Aug 14-20
Hi All
The 2nd part of the Kenya Migration Safari:
We left off as we were moving to the Nat Hab mobile Camp by the Mara river:
“Maasai Mara, also sometimes spelled Maasai Mara and locally known simply as The Mara, is a large national game reserve in Narok, Kenya, contiguous with the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. It is named in honor of the Maasai people, the ancestral inhabitants of the area, who migrated to the area from the Nile Basin. Their description of the area when looked at from afar: “Mara” means “spotted” in the local Maasai language, due to the many short bushy trees which dot the landscape. Maasai Mara is one of the most famous and important wildlife conservation and wilderness areas in Africa, world-renowned for its exceptional populations of lion, African leopard, cheetah and African bush elephant. It also hosts the Great Migration, which secured it as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and as one of the ten Wonders of the World. The Greater Mara ecosystem encompasses areas known as the Maasai Mara National Reserve, the Mara Triangle, and several Maasai Conservancies, including Koiyaki, Lemek, Ol Chorro Oirowua, Mara North, Olkinyei, Siana, Maji Moto, Naikara, Ol Derkesi, Kerinkani, Oloirien, and Kimintet.”
Day 4: Moving day. We left a little later giving time for all to pack….so out by 7ish….traveled maybe 30-40 miles but took us until lunch time, which was mid-afternoon:))) The new camp was on the Mara river and was a true mobile camp, but very luxurious for tent camping with king size beds and ensuite bathroom…shower, toilet and sink….sweet as!!! Some of the highlights were 10-15 hippopotamus in the river right outside our tent. It was nice sleeping to the river noises except for the very loud and noisy hippos….who knew!! The hippos leave the water at night and graze on various grasses….they can be quite noisy as the leave/return….like “move over Sam you’re in my spot:)))) We did see a large lion pride….we saw ~12 lions but the pride might be as big as 17. The ones we didn’t see were probably on security guard somewhere hidden!! And we continued to see small to large migration herds!!! And we saw a male and female ostrich with babies, maybe 2-3 days old…..wow, per Paul a pretty rare sight indeed!!!
Day 5: Another long day but oh so sweet. We got up around 3:45am…yep, that is right…ugh, to leave by 4:20am for our Hot Air Balloon ride over the Mara. We have never done a Hot Air Balloon ride so we were very excited to do this for sure!! We left by 4:20am…..the driver had spent the night at the camp and Erik, the camp manager, was up to make sure we got away on time!!! And, it was still very dark and we had a much “better” night game drive. We saw hippos, zebras and wildebeest crossing the roads, hyenas running along side the rode and truck and then voila, there was a lioness walking nonchalantly down the road….got a few good pictures which was surprising on the iPhone and moving in the truck….whoa!!
https://www.governorscamp..com/experience/hot-air-ballooning/
It was our longest day yet….from 4:00am to 7pm…..but worth every minute!!! After the balloon ride we were back in the truck…top row for us….ugh!!! We first came across two young males learning to hunt some zebras….they stalked for about half hour but then got too anxious and exposed themselves and off ran the zebras…..hmmmm. Other highlights were spotted hyenas eating a kill, some baboons, and several hours observing herds of wildebeest and zebras gather at the river building their courage but not taking the dip….arghhhhhh!!!! So we left around 5:30ish to go back to camp with the promise from another truck they would call Paul if something happened. We had just settled in with a cocktail overlooking the river and hippos at camp when the phone call came….maybe 6pm…we all scrambled back in the truck and Jacob did his “Mario Andretti” imitation and we were back watching in 10 minutes…whoa. Nothing was happening but the herd had grown enormously and Paul said this is it and sure enough it suddenly started. It lasted 15-20 minutes. It was truly amazing and why the Migration is one of the “Top Ten Wonders in the World”. The sound was deafening….watching wildebeest leaping down a cliff into the water was spectacular, as well as seeing the cautious zebras all the while crocodiles were circling.
We did see a kill….yes, this is nature but it’s still tough to watch….a huge crocodile got a mama wildebeest while the baby watched….yep, told you it was difficult to watch….the croc pulled the wildebeest under then to shore with the baby following and neighing. The baby eventually went across neighing the whole time. Then suddenly it came back across still neighing for it’s mom. Then a while later towards the end it crossed again still neighing. Paul indicated the odds were not good for the baby’s survival but we all chose to think that maybe another mom might adopt the baby, especially if that mom had lost a baby as well!!!!
“Stupid things tourists do”: I highly recommend the book by Peter Allison, “Whatever You Do, Don’t Run: True Tales by a Botswana Safari Guide”. He tells some whoppers of his experiences and has a section titled as such. Well, we had an incident that surely qualifies. At the very beginning of the Safari, Paul and Jacob stressed the importance of staying near camp or the truck and if surprised by a predator, DON’T RUN…yeah right!!! You DON’T RUN (just like w/bears) as the predator will think you are weak, food and prey and if hungry, they might pursue. If you stay, show no fear and in fact act somewhat aggressive (wave arms), but don’t look in the eyes, you might convince the predator that you might be somewhat of a danger. They reinforced these behaviors by anytime they stopped the truck for anything (to eat breakfast or lunch, a “bush loo” break, et al), they would walk around, shake bushes, throw rocks et al and then tell you it was safe to disembark the truck. Well, after lunch when we were breaking down the gear and storing in the truck, a woman went walking down the road, maybe 100-150 yards away, and spooked two good size male lions. The woman immediately turned around and in a panic ran back to the truck/people. All the while Paul and Kathy were yelling don’t run, but the woman yelled back I don’t care I’m running. In the meantime the 2 lions had assessed the situation, saw the truck and other people, assessed as more danger and started to run the opposite direction. After we all calmed down and knew all was safe, we all broke down in giggles….maybe stress relief, but it was pretty comical with the woman running one way and the lions the other!!!
Day 6: Up early again….wake up at 5:45am, coffee 6:15am, out by 6:30am….and chilly again!!! Today we started at the river again and Paul thought there could be another crossing soon as more animals were gathering….cool. But then, about 5 hot air balloons came across the river too low and spooked the animals back into the hills above the river. So, no crossing probably until the afternoon. We were all a bit miffed and Paul indicated poor “guide” behavior is becoming unacceptable and a real problem. We also registered a loud complaint with the hot air balloon company we went with the day before, but they were not the guilty company, so I’m not sure it registered. The wildebeest were exhibiting some very strange behavior. Yesterday and today they were moving southwest….the opposite of the northeast direction they should be going. We saw huge herds going the wrong way. They seemed to be heading back to the Serengeti in Tanzania from where they had come from….maybe because of a large burn area and new grass from the recent rains. Paul indicated all the guides were discussing trying to sort it all out. In any event, we went over to the Serengeti and were wowed by super long wildebeest trains > than a mile long. The whole horizon was full of wildebeests and zebras….we tried to estimate, maybe 150,000 – 200,000 animals….maybe 10% of the migration in a 10 square mile area. Paul was in the Mara a week after we left and I texted him and he indicated they were still going in the wrong direction….hmmmm!!!!
We came back to the river mid-afternoon and more herds were gathering and voila, a small herd started across….wow….no kills this time but after about 10 minutes the trucks on the other side squeezed in too much and cut off about 1/3rd of the herd crossing….arghhhhhh…pathetic guide behavior!!! As we were making it back to camp we saw a small zebra herd start to cross….wow…awesome….there were several crocodiles in the area and some of the zebras smartly crossed maybe 50 yards away but some still wanted to go right where the crocs were…they would start, then see the crocs, then scramble back up the bank!!!
One of the highlights staying at the Kiboko camp were the lion roars, especially early mornings….whoa. Of course, we were serenaded every night with hippo speak and sometimes we thought they were coming right into the tent….yikes!!!
That night we had our farewell dinner which was full of jocularity and recalling all the “moments/sightings” we had….good times. On the game drive the next day on our way to the airport we came across a lioness and sole cub…what a treat and great ending!! We made it to the small airport, waited for ~1/2 hour…bush time:)))…and were in Nairobi by around 1pm. After a farewell lunch we were picked up by another driver that took us about an hour away to the southern part of the Nairobi National Park and the Emakoko Lodge!! For the whole Kenya safari, we had 29 lion, 2 leopards, and 4 cheetah sightings!!
https://emakoko.com/
We stayed here 3 nights…..relaxed some from the fast-paced Kenyan safari, but also got in 4 game drives in the Nairobi NP which was great….highly recommend. We had ~11 lion, 4 cheetah, and ~30 rhinoceros sightings…several male lions roaring….the roar was so powerful the truck would vibrate and you could feel the roar in your bones!! The other highlight was seeing both the black (2) and white (28) rhinoceros….holy cow, they are big and more big!!!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nairobi_National_Park
http://www.kws.go.ke/parks/nairobi-national-park
One of the highlights was the food….almost gourmet level….just fabulous, superb flavors and presentations. While the food served by the NH camps was certainly above average, it was mainly camp style food so this was a welcome change. “Chef Steve is always on the look out for finding new recipes, in particular those that he can adapt to have a ‘Swahilli flavour’. Our menus range from British and French influences to Thai and Indian, all of which are carefully put together to ensure that even the most conservative eater will be delighted.” And to our delight, several “bushbabies” came to parade along the rail which gave us a good view of these adorable guys….but then the monkeys would show and try to steal your bread:))))
On the 3rd day we were driven back to Nairobi for our 4th Covid test….about an hour drive. Nat Hab and the hotel were not able to arrange a nurse to come to the lodge so we had to go to a clinic where we met Virginia who made all the arrangements and translated for us. This time, the nurse jabbed the swab way too far into our nostril and into our brains…..like white pain….we both screamed out in pain and the nurse sort of looked at you with that “you big baby” look and said open your mouth where she jabbed the 2nd swab all the way to my stomach…gag, gag, can’t breathe…..oweeeeeeee…we both wanted to say something but their country, their rules so we meekly left….when Virginia saw the tears she said ah geez, she would later talk to the doc but after we got our tests back…which we did later that afternoon….all negative TG!!!
But, our reward was a fabulous game drive in the Park after the test….our treat was viewing 4 cheetahs, a mom and 3, 9-10 month old cubs. At one point the mom took off on a sprint hunting some impalas but no joy….but wow, was she fast….maybe a 5-10 sec view before we lost her in the tall grass. Then the 3 cubs sat on a small mound/rock and posed for us for 10-15 minutes…they kept searching the area for prey!!!
The next morning, 8/20, our time was up and once again up at 3:45am to be out by 4:15am to be at the airport by 5am for a 7:30am flight to Johannesburg where we would overnight.
Critter count for Kenya:
Lions: ~40
Leopards: 2
Cheetahs: ~9
Elephants: too many to count
Rhinoceros: 30 (2 black and 28 white)
Hope all is well!! Stay safe!!
John
Mystic Moon
Hmmmm…ran out of time, YB clan gathering and going to Mystic so 3 galleries ~700 pictures and no best-of-best gallery….just pour a tall one and enjoy!!!!
Gallery 1: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/kenya-maasai-mara-and-nairobi-np-days-5-11-gallery-1
Gallery 2: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/kenya-maasai-mara-and-nairobi-np-days-5-11-gallery-2
Gallery 3: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/kenya-maasai-mara-safari-and-nairobi-np-days-5-11-gallery-3
Over 25 videos……well I took over 64 so I tried to cut the # down as much as possible.
Large Migration herds
Zebras playing
Bay Zebra suckling
Male and female Ostrich with many baby chicks, maybe 1-2 days old
A herd of wildebeest running from our Hot Air Balloon ride
A large lion pride napping with bellies full….some still have some blood on their faces
Two young male lions hunting….or at least learning to hunt!!
Baboons and alpha male being alpha!!
Long wildebeest train running to follow one another…..say wait for me…well, then hurry up!!
Truck moving while video is taken….a good feel for riding in the truck watching all the animals pass by
Wildebeest forming a herd to cross Mara river….we antihate a crossing soon!!!
Wildebeest and Zebra herds crossing the Mara river…..whoa!!!
Wildebeest crossing Mara river when a large crocodile kills a mama wildebeest while baby can’t find her
Watch the wildebeest jumping off the cliff into the water
Remaining wildebeest stop the crossing and the crocodile is still holding the dead wildebeest in the water
Large wildebeest train
More of the large wildebeest trains
And still more…..good dialog with Paul and Kathy near the end
Our last day….we waited and watched this herd for several hours, gaining their courage to cross
After two hours the crossing began!! Watch the crocodiles at the top!
Same crossing with crocodiles closer
2nd crossing last day (3rd total)……sorry, the video is a bit shaky, this crossing happened too quickly to setup properly
Same crossing, some zebras not crossing, crocodile by the sticks lower right
Mom lion and her one cub…..adorable
Male lion roaring in Nairobi National Park…we good feel the vibration in the truck
Awesome videos John, thanks brother.