After our brief rest in Zanzibar it was time to get back to the business of safaris. After a ton of research and reading we ended up booking a 4 night safari with Kameraz of Africa. What we didn’t fully realize is we had booked a private safari with our own dedicated vehicle and driver/guide.
I must insert a warning here. This is a long post. Several people commented previously that they were looking forward to seeing my photos from this safari, well here they are. I am quite pleased with the results, so enjoy. Take time to go full frame and zoom in. There are some great details there.
From the moment Sammy picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi we knew we had inadvertently made a fantastic decision. A comfortable vehicle, tons of room for gear and the ability to move around made the hours of driving involved so much more enjoyable.As we were exiting Nairobi the tour started. One thing you would have to try very hard not to see in most major African cities are the massive shantytowns. As we drove past kilometres of these homes Sammy explained that over 2 million people lived in this particular town. Think about that for a bit. 2.5 million humans live in these communities within the city. Honestly I was happy we were heading out of the city.
This safari was quite different from our South African experience. Our Kruger safari had us staying in one location for the entire time, whereas this safari involved travelling to three very different locales over the five days.
We had lunch at the Aberdare Country Club enroute to the Aberdare National Park on day 1. It took a bit to get used to looking over and seeing zebra, warthogs, and impalas grazing together on the golf course fairways.The joy you get when watching a family of warthogs scurry off as you walk by during your pre-lunch stroll is heart warming.During our 63km drive into the Aberdare Park we saw a Giant Forest Hog hiding in the bushes. Truly one ugly fellow. When humans introduced lions into Aberdare the hogs became the lions favourite food and they were nearly hunted to extinction. Fortunately the lions were removed and these ugly fellows are slowly making a comeback.We stayed at a lodge called The Ark. It is a nice facility with a water hole right off the back viewing deck which gives you an excellent opportunity to watch the wildlife at leisure, without interfering with them. Nice to watch these Grey Crowned Cranes caring for their baby.In addition to seeing elephants, giraffe, leopard, there are dozens of types of birds here. When dusk started to descend we had an opportunity to watch the interaction between some predators and prey. Here the spotted hyenas were starting to take an interest in the Cape Buffalo, who wasted no time in chasing them off.Even the warthogs got together to chase off some of the hyenas.But as it got darker several more hyena showed up and the true stalking started. Happily we didn’t have to witness any drama on our first night. Great experience though.Day two was our most driving (220km) of the lot. But boy we saw a ton. Enroute to Nakuru National Park we crossed the Equator a couple of times. At first I thought this rest stop sign was a bit of a tourist trap, but no, upon checking the GPS we were indeed at the Equator. Cool.Sammy, our guide was very excited when we told him we had seen a leopard the previous day after he had dropped us off at our lodge. He thought it was a great omen. Turns out he was right. What a day. It started with Karen eyeing this beautiful leopard heading off into the trees. Incredible being able to stop and watch it creep through the trees, then move off down the dried creekbed.Then the lions. Our previous safari only had us see the head of a lion from a distance. Not the case in Kenya. We came across this young male taking the last of the good bits from this wildebeest. It had obviously been killed at least a day earlier as there was not much left.It was so neat to be able to come across the scene just as the handover was about to take place. While the last lion was feeding, the clean up crew was waiting patiently about 40 metres away.As soon as the young lion had walked away, the hyenas started moving in. Watching the hierarchy of feeding was fascinating.With an occasional head popping up to make sure the lion was not returning the hyenas got into their frenzy in short order. Nasty as it is with the flys hovering and the hyenas ripping, it is truly the circle of life. Not Disney, but absolutely real.One thing that you do have to get used to is the human version of the feeding frenzy. Whenever a predator is spotted the guides share this information with everyone and the convergence starts. This was for a leopard. You couldn’t see the leopard, but you could see its kill, which was a gazelle. People were waiting to watch it drag it up into a tree. We were still high from our lion experience so we didn’t stick around. We heard later the leopard found it weighed too much and never did take it up.The big excitement is for predators and other big animals. However the hundreds of other animals are amazing. This waterbuck seemed very relaxed to me so it must somehow know when the meat eaters are satiated. Because this pride of lions was not that far away.Even we knew this hyena was full though. It had eaten enough that it wouldn’t even move as we drove by it. I think it found the rut in the road to be just the perfect size and shape for him.As we were headed back to our lodge we were treated with a group of Rothschild Giraffes feeding. This one was good enough to walk over so the lowering sun hit it nicely.The next morning we set out for the 190km trip to the Maasai Mara National Reserve. Before getting 300 metres down the road our sharp eyed guide, Sammy, spotted this tiny Dik-dik in the bushes beside the road. The dik-dik is one of the smallest antelopes in the world.As we arrived in Maasai Mara these baboons treated us to a bit of action in the wild.The biggest excitement of the day was spotting some Black Rhinos. We had not seem any rhino except for a few White Rhino at a significant distance. So when these Black Rhinos chose to give us a close up view we were thrilled.We wrapped our 3rd day by stopping off at Makalia Falls. It was nice to be able to get out and walk around a bit. The thing we had no idea about was the amount of time you end up sitting in a vehicle driving around. The chance to walk about was greatly appreciated. Plus, we had to get at least one touristy type photo in.Day 4 was spent entirely in the Maasai Mara Reserve. What a day! We covered 135 km in 10 hours and had a bonanza viewing day. Watching these zebras sorting out who was in charge was just the start.The sheer number of wild animals around us most of the day was awesome. Trying to get a photo of this Cape Buffalo but getting photobombed by a Yellow-billed Oxpecker.We ended up being spoiled for lions on this safari. This pride was resting and well fed.They were taking turns nibbling at the remains of this wildebeest.What you don’t always see is the traffic jam that develops in the middle of the Savanah when predators are spotted. Driving off road is not permitted on the reserves so traffic can get a bit tight.I was impressed though at how well the drivers worked together to allow each other to maneuver around so everyone gets a view. Getting out of the vehicles is not allowed so some impressive sorting is required. I was glad we were there in the shoulder season.There were also ample opportunities to soak in the beautiful vistas the Savanah provided.Though people tend to focus on the larger animals, there was no lack of smaller creatures scurrying around. We came across a group of Banded Mongoose foraging in the grass.We were incredibly fortunate to come across a couple of cheetahs sleeping under a bush. So neat to be that close to a creature like that in the wild.We saw a lot of warthogs in our time there. However this fellow was a step above the rest. He was a tough looking fellow who had obviously been in some serious fights but was still ruling the group. I loved the way he just stood and stared at us. Most the time warthogs ran off as soon as you looked at them.The variety on this day simply didn’t stop. We came over a rise and were greeted by a couple dozen ostrich. Driving around the reserve was quite an adventure as well. It had apparently been very dry for months but had rained significantly just before our arrival. This made some of the roads a lot more fun. Great to have an experienced driver with the right equipment. River crossings, no problem.Some drivers obviously were not as experienced as others though. It was nice to see that all the drivers came together to try and help this fellow out. No success this time. The vehicle was abandoned (a tractor made its way out to extract it). Other companies took the clients and everyone made it back. Beautiful place to be stuck I must say.The last item on the itinerary was heading to the Mara River which is very near the border with Tanzania. So the obligatory photo had to be taken.This part of the Mara River in Kenya is one of the locations where the mass migrations of the wildebeest happen every year. Obviously there was not millions of wildebeest crossing while we were there, but it was still quite neat to visit. The migration is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Natural World. Personally I wouldn’t want to be on the ground at that time. When asked, the guides admitted it was quite a circus of vehicles and tourists jockeying for the best views. The Park Rangers apparently try to organize parking for hundreds of tour vehicles, but I can imagine the chaos.The Nile Crocodiles lazing by the river speak to the feeding frenzy that takes place when the wildebeest cross. We were able to walk along the riverbank with an armed ranger to get an overview of the area. All the crocs we saw looked very well fed.While we were getting our briefing from the ranger before starting our walk this colourful Red-headed Rock Agama scurried up to listen in as well.While heading back to the camp these Reticulated Giraffes were kind enough to pose for us. Such a beautiful place.While watching the giraffes, this troupe of Vervet Monkeys wandered by. Momma kept an eye on us all the way.
The last day of the safari consisted of a 6 hour, 200km trip back to Nairobi. Once again glad for our roomy vehicle. The safari was a total success. Sammy, our guide was knowledgable and pleasant. As well as an excellent driver. We may have blown or monthly budget but it was worth every shilling.
Hi Karen & Peter, Wow! What amazing pictures you took! You sure saw a lot of animals! Enjoyed reading all the details!! I had started looking at safaris, so this article is very timely! There are so many places that offer them. How did you narrow it down? What was the weather like in Cape Town? We’re you there at the end of March? Ron & Doris
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