safaridude

Here is my trip report for my recent safari to Kenya and Tanzania.

Itinerary:

Aug 10 – Swara Plains (morning only – outside Nairobi)
Aug 10, 11, 12 – Ol Donyo Wuas (Mbirikani Group Ranch)
Aug 13, 14 – Elsa’s Kopje (Meru National Park)
Aug 15, 16 – Wilderness Trails (Lewa Downs)
Aug 17, 18, 19 – Sayari Camp (Serengeti National Park)
Aug 20, 21, 22, 23 – Ugalla East Camp (Ugalla Game Reserve)

Airline: KLM
Travel Agents: Uncharted Outposts for Kenya; Legendary Adventures for Tanzania

Here it goes…

Swara Plains: A Pleasant Surprise

It was that familiar unfamiliar feeling again – from when I used to travel more frequently in business. Having awakened in darkness and in stupor, I desperately tried to ascertain where I was. Where the heck was I? I somehow managed to nudge the curtain, and a small glimmer of light shone from the parking lot outside the hotel. Following the ray, I could barely make out a matchbox with the logo “Nairobi Serena Hotel”. Instantly, I sprang. The world seemed right. For the seventh time in my very fortunate life, I would be traveling on the continent on which I am certain I should have been born.

For the next two weeks, I would be the unofficial leader of five American travelers on a safari through Kenya and Tanzania. By now, I knew Nairobi like the back of my hand, and I wanted us to try something a little different. Before we flew out to our first camp, I arranged for our morning visit to Swara Plains, a wildlife conservancy less than an hour southeast of Nairobi.

Our vehicle skirted the edge of Nairobi National Park almost the entire way down to Swara Plains. Last year, I had written about the demise of Nairobi National Park in my trip report (http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34880203 and http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34882078 ). Things pretty much looked the same as last year. The big migratory herds of zebras and wildebeests that should have arrived into Nairobi National were missing due to the ecological degradation of the migratory corridors. But enough lamenting already. It turns out that Swara Plains is a decent substitute for Nairobi National Park. This 20,000-acre conservancy, which used to supply the Carnivore Restaurant in Nairobi with game meat, is well stocked with pretty much every species of plains game found in Nairobi National Park. It offers a perfectly pleasant day trip from Nairobi. Although we didn’t stay overnight, Swara Plains does offer several different overnight accommodations.

After the nice warm-up game drive, we were picked up by a Cessna from Nairobi. The navigation system in the cockpit showed a computerized map of our route. “Kilimanjaro”, it read. Not a bad place to start a safari.


Ol Donyo Wuas (Mbirikani Group Ranch): The Legend of Richard Bonham (and Woody the Cat)

Several miles northeast of Mt. Kilimanjaro and on the foot of the Chyulu Hills in a Maasai-owned group ranch called Mbirikani, Richard Bonham built one of the very first “eco-lodges” in Kenya 21 years ago called Ol Donyo Wuas (“the spotted hills”). I had been to Campi ya Kanzi in the neighboring Kuku Group Ranch last year, and I was keen to see what this neighbor was all about.

Like Kuku, Mbirikani offers a dizzying array of biomes. Immediately surrounding Ol Donyo Wuas is woodland dominated by stunted acacia tortillas trees. As one looks past the woodland to the west, El Mau (“the twin hills”) stand sentinel to huge, virtually treeless open plains, reminiscent of the short-grass plains of southeastern Serengeti. Turn around, and conical shapes of some of the world’s youngest volcanoes that make up the Chyulu Hills loom. Most peculiar are tracts of dense lava forests that harbor a few black rhinos, which have been exterminated from the nearby Amboseli National Park.

The lodge itself is unique in that the rooms are totally open-air. There is nothing between you and a group of bull elephants drinking from the lodge’s waterhole except for mosquito netting and an inconspicuous electric fence. Genets are regular visitors to your room. The toilet faces the waterhole. It’s a bit strange having a bull elephant staring at you.

During our three-day stay, we saw in abundance most of the classic East African savannah species. Wildebeests and zebras find the open plains near El Mau as their dry season “grass bank” as well as apparently their wet season calving ground. Thompson’s and Grant’s gazelles mingle. Impalas and elands stay close to the edge of the woodlands. Gerenuks stick to the whistling-thorn bush land. Puzzling is the fact that groups of fringed-eared oryxes (who are known to be water-independent and prefer open habitat) stay largely within the acacia forest and come to the lodge’s waterhole and that the wildebeests (who are known to be water-dependent) stay out on the dry plains and do not come to drink. We found several lion and cheetah tracks, but we were unsuccessful in finding them.

More than the game, Ol Donyo Wuas is about the personalities. Richard and Anna Vivian run the lodge with relaxed precision. James, our guide, is one of those rare breeds comfortable straddling his Maasai heritage and our western culture. There are various lion researchers living near the lodge. Tom Hill, a great raconteur and conservationist, also makes his home near Ol Donyo Wuas. Then of course, there is Richard Bonham.

I had the pleasure of meeting Richard Bonham, who along with wife Tara gave up the day-to-day business of running Ol Donyo Wuas several years ago and now live in a separate house about 20 minutes away from the lodge. He is certainly one of the great characters of the African bush. If you don’t believe in reincarnation, you will after meeting Richard Bonham. He is most certainly a “Great White Hunter” reincarnate in the mold of Denys Finch Hatton/Frederick Selous. Tom Hill tells a spine tingling tale: several years ago, a rogue male lion was terrorizing Mbirikani Group Ranch. This unusually large male was capable of jumping over bomas in the middle of the night to claim a cow or goat. He even mauled children. He was also as cunning as he was fierce, for he escaped the spears of Maasai warriors hell-bent on revenge. One day KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service) contacted Bonham and requested that he find and kill this lion. So, off went Bonham and Hill on a “fly-camping trip” with three Maasai trackers. After days of following the spoor of this monster, the trackers, armed only with spears and walking sticks, suddenly began waving and pointing frantically – in panic but in silence -- at Bonham. It was difficult to make anything out in the thick bush and no words had been spoken, but everyone knew what was happening. At this point, Bonham, indeed an experienced big game hunter, in one continuous motion, loaded his rifle while taking it from its resting position on his shoulder. He shuffled his body sideways, cutting himself up in hundreds of places from the thorns, but in the process drawing the lion’s attention from Hill and the trackers. A single shot and the “witch was dead”. As they went around the various villages with the lifeless former king on the flatbed, men came out to shake Bonham’s hand, children laughed as they touched the mane and the tail, and women celebrated with songs.

There is another legendary figure at Ol Donyo Wuas. In the mid-‘90s, the lodge was managed by Sandy and Chip Cunningham, now proprietors of Uncharted Outposts, the travel company which executed our trip flawlessly. When Sandy and Chip decided to leave Kenya in 1997, Sandy bequeathed to the Bonhams her pet cat “Woody”, whom she had kept around the lodge. Bonhams, for whatever reason, decided to take Woody to their new home several miles way from Ol Donyo Wuas. As soon as they took him to the house though, he went missing. Four to five days later, everyone was flabbergasted when Woody showed up at the lodge, unscathed from his casual stroll through prime leopard country. Dazed but still determined, the Bonhams took Woody to their house again, only to have the episode reoccur. They finally decided that Woody had had enough, and this friendly housecat has since been greeting guests at Ol Donyo Wuas once again. He is 14 years old now, still basking in the sun and gazing at Kili’s peak on cloudless days.


Elsa’s Kopje (Meru National Park): Spotting Lesser Kudus for Dummies

Half the greatness of Meru National Park lies in its history. As I wrote about last year, the park has been completely reclaimed from poachers. Meru is now all the way back. It is a true, untouched wilderness – like when it was home to Elsa, the lioness. I encourage you to read all about the history of this park on the web. It’s invigorating stuff.

It was good to be back in Meru again and to see it under different conditions. Even though this year’s visit was a month earlier in the dry season compared to last year’s, the park looked much drier. The long rains had practically failed in the eastern half of Kenya this year, and the otherwise mint-green combretum leaves were showing signs of stress. Unlike last year, Elsa’s was full of guests, which was good to see. Hosts Anthony and Emma greeted us warmly once again. Knowing from last year my fondness for kudus, Anthony advised that the park was full of lesser kudus like last year and there have even been a few sightings of greater kudus, which have historically not been recorded in Meru until recently. “Kudu sana”, also boasted our guide John.

As the sun started to set on our first day, I was mystified. I had only seen one sub-adult lesser kudu all afternoon and a fleeting glimpse at that. Last year, it seemed the place was over-run by them. Not that they are ever easy. They are frustrating creatures in fact. They tease the photographer by standing stock still for a moment to pose. By the time you get done manually focusing (highly recommended in the thick bush), they are gone and you are merely left with a blurred image of a white tale. This time though, they appeared not to even be around to give me a chance at frustrating moments. Where did they go? Did they move out because they felt inferior to the newly arrived greater kudus? It was then that I remembered. Last year, I bumped my head twice on the roll bar of the Land Rover before my first game drive – this is on the way from the airstrip to the lodge! Angry at the vehicle and myself and with a bump on my head, I sat in the back of the Land Rover on every game drive. You see, lesser kudus are found in dense bush, and one has a much better chance of spotting them by sitting in the elevated back section of the three-decked Land Rover. I distinctively remember spotting them from my perch last year while our guide/driver drove right by them on occasion. On our second day this time, we instituted a bush animal spotting system. Whoever sat in the back, once spotting a lesser kudu or any other animal in the thick bush, would whisper (you don’t want to spook them) out the name of the animal and tap the shoulder of the person sitting on the middle deck. That person would then tap John’s shoulder, and he would stop the vehicle. What a difference it made. For the rest of our stay, we were rewarded with ten or so sightings of the beautiful lesser kudu.

Due to the drought, the game was concentrated around various swamps. Mulika swamp and Bwatherongi swamp in particular had large numbers of elephants and buffalos. The typical northern species were seen – the beisa oryx, gerenuk and Somali ostrich. Twice during our two-day stay, we ran into a pride of lions who had been feasting on a zebra kill. Between last year’s visit and this year’s, I learned that Meru has its own endemic race of hartebeest. Sometimes described as Jackson’s hartebeest and sometimes as Coke’s hartebeest, the hartebeests in Meru are in fact hybrid. So are the hartebeests found in the Laikipia district of Kenya. However, the ones found in Meru are distinct even from those hybrids in Laikipia.

Anthony joined us on our game drive our last afternoon. I can’t really recall in detail everything we saw on that drive. What I remember most is just taking it all in – the smell, the sound, the texture of the air – knowing that I was seeing Meru at its best. Anthony told us that three or four potential new lodge sites had been offered up for tender. We even drove by one that appeared to already have had some construction activity. That is a good thing since tourism revenues help justify the existence of national parks. On the other hand, for me it was like having my favorite neighborhood restaurant suddenly being discovered by others. I am confident that the park is large enough to support a number of new establishments without sacrificing its remote feel, and the park will always be wild. I will be back to see Meru again, but I can truly say I saw it twice in its heyday.

safaridude

More in a couple of days... I hope.

Treepol

Hi Safaridude,

I'm enjoying your report and looking forward to the next 'chapter'. Good tip about Swara and I loved the Woody story.

Cheers,

Pol.

QueenofDaNile

Great stories Dude! Looking forward to reading about Sayari-will be there next month

atravelynn

You write a beautiful report. Such contrasting tales from a marauding lion to Woody the domestic cat.

I will remember your lesser kudu spotting advice and hope to put it to use some day in Meru. Sorry it took an injury to perfect the system.

I notice you were in Meru 2 nights. Are 2 nights enough? I think you stayed longer last time, unless I have that mixed up. Some itineraries have 3 or 4 nights. Lesser kudu would be one of the main reasons I would include Meru.

From your wording should I conclude Swara Plains no longer provides meat to the Carnivore?

You have some intriguing stays in your itinerary. Looking forward to more.

safaridude

Lynn, I stayed 2 nights at Elsa's Kopje as well last year. I think a 3 night stay is better, but because the roads are so good you can cover a lot of ground in just 2 days. Trust me, my next visit will be for 3 days though.

I don't believe The Carnivore serves game meat anymore (aside from ostrich).

Leely

Beautifully written and evocative report. You've certainly got me dying to go to Meru.

Looking forward to more.

atravelynn

Interesting comment on the roads, thanks. If it turns out there is an opportunity for 2 nights at Meru or nothing, I'll go with 2. Can you estimate about how many lesser kudu you saw in 2 days? Even if you can't get a photo, it would be great just to see them.

It appears there is a construction boom in Meru. At least it is a large reserve and hopefully can accommodate the visitors.

This next question is almost sacrilegious. When you go to visit Elsa's grave, is it a good game drive route or mainly to see the grave? Does every guest visit the grave?

I watched the Elsa specials on TV and have read the Adamson books and I do have a place in my heart for Elsa, despite those questions above.

Thanks and looking forward to Lewa Downs.

safaridude

Lynn, last year and this year, each time I had at least 10 lesser kudu sightsings -- that is more than 20 sightings in 4 full days. Most of them are extremely skittish, but a few of them will pose.

I am not quite sure where Elsa's grave is. I am not even sure if it exists in Meru. Pippa's grave (Pippa was Joy Adamson's cheetah) is in the center of the park and easily visited.

safaridude

Wilderness Trails (Lewa Downs): Going from Strength to Strength

It had been 16 years since I visited Lewa Downs. Back then, Wilderness Trails at Lewa Downs had the feel of a small bed & breakfast. Will and Emma Craig hosted a small lodge on the vastness of Kenya’s Laikipia plateau. The former cattle ranch/farm was in the process of being converted into a game sanctuary. I remember it being two of the most relaxing days ever on safari. And the food – made from ingredients grown on the ranch – the food!

Dare I say things are even better now? The wildlife is now truly abundant. Lewa Downs has about a quarter of the world’s Grevy’s zebra population. The black and white rhinos number more than 60. Lions, which didn’t occur on the ranch16 years ago, now make their home there. Even wild dogs, thought to be locally extinct in the Laikipia, have made a comeback. The dogs now number something over 100 in the Laikipia district, and once in a blue moon they visit Lewa Downs located on the edge of the district, we were told. Will and Emma have handed over the management of Wilderness Trails to Meera, a Kenyan citizen of a Punjabi descent, and three Laikipiak Maasai (Karamushu, Silas and one other who was on leave). There are a few new units at Wilderness Trails since my last visit. The place now feels like a slightly bigger small bed & breakfast. It was refreshing to see that the Maasai weren’t merely employees there, but rather crucial part of management. Unlike most other lodges and camps, the managers sat with guests at meals. Karamushu, splendidly adorned in traditional Maasai shukas, sat next to me at supper to discuss wildlife, electronic gadgets and world politics. It is interesting how Kenya has a reputation for mass-tourism. While some of that is justified, my most intimate safari experiences have been on private lands of Kenya (Lewa Downs, Ol Donyo Wuas, Campi ya Kanzi, etc.) and a couple of its national parks (Meru and Tsavo).

As we headed out for a game drive on our second day, we were greeted by none other than two wild dogs. One had a radio collar around its neck – no doubt a subject of scientists studying the dog’s range. Interestingly, a male impala stood merely 50 yards away from the two dogs. The dogs made a half-hearted attempt at the impala but abandoned the chase only after a few seconds. They were apparently not hungry enough, and the impala apparently had no clue as to what he was looking at. In other parts of Africa where wild dogs are common, antelopes, knowing the efficiency of the dogs as hunters, often flee as soon as the dogs are sighted. Always on the move they are, the dogs left us before we knew it. Will later explained that the two dogs were probably part of a big pack, and they were most likely “scouting” for an ideal new territory on behalf of the pack.

The game was concentrated around a swampy fever tree forest area near the airstrip. The swamp/fever tree forest was much bigger than I remembered from 16 years ago, and it is reminiscent of parts of the Ngorongoro Crater. The Garden of Eden is more like it. Big herds of Grevy’s zebras mingle with plains zebras, beisa oryxes, elands, impalas and Grant’s gazelles. A white rhino with a bad temper named Chuma and an unidentified black rhino were seen on the same drive.

A stay at Lewa Downs isn’t complete without learning about its conservation activities. Will’s brother, Ian Craig, heads up the effort. Recently, Ian has been exporting the community-based conservation model outside of Lewa Downs. His Northern Rangelands Trust has been instrumental in setting up conservancy areas in northern Kenya, promoting local community conservation as well as providing health care and education for the people.

The lasting impression of Lewa Downs is one of harmony. The wildlife, the people, the accommodations, the food, and the conservation efforts -- everything seems to be in balance. Lewa Downs is truly a happy happy place. I shall return much sooner than 16 years from now.


Sayari Camp (Serengeti National Park): Ants on the Runway

This from A. R. E. Sinclair in Serengeti II, Dynamics, Management, and Conservation of an Ecosystem: “… Sometime between 1976 and 1982, approximately 85% of buffalo… in northern Serengeti were removed by poachers… For the following 5 years (1984-1989) heavy poaching continued in this study area, and the buffalo population was limited to a single herd of only 100-200 animals that made occasional forays into the area from the eastern boundary… Thus, the previously dominant herbivore in this area has been effectively absent for the 14 years 1980 – 1994. While the removal of buffalo has been the best-documented consequence of poaching, there is some circumstantial evidence that lions, which are the main predators in the removal area, also disappeared…”

Such was the reputation of the northern portion of Serengeti National Park in Tanzania that scientists dubbed it “the removal area”. Immediately west of the park boundary, the land is inhabited by the Kuria tribe. Unlike the pastoralist Maasai to the north and east, the Kuria are by nature hunters/poachers. I own a guidebook written in 1990 that recommends taking an armed ranger along if one wants to see this part of Serengeti. Shame, because this area of Serengeti is contiguous with Kenya’s Maasai Mara, perhaps the premier wildlife destination in all of Africa. Recognizing the potential of this remote corner of Serengeti, the Tanzanian authorities began anti-poaching efforts in earnest about five years ago. The results have been dramatic. The game has been returning to northern Serengeti in impressive numbers.

The pilot of our Cessna Caravan notified us that we would be flying over Ol Donyo Lengai on our way from Kilimanjaro Airport to our airstrip in Serengeti. I had no idea at the time that we would be flying literally right over the semi-active volcano that the Maasai call “Mountain of God”. Recently, tremors had been felt in Arusha and Nairobi, and scientists traced the quakes to the volcanic activities around Ol Donyo Lengai. For a brief moment, we were only few hundred feet above the smoldering pools of lava. Very exciting and interesting, but if Lengai had blown its top at that very moment… it turns out that that wasn’t the most harrowing moment of the flight…

As we neared the airstrip, we began seeing hundreds if not thousands of black dots on the plains below. Dom, who guided us last year as well in Tanzania, and I began high-fiving each other as it became clear we had timed the wildebeest migration perfectly. Then it dawned on us that we had a bit of a problem. How do you land a plane when there are hundreds of wildebeests milling around on the airstrip? We could see that there were two vehicles below running the opposite lengths of the runway trying to corral the herds with little success. The runway would clear briefly, the pilot would begin our approach, and at the last moment a few wildebeests would bee-line for the runway. After our second aborted landing attempt, the pilot jokingly (?) quipped that we might have to go back. Their being the ultimate creatures of randomness, however, the wildebeests mysteriously cleared the runway for our third landing attempt. I suppose there are many things that can go against you on an African safari, but I never thought that nailing the timing of the wildebeest migration was one of them.

The Mara River, which snakes through both Serengeti in Tanzania and Maasai Mara in Kenya, cuts out a swath of land resembling an obtuse triangle in the very northwestern corner of Serengeti. This triangular “wedge” north of the Mara River in Tanzania is named the Lamai Wedge and is adjacent to Maasai Mara. The area south of the Mara River is called Kogatende (or, confusingly, Mara-Tabora). The Lamai Wedge is the principal draw in northern Serengeti as it teems with resident game, as well as big herds of wildebeests in season, and all of Serengeti’s predator species. It is an area especially renowned for cheetahs. Lamai is supposed to be, in effect, a Maasai Mara without the annoying herds of tourist vehicles. Sayari Camp happens to be located on the Kogatende side (south of the river). The terrrain in Kogatende reminded me a lot of the Western Corridor of Serengeti. There are open plains, which were flush with new green grass after the recent burns, interspersed with tsetse fly-ridden woodlands. Strangely, there are no flat-topped acacias to be found. Instead, the dominant tree species there is the Acacia Robusta, with its crowned top. These mature trees give the Kogatende area a positively pre-historic feel.

As we discussed our plans for the next three days, we received some discouraging news. Due to unusually heavy rains prior to our arrival, the Mara River had swelled, and the concrete bridge connecting the Kogatende section and the Lamai Wedge was unsafe to cross. Apparently, on three separate occasions this year, vehicles and their passengers had to be rescued as they tried to cross the bridge while the water was flowing over the bridge. It is not as bad as it sounds since immediately downstream from the bridge is a shallow, rocky portion of the river. Still, knowing that sinister crocs and fiercely territorial hippo bulls are not far away, attempting to cross the bridge with the water level up about two feet above the top was not in the equation. For the next three days, I would frequently check the northern sky hoping that dry stretch might settle down the Mara River -- only to see afternoon storms brewing upstream from us. In the dead of September last year in the Western Corridor of Serengeti, I was caught in a biblical thunderstorm. I love the dry season in East Africa.

Not that we were complaining. The game viewing was still phenomenal south of the river. We were constantly surrounded by wildebeests. We may have seen a hundred thousand of them, perhaps two hundred thousand. At some point, these numbers become meaningless. Dom, who had been guiding in Tanzania for four years, told us that he had never seen so many wildebeests in one place. A couple of times near the Mara River, large herds would build. The ones nearest to the river would look across to Lamai with envy, and just when it looked like they couldn’t resist jump-starting the famous river crossing, they would inexplicably turn away. Interestingly, aside from the mass of migrating wildebeests in the area at that moment, it appeared that neither the density nor the variety of resident game was what it should be (or, more precisely, what it could be if anti-poaching efforts continued) immediately south of the river. We saw decent sized herds of zebras and impalas, but only a handful of Thomson’s gazelles, one giraffe, one eland, one dead buffalo skull, and no topis, hartebeests or Grant’s gazelles. Because of the moderate density of resident prey immediately south of the river, the local lion pride was small (5 adults) and only one male cheetah was known to roam the area consistently. Of course, the Lamai Wedge would be different. Our driver Albert told us about the big herds of buffalos, gazelles and topis in Lamai falling prey to three different prides of lions and countless cheetahs. But, each time we checked the bridge, the water level appeared to be even higher, and on the northern horizon, yet another cumulus cloud formed.

The camp itself, the staff and the food were wonderful. The feel-good story here is that most of the staff at Sayari Camp is Kuria. No doubt some of them were former meat poachers. Now they are benefiting economically from being employed in eco-tourism. It is a huge challenge to balance the needs of wildlife and people living outside the park, but Sayari Camp is currently winning small battles on that front.

One morning, we headed south and kept going further south to an area unlike any other in Serengeti called Wogakuria. Wogakuria is a series of gently rolling tall grasslands dotted with visually stunning kopjes. Klipspringers can be seen on the kopjes, and oribis, rare anywhere else, abound on the grasslands. There we saw much more mixed resident game including topis, hartebeests and buffalos. Back near camp, we were extremely fortunate to twice find a pair of mating lions. This pair was on its 3rd or 4th day of mating but showed no signs of tiring. Like clockwork, every fifteen minutes they would engage – each time culminating with a bout of violent growling and fighting that screams with irony.

On our last morning, we didn’t even bother to check the bridge, because it had rained again upstream. The previous night, I met a camp guest who had been on seven safaris like I have but had never seen a cheetah. He had booked Sayari Camp this year, because of Lamai’s reputation for cheetahs. He left early morning, as previously planned, to drive all the way down the length of Serengeti where he might find some cheetahs. I was hoping he would not go 0-for-8. Even though I had had plenty of cheetah sightings previously, I hadn’t yet seen one on this trip. Too bad we couldn’t get to Lamai! But just when I was about to give up hope, there he was not even two miles from camp – the lone territorial male cheetah on a termite mound. Dom, obviously pleased, turned to me and said sarcastically, “Lamai Schlamai!” After spending several quality minutes with the cheetah, we headed for Wogakuria again to enjoy the splendid scenery one last time. Just then, an excited call came in on the vehicle radio. After speaking in Swahili on the radio, Albert turned to us and said, “the wildebeests are crossing the river”. He explained that a crossing usually lasts only a few minutes but sometimes can go on for a couple of hours. We were about 30 minutes away from the Mara River. Albert gunned the vehicle.

When we arrived, it was a scene I had seen countless times on television. But actually witnessing a wildebeest river crossing live is an out-of-body experience. The words cannot do justice. The noise, the dust, the chaos, the absurdity… It make one realize that in comparison to the grand spectacles of nature, we humans are largely irrelevant. After however many minutes no one can seem to remember, we were all literally shaking from adrenaline as we headed back to camp.

In the end, we never crossed the bridge into Lamai, but we got our cheetah, mating lions and a truly spectacular wildebeest crossing. Serengeti never disappoints. As are chartered plane took off after once again negotiating the wildebeests on the runway, I couldn’t help but think of the line from The Rolling Stones: “You can’t always get what you want… but if you try some times, you just might find you get what you need.”

divewop

Great report, Safaridude. I can't imagine how great it was to witness the Mara river crossing!

Interested to know, how did you compare the Donyo Wuas stay to that of Campi Ya Kanzi?

And to answer Lynn's question about Elsa's grave, yes, her grave is in Meru. Cindy (sundowner) and I visited it last Feb. It was pretty emotional for me, as Elsa has been my heroine since childhood and the reason I fell in love with Africa.

You don't have to visit the gravesite during your stay in the park, but it was my main reason to visit Meru, so I could homage to my heroine.

The drive for us was a long one since our camp, Offbeat Meru, was across the park. And the drive was also infested with Tsetse flies along the way. We were swatting them much of the way up and back. But worth it, to me.

QueenofDaNile

Brilliant report. Thank you so much.

sandi

A really great read... a joy. Beautifully descriptive.

... leave it to the Stones to say it all - "need" and "want." Leave it to Africa to show us what she has and go with it and most always be pleasantly surprised!

Thanks so much.

dugi_otok

Great Report. I am planning a Tanzania safari for July or August 08. I plan on staying at Migration Lodge 2-3 nights. Is it feasible to game drive to Lamai from Migration Lodge? Where is the bridge across the Mara? Which is a better time, July or August? Should I also consider a stay at Mara Mara since I will be flying back to Los Angeles from Nairobi?
Thanks

bat

A great report. The wildebeest crossing sounded thrilling but it all sounded great.

safaridude

Divewop, I can't pick a favorite between Ol Donyo Wuas and Campi ya Kanzi. They are so close together yet so different. Ol Donyo Wuas has a waterhole with constant elephant action. It has the huge open plain where lots of wildebeests and zebras are. Campi ya Kanzi has the more wooded grasslands around camp. It is several hundred feet higher up and has better access to the Chyulu Hills. Both places have great personalities and also offer lots of interaction with the Maasai. The views are unbelievable.

Dugi, I believe it is a very long drive from Migration Camp to Lamai on rough roads. The bridge to Lamai is right near the Kogatende airstrip (pretty much near the border with Kenya). July or August? That is a good question. There is no guarantee that you will hit the migration on the spot. Late July to early August is probably a good bet. There are almost always herds of wildebeests in Lamai from late July to October even though the bulk of the migration may be in Maasai Mara, but from what I hear it's not a 99% proposition like it is in Maasai Mara.

atravelynn

What a start to Lewa Downs! Wild dogs doing a little house hunting. Interest rates mean nothing to them.

What an ironic twist with the wildebeest migration. Be careful what you wish for. Nailing the timing is one thing, nailing an actual antelope is another!

Glad the cheetah sighting was a success for you and the lifelong seeker.

Your hunting guide tales are absolute classics. Even though I would not participate in any of that, as you mentioned you don't, I had to laugh out loud at the stories.

safaridude

I am re-posting the last part of the report (there was a mistake in it). Thank you editor. Here it is:

Ugalla East Camp (Ugalla Game Reserve): Who’s Watching Whom?

For the second year in a row, I was allowed to accompany a group of bird shooters to this remarkable hunting concession in western Tanzania. Ugalla Game Reserve is split into two sections, and I visited the eastern side this time.

Miombo woodlands dominate much of western and southern Tanzania and is home to spectacular antelopes such as the sable, roan and greater kudu. The abundance of tsetse flies and poor soil discourage livestock herding and farming, and, as such, vast tracts of miombo woodlands are naturally preserved. The game density is not high except near waters sources such as the Ugalla River during the dry season. If you need constant wildlife action, you won’t like the miombo. However, if you are a keen observer of every detail, you will find the miombo fascinating. Seasonal fires in June/July create fresh green grass near drainage lines where the water table is high. These areas tend to be relatively treeless and are locally called “mbugas”. As you move away from the mbugas, combretum and terminalia trees form open woodlands. Some combretum leaves turn russet this time of year, and terminalia trees magically sprout new leaves that are improbably Irish green. Deeper in the woodlands, mature miombo trees form thicker canopies. Driving through these woodlands in Ugalla is an exquisite experience. The tsetses signal the presence of game, but the animals in this hunting reserve are coy. You can see their tracks and you may hear them, but they don’t reveal themselves easily. In the thick of the miombo, you get this strange, eerie feeling of being watched. In fact, things are upside down in the miombo. It is a place where animals watch people.

We were guided by two professional hunters, Daniel and Mike, as well as Dom. Young and immediately likeable, Daniel is yet another displaced white Zimbabwean. His height as well as his easy manners reminded me of Ernie Els. I appropriately nicknamed him “The Big Easy”. Mike, whom I met last year, is quite possibly the nicest person on earth. Mike had been managing the camps in Ugalla and taking part in anti-poaching efforts there as well.

Ugalla is usually inundated during the height of the wet season, but this year it was literally under water. Heavy rains pounded the reserve earlier in the year, and on our first day we received an afternoon shower (unusual for this time of year). Because the natural pans deep in the miombo woodlands still held some water due to the wetness, the game was scattered around and did not concentrate on the mbugas and the floodplains near the river. Given such conditions, I did not expect to see as much game as last year. I was right about the quantity of game, but the quality of sightings was still impressive. Over the four days, we saw countless species of birds, many elephants, giraffes, hippos, twelve different species of antelopes including the rare, nocturnal Sharpe’s grysbok, and two leopards.

One of the leopard sightings was the all-time best spot by a guide ever. As the light was fading one evening, Mike, the eagle-eyed, pointed out a leopard peering his head over the grass about 200 yards away. The male leopard stood motionless for perhaps 5 minutes or more – which reminded me of a story a guide told us last year… a story about an infamous professional hunter from Zimbabwe -- let’s just call him “Ed” – who was genetically predisposed to mischief. Once upon a time, desperate for business, Ed sold a hunting safari in which he guaranteed a large male leopard. Having booked a safari under those terms, Ed went out before the safari began and shot a leopard – and froze it. During the safari, Ed had the trackers put this frozen leopard on a tree one night unbeknownst to the client. The next morning, absolutely thrilled that the experienced professional hunter had led him to a huge leopard, the client blasted if off the tree with a single shot. Here is where Ed’s real genius comes in. Ed then somehow proceeded to convince the client that the he was 100% certain that the leopard was still alive; knowing how dangerous wounded leopards can be, it was wise to wait awhile. When exactly they approached the thawing leopard and whatever ensued, nobody knows.

One of the thrills of being in a hunting concession (although I don’t hunt) is being able to track animals on foot. While tracking is possible in non-hunting concessions throughout Africa, at a place like Ugalla it gets taken much more seriously. The professional hunter usually leads with a rifle, and a game scout brings up the rear with his rifle. The tracking may involve hiding behind termite mounds, squatting motionless in the open or even crawling. One afternoon, we came upon an unusual sight – a male bushbuck drinking from a pool out in an open mbuga. In any other place, an antelope drinking is a perfect reason to turn your head to the other side to look for cats, but this was bushbuck out in the open (highly unusual) and we were in Ugalla where tracking anything that moves is a religion. Having moved to within about 75 yards of the bushbuck, another story came to mind… this one involving a bushbuck – and Ed, the mischievous Zimbabwean. A fully-grown male bushbuck weighs about 150 pounds. However, bushbucks are known to be pugnacious when wounded. On one particular hunt, a wounded bushbuck spiritedly fought back and managed to lodge one of his horns into Ed’s calf. Ed’s mates couldn’t dislodge it cleanly without risking further injury to Ed, and in any case Ed had to be rushed to the hospital quickly. Ed’s mates decided that taking the whole bushbuck with them was silly, so they butchered the bushbuck such that only its head was attached to Ed’s calf. On the way to the nearest hospital emergency room though, Ed and his mates did what would seem natural to any Zimbabwean big game hunter – they stopped at a pub for a drink. So, picture Ed at the pub, doing a pint while the testostroned crowd huddles around him to check out the bloody, decapitated bushbuck growing out of Ed’s lower leg – Ed looking, I imagine, like part Captain Quint and part Curt Schilling.

On our last night at Ugalla, they set up a sundowner by a lagoon complete with a campfire, grunting hippos and lots of laughs. “Safaris are all about good humor”, reflected Daniel. That was the line of the trip.

In the end, the jet-black trophy sable antelope, which Ugalla is known for, eluded us (Last year, I saw two such regal specimens.). The wild dogs didn’t show up either like last year. Neither did the lions. Presumably, due to the excessive rain this year, many ungulates were still grazing and watering deep in the miombo woodlands, and that is where the predators were as well. We may have been a couple of weeks too early in this dry season. But that’s the point of the whole darn thing, isn’t it? -- that we can’t and don’t control anything out there as much as we would like to think so. No, we are indeed merely privileged visitors to their land. African safaris humble us, and invariably, beckon us back. Mix some good humor as Daniel might suggest, and they, for my money, are the richest moments in life.

Leely

Great report. You have it just right.

Marija

Thanks!