Where to begin? All our safaris since I last wrote have
been filled with their share of incredible wildlife,
nail-biting moments and unforgettable scenery. Most
importantly, each has given us the opportunity to meet
and spend time with some truly wonderful people.
Life on safari starts early with the sounds of morning:
the gentle splish-splash of hot water being poured into
the canvas basin outside your tent; the trilling, warbling,
whistling and cooing of countless birds; the lovely
aroma of fresh coffee. Excitement gets everyone out
of bed early and into the cars for a day filled with
anticipation – you never know what lies around
the bend. Often you don’t have to stray too far
from camp for the action to begin! One of my favourite
mornings was in Nakuru late last year, when a big white
rhino wandered into camp, having decided that the only
grass in the whole park worth eating was around our
tents. He sauntered in completely unworried by any of
us and, having inspected the tents and kitchen, settled
down to graze.
Another memorable day for me and the crew was in the
Mara. While building camp, a pride of eight lions sat
on the opposite bank watching us. In the river was a
fresh buffalo kill that we assumed the lions had made
before we arrived. The kill was the cause of great excitement
that night. Scanning the riverbank with a torch just
before going to bed, we noticed some hyenas coming down
to the river in the hope of finishing off the buffalo
carcass. All of a sudden they scattered and there in
the torchlight stood a big male leopard. It walked down
to the water’s edge, completely unfazed by all
the onlookers, and contemplated how to get the carcass
out of the water. Also contemplating dinner was a young
crocodile and some of the braver hyenas, which were
getting as close as they dared. Then all the animals
scattered once more, as a huge crocodile took charge
and made the meal his! It was incredible to have been
standing just metres away while all the action took
place.
In between game drives, Ninian has encouraged a few
guests up the slopes of Mt. Kenya. No strenuous activity
involved in the ascent, however! A light aircraft delivered
them to Lake Alice, where after a short hike they spent
the day fishing for rainbow trout and enjoying the spectacular
scenery.
Amboseli in December was
transformed. The plains, which are normally fairly dry
and dusty, were covered with short green grass, plenty
of elephant and, most exciting of all, six cheetahs
in our concession.
One evening, as the sun set slowly beyond the horizon
and the sky changed through a paint box of pinks and
mauves to a deeply purple starlit night, a group of
Masai gathered to perform an “ngoma” –
traditional singing and dancing around a big bonfire.
Just as it all began, the elusive Mt. Kilimanjaro shrugged
off its shroud of cloud and towered above the dancers,
making what was already a wonderful evening truly spectacular.
The Mara over New Year was astounding, the sheer abundance
of game awe-inspiring. I do believe that a certain amount
of the luck we had was brought with the very special
group of people who were on safari with us. To quote
one of them: “A hundred elephants before lunch
is pretty impressive, not to mention that other morning
with 43 lions, four leopards, two zebra crossings and
the odd cheetah...” Just when we thought we couldn’t
see anything more, we did.
Unusually for that time of year, we got to see huge
herds of zebra crossing the Mara River. One of the crossings
was particularly dramatic – 200-300 zebra had
massed on the opposite bank, gathering the courage to
cross. After the first brave souls took the plunge,
we watched as a crocodile grabbed one. But the strong
current came to its rescue and it escaped. At the same
time a lioness had stalked along the embankment and
was waiting to pounce at the point where the zebra were
coming down to the river. The drama and tension in those
five minutes was palpable.
Of the many encounters we had with lions, one stands
out as being memorable. Trundling back to camp after
an evening drive, Ninian spotted a pride fanning out
and going into “hunt mode”. We watched as,
with military precision, they stalked a big herd of
eland, the world’s largest antelope. Within seconds
of the herd walking into the trap, the lions pounced,
bringing down a young bull in a cloud of dust. A great
deal of growling ensued as the lions jostled for position
– a clearly defined hierarchy quickly becoming
obvious.
As many of you know, it can be difficult to see cheetah
because they have extremely large territories. It was
with great joy, therefore, that we got to see so many
different families in the Mara over the past few months.
A few of our guests are Big Cat Diary followers,
so it was especially exciting for them to see some of
the cheetah, who are now known worldwide, out in the
wild. Kike – the cheetah I have written about
so often before – thrilled us all by jumping onto
the car and Honey’s three grown cubs made us laugh
as they growled at their reflections in the car door.
We also spent time with a third very striking female
with a young cub. A few times we watched as she hunted
for Tommies. The energy that goes into the chase is
breathtaking.
We saw several different leopards, which was a treat
since they are often so hard to spot due to their amazing
camouflage. One evening we spent time with mother and
son, Bella and Chui, as they lay languidly on a fig
tree branch overhanging the river not far from camp.
At night we could hear them calling to each other –
a strange, guttural, sawing sound. One night the young
male got quite curious about the camp – the Masai
guards told us how he had wandered around inspecting
the tents – even having a smell of the back of
a few of them!
It is unusual see the “big five” –
leopard, lion, rhino, elephant and buffalo – in
the Mara. The missing ingredient is usually a rhino,
as the Mara’s rhino population is very small and
elusive. Yet on two separate occasions our guests could
claim not to only to have seen the big five, but also
to have seen them all in one day!
On that note, I say Kwaheri from all of us. We hope
to see you out on safari sometime soon.
Lara
Nairobi, February 2005
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