Kenya finally (deferred three times for COVID): our 25th safari was the best ever!

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @TonyQ and @Towlersonsafari

[Kitsafari]

"Wow! What a drive. Are they all like this in the Mara conservancies? "

@Tdgraves

Yes! every visit we've made. 

[Tdgraves]

6 hours ago, Kitsafari said:

"Wow! What a drive. Are they all like this in the Mara conservancies? "

@Tdgraves

Yes! every visit we've made. 

Good to know Kit!

[Toxic]

On 3/7/2023 at 4:43 PM, Tdgraves said:

We saw this brave one bite the males' tail once and were in fits of giggles

 

When going through your TR and seeing this photo, I did the same! What a brave jackal (and a great photo to capture the memory!)

[Tdgraves]

Day 9: Kicheche Mara evening drive

 

First up on this drive were elephants 

 

J19A0686 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0690 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and a very chilled out herd of buffalo

 

J19A0696 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0698 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0701 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0711 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

And then we caught up with the cheetahs again

 

J19A0722 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

as you can see, it had clouded over

 

J19A0727 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0736 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

they were on the move again

 

J19A0755 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0760 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0789 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0801 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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J19A0820 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0826 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0845 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and then we met up with the lion pride

 

J19A0848 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and it started to rain

 

J19A0850 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0856 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0874 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0883 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0888 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0920 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0926 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A0928 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

so sundowners were again taken in the vehicle, although we would have preferred some hot chocolate, rather than white wine! Once we started back to camp, the storm really hit and Edward had to go out into the lashing rain to lower the window flaps, as we were getting soaked, despite having the roof closed. I think this was probably one of the very few times where I have felt cold on safari, as the ponchos were not long enough to cover my bare legs against the wind and rain. The complementary Wellington boots were very handy to get to dinner, as the grass in camp was long and wet.

 

[Tdgraves]

Day 10: All day trip to Masai Mara Game Reserve

 

Our travel agent had pre-arranged a day in the reserve for us to try and catch a crossing. Our vehicle mates were given the hard sell about joining us during a couple of earlier drives, which made us all a bit uncomfortable. I think it should have been handled more discreetly in camp by the managers. Anyway, they were still tired from their long journey to get to MNC from Uganda and therefore passed on what was predicted to be a 12 hour trip and were given another guide for the day. We therefore had a private vehicle. To be honest, I think it would have been a bit uncomfortable with all 4 of us, particularly when we were waiting for a crossing, as there was only so much shade in the vehicle to move into and the additional cooler boxes of drinks and lunch took up a lot of floor space. We had a few sightings in the conservancy on the way out - it was to be a lion day....

 

7T4A3663 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3682 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3687 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3690 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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7T4A3824 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3827 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3836 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3850a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3854a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Next up a hyaena

 

7T4A3870 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3874 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3899 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and then we were out of the reserve and then seamlessly into the reserve. This was one of the first things that we saw...

 

7T4A3900 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

another lion sighting. Edward asked if we wanted to go down to it and I said "No". But he wasn't having any of that and actually managed to get us into a position that we could see through and try to ignore the other vehicles. We also passed one of the females on the way down which we had to ourselves

 

7T4A3907 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and of course, he was right - there were cubs

 

7T4A3914 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3931 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A3952 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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7T4A3986 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

A bit further along, there were some lions resting near a kill in the long grass behind another wall of vehicles. We had a quick look, but they were full and hidden, so we moved on.

 

7T4A4001a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We had another two more usual lion sightings - a pair walking quite far away and another pair sat, obscured by bushes. We then had breakfast

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Before moving further into the reserve, towards the river.

 

7T4A4010 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A4014 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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Where we sat, in a few different positions, for the best part of three and a half hours. There was a small herd of wildebeest on the other side, which kept moving towards the edge and looking to cross, before changing their minds. There were many, many vehicles, which the rangers kept in check. A larger group came from behind, which we thought would stimulate a crossing. Edward was very good at knowing when they were moving on and where to reposition the vehicle, but unfortunately, it was all for naught, as they did not cross. We moved out to have lunch, but in sight, in case anything happened. Not long after this, the clouds really started gathering. There was a huge thunderstorm over Tanzania and given the distance that we needed to cover to get home, we decided to leave earlier than anticipated to try and avoid the rain. There had been very good rains in Tanzania over the past few weeks, and this, in combination with the burning done in the Serengeti, the migration had not really started properly. In fact, we hardly saw any wildebeest in the reserve at all.

 

We came across three male lions, but felt that we could not stay too long, given the impending storm

 

7T4A4033 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

At one point, we outran the storm so effectively that the sun came out! This coincided with our most unexpected sighting of the day...

 

7T4A4049 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

a beautiful leopard. Again, Edward appeared to be psychic as she disappeared into thick bush and then miraculously reappeared right next to us.

 

7T4A4077 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A4079 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A4106 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

There were only a couple of vehicles around, neither of which had the driver that we had!!

 

7T4A4112 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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Next up was some river action..

 

7T4A4304 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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7T4A4333a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We "checked in" at the airstrip on the way back to MNC

 

J19A1449 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and then it was time to leave. It was getting darker and darker as we left. We got a new bird on the way back though....

 

7T4A4348a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and then when we were back in the conservancy - you guessed it - another lion!!

7T4A4350 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Definitely our record for the number of lion sightings in one day! By the time we got back to camp we had been out for 13 hours and managed to beat the rain, but it would arrive when we were in our tent getting changed for dinner and it rained a lot that night. Would we attempt to see another crossing in the future? I'm not sure. it was a very long day. Despite the temperature being not too bad, particularly in the afternoon, it was very tiring. The number of vehicles would definitely put me off, albeit they were well behaved (as the rangers were around). I think that photography might prove to be very difficult and that is the main reason we go on safari.

[Tdgraves]

Day 11: Game drive transfer to Kicheche Bush camp

 

As we were being transferred, we again had a private vehicle. We went into a part of the conservancy that we had not previously been to, which was nice. Hardly any other vehicles around and flatter terrain. 

 

J19A1462 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We saw our first grey crowned cranes for years

 

J19A1475 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

and Edward suggested that we try to go around them for a backlit view, which was, as usual, inspired

 

J19A1494 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1503a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

More hyaena

 

J19A1506 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1511 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1514 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1517a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We were driving around looking for a lioness with cubs

 

J19A1518 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

this was not the one! We never found them

 

J19A1526a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1741a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

we started back towards the main part of the conservancy again

 

7T4A4381 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1542 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1544 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1547 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

where we met up with a few vehicles in camp, because of this....

 

J19A1556 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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J19A1732 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Time for a well-earned breakfast. A hyaena walked past us as we ate, but was not interested in us, or our food.

 

The next sighting was a jackal harassing a topi and it's newborn. 

 

J19A1755 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1793 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1799 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1801 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

the mother did a valiant job of trying to protect her young

 

J19A1817 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

but the calf soon tired and lay down for a rest, where a hyaena, attracted by the commotion, took it's chance. ***Look away now if you are in any way squeamish...***

 

 

 

J19A1832 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Our first hyaena kill

 

J19A1851 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1857 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

which then attracted the jackal back, so the hyaena ran off with it's prize

 

J19A1886 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1903 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1905 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

This was the only time I felt that our behaviour was impacting on the wildlife during the entire trip. The hyaena would stop to eat and the couple of vehicles that were around would catch up and stop next to it. The hyaena would then run off again, stopping a few hundred metres further away and the whole process would restart. This of course allowed the jackals to catch up.

 

J19A1917 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

I asked Edward to move on, to allow it to finish it's meal. Then it was pretty much non-stop to Olare Motorogi, mainly as it was getting late and so warmer, so there was little to stop for. Some buffalo were on a dam near to Bush camp.

 

J19A1954 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1963 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

And then we arrived. We said goodbye to Edward after an epic three days. He was an excellent guide, so our expectations were now very high indeed! Just time to unpack before lunch.

[Zim Girl]

You are having some lovely leopard sightings.

Great sequence with the Topi calf and the jackal and hyena.

[Tdgraves]

56 minutes ago, Zim Girl said:

You are having some lovely leopard sightings.

Great sequence with the Topi calf and the jackal and hyena.

And they continue into OMC…

[Kitsafari]

great light on those  lions in the early morning. amazing lion sightings in the reserve. we didn't see many only a handful at the top  of a cliff in the distance as we were leaving the reserve but we were there during the non-migration season so we weren't surprised. 

 

Your photos are stunning - i recall you bought new hardware. can you pse remind me which gear it is?  my sony bridge camera is giving way, and i'm wondering if it's time to switch to a mirrorless. 

 

Looking forward to OMC - a lion-fest, i'm sure. 

[Tdgraves]

Thanks Kit. Still old school - DSLR @KitsafariBut with a new lens (on the 5D mark IV) 200-400 with built in 1.4x extender

[AKR1]

@Tdgraves

Excellent photography. The quality of the 200-400 w/ built in extender really shows. Great to be able to quickly switch to 1.4X without swapping lenses. Thanks for sharing. 
On your long day in the main reserve, my view remains a stay in the conservancies should ideally be paired with a camp deep in the main reserve which despite the circus at river crossings and inability to go off-road remains an exceptional wildlife destination. The trip from the conservancies is just too long as you detail with worries of the long drive back at the end of the day. 

[Tdgraves]

Day 11: Evening drive, Kicheche Bush

 

Firstly a few birds in camp

 

J19A1974a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1978a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1983a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A1987a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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J19A2007a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Despite being a smaller camp, it was not full and by virtue of this fact, everyone had the privilege of a private vehicle. Until we arrived. We were paired with an American couple on their first safari. Not ideal for experienced safari goers, but we are pretty relaxed and open-minded and usually just go with the flow, having never paid for the luxury of a private vehicle. They had been on a balloon safari in the morning and had come from the Mara triangle previously, where they had been able to sit on the vehicle roof. The atmosphere in the vehicle was palpably odd from the outset. We are not used to the Mara safari standard of open top vehicles, given our fair Northern complexions and that better angles for photography are afforded to the side, rather than the top of the vehicle. There had been no issue in Kicheche Mara, as our Californian vehicle mates were equally fearsome of the harsh equatorial UV rays and we kept the roof closed for the entire three days. However, our new East coast vehicle mates were having none of it. So we had to try and lean to the side of the vehicle that was most shaded to stay out of the sun. The guide was really quiet for the entire drive. I pointed out some fairly distant jackals, that they seemed interested in looking at, when our guide said "there is a leopard on the ground over there". Mr East Coast was still trying to get a photo and making no attempt to understand what the guide meant. I pointed out that it was guide code for "something is going to happen" and we were then able to move off, to see this lovely leopard who had previously stashed a kill up this tree.

 

J19A2020 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2025 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2035 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2043 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2065 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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J19A2078 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

who then decided to go up and check it out...

 

J19A2084 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2089 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2095 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2099 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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The first time we have seen (and captured) a leopard ascent

 

From the OHs perspective

 

7T4A4601 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A4603 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A4602 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

The prize...

 

J19A2152 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2186 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2230 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Next up, a pair of lions

 

J19A2244 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2248 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2255 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2283 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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And then, literally around the corner, a complete surprise

 

J19A2319 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

a serval! It had taken us 25 safaris to see one and now this was the second of the trip. It was very relaxed and gave us ample photographic opportunities.

 

J19A2338 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

especially as the sun set and I got the vehicle moved to stop shading it

 

J19A2348 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2377 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2455 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2479 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

this bird was keeping an eye on the cat!

 

J19A2334a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2336a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A2340a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We tried to impart onto Mr East Coast the enormity of this sighting, but he was unimpressed and wanted to move off for sundowners . Mrs seemed interested and was still taking photos along with us and so sundowners were taken right there, in the vehicle. This did nothing to improve the mood inside of the vehicle and by the time we got back to camp, they could not alight fast enough. Despite being in adjacent tents and therefore could have walked back together with an escort, they took off before I had even gathered some of my stuff. The awaiting manager asked "how was the match up?" which I thought was a very unusual question and one which I have never been asked before. This belied the fact that they had an inclination that there was going to be a problem. "Terrible" I said, much to the consternation of the OH who hates confrontation. The manager later told us that our vehicle mates had felt the same and that they were working on a solution. Our feeling was that they were peeved that they had been chosen to lose their "private vehicle" and felt aggrieved that photography took priority over sundowners. I also think that as a high powered businessman, he was used to always getting his own way. We suspect that we had been put together as we both had a pre-booked all day visit to the reserve, so it made sense to send us all on the same day. An additional vehicle and guide were produced, I have no idea where from, given that they only guarantee that there will be no more than 4 guests per vehicle, but only from the evening drive the following day. Cue an even more awkward game drive the following morning.....

[Tdgraves]

16 minutes ago, AKR1 said:

@Tdgraves

Excellent photography. The quality of the 200-400 w/ built in extender really shows. Great to be able to quickly switch to 1.4X without swapping lenses. Thanks for sharing. 
On your long day in the main reserve, my view remains a stay in the conservancies should ideally be paired with a camp deep in the main reserve which despite the circus at river crossings and inability to go off-road remains an exceptional wildlife destination. The trip from the conservancies is just too long as you detail with worries of the long drive back at the end of the day. 

 

Thanks. I don't think that we used the extender that much as everything was so close, but it definitely got used more in the Kgalagadi. I remain to be convinced about the reserve, mainly as the conservancies were so amazing.

[Zubbie15]

I really like those cheetah silhouette shots, very nice! 

[Tdgraves]

Thanks @Zubbie15

[Zim Girl]

Lovely Serval sighting and fantastic pictures of the leopard going up the tree!

[Tdgraves]

Day 10: Morning drive

 

This was yet another epic drive. First up, a visit to the leopard up a tree....

 

7T4A5011 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A5054 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

then some mating lions....

 

7T4A5072 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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Then on to another thing that we have never seen before on safari, a lioness moving a couple of tiny cubs

 

7T4A5156 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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Followed by the entire pride...

 

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We moved off, as it was already getting late and hot. No sooner had we left the pride than a lioness wandered in front of us and looked as if she may hunt. We sat and waited a polite distance behind, to see what would transpire. Whilst waiting, I was the only person sat in the full sun. Mr East Coast even commented how strong the sun was. We waited and we waited. I was covered top to toe in hat and kikoi, but no one in the vehicle suggested that we move on, until after what seemed like an age, we gave up on the lioness and went back to the leopard tree, which was empty, as she was below....

 

7T4A5814 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A5821 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

At this point, the others finally relented and allowed our guide to put the top back up for the drive back to camp, which was uneventful, given the late hour and full sun.

[Tdgraves]

Day 10: Evening drive

 

The camp had found another vehicle and guide from somewhere and we were split up. In fact, we stayed with the same guide, suggesting that perhaps the other couple had not got on with him rather than us. Anyway, the atmosphere in the vehicle melted away and he relaxed, becoming much more communicative over the following 4 drives. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn and this drive turned out to be our quietest yet.

 

7T4A5826a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Mrs East Coast actually came up to me in the dinner buffet queue (I think it was BBQ night) to ask me what this bird was, as their new guide did not know...

 

We then found the lion pride and decided to sit with them to see if anything would happen

 

J19A3190 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

J19A3195 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

7T4A5829a by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

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but the answer was not much...

 

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7T4A5839 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

We were all looking out to the right, as that was where the pride were. At one point for some reason I turned to the left, to see a big male standing about a metre away from us!

 

J19A3224 by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Again sundowners were taken in the vehicle, but this time out of necessity as it was raining. Something that the camp manager didn't believe as it had not rained in camp and the lions were really very close by!

[Tdgraves]

Just a couple of shots of our room/tent - the biggest of the lot

 

by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Untitled by tdgraves, on Flickr

 

Very nice it was too.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Tdgraves
extra photo

[PT123]

Great report, I’m sorry that “Mr. East Coast” put a damper on your drives(s). We’ve been on a dozen or so safaris and it is a bit frustrating if paired with (clueless :-> ) first timers. I try to be patient and remember when I was a clueless first timer (and realise that some time I can still be a bit clueless!). I guess the only way to avoid situations like this is io pay for a private vehicle (which we don’t do for cost reasons). We stayed at Kicheche Bush in February and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

 

Paul in Boston* 

 

*Not Mr. East Coast but vey mildly offended (not really) at what could be easily perceived as a little bit of a snarky and condescending tone.

 

Edited March 21, 2023 by PT123

[Tdgraves]

Didn’t mean to come across that way @PT123and I’m sorry for any offence caused. I guess I just thought it would be easier than describing him as the husband or the male member of the couple. It was nothing to do with them being first timers I don’t think. We have shared many vehicles, often with safari novices and as I mentioned generally will just go with the flow. We are happy to stop for anything and I was pointing out things to them that the guide didn’t (as he was strangely quiet) as well as identifying birds (but only when asked!). She seemed very into it and enthusiastic. As stated, the strange atmosphere we felt originated from him. He was also never very chatty to anyone at meal times (as you know these are communal) and they ended up having a private dinner on their last night.

[janzin]

Just catching up with this...absolutely fabulous photos, incredible leopard encounters and Serval...lion cubs on the move...!

 

Curious who your guide was at Kicheche Bush as we were there last June.

[Tdgraves]

9 minutes ago, janzin said:

Just catching up with this...absolutely fabulous photos, incredible leopard encounters and Serval...lion cubs on the move...!

 

Curious who your guide was at Kicheche Bush as we were there last June.

Dominic

[PT123]

@Tdgraves

 

Hi TDG, absolutely no offence taken and no need what soever for an apology. I am very much enjoying your report (as I do all of your reports) and frankly laughed to myself when I read "Mr. East Coast" as we had a very similar experience a few years ago. Our Mr. and Mrs. East Coast were from Baltimore. Mrs. East Coast was lovely and it was clearly her idea to go on safari. Mr. East Coast was a high powered doctor from Baltimore (east coast USA) and always looked like he was sucking a lemon. Thankfully, the camp that we were at realized that his negativity needed to be contained and moved them to another vehicle. I realize that safari isn't everyone's thing but this guy was being a bit of a petulant child, (dare I say knob on this gentile forum). At any rate, I am glad that you had good serval sightings and look forward to reading more as it whets my appetite for the next time we are there.