Super Tuskers and Gorillas : Kenya/Uganda Feb/March 24

[gatoratlarge]

Safari Talkers:

Thought I’d write up my trip report for a recent safari to Kenya and Rwanda.  We had a group of 10 but after an unscheduled layoff from work (I’m back to working at a new job), I added a week solo in southern Kenya.@Sangeetaand Chalo Africa set up the whole thing but I was able to pick where I wanted us to visit. It was an amazing few weeks with many a highlight. The itinerary went something like this:

 

Ololo Lodge 2X

Nairobi NP

 

Sanctuary Olonana 4X

Mara 

 

Sarara Camp 3X

Samburuland

 

one night in Kigali, Rwanda 1X

Overland to Uganda

Sanctuary Gorilla Camp 2X

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

 

Boma Hotel/Guesthouse 2X

Entebbe

 

end of group trip

 

Amboseli Serena 3X

Amboseli NP

 

Kilaguni Serena 2X

Tsavo West

 

Four Points Sheraton 1X

Nairobi

 

Homeward Bound

After the group trip ended and I had some solo time, I wanted to see if I could locate and spend time with Craig, one of the last remaining super tuskers that roams the Amboseli ecosystem. There are only 25 super tuskers (super tuskers are elephants with tusks weighing in excess of 100lbs each) left in Africa, about 10 around Amboseli.
 

Chalo set me up with one of their favorite guides and on our first full day we were able to spend about an hour and a half with Craig — we located him in a conservancy outside of the park with the assistance of a Masai tracker. It was a privilege I’ll never forget made all the urgent with the news that two super tuskers and an emerging tusker had in recent weeks been shot by trophy hunters in northern Tanzania. 
 

He was the most magnificent of beasts, regal, completely relaxed and seemingly aware of his iconic status.  So special…

 

 

 

 

 

But I’m getting ahead of myself…first stop was a great place for rhinos and a park I’d never visited, Nairobi NP:

 

The Mara was next:

 

 

This younger males made this kill solo and as far as we could tell, had it all for himself. 

rhinos in the Mara were a first for me, I narrowly missed them once before. We spotted these in the pouring rain so you’ll never see a cleaner rhino 😆

 

Next stop Sarara Canp in northern Kenya — a dream destination for me.
 

Some of the most poignant experiences (like the Singing Wells and a wedding celebration we were able to witness in a Samburu village) we were asked not to photograph which in this day in age of social media and the desire to show all wasn’t easy to resist. But it’s not a bad thing to be present and in the moment and experience something that you can only keep in your memory. Sarara was magic!

 

 

 

 

Another bucket list experience was a ”doors off” helicopter safari to Lake Turkana and the Jade Sea in Kenya’s far north. The landscape seemingly changed every 15 minutes: ancient cycad forest in the Mathews Range, montane forests, desert dunes, alkaline lakes with undulating clouds of flamingos, the clouds reflecting off the shallows, lava flows and volcanic craters, acacia scrub and dry river beds, monster crocs and wandering bull eles—scenes I’ll never forget for sure…

 

 

if I did this I would snap off my leg 😆

 

 

Reteti, a community run elephant orphanage was another interesting visit in the north:

This little guy was found in a well and predators had attacked his trunk — he’s quite spoiled at Reteti 😁

 

 

We flew back through Nairobi and had a visit to the giraffe center and Sheldricks cuz who can ever get enough of baby elephants ?!? 😁

 

Baby Raha the rhino

We flew to Kigali and drove to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest overland enjoying the smooth roads in Rwanda and enduring the rough roads of Uganda  😆

 

 

 

 

 

We flew back to Entebbe and got in a visit to the Mabamba Swamp to search for the Dinosaur Bird: the Shoebill. 
 

 

 

We attempted to catch a Nile Perch in Lake Victoria but only managed to find the equator in the “middle” of the lake:

And by land:

At this point I was on my own and headed back to Nairobi and drove with my guide to Amboseli—my first time in the park. I was lucky to see the summit every day I was there and even from Tsavo West—-my understanding is Kilimanjaro often is shrouded in clouds. 

 

 

 

Amboseli was good for flamingos too

 

Tsavo West was the last stop. I had wanted to spend the night on the platform at Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary within Tsavo but it was closed to the public. Rumor was that there had been a poaching incident and it was closed indefinitely:

 

The red elephants of Tsavo:

The water hole at Kilaguni is a great place to spot wildlife:

Tsavo West was visually stunning:

Mzima Springs hippo pod:

The fringe eared oryx was a new one for me:

 

Tawny eagle:

 
I’ll go into greater detail if folks are interested but that gives the overview right there 😊

 

 

Edited April 13 by gatoratlarge
Typos

[Zubbie15]

Looks like you had a great trip! A couple of questions, from the photos of looks like you did the private visit au Sheldrick's, is that right? We tried to book that when we were there in February but were too late and only got on the waiting list, which didn't end up working. 

 

Also, what were your thoughts on the Serena in Amboseli? I'm starting to think of a return next year with a stay in that area, it was one of the options I was looking at to try to save a bit of money. 

 

Thanks, and happy to read any more you want to share. 

[gatoratlarge]

@Zubbie15thanks!  Yes we did the private visit at 3P. It wasn’t easy getting it booked as it was a natural to get a visit in on the front end of our trip either on day one or two but Sheldricks was already booked —-it was pretty far in advance when we were checking on availability. But luckily we were able to fit it in in the middle of our trip as we were transiting through Nairobi. We loved our visit and thought it was well worth it. 
 

I had never been to Amboseli before for the reason I thought it would be crowded etc and to a certain extent that’s true as there aren’t a ton of roads and the vehicles line up as the wildlife crosses the road. But I did really enjoy it as it was elephant central and where I got to spend time with the only super tuskers I’ve ever seen.  And the backdrop of Kilimanjaro, photography was primo. I can’t believe it took me this long to visit!  I liked Serena Anboseli fine. It’s in the park — I think Ol Turkai is the only other one that was close.   I had my own vehicle and guide which I really loved. I was also going for a cheaper alternative to a more intimate camp. 
 

have you been before?

Edited April 7 by gatoratlarge

[JPS]

6 hours ago, gatoratlarge said:

Safari Talkers:

Thought I’d write up my trip report for a recent safari to Kenya and Rwanda.  We had a group of 10 but after an unscheduled layoff from work (I’m back to working at a new job), I added a week solo in southern Kenya.@Sangeetaand Chalo Africa set up the whole thing but I was able to pick where I wanted us to visit. It was an amazing few weeks with many a highlight. The itinerary went something like this:

 

Ololo Lodge 2X

Nairobi NP

 

Sanctuary Olonana 4X

Mara 

 

one night in Kigali, Rwanda 1X

Overland to Uganda

Sanctuary Gorilla Camp 2X

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

 

Boma Hotel/Guesthouse 2X

Entebbe

 

end of group trip

 

Amboseli Serena 3X

Amboseli NP

 

Kilaguni Serena 2X

Tsavo West

 

Four Points Sheraton 1X

Nairobi

 

Homeward Bound

After the group trip ended and I had some solo time, I wanted to see if I could locate and spend time with Craig, one of the last remaining super tuskers that roams the Amboseli ecosystem. There are only 25 super tuskers (super tuskers are elephants with tusks weighing in excess of 100lbs each) left in Africa, about 10 around Amboseli.
 

Chalo set me up with one of their favorite guides and on our first full day we were able to spend about an hour and a half with Craig — we located him in a conservancy outside of the park with the assistance of a Masai tracker. It was a privilege I’ll never forget made all the urgent with the news that two super tuskers and an emerging tusker had in recent weeks been shot by trophy hunters in northern Tanzania. 
 

He was the most magnificent of beasts, regal, completely relaxed and seemingly aware of his iconic status.  So special…

 

 

 

 

 

But I’m getting ahead of myself…first stop was a great place for rhinos and a park I’d never visited, Nairobi NP:

 

The Mara was next:

 

 

This younger males made this kill solo and as far as we could tell, had it all for himself. 

rhinos in the Mara were a first for me, I narrowly missed them once before. We spotted these in the pouring rain so you’ll never see a cleaner rhino 😆

 

Next stop Sarara Canp in northern Kenya — a dream destination for me.
 

Some of the most poignant experiences (like the Singing Wells and a wedding celebration we were able to witness in a Samburu village) we were asked not to photograph which in this day in age of social media and the desire to show all wasn’t easy to resist. But it’s not a bad thing to be present and in the moment and experience something that you can only keep in your memory. Sarara was magic!

 

 

 

 

Another bucket list experience was a ”doors off” helicopter safari to Lake Turkana and the Jade Sea in Kenya’s far north. The landscape seemingly changed every 15 minutes: ancient cycad forest in the Mathews Range, montane forests, desert dunes, alkaline lakes with undulating clouds of flamingos, the clouds reflecting off the shallows, lava flows and volcanic craters, acacia scrub and dry river beds, monster crocs and wandering bull eles—scenes I’ll never forget for sure…

 

 

if I did this I would snap off my leg 😆

 

 

Reteti, a community run elephant orphanage was another interesting visit in the north:

This little guy was found in a well and predators had attacked his trunk — he’s quite spoiled at Reteti 😁

 

 

We flew back through Nairobi and had a visit to the giraffe center and Sheldricks cuz who can ever get enough of baby elephants ?!? 😁

 

Baby Raha the rhino

We flew to Kigali and drove to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest overland enjoying the smooth roads in Rwanda and enduring the rough roads of Uganda  😆

 

 

 

 

 

We flew back to Entebbe and got in a visit to the Mabamba Swamp to search for the Dinosaur Bird: the Shoebill. 
 

 

 

We attempted to catch a Nile Perch in Lake Victoria but only managed to find the equator in the “middle” of the lake:

And by land:

At this point I was on my own and headed back to Nairobi and drove with my guide to Amboseli—my first time in the park. I was lucky to see the summit every day I was there and even from Tsavo West—-my understanding is Kilimanjaro often is shrouded in clouds. 

 

 

 

Amboseli was good for flamingos too

 

Tsavo West was the last stop. I had wanted to spend the night on the platform at Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary within Tsavo but it was closed to the public. Rumor was that there had been a poaching incident and it was closed indefinitely:

 

The red elephants of Tsavo:

The water hole at Kilaguni is a great place to spot wildlife:

Tsavo West was visually stunning:

Mzima Springs hippo pod:

The fringe eared oryx was a new one for me:

 

Tawny eagle:

 
I’ll go into greater detail if folks are interested but that gives the overview right there 😊

 

 

Your trip report of your safari experience in Kenya and Rwanda is truly captivating and inspiring. It's evident that your journey was perfectly planned, yet allowed for moments of spontaneity and connection with the wildlife and landscapes of Africa.

Your choice of destinations, from the lush plains of the Masai Mara to the dense forests of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, showcases the diversity and beauty of the African continent. Your encounters with majestic creatures like Craig, one of the last remaining super tuskers, must have been awe-inspiring and deeply moving. Your description of him as "regal" and "completely relaxed" paints a vivid picture of the profound connection you experienced with nature during your safari.

Furthermore, your commitment to conservation and your desire to witness these magnificent animals in their natural habitat, especially in light of the threats they face from trophy hunting, is commendable. Your dedication to seeking out these rare experiences speaks volumes about your passion for wildlife and your appreciation for the importance of preserving their habitats.

 

Your journey is not just a travelogue; it's a testament to the power of exploration, connection, and conservation. Your photographs and stories undoubtedly serve as an inspiration to others to cherish and protect the natural wonders of Africa. Thank you for sharing your experiences and reminding us of the beauty and fragility of our planet's wildlife.

 

Kind regards

 

Johan

 

 

 

[Caracal]

10 hours ago, gatoratlarge said:

I’ll go into greater detail if folks are interested but that gives the overview right there 😊

Count me in as interested for more !

[ricmiles]

That up close Super Tusker photograph you took while on the ground was exciting for me to see behind my laptop, I can only imagine how being there must have felt for you. 

 

A clear view of Kilimanjaro, rhino in the mara and even the heli ride in northern Kenya all are among the best the country has to offer. What a trip!

[michael-ibk]

The teaser of teasers Joe, what a splendid trip you had. And of course, give us much greater detail please, very interested, especially in the part in the North. Not an area I'm familiar with. That helicopter excursion looks too cool for words!

[Zubbie15]

9 hours ago, gatoratlarge said:

have you been before?

No, I was trying to find somewhere new to add for a return visit to Kenya, plus my daughter loves elephants so it seems like a decent option. 

 

We asked about the private Sheldrick's visit 6 months in advance and it was already booked up, I'll try again ASAP if we end up finalizing a trip for next February! 

[Atravelynn]

Big sightings for the Big Gator--big primates, big tusks, big mountain that was actually visible, big desert, big bird, big jump.  What a unique itinerary to focus on such specialties.  I bet there's never been one exactly like it!  It appears you had a whale of a good time.   That B&W of eles and mountains is epic.  You had good luck with rhino in NBO Nat Park, nicely washed. 

 

This uniquely crafted trip offers the luxury fulfilling what you want to see/do, built upon a solid baseline of past Africa trips.

 

Very cool!

 

[gatoratlarge]

@Zubbie15i think it’s a great park to add especially for elephants. I think we saw two other super tuskers in addition to Craig and the possibility of seeing these living monuments to a bygone era is reason enough to visit. Plus the background of Kili is as iconic as it gets. The flamingos were dazzling as well and it is definitely elephant country—as many as anywhere you’ll go 😁👍🏻

 

@Atravelynnthank you! I have Chalo Africa and @Sangeetato thank for arranging all the details but I will take a little credit for knowing what experiences I wanted our group to have. 😁 The cool thing about East Africa is you can combine the Great Apes with the plains game but I think my next group trip will be to southern Africa.  I’ve done a few in a row to E Africa 😁👍🏻

 

@ricmiles thank you. It was definitely heart pounding to be that close and on foot with Craig. I couldn’t believe it when the tracker said “come, come” but he is one relaxed ele and if his body language was to be believed, just glided past us. Such splendor!

 

@michael-ibkand @Caracalthanks friend!  More details are coming then 😊

 

@JPSthank you!! What an amazing compliment!  That made my day. 

Edited April 7 by gatoratlarge

[AKR1]

An exceptional safari- well done, Joel. Look forward to more details of your adventures! 

[gatoratlarge]

At first we were to fly in and immediately leave for the Mara. I’m not sure why I thought that was a good idea 😆 I think I was trying to keep an already expensive trip's costs down and not add more expense but I reckon you can be penny wise and pound foolish. First you need a minute to recover from jet lag — flying in coach and being stacked like a Pringle’s for hours on end almost requires it — plus with flight delays and cancellations, it’s just prudent to build in a pause to collect everyone. So we added a couple nights in Nairobi on the front end and it was an opportunity to see a park I had never really visited before. 

 

We decided on Ololo Lodge which was a lovely farmstead on the edge of the park. I also knew it was our group’s best shot at seeing rhinos 🦏 which is my favorite animal 😁👍🏻 so even though Sheldrick was fully booked (the public visit I had assumed we could easily add on the spot wasn't available), we enjoyed our time at the lodge and venturing into the park until everyone arrived. 
 

Ololo Lodge

 

 

 

Pool time

 

 

The food was excellent!

 

We had originally booked Kenya Airways direct out of JFK to NBO but I’m not overly impressed with its reliability. A few months out they cancelled our flight and rebooked us for a day later that didn’t work for us. We kept our flight to jfk and rebooked on Air France via Paris to get to Nairobi but the TWA hotel is fun if you go that route:

 

 

some cool conservation bronzes outside the 9/11 Memorial 

 

 

I was amazed Nairobi NP has lions, no elephants other than the Sheldrick orphans. It has cheetah and leopard as well. 

 

An ostrich with a city view!

 

 

Masai giraffes

 

 

Superb starling

hartebeests

 

 

hammerkop with lunch

but Nairobi NP was rhino country above all — we saw more than 20 (only two black rhino —a mother and calf—the rest white rhino) 

Edited April 8 by gatoratlarge

[offshorebirder]

Thanks for this trip report @gatoratlarge.   Count me among those hungering for more detail.

Wow - lions with Kilimanjaro in the background.  Hard to beat that.

 

Fringe-eared Oryx is a neat creature. 

 

* Question - I see that you were fortunate to have Tropic Air for a helicopter charter around northern Kenya - was your pilot perhaps Jamie Roberts?  If so, I am very jealous!  Heck, I am jealous regardless.

 

[Atravelynn]

20? 20! rhino in NBO Nat Park!  Wow!

 

TWA Hotel a bonus.

 

Lions in front of Kili is quite the find!

 

[gatoratlarge]

@offshorebirderI asked and our pilot was I believe Tac or Tak and the other pilot's name was Chris---so we missed out on Jamie.  Chris was a Kenyan but served 10 years in the Royal Air Force I believe he said---his parents had dual citizenship of Kenya and the UK.  Tropic Air was really great and the trip to Lake Turkana was a desire I've had since reading Peter Beard's and Alistair Graham's "Eyelids of Morning: the Mingled Destinies of Crocodiles and Men" many years ago.  It was expensive as $&!!%$ but worth every penny if you ask me----the most varied, dramatic scenery---it was like a dream.

 

@AtravelynnNNP is quite the rhino sanctuary---have you been?  I have been through Nairobi a lot but never actually did a game drive there.  Interesting to have a city skyline backdrop for much of it but parts are quite pretty.  I think it's about 48 square miles or so.  Yes the lions in Amboseli were a great bonus---they hadn't been seen for about a week and then we lucked out with the two males on the move searching for their pride.  

Edited April 8 by gatoratlarge

[Atravelynn]

20 hours ago, gatoratlarge said:

 

@AtravelynnNNP is quite the rhino sanctuary---have you been?  Yes, several times, and I'd go again.  Fascinating place, though my rhino viewing was not as numerous as yours.  I have been through Nairobi a lot but never actually did a game drive there.  Interesting to have a city skyline backdrop for much of it but parts are quite pretty. Only in NBO Nat Park!!  I think it's about 48 square miles or so.  Yes the lions in Amboseli were a great bonus---they hadn't been seen for about a week and then we lucked out with the two males on the move searching for their pride.  

 

[Miss Biscuit]

You have some gorgeous landscape shots too! Of course love the super tusker and the gorillas. 

The landscape with the red Tsavo elephant, what is that in front of the elephant? It looks like a light! Haha

[offshorebirder]

On 4/7/2024 at 10:40 PM, gatoratlarge said:

It was expensive as $&!!%$ but worth every penny if you ask me

 

My Man!

[gatoratlarge]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:34 AM, Miss Biscuit said:

You have some gorgeous landscape shots too! Of course love the super tusker and the gorillas. 

The landscape with the red Tsavo elephant, what is that in front of the elephant? It looks like a light! Haha

@Miss BiscuitThat's because it is!   The waterhole at Kilaguni is lit and so that made the red elephant even more so! 

 

My guide told me that this is typically the best time to visit Tsavo and it should be particularly dry but with the rains in Jan/Feb they had this year, it was quite green and the bush thick...we didn't have a whole lot of luck spotting game driving around Tsavo West but the waterhole at the lodge seemed to be where the most action was...wildlife really scatters and even spends a lot of time outside the park to better avoid predators according to my guide.

 

My plan was to spend one night at the platform in Ngulia Rhino Sanctuary within Tsavo but they were not allowing visitors day or night for an unspecified reason and period of time---speculation was that there had been a poaching incident but not confirmed...but landscape-wise Tsavo West was gorgeous.  It was a park I had not previously spent any time so it was worth the investment of time to check it out.  I hope to go back sometime when I can spend the night waiting for rhinos to come drink at the waterhole in Ngulia.

[gatoratlarge]

Our next destination was the Masai Mara where we hoped to see the full array of African plains game.  We chose Olonana Santuary which is a swanky place with a great staff.  We really loved it.  The rains of January and February earlier this year have spurred grass growth which was a bit more challenging for wildlife viewing---particularly the Big Cats that simply can lay down and disappear.  We started early and stayed out after lunch to try to maximize our time and avoid potential downpours late afternoon.  A couple times we had to beat the surge of water that would overwhelm a bridge between camp and the park which was a bit hairy! 

Ominous clouds gathering...

 

 

The mornings were beautiful.  I was a bit concerned after watching the water levels rise so fast after a rain that we might have some of the Mara River in the room at times --- the hippos and crocs clearly did not enjoy the fast water but they will have to endure for the coming months...

 

 

It's where we saw our lions:  this lone male had taken down a buffalo and kept it for himself, guarding it from a nearby bush:

 

A white shouldered and hooded vulture wait their turns

This fella never budged... 

These two budged :

 

 

 

 

These two were resting uncomfortably close to one of our bathroom break stops---always check the surrounds...

 

scanning the horizon...

 

As I mentioned it was the first time seeing black rhinos in the Mara after a narrow miss once before:

 

 

 

 

Same rhinos different day...

This giraffe had the most perfect posture but sadly and injured leg:

 

 

 

 

We saw plenty of resident plains game but had to drive down to near the border of Kenya and Tanzania where the grass conditions were more to the liking of the antelope:  An eland:

Zebra topi and impala

 

 

Borderline

Lookout

 

Fish eagle

Buffs on the mara plains

 

Tree full of open billed storks---the Mara was as wet as I've ever seen it and a chorus of frogs rang out even in broad daylight

Baby season:

Frequent ele sightings:

 

 

Filling

Floating

Toasting

Landing

 

 

Sunning hippos

 

 

 

Buffalo weavers I think?

 

Young Martial eagle

Edited April 12 by gatoratlarge

[Thornburyswan]

@gatoratlargethink they might be yellow billed ox peckers on the last couple of buffalo shots.

 

looks like a great trip!

[ltref]

"I just wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed reading your trip report. It was absolutely astounding! It appears, your group had an amazing adventure, with a well-designed itinerary that combined a diverse range of activities, breathtaking landscapes, and epic wildlife sightings. Your encounter with the big tusker Craig in Amboseli was definitely a highlight for me, and it has inspired me to add Amboseli to my itinerary for October. The pictures and videos you shared were great, and they have me looking forward to my upcoming visit to the Mara. Overall, your trip report has left me feeling inspired and excited to plan a different experiences and destinations in the future." But first I have to enjoy my first African Safari this fall.

Edited April 12 by ltref

[Atravelynn]

Those are some CLOSEups.

[gatoratlarge]

@ThornburyswanAhhh I'm certain you're right---as I was writing that, I felt like I was recalling the wrong bird! 

 

@ltrefthank you so much---that's I think why we write these summaries up---for sharing ideas and itineraries, etc.. I know I've been influenced quite a few times from what I've read and seen here on ST.  I'm not sure why I only recently thought to attempt to find Craig---I know I was watching YouTube videos and saw some professional photographers that somehow got access to him and then I was reading of some of the recent deaths of a couple of legendary super tuskers and it seemed 55 was the age they passed and seeing where Craig is 52, I started to think there was some urgency there. Of course, I hope he lives well beyond that.  Then there was the horrific news either just before I left or just after that two super tuskers had fallen to trophy hunters in Tanzania just across the border and it seemed all the more poignant.  I hope you find him well and thriving!

 

 

[gatoratlarge]

Wrapping up our time in the Mara---we were staying in a Masai Community Conservancy just outside the park so we made sure to visit a Masai Village close by the lodge where we spent way more than we should have on souvenirs  but it was for a good cause as they were building a new school and part of the proceeds went to that.  I will say that a Masai hut is a bit dark and the ceiling a bit low---you have been forewarned!  

 

We raced against another "gully washer/frog strangler"-type storm and had to take shelter in one of the Masai huts much to the annoyance or several soaked goats/sheep!    African thunderstorms are no joke!

 

Benson patching up my bleeding head!

Taking shelter from the storm

An annoyed goat---or sheep??

Before the rains came 

 

Making fire is always impressive and they make it look so easy

Before the rains

Flaps down!

Good to see the local schools visiting the park to see the wildlife

 

Olonana was a really lovely place---the staff was fantastic as well: John, Shadrack, Eunice, Benson and Nelson and others I wish I could name...there were nice touches all around including a surprise stir fry on the Mara with a hippo pool below---the food was just outstanding and i didn't lose a single pound! 

Always keeping a watchful eye!

 

The Mara was just outside the room and after those storms I was afeared it might creep up into the room!

 

Good bye Mara!  You are beautiful!

A great send off by a beautiful Ross's Turaco:

Next stop is Sarara Camp in the north of Kenya in Samburuland!

 

 

Edited April 12 by gatoratlarge