18 Jan 2024
The days I change camps are always a challenge for me for some reason and can even be difficult when I have a really good guide with whom I’ve connected. Today was going to be tough. After spending basically all day for 3 days with Peter, and sharing some incredible sightings, I really didn’t want to go. I still had lions to find and a cheetah to see hunt! But alas, it was time to move on to the Mara.
The overnight was quieter than it has been. I still heard lions but they weren’t as close as they were previous nights. I felt like they weren’t where we left them at the end of yesterday’s drive either. That was pretty close to camp.
We still managed to do an early morning game drive even though I was leaving on an early flight. I was up at 5 to pack and get dressed. We took my luggage with me and I had a packed breakfast that I ate quickly at the airstrip (cinnamon roll, granola bar, hard boiled egg, frittata and OJ). I had my grab and go coffee on the game drive.
Because it was overcast overnight, it was warmer this morning and no mist had settled at ground level, so we could see all around us. Immediately we returned to where we left the lions and the plain was entirely devoid of any sign of life. Not just no lions, but no animals of any type. It was strange in its vacancy. After maybe 20 minutes, we turned off the engine and waited. And we heard a roar. And another. Both of us cocked our heads to try to pick up which direction they came from. And then we turned and headed that way. It sounded not immediately close but not too far either. We got to where Peter thought we’d find them and stopped again. Another roar, slightly more to the right than we were, but still not so close. We tried again there. This time when we turned the engine off, the roars were quite a ways off and not close enough to get to, find the lions, and make it to the conservancy gate to leave for the airstrip. Maybe they were just giving me enough of a tease to want to come back. I already do.
On the way out of the conservancy, we saw a helicopter and heavy equipment with transfer cages for the black rhino that Ol Pejeta is relocating to another conservancy. Both Ol Pejeta and Lewa (where I was before this) have large black rhino populations that there are almost too many for the area, so they are giving some to a conservancy that has none. That translocation was happening today. Ami Vitale, the wildlife photographer who has documented the northern white rhinos’ plight, was here to shoot this for a documentary later. This is really a rhino conservation success story. Ultimately, I think they’d like the chain of conservancies from Ol Pejeta to Lewa to Loisaba to be the largest rhino conservation land anywhere, which would be an impressive feat.
It takes about 45 minutes to get to the airstrip in Nanyuki. The wait for the plane wasn’t long. It was already there, we were just waiting for the pilots to show up. Peter and I brainstorm what my next itinerary should be. I’ve given up pretending this will be the last safari. It can’t be. This is the only place for me, why am I kidding myself.
With little fanfare an airstrip worker takes my bag. Peter and I say until next year and I board the plane with Bob and Sue (two other guests from my camp) and there are two other stops to pick up guests before we get to the Mara. It was turning hot and very sunny when I left Nanyuki but as we flew south the clouds were building and at times I couldn’t see the ground. As we descended into the Mara any time the sun hit a patch of ground all I could see was water. The stories of the biblical amounts of rain they have been getting here appear to be true.
When we land, the plane leaves a deep impression into the soft wet earth. But we’ve made it and I say out loud “I’m back in my happy place”.
There’s a momentary panic as it seems that no one from my camp is here. We did leave 1/2 hour earlier from Nanyuki, but usually the airline communicates that out. A guide from another camp calls for me and watches my luggage while I use the toilet. When I come back to him, Twala is there. He greats me with a big smile and a hug. NOW I feel like I’m home. He remembers my family and my cats, asks how everyone is doing. Asks what I’m hoping to see and then adds “other than cats?” I mention the cheetah moms with the cubs and he said there are two now in the conservancy. Hallelujah!
We get to camp and I’m greeted by Mike the manager. No Minnie!! I can’t ascertain whether she’s on leave or gone, because Anita was going to phone her last night to let her know I was on the way! I recognize a lot of other staff faces though. I’m shown to the furthest tent from the common area with the most expansive view of the valley. I can see zebra on the hill across the way and hear hyena down below. I have hyrax sitting and watching me in bed as I type my siesta away.
Everything was a bit confusing as the staff were juggling a large party that was leaving and the owner who was just leading that group. He’s a photographer and one I admire on social media, so it was neat to meet him. He was showing me some of his work on his laptop which was cool.
Twala says both mother cheetahs with 4 cubs are still in the conservancy and doing fine. One made a kill this morning, the other hasn’t for four days so she’s ready. I’m sharing a vehicle and guide with one other solo person.
Lunch today was an avocado and beet tagine that was to.die.for! They had asian bao buns stuffed with tuna, pickles and carrots for me, rice and a celery/apple/feta salad. Dessert was a macerated pear, not sure in what but it was tasty.
We headed out on the afternoon drive with the though of trying to find one of the cheetahs with cubs. Twala headed in that general direction and then got a call that a mother leopard and cub had been spotted and it was decision time: either the sure thing of the leopards or searching for the cheetahs. We decided to go for leopard.
Over some muddy terrain that Twala seemed to really enjoy surfing through with the Land Rover, we finally arrived to find the mother Sanguet (sp?) who is a 10 year old mom with her fourth cub, who is about 4 months old. They were standing just outside some scrub brush, near a tree where she’d stashed not one, but two impala kills. The cub was behind her playing in a bush by itself. Mom finally started to saunter over to the audience of vehicles facing her (sadly, about 11 of them! Better than in the public reserve, but more than should be here in the conservancy. She kept looking over her shoulder at the cub as if to say “you coming kid?” Finally the cub followed, and I managed to get some shots I’m very happy with of the two strolling together and then the cub jumping on mom and playing. It was a kid being a kid for sure.
The cub went up the tree and disappeared a bit from view and I could hear it eating what was left of the carcass up there. After a bit it came back down. Mom rested at the base of the tree, or tried to, until three guinea fowl sounded the alarm and boldly walked around her. This leopard was beyond annoyed. She sat there hissing and looking altogether discontent. Finally, like most cats with self-respect, she got up and walked off. She wasn’t putting up with that racket taunting her while she tried to relax. So off she went back into the bush from where she’d come. That lasted maybe 5 minutes until she came back out and went up the tree herself for a bit of a meal. All in all a really good sighting and I”m pleased with my camera from what I can tell doing quick downloads.
My vehicle mate suddenly got it in his head that he wanted to do a night drive. He asked me about it and I said normally they plan that ahead (like more than an hour’s notice) because you go back early from the afternoon drive, eat early, and head back out at 8. It was already 6:45. God love Twala though, he got on the radio and started making it happen. He asked if I wanted to go, and I really didn’t, but I also had intense fear of missing out, so I did.
We headed to a plain for a sundowner. Despite it being really overcast all day, it looked like the sun was going to make an appearance for sunset. And it did. The only problem with the sundowner was no one packed one for me. I thought it was weird that no one asked what I wanted, but I assumed they had that on record somewhere from last time. I was fine, I ate some nibbles and drank my water. But Twala snuck off with his back turned and I suspected he was madly texting away. Not 15 minutes later, we moved on and pulled up next to another vehicle from camp and he got out and made me a G&T. Huge points to him!
We got back to camp and ate almost immediately. I didn’t even go back to my tent. Thursdays are African cuisine, so for me there was a veggie coconut stew with seasonal veg, a green banana casserole (excellent!) and then a mashed potato/kidney bean/butter bean dish that was actually really good and very filling. We’d had a sweet potato coconut milk soup starter that was quite good. Dessert was a small donut with a dab of ice cream. It was all really well done. It amazes me what they can do in a bush kitchen!
The night drive was not nearly as exciting as those I’ve done before (translation: no cats). The only real score for me was a white tailed mongoose, which I’d never seen before. We did see some hares, bat eared foxes and jackals. The jackals were running off with a baby thompsons gazelle they’d just snatched. I ended up falling asleep in the car and not having the energy to finish this blog last night. We got back around 10 and I was safely asleep by 10:30 after a quick shower.
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