Trip Report -- Kenya 2018

Old Dec 11th, 2018, 05:33 AM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Trip Report -- Kenya 2018

For those who can't tell by now, Kenya has completely won over my heart. As much as I tell myself I have other places on the bucket list, other safari and non-safari destinations I want to see, it keeps calling me back. 2018 wasn't meant to be a safari year; I'd already planned Peru and London and a week in Mexico City. That should have, and in an ordinary year, would have, been enough. But back in January Kenya Airways finally got approval for the direct, non-stop flight from JFK to Nairobi starting in late October. However delusional it seems, I read that as a sign that I was meant to go back this year. For $800 round trip, how could I interpret that any other way? (Normally going KLM in February costs me about $1200-1500 with the purchase of Premium Economy)

I reached out to Bill Given at The Wild Source based on feedback I've gotten from many of my more-experienced safari friends on Safaritalk. I spend a lot of my web-surfing hours on that site reading trip reports and looking at photos, so I knew Bill had a long and solid history and the guides he'd paired up with to open Enaidura Camp in the Maasai Mara are among the worlds best (Conde Nast Traveler, among the many organizations that have recognized them).

I figured since this was meant to be quick and somewhat budget-friendly as it wasn't planned, I'd just go to Nairobi and the Mara, my favorite place on earth. A few years ago I had ended a safari at the Emakoko in Nairobi National Park, and loved the accommodation and the game-drives I did there. I only had a day and a half there but was wildly impressed with the first-ever male leopard sighting I had there as well as copious numbers of rhinos. So I planned to start this safari there with 2 nights (giving me 2 full days since the KQ flight arrived at 9:30 am) and then going to Enaidura for 3 nights and a return to Offbeat Mara for 4 nights (no single supplement and a pay for 3, stay for 4 special offer). Booked in January, now all I had to do was wait until Halloween to leave.

An unexpected work bonus encouraged me to bid on Business Class upgrades on Kenya Airways. I'll admit that as the time drew closer I had a fair amount of anxiety about being in regular coach for 15+ hours. Fear not, I got the upgrade going over for $1100 and would get the return for $800 (but didn't find that out until I got back to Nairobi on departure day). Regular Biz fare was $4700 and I was all in for $2700 so that's a bargain in my book. Lie flat beds, a comfy fleece blanket and a wonderful meal with wine on take-off were all I needed to sleep about 7 hours going over. We landed early at about 9:15 a.m. and being first off the plane I was first through an empty immigration line and on the curb waiting for pickup by 9:45! I was in Nairobi National Park game-driving by 10:30! This was too good to be true!

Note: forgive image quality of pics posted here. My normal image files are too large to upload here, so I've downloaded the compressed files from my Facebook account. Overall I'm thrilled and feel I'm getting better at this wildlife photography thing!
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 11th, 2018, 05:38 AM
  #2  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Nairobi National Park

What is most striking about the park is how prominent the landscape is. The city of Nairobi has always been the backdrop, but now the SGR (standard gauge railroad) which the Chinese were allowed to build right through the park adds to the man-made background.





The rhino sightings, in my two experiences here, have been unsurpassed. Over the course of 2 1/2 days, I saw over 30 separate rhino, both black and white. We were treated a couple times to singles and families crossing the road right in front of us.






I was shooting photos of this guy early on a Sunday morning. I was popped up through the roof to shoot over the grass, when I noticed that he kept getting closer while I wasn't zooming in. He was mock charging us, taking 10-20 aggressive steps and then snorting. He did this until he was about 10 yards away from the vehicle, before he turned and ran off. Black rhinos are known to be aggressive and skittish. This was the closest I'd ever come to one.

amyb is offline  
Old Dec 11th, 2018, 05:55 AM
  #3  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Nairobi National Park, continued

My second day on safari in NNP proved to be one of my best days ever. It started with the early morning black rhino encounter (previous post) which I found pretty cool.

After lunch, my guide Rashid said we'd meet at 2:00 and head to Sheldricks Wildlife Trust, where I had a private visit with the orphan elephants scheduled for 3:00. It would take about 40 mins to leisurely drive there, so that should be good, he said. (There's a reason I share all this!)

Well, I'm forever early and was eager to get out and get going, so I was at the footbridge from the Emakoko to the car park at 1:50. Rashid pulled up and said he'd just seen 5 lionesses at the top of the hill and did I want to go find them! Well, DUH! Yes! In my prior trip, I'd not seen any lions at all and had only heard them roaring so far on this trip. So off we went.

We got to the top of the hill and took a left. A short ways long the road, we saw a mother impala and tiny baby. Rashid figured if the lions came this way, the impalas would have bolted, so we turned and went the other way. We passed a watering hole and no lions there, but muddy footprints headed in the same direction. Rashid used the binos and saw the 5 lions about 1/4 mile off in tall, dry grass. "They are hunting," he said.

OOOOHHH NOOOOOO! I cannot tell you how many times I've sat for HOURS waiting for a lion hunt. At least three that I recall, and none had ever been successful. I thought I would have the difficult decision of sitting and waiting it out, giving up my private visit at Sheldricks (which itself was quite a financial investment) but at the risk of another failed hunt. I started weighing it all out as Rashid drove quickly to the lionesses.

We pulled up and they were about 30 yards off the road. The lionesses had encircled two male impala with a bush behind them. The impalas really had no where to go, but they hadn't seen the lions yet. All I could see was the back of the lions ears and I could see them creeping closer! I barely had time to get my camera out, and didn't even get a chance to pop up through the roof, when it happened! The lionesses went for it and grabbed an impala in mid-air. My photos are horrible, they're through a sunny windshield and to be honest, I don't even remember looking through the viewfinder, I think I just pointed and held down the shutter release! But they got it!

From first photo to the time we moved over on to the kill was two minutes. YES, TWO MINUTES!! The safari gods were smiling on me!









I know there'll be a lot of people who either don't want to see a hunt or will think differently for me for wanting to (and being ridiculously thrilled that I finally did), but to be honest, this is something I've wanted to see since watching Wild Kingdom when I was little. As a big cat aficionado, it's been on my unfinished business list on each safari. I looked at Rashid and said "I could go home right now and be totally happy" and I meant it. But I didn't And believe it or not, my safari got even better....
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 11th, 2018, 07:39 AM
  #4  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
I should correct a statement above: until this trip, I'd never seen lions in NNP. Of course I'd seen plenty elsewhere, but they eluded me on my last NNP stay.

Nairobi National Park -- Sheldricks Wildlife Trust

I've been a long and ardent supporter of DSWT since I first went to Kenya. I believe in their mission and believe their success at reintegrating rescued orphaned elephants speaks volumes. DSWT has successfully raised and reintegrated back to wild living nearly 200 elephants. There are currently 22 orphans in their care in Nairobi, all under 3 years of age. Around 3 years, they get "stepped out" to a reintegration facility in other parks in Kenya. While they are milk dependent, they are encouraged to stay with the Sheldricks facility, but at some point they will become curious and wander off with resident wild-living elephant herds. Reintegration is done on the individual elephant's terms, so when they're ready, they will go. I have fostered 14 elephants, but only 5 are still in Nairobi for me to visit. This was my third visit to the elephant nursery.

For about an hour, I got to watch the elephants have their 3:00 p.m. milk bottles (they are hand-fed every 3 hours all day and night) and then have their mudbaths. I was free to move about and take photos, but had to remain upright (so as not to get knocked over) and couldn't put my hand near their mouths. Every time I do this, it's like a dream. It's such an immense privilege.





At the end of my elephant visit, Edwin the head keeper asked if I'd like to see "something special". Of course I did! It turns out that just the day before, they'd rescued a baby white rhino, only 3 days old. She'd gotten stuck in the mud and her mother couldn't get her out. Kenya Wildlife Service and Sheldricks got her out and spent 2 days trying to get her mother to take her back. Mom would have none of that for whatever reason. Sheldricks' options were then either leave her to perish or try to raise her and release her as an adult. Since Nairobi National Park, where the nursery is, has a healthy population of white rhinos and the species tends to be social (unlike aggressive, grouchy black rhinos), that seemed a viable alternative. So I got to meet this little one. What an absolute thrill it was for me. She was so tiny but very spunky and active. Just last week, a month after her rescue, DSWT announced she is doing well and available to foster. So now I have 15 foster babies! Meet Maarifa!








This day ended with a somewhat sadder story. We came across four white rhinos: an adult male, two adult females and the 1-year old calf of one of the females. The male was aggressively charging the calf, with the intent of getting rid of it so the mother would go into estrus. It was disturbing to see the calf running from it and the male charging with its long sharp horn pointed at it. The mother didn't seem to be helping at all. Rashid said it's likely the non-mother female was in estrus and the male wanted to mate with both. As it was quite dark at this point and I was getting distressed at the sighting, I opted to leave. Rashid said he'd seen a male rhino kill a calf before in the park for the same reasons, so this was likely the end of the story. Or was it....

My next morning found us up and out again at sunrise and heading to Wilson Airport for my flight to the Maasai Mara.

NNP sunrise:

Last edited by amyb; Dec 11th, 2018 at 07:41 AM.
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 11th, 2018, 07:51 AM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
A word about the Emakoko

I've said more than a few times that if I have the choice, I want to be like the two elderly ladies in the show Fawlty Towers who live in the hotel and come down for dinner and gin and tonic every night, only at the Emakoko. I'm only half kidding. I love this place. They have about 10 small thatched cottages with enormous bathrooms complete with waterfall shower and soaker tubs. The beds are huge and comfortable with mosquito netting. Doors and windows are optionally kept closed, but that does lend itself to some visitors. I was sitting quietly before dinner in my room and a rock hyrax (think large guinea pig) ran through from the deck to under my bed. I wasn’t scared or nervous, just worried he wanted to get out and my room was closed up for the night. I mentioned it to the guard as I went up to dinner and he said he’d take care of it. After dinner I returned to my room to pack to move on to the Mara the next day. I’d gotten that all done and climbed into bed, lights out, only to hear a repeated "THUMP, THUMP, THUMP" somewhere in my room. I looked up through the mosquito net to see the rock hyrax jumping up at the door knob to my deck. He wanted out. I got up, he ran and hid, I opened the door, climbed back behind the mosquito net and waited. It took him a few minutes but out he went. I closed the door behind him or else I think I would have had an all-night rave of rock hyraxes in with me.

This is the first time I've ever returned to accommodations I've liked on prior trips. I once had a guide in Russia instruct me "never try to repeat perfect, you will only be disappointed". I wasn't the least bit disappointed though, and I loved being welcomed as a return guest. I recognized some of the staff, especially Lawrence the bartender who has such a bright smile and even brighter Dawa (Kenyan vodka drink). It was excellent all the way around.

Meals here are superb. I eat better on safari than at most restaurants at home. They know how to cater to vegetarians! They make it very very hard to leave!

But the accommodations are top notch. It's as splurgey as I will ever get anywhere and especially on safari, where I really like to rough it. This was my last running water, electricity and wifi for over a week, so I soaked it up to move on. I really recommend this as a nice ending to a safari (I would have it again in a week as a day room before my midnight flight home) or a way to kick off a safari as I did. Game drives in the park are included, and both times I've been here the guiding has been excellent.
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 12th, 2018, 01:34 PM
  #6  
 
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,344
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
love this report-is a bit different from safari talk. you are so lucky to have seen the baby rhino at sheldricks. I see him on my feed and he is darling!
we loved our private visit there too and we adopted luggard bc his story was so sad. he is one of yours too, yes?

I remember really wanting to see a kill on our first safari in kenya-my son was worried and we tried to watch big cat diaries to get him used to it. we did see a cheetah kill (mom and her cubs) and they got a hare so while it was really exciting it was not too gross and the eating was done pretty quickly. this time we also saw a cheetah kill-it was a newly pregnant gazelle-and we were ready. the eating took a lot longer but it seems like nature and is not as gross as you would think.

I agree with you about kenya-for our second safari, even after some gentle prodding to try Botswana, we again returned to kenya. the mara, the animals and the lovely people of kenya make me want to return yet again.

looking forward to reading more.
plambers is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2018, 02:54 PM
  #7  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Oh Amy, I am living vicariously through you during this trip. Since adopting our two baby elephants in Feb we have received monthly updates (as I know you know). I am so happy to hear that Maarifa is doing so well.

We too witnessed two kills during our Offbeat Safari: one that we arrived upon during the kill and the second just a minute or so later. The first was during a night drive and involved a baby wildebeest taken down by a group of hyenas. The hyenas fought over the carcass as they dragged it back to their lair. The saddest part was the mother wildebeest kept running in circles trying to get the hyenas to chase her, but it didn't work.

The second kill involved two lone males who had been kicked out of their pride. While trying to take over another pride they killed and ate a young male from the new pride. Our guide told us this happens extremely rarely, and it was the talk of the Offbeat camp while we were there.

I was quite surprised at my reaction to both of these kills. I am a bit squeamish but actually this did not bother me as much as I thought. It was just hard core nature at its best.

I will follow with enthusiasm the rest of your trip report. Anxious to hear about the Offbeat Camp. They had tremendous rains after we left and we heard that the staff quarters and kitchen had been destroyed. Waiting for your thoughts on how it is going there now.
michele_d is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2018, 04:48 PM
  #8  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Plambers, thank you for reading here too! I’ve cut the content down a bit so it’s not so wordy and more manageable here.

Michelle, I won’t keep you in suspense about Offbeat and the flood. It is really an astounding story. The river behind camp flooded at 2 a.m. Chania left her staff quarters when she heard the water and said it went from knee to hip height in front of her tent in less than 30 seconds. She was swept into the river and clung to a tree for 6 hours, until daylight and the staff could find her. They spent the darkness of night thinking she surely had perished. She explained that she had a flashlight and her phone when she left her tent, and had to make the decision to drop them both in order to hold on longer. Jesse found her when it was safe to go out and look around and called rescue to come and get her.

The entire staff quarters area was washed away as well as the kitchen. They lost two vehicles. They rebuilt in 6 weeks. The whole common area is different now as a result, with a large stone fireplace down at one end and a nice bar at the other. The sofas/chairs and dining tables are in between. They also built a nice big back deck which is under shade trees and a serene, cool place to have lunch. Everyone I spoke to there is quick to say that they know just how lucky they all were. There could have been serious loss of life given the timing of the flood.

Also, Jesse has left to establish UK residency, which means he has to stay there for 5 years. Chania is lead manager now and there’s a nice guy, Stephen who assists.

I still have to do the Enaidura part of my trip report before I get to Offbeat. I’m hoping to get back to it tomorrow!

I think you and I share the same feeling about the kills. I know it’s harsh but it is nature. It’s ironic though because my guide from Emakoko posted today on Facebook with video of a lioness taking down an impala right in front of his vehicle...and the whole thing took 2 minutes! I think he has the luck of safari gods shining down on him!
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2018, 05:10 PM
  #9  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,779
Received 17 Likes on 1 Post
Kenya has my heart, too. Going to Tanzania? Just tack Kenya onto the end. Going to Ethiopia? Just tack Kenya onto the end. Going to Botswana? Skip Bots and go to Kenya.

You are having a great trip! Even though the photos are out of focus they will forever remind you how awesome it was. Is Offbeat right outside the OMC? Am I remembering correctly?

Love the baby ellies and rhino. I look forward to seeing more!
sundowner is offline  
Old Dec 13th, 2018, 05:37 PM
  #10  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
You have that all right, Sundowner!

Offbeat Mara is in Mara North Conservancy, which is adjacent to OMC, I think to the west!

Fasten your seatbelts for my time with Ping. It was epic! You were so right about him!
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 06:18 AM
  #11  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Amy...oh my gosh...poor Chaina!!! The staff must have been beside themselves waiting to find out her fate. Poor poor girl!

During our stay the river rose during the night, after a rainstorm. Our armed guard initially could not make it to us for our walking safari, as he could not cross the river, but eventually he did make it to camp.

The main tent setup was as you described when we visited in Feb. It is quite lovely. We had most meals on the deck, with the monkeys hanging around, and one meal inside the tent. What a great setup it is.

We had the feeling, from the way Jesse was speaking, that he most likely would not be there the next time we returned. He is good kid...we wish him the best.

Have the most wonderful rest of your trip!!!
michele_d is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 06:46 AM
  #12  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
michele, ah ok then they'd already refurbished the common area pre-flood. It wasn't like that when I was there in Feb 2017 so I just assumed that had been part of the flood damage/renovations. Thanks for clarifying!
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:01 AM
  #13  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Enaidura Camp -- each of my days here was a full-day experience. Up and out before dawn, heading back to camp around 6 p.m. when the Reserve closed. What I loved was that on each day, we were in the middle of a great sighting pretty far from camp as lunch approached and Ping had a full hot lunch brought to us out at the sighting. And both times one of the women from camp got to stay with us and watch what we were waiting around for. Enaidura is the first camp I've been at that employs female staff. I talked to them at night before dinner and they had never been on safari or in the Reserve before, despite living so close to it. They all loved being so close to the wildlife and getting to experience the camp and sightings as well as meeting people from around the world who stay there.

I'll run through the best sightings here, sparing you the tedious day by day diaries!

On our first evening in the Reserve we found only one male lion, tucked across the river from us, back to us. It was the first male I'd seen on this trip. The light was fading and we waited to see if he'd raise his head because Ping was pretty sure that it was Scarface, a legendary male who has ruled the Mara from end to end for 13 years. He was a member of the famous Marsh Pride (if you've seen Big Cat Diaries on BBC, you'd know him) but now rules part of the Paradise Pride breakaway group. I was watching this sleeping giant, willing him to lift his head so I could see him. He did every so briefly as he changed position and I saw that damaged right eye and knew it was him. So I saw him, but only in near-dark and a distance away. On second day out, I had this spot myself (meaning I beat Ping to the sighting). As we crested the hill and came down into Paradise Pride territory, the gorgeous golden light caught this guy. We had him all to ourselves from mere feet away. I got my up close and personal with him. I was beyond thrilled. He roared to his coalition mates, and his call went unanswered. He looked thin (and later we would see his 3 coalition mates who looked like they'd eaten, without him) and when he got up to move under a bush, he couldn't put any weight on one of his hind paws and was limping badly. This was really sad to me, and I'll admit, I was a soggy mess. For such a giant of the Mara, it seemed such an undignified end of life. At the time, Ping didn't think he had much time left, particular if his coalition mates weren't sticking with him. But oddly enough, I saw video of Scarface on social media a couple weeks later, and he was mating! So he rallied for that! Even with his eye, he's still really a handsome male cat.




One of the lunchtime sightings we had was of a pride of lions with a pride male (full mane) and a sub-adult male who was at the uncomfortable age of almost being forced out of the pride (they get forced out as they become sexually mature). When we pulled up, all the lions but the sub-adult male were enjoying the shade of a large acacia tree. Most were asleep, but the pride male was keeping an eye on the young guy. The young cat was panting heavily and clearly unhappy to be lying in the hot midday sun. He'd try to creep closer to the shade on his belly, ever so covertly, but every time the pride male would threaten him with a growl or just by standing up. There was one confrontation where the young cat just decided to stand up and move in anyway, but the pride male went after him and he backed down. The pride male pooped where he was, the young male peed, and they both sat down in that very spot. Interesting territory marking! We waited for a couple hours watching this, with the tension being palpable. Ping suspected it would eventually come to a head and finally it did. One of the sub-adult females, likely the young male's sister, moved to sit with him in the sun. She walked over and nuzzled him and sat down. That was too much for the pride male, who got up and went after HER, then went after the sub-adult male. It was pretty violent but fast. All the cats moved out of the shade and left the pride male sitting there alone. And that's how we left them. I got two shots from the fights I'm pretty happy with, as well as a few of the pride male as he laid under the tree.











We also came across a few pairs of lions mating. This pair was early in their honeymoon, mating every 10 minutes or so. It's always interesting to see how the females initiate the mating sessions. And how angry they both become at the end, but then just move on and lie down again, only to start it all over again later. As the honeymoon wears on (usually 3-5 days) they will mate less frequently.

amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:17 AM
  #14  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Enaidura Camp again

Probably the best sightings I had at Enaidura were leopard sightings. In the past, I'd considered myself fortunate to have seen one leopard. Usually you will only see one leopard, unless it's a female with a cub (which I'd seen in Naboisho a couple years ago). On our first morning out with Ping we went looking for leopard. It was Kaboso's 2 year old female cub. We found her, attempting to hunt, but so did about 15 other vehicles. This one sighting was everything nasty I'd heard about the Reserve. Vehicles came screeching in at top speed, cutting her off as she tracked her prey. It's a double-edged sword though, because she's so habituated to vehicles that she also used them for cover and for shade! Ping and a guide from Kicheche tried to tell the renegade vehicles to behave, to no avail. Ultimately we felt bad for her, so we left.












The very next day though, we returned to the very same spot, and saw that leopard's brother and had him entirely to ourselves, for a much more relaxed sighting.











The very best leopard experience of the trip (and likely my best sighting to date) was when we found the leopardess Lorian in estrus and courting not one, but TWO MALES at the same time! Ping had never seen this in 23 years of guiding. We watched this for about 90 minutes. She'd flirt with one, he'd act disinterested, she'd move to the other, the first would get interested, the second wouldn't be. Periodically the males would scuffle (there were visible wounds on both males). Finally she and one of the males disappeared inside a dense bush. Vehicles circled around it (Only 3 of us so not bad). I questioned why Ping was where we were rather than on the other side with the other two. He pointed to a single dark cloud in the sky and said "the rain that's coming will flush them out of the bush and they will come this way." 5 minutes later, a very brief shower hit us, the leopards came out and mated 30 feet off the front of our vehicle! All the while, there was growling, drooling, moaning. Lorian had been scent marking all over and these boys were all lathered up (literally! one was drooling heavily). I'd never seen anything like it, and neither had Ping. When all was said and done, he turned to me and just shook his head and said "Wow". It was one of only two times he took out his own camera (the fight being the other), so I knew this was special.


The little lady!



You can see this guy's wound on his face and also how he's drooling. He was not the lucky winner!




amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:24 AM
  #15  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
A few random shots from the Mara Reserve:

Baby elephant scratching an itch!


A hartebeest, such a curious head!

I'd never seen warthog piglets so little!

One of the Fast Five cheetah coalition. We saw two of the five as they had fought and dispersed just before we got there.

Topi showing his dominance on a termite mound

Giraffe with an oxpecker cleaning up bugs

One thing Ping worked on with me is my bird flight photography. This one was a score for me.

Golden hour lioness

There were still large herds of wildebeest around in early November, since the migration herds were so confused this year. Here were a few hundred just streaming by us.

Male ostriches turn a vibrant pink when they're eager to mate


I love lilac-breasted rollers!

Last edited by amyb; Dec 14th, 2018 at 09:27 AM.
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:29 AM
  #16  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
Another leopard (from the threesome above)
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:31 AM
  #17  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post




amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 09:41 AM
  #18  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,974
Likes: 0
Received 6 Likes on 1 Post
A word about Enaidura Camp -- I had to check to be sure, but I've stayed in 15 different camps and lodges in Eastern Africa now. In my opinion, Enaidura is by far the best of them. It's not just that the staff are awesome (because they are) or the food is incredible (because it is). I really feel like Enaidura has it all figured out. They've stayed in camps like I have and come up with that list of annoyances that you just live with in a mobile tented camp, like no power strips in rooms (usually you have to share a power strip in the common area during certain hours of the day) or no light in the closet area or no light in the shower or poor water pressure. Enaidura takes care of all that. TWO power strips in the room, usable all day and all night long! Light in the closet and the shower. Awesome water pressure in the bucket shower! The pressure was so good the first time I took a shower there, I forgot where I was and ran out before I was done! Luckily a staffer was passing by and and heard me say "Oh shoot" and ran and got me another bucket. Another nice touch is they deliver a drink and snacks to your room while you're getting ready for dinner. I loved having a dawa and banana chips as I was getting dressed and relaxing before dinner.

The location is excellent, at the intersection of the Talek and Mara Rivers (within walking distance to a major crossing point, not that you'd walk there....but you can get there quickly if you hear a crossing taking place). Location though doesn't mean that's where Ping stays. If he thinks there's a sighting an hour or two off, he'll go. I mapped the various sightings that I knew where we were, and we covered such a wide swath of the Reserve, it was unbelievable. And only at that one leopard sighting did we have any significant numbers of vehicles. All the other sightings were just two other vehicles (like the leopard threesome) or us all alone (all the rest of the sightings). So everything I'd heard about how crazy the sightings in the Reserve are wasn't necessarily accurate. You just need to have a really good guide who can find your sightings for you.

I could rave on and on about this, but probably the best indication of how much I liked Enaidura was that I wrote to Bill four days after I got home and started talking about 2019. I told him to let my jetlag wear off, but that I want to go back in the fall. And I just asked him for an itinerary this week. Yep, it's that good.

Next up, Mara North Conservancy and Offbeat Mara.
amyb is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 03:34 PM
  #19  
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 4,350
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Just gorgeous pics!!!
michele_d is offline  
Old Dec 14th, 2018, 07:50 PM
  #20  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 3,779
Received 17 Likes on 1 Post
Incredible sightings! And images! We really liked Enaidura Camp, too. The people are the best. And that Brian ... "Will you mind to get a top up?" And Ping. I swear he speaks leopard and lion and cheetah.
sundowner is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -