackals.



Something not quite right about this Zebra? That´s what we thought but couldn´t quite tell what was "off". What is? It is a Grevy - Plains hybrid, clearly seen by the different stripes if you compare with the "regular" Plain´s zebra in the background.

Grevy´s numbers are going down as well, and so most of them have been put into a predator-proof enclosure. The survival rate of foals was only 8,2 %, so hopefully that will help. Some of them are still out there, so hybridization happens. From what Paul told us these animals are incapable of breeding.



Ol Pejeta Dam. A lovely place, and since our search for action was quite fruitless, we stayed here for a while and enjoyed the tranquility.

Speaking of tranquility, what about number of cars in Ol Pejeta? I think we didn´t see more than five vehicles all day, so we mostly were alone. One of those was a bus with school children who we also met at the lunchplace.They clearly had lots of fun, and were very much in awe with all the animals, which was nice to see.

 

White Stork





African Spoonbill, one of my favourites.



Helmeted Guineafowl in a tree, a bit of an unusual sight.



This tree was Starling central.



Wattled Lapwing, a new one for me.



Yellow-Necked Spurfowl

[michael-ibk]

We came across a very miserable and wretched elephant, this animal clearly was in pain a lot and could barely walk.

 

 

And then we had a surprise goodie. Just as we came around the bend a Black Rhino with her calf. A good thing Paul was mostly driving very slowly all the time, they surely would have gone into hiding before we could take them by surprise.

 

 

Best and closest sighting of a baby Black one we´ve had so far.

 

 

 

Of course, shy as they are, they ran off within seconds.

 

 

 

We checked out the local Hippo hide, but they did the "hide" thing much better - none around.

 

Once again a lion crossed our path:

 

 

 

 

Exciting scene? Would we see some hunting action? Not really, because this lion was not the brightest bulb in the box. There was no chance in hell he could get to any of these Waterbucks ...

 

 

... because a whole river, the Ewaso Ng´iro was in the way.

 

But to be fair, it´s still pretty small here, nothing like the mighty stream we had seen in Samburu last September.

[michael-ibk]

Our time in Ol Pejeta was almost over, we paid the marsh Elephants one last visit. Getting lazy now, so no more writing, just pictures.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And then we left Ol Pejeta via Grant´s plains again, slowly driving out through the herds, and exited the gate at 18:00. Very happy with a beautiful day, it had been a good decision coming up here. And we had only seen a fraction of the reserve, just the part East of the river - there´s much more to explore. Here´s a map:

 

http://www.olpejetaconservancy.org/map/#

 

(Click on the symbol inside the reserve to get the map).

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow: Hiking! Hail! Rain! Mist! Broken cars! Cold!

 

But probably our most enjoyable day.

[SafariChick]

That poor elephant with the bad leg, I felt so sad for him. Love the baby eles and all the rhinos - how cool about meeting Baraka! Too bad you didn't get to see Safaritalk the rhino - I had missed the update about her in March of this year, hope she's doing well. Looking forward to your crazy next day!

Edited July 3, 2015 by SafariChick

[Marks]

That jackal is nothing if not flexible!

The marsh area looks especially beautiful.

 

The, ah, deluge issuing from that rhino is truly staggering.

 

I feel terribly about that unwell elephant. But it is rewarding to see the other elephants enjoying themselves in good health.

[Atravelynn]

Your hovering PKF expertise is improving. Great set of shots. I wonder how the 8.2% Grevy foal survival compares with other zebras. That digging lion was very funny. Looked like he made himself a hole to take a nap. He must have smelled something down there. Such cute playful baby eles! Skies, landscapes, and abundant wildlife, Ol Pejeta was a huge hit!

 

"Tomorrow: Hiking! Hail! Rain! Mist! Broken cars! Cold!

But probably our most enjoyable day. :)"

 

Now that is intriguing!

Edited July 4, 2015 by Atravelynn

[pault]

Nice day in Ol Pejeta. Can't wait to get there. Looks liovley and green for now. Why did you spend all your time east of the river? Because you were visiting Baraka and maybe the chimps? There are generally more predators in the larger, western part, but I guess it is always pot luck if you only have a day and you would have missed the Black Rhino calf.

 

Based on your logic your decision regarding the chimpanzees was correct I think.

[elefromoz]

@@michael-ibk, couldn't possibly watch the poor limping Ele vid, I'd want it euthanased or fixed, with every one so precious, and was cataract surgery not an option for Baraka to give him a chance at release, too difficult, or a waste of money with funds better spent elsewhere? Just curious. What a treat that Mum and baby Black Rhino, long may the little guy roam.

[CaroleE]

@@michael-ibk

 

''I know what you mean and I wouldn´t for the world have to give up on tented camps in the middle of wilderness. Roaring lions, Hyenas, Zebras snickering, the sound of the darkness ... nothing can top that. Sandai is something different, yes, but great in its very own way. It doesn´t have to be either or, next time I definitely want to do some camps "out there" AND Sandai, so to have the best of both worlds. :)''

 

Of course you could do both. Why did I not think of that at the time!

 

Great Pied kingfisher sequence. I like the one shot of the marsh area with the two bare leafless trees in post #97. Fantastic lion sightings. Although I think one lion and Mr Jackal have issues, identity and other

[CaroleE]

@@michael-ibk

 

Caught up with the rest of your Ol Pejeta day. SO glad your patience with the elephants was rewarded. The young ones are adorable! Nice black rhino and calf. Re the guineafowl in the tree, I've seen quite a number of Vulturine guineafowl up in trees at dusk. Apparantly they roost there overnight mainly for safety.

 

Looking forward to the next instalment

''Tomorrow: Hiking! Hail! Rain! Mist! Broken cars! Cold!

But probably our most enjoyable day. :)''

 

I'm sure those of us on ST are all to some degree masochists

 

Sorry for the excess of likes but it had to be done!

[Kitsafari]

the video of the digging lion is priceless,and so was the look the young lioness (seated in foreground) gave him.

 

such a great sequence of the fawn's joyful flight and adorable baby eles playing so carefree.

 

That lion is stalking you guys! but great catch of it hunting.

 

what a political jackal!

 

can't wait to read all about your thrilling hike when, so it seems, everything happens all at once!

[michael-ibk]

Thanks! It was probably not wise to build up anticipation because the following day didn´t have spectacular sightings, as a matter of fact it had hardly any animal sightings at all. It was all about landscape, atmosphere and the feeling of being as far away from all of it as possible.

@@pault

Nice day in Ol Pejeta. Can't wait to get there. Why did you spend all your time east of the river? Because you were visiting Baraka and maybe the chimps? There are generally more predators in the larger, western part, but I guess it is always pot luck if you only have a day and you would have missed the Black Rhino calf.

Based on your logic your decision regarding the chimpanzees was correct I think.

Are you returning to Ol Pejeta this year? Can´t say it was a conscious decision on our part not crossing the river. I only worked out where we had been after finding that map online back home. I guess Paul thought we would want to see Baraka and the chimps, and it´s probably the area he knows best since he´s only there for daytrips. You didn´t go to see the Chimps, then?

@@michael-ibk, couldn't possibly watch the poor limping Ele vid, I'd want it euthanased or fixed, with every one so precious, and was cataract surgery not an option for Baraka to give him a chance at release, too difficult, or a waste of money with funds better spent elsewhere?

@@elefromoz

 

According to their homepage they did try, they mention "numerous attempts to find a cure", but obviously those attempts failed.No details given on how they treated Baraka´s eye.

[michael-ibk]

We had decided to explore a different side of the Aberdares today and wanted to try to tackle Ol Donyo Lesatima, the hightest peak of the mountains with 4,001 m. (Though others will only give it 3,999 m - but 4,001 sounds much cooler.) Here´s a map of the park. The Salient is the part to the East, the waterfalls we had gone to three days before to the South, and Lesatima more to the North (where that circle is).



After getting our tickets at park HQ we drove to Wandare gate. It was a beautiful morning with cold, crystal-clear air, and I enjoyed seeing the green cultivated fields here.



An African Harrier-Hawk was sitting next to the road.



This is the gate, at an altitude of 2,600 m.



Lots of people living here right next to the park. It all looked very tidy and idyllic.



The Aberdares are not visited by too many people even in the Salient area. But virtually nobody goes to this part of the park, and also today we had it all to ourselves. If you enjoy solitude, this is the place to go. Since it´s pretty cold here, especially at night of course, and animals are not habituated, sightings are few. We´d see a few Waterbucks, one troop of Baboons, a single Syke´s Monkey, Hares, a Bushbuck once in a while and a few Duikers.



And this grumpy old Dagga Boy. He really didn´t appreciate us disturbing his peace. He lay there all day, he was at exactly the same spot when we came down the mountain again.





This is also the area where Petra, our host, had had her one and only sighting of Bongos. Since she´s regularly visited the Aberdares for many years now that should tell you how high chances of seeing them are - nil! (Though I saw quite a few antelopes jumping out of view the second we approached and have decided that one of them surely was a Bongo and not a Bushbuck. Nobody can prove me wrong! )

After a while we left the thick bamboo forest below us and enjoyed the view.





We then had to get out of the car, since the good part of the road ended here, and Paul wanted to check if it would be possible to proceed. There are worse places to wait.



Here a part of East African redwood began, Hagenia Abyssinica, a wonderful forest which was feeling ancient and patriarchal.







Montane White-Eye

We walked from this point on up through the forest, Paul would follow us in the car keeping a good distance.



We were careful not to step in one of these ant-roads.





Probably an African Dusky Flycatcher?

I greatly enjoyed this walk with all these ancient trees around and often thought that Tom Bombadil would have loved this place. (Sorry, everybody not familiar with Tolkien´s Lord of the Rings, you won´t get this. ;-))





We were of course not totally alone, that´s not allowed, especially since Buffaloes are around everywhere in the park. So two KWS rangers had come with us. The price for one day of armed protection is KSH 3,500,-- (about USD 35,--).





After about 45 minutes Paul picked us up again, and we proceeded to the forest line. The "road" was tricky here, and Paul asked us to get out again before he tried to take on this ascending slope. (The photo is deceiving - this was very steep!.) He slid back on his first try. More power for the second try. And - CRTACKKKKGSS! There went the axle - broken.

Edited July 7, 2015 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

Change of plans then. Since we couldn´t get up to the highest point normally accessibly by vehicle we had to walk a few extra km.



Jackson´s Francolin





Some Evergreen flowers.

Unlike the undulating moorland area around the waterfalls this section of the Aberdares had a much more montane and rugged feel to it.





A shy Duiker watched us from afar, obviously confused what these strange creatures were doing here. Of course the animal didn´t linger when we came closer.



The weather had deteriorated, more and more clouds were conglomerating.



Alpine Chats were quite numerous.



Apart from one other Duiker we wouldn´t see mammals up here, but Paul told us that Spotted Hyenas sometimes come up here, and even up to the highest point we´d reach we would find Buffalo dung once in a while. There is also the very faint chance of spotting Serval here, especially the melanistic one. We didn´t but since I would have totally kicked myself if we had found one and could not have got a decent photo I had brought the big lens. Certainly felt the weight in the thin air, was huffing and puffing my way up.



The hike up Ol Donyo Lesatima is not very difficult, it´s not too steep, from where the car should have gotten to the peak is about 600 m difference in altitude, althoug quite some distance. It´s a very cool, unique landscape up here, I especially loved these Giant Groundsel trees (Dendrosenecio battiscombei):



This is a Giant Lobelia (Lobelia gregoriana subsp. sattimae):







More and more clouds were wafting across the ridges, and it started raining more and more, on and off.,

No, I have not turned into the Hunchback of Notres-Dames, that´s my rucksack under there.

One wouldn´t expect to find Sunbirds up here, but the Scarlet-Tufted Malachite Sunbirds occur up to 4,000 m.



I was not really able to hold the camera steady enough since the hike was quite exhausting (for me) and the birds never came real close. So rubbish photo of this male, but just to show its extremely long tail feathers.



The much more inconspicoous female.





A huge thistle (Carduus keniensis var. aberdaricus)



















Unfortunately the rain was getting worse, and with a bit of a heavy heart we gave up on Ol Donya Lesatima less than half an hour beneath the peak. Our KWS companion thought that the situation would further deteriorate and it would be better to get off the mountain.





And so we did. On the way back the rain annoyingly would even turn into hail for a few minutes, though the hailstones were still tiny, just a minor nuisance. We had hoped that the car would be there, that it had been magically fixed and that Paul would have beaten that slope. But of course not, and we had to descend all the way down there again where we had left it.

Now with the rain that section of the road was totally unpassable.



Sandai had sent a second car with two mechanics. They had tried for hours now, but it still took them two more hours to fix the problem. We were waiting in the other car, having coffee and cake. :-)



The way down was ... interesting, the road was more looking like two water courses with a bit of loam in the middle, and the "drive" down was more a slipping, sliding and gliding down. All of us were very relieved when we finally reached the good road again, even Paul would go "Wheeeew!".



Finally we came "home" to Sandai at 19.30 - exhausted and wet, but very happy. How often does one have a mountain all to oneself?

[xelas]

My "like" is for the photos, not for the broken axle!

 

And the thistle! Now that and the views (without the strange plants and wildlife) of green grass and grey clouds, Aberdares must be a close relative to Scotland.

Edited July 7, 2015 by xelas

[pault]

Your best day involved a broken axle, very few animals, pictures of birds that need to be accompanied by your excuses, clouds obscuring the views, and a failure to summit a mountain (which was the point of the excursion) and hailstones at over 3500m. If only you had forgotten your lunch boxes it would have been perfect, right? Haha

 

Love the plants up there. Would like to visit in the summer (don't call me a sissy - imagine how strong the sun would be!). Or should it actually be the winter since it is just south of the equator?

 

 

 

About the chimpanzees, I did visit them once, so my conclusion was not based on logic alone. However, I think it is something different people will probably feel very differently about so I was reluctant to link my own feeling to what someone else should have done.

Edited July 8, 2015 by pault

[michael-ibk]

Fair Point, @pault - but I didn´t say best but "most enjoyable". It was not a "Safari day" at all, but it was just cool being up there with this unique landscape and it felt verysatisfying doing anything instead of sitting in a car for once - even if we failed. Then again, as an Austrian child of the mountains I am probably biased.

 

I was told that the best time for the Aberdares is January, February and September. Summer time (our summer, ie. July, August) can be very misty.

[pault]

Oh you are a "child of the mountains"? @@michael-ibk That explains everything. Us sea-level people just don't know what a good time is!

 

Anyway, seriously, I get it. Very cool and I really want to do that this year after seeing your pics. But after what I put my below-sea-level born wife through last year, mountains are unfortunatley "verboten" in 2015.

 

Thanks for the timing tips. We were there in mid-December I think, and indeed the weather was surprisingly good, although it was still a bit damp and slippy in places - so January would have been perfect that year.

[michael-ibk]

What, those tiny hills while tracking for some hairy apes scared you off? Sea-Level People indeed.