climbhighsleeplow

Hi Andy

We must have been at Kogatende about the same time!

I agree with you!

This was my 3rd visit to the north in the last 18 months and I continue to be amazed by the area.

The rangers showed me some hidden valleys with springs and I was blown away. Huge green patches just dotted with wildebeest and zebra. Lots of elephant too and klipspringers and more.

I also saw long lines of wildebeest traveling around - actually it was the same in late November last year.

On this trip we did not see any cats though. Did you? In November we saw plenty of lion.

I don't know if you've seen my latest map of the area with the camp sites listed:

http://www.go-safari.com/Serengeti/SerengetiNorth2.jpg

BTW, we saw several leopards (in addition to the usual big lion prides) near Lobo. Apparently leopards at Lobo are quite normal nowadays but it was my first sighting up there.

Eben

andybiggs

Eben, we saw 10 cheetah in 1 day alone just north of the Mara. Thomson Safaris has a semipermanent camp set up at W4 on your map, and they will take it down sometime in late October. Or they might leave it there and not use it for guests until later on in December. The tents are extremely complex to setup, and aren't your typical mobile tents. More like what you see at Sayari, actually.

We saw a mating pair of leopard just before you decend from the last large kopje, on your way down towards the Kogatende ranger post. Talk about a stunning sight. My 500mm + 2x teleconverter could barely get decent shots on my full frame camera.

The extreme northern Serengeti isn't for everyone, whether it be because of cost or because of the time of the year, but it is yet another very different and unique location that I always look forward to during certain times of the year. I was there twice in the past month, and each time was extremely different from the other. Huge lines of wildebeest, elephants coming down to the Mara to drink, very skiddish cheetah, oribe all over the place, klipsringer, and we even saw tons of eland, including their young.

If you saw 4 white land rovers driving around with huge lenses sticking out of the side, you know that was my group.

santharamhari

Andy,

My goodness!!! 10 cheetah in one day.....your post really did get my attention......fabulous sightings and glad you had a super trip!!!

Hari

andybiggs

Hari-

yeah, we saw a mother and four not-so-young cubs, two adult brothers, and then another mother and 2 cubs. Simply amazing. Of course a chase/kill would have been nice, too.

santharamhari

Fantastic!!! This was in the Mara or northern serengeti?

Either way, i bet you got fantastic pictures.....

Thanks
Hari

andybiggs

northern Serengeti, just north of the Mara River, and just north of the Kogatende ranger post.

santharamhari

Thanks, Andy....

Hari

plaid_dude

Thanks for all the ideas. I think I might do this in Feb or Mar of 2008. I was in Kenya several years ago, then in 2005 I went to Botswana so the Serengeti seems like a good third trip. I'll look over all of your sugestions.

santharamhari

Plaid dude,

Which camps in Botswana? Did you by any chance post a trip report i can read? Thanks

Hari