irresponsible Safari just awful
 

www.facebook.com/photo.php…
Is this what the Great Migration has come to.

You'll have to be a bit more explicit. That link doesn't work.

O sorry it is on face book page Mara Triangle Photos. Or go to Tripadvisor Masai Mara forums, Irresponsible Safari.

... Facebook! Not for me, not in this life!

Here's the link - some of the photos are hard to believe - safari trucks blocking the river crossing route?

http://www.facebook.com/maratriangle...id=44214843152

It was not like this when I was there last September 2009.

Tourist overload and / or drivers with bad manners!?

So, is this the famous migration that everyone goes on about? Wild horses wouldn't get me there.

Wow!
And I thought some of those photos of the Ngorongoro waterhole were bad

It's really a shame. Stories I've heard about the crowds during the migration have kept me going to southern Africa, now these pictures make me want to go less. We will go someday, and I know this isn't the norm, but the migration right now holds little interest to me. Some people are so irresponsible and the tour leaders that behave so badly should be banned. Don't make the migration harder!

When we were in the MM in mid-August 2008, there had not been a crossing in 5 days, nor were there any during the 3 days we were there (and also for 3 days after we left). Everyone in the area was very anxious to be present IF there might be a crossing.

At one ATTEMPTED crossing I counted 56 vehicles; that included both sides of the river. I will say, however, that no vehicle impeded the attempt(s)...but it's hard to say it was just you and the animals in the heart of nature!

www.safaritalk.net has some useful information on this topic, should it be of interest to anyone.

Thanks for the link, HariS.

I'm all for big fines for bad behavior. I was just there in Sept and saw some irresponsible behavior but NOTHING like the photo with all the people out of their vehicles at the river.

Here's the "Gallery of Shame" of people in South Africa NP's. Some of them are funny, some are incredibly stupid, and some are just sad. People do irresponsible things....

http://www.sanparks.org/gallery/v/sightings/IDIOTS/

I hope my husband doesn't do any of these dumb things when we go to Kruger, but I think he probably will. Sigh...

http://safaritalk.net/index.php?showtopic=5685&st=0

This is the safaritalk thread on the Mara topic, should it be of interest to any of our readers here.

the best reason to fly to the remotest camps possible...

When we were in the Mara in August 2009, we came across one crossing where there must have been 40 vehicles. I don't recall seeing anyone out of their vehicle, but certainly there were many people standing on the roof of their vehicle and hanging out of the roof-top openings. It was very noisy, with people calling to each other between vehicles. We took one look and asked our guide to get us out of there. We had no desire to witness a crossing under those circumstances - it held no appeal whatever. Thankfully, we were camped at Serian, where every guest has a private vehicle and driver, so we were able to dictate what we did.

Clearly, the responsibility for change lies with the camps/lodges. If one camp would set an example and insist that its guides and guests follow the rules, the rest would be forced to follow. We didn't see any of this behaviour on the Mara Triangle side of the river because the (patrolling) rangers don't allow it and the guides know that they face huge, on-the-spot fines for allowing such behaviour. As self-drivers, we also faced huge fines if we broke any of the rules - which were handed to us when we entered the Triangle. Thankfully, we spent most of our time camping in the Mara Triangle, where we could enjoy crossings late in the day with only three or four other vehicles, after the irresponsible guides had taken their noisy, badly behaved guests back to camp. Robin

On average, are the crowds heavier in Kenya or Tanzania during the hi volume crossing days?

I can't but confirm those bad manners happen all the time during migration!

We onces counted 46 cars! Just on "our" side.

The cars don't bother me.

It's when cars (mostly minivans and private vehicles!) cut off the animals from getting out on the other river bank!

I would really appreciate there were a monitoring and heavy fines towards those who commit that thread towards the animals.

Still - responsible guides know how to park the cars away from the crowd and NOT INTERFERE with the crossing.

Despite we have witnessed it several times I would visit again as the noise, the dust, the panic and desperation can't be compared to any "documentary".
There are things you simply can't "conserve".

The pics shown aren't that unusual or new! That behaviour has been observed at least for the last 6 years.

((@))

"Clearly, the responsibility for change lies with the camps/lodges. If one camp would set an example and insist that its guides and guests follow the rules, the rest would be forced to follow."

Robin, I strongly disagree!

Head guide of Kicheche Mara camp has been working with other on a kind of "code of conduct". Without result yet.

Most of the camps follow a certain guideline. But there are some which simply give a sh§§. One of them is Mara Buffalo Camp!

And even IF all camps follow and respect the rules: The private drivers, daytripper from Nairobi and those staying on FB outside the reserve, create the problems! Those and the taxi driver "transforming" into guides as soon as one in Nairobi books them create the problems.

EDUCATION would be the answer!

Nobody who wants to enter the reserve can do so without a certain qualification!
Those drivers need to be thoroughly educated also on animal behaviour BEFORE they are allowed to enter ANY reserve!

((@))

Education is certainly good, but I don't think that the majority of the guides that we saw in the Mara were lacking in education or qualifications, given that many of them were employed by well-known lodges/safari companies (as indicated by the logos on their vehicles). All of the qualifications in the world doesn't necessarily mean that a guide is going to do what is morally correct. This is why I think that, in the absence of a ranger patrol as they have in the Mara Triangle, it is important for the lodges to police themselves. As for private guides (and self-drivers, such as ourselves), hopefully they would follow the lead of the local guides. Robin