Kenya Safari - Masai Mara, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Lake Naivasha, Selenkay and Ol Kinyei.

[FlyTraveler]

Fantastic action in your Mara photos, well done. Looking forward to the next instalment.

Thanks, but I am looking forward to your next installment... your photos are just amazing, there isn't an average photo at all, they are all superb...

[FlyTraveler]

What a good read this is! I was at Ol Kinyei in April this year and saw those same cubs - they were much smaller then and nice to see them growing.

Thanks Sangeeta,

 

Do you have any photos from Ol Kinyei published here? Your auto-mode images are quite nice, by the way

[FlyTraveler]

Really enjoying your report, your photos really bring it to life, they're fantastic. Looks like the Mara really delivered during your stay

Thanks Safari Cal,

 

I believe that the last 3 days in Central Mara were most productive in terms of picture taking...

[TonyQ]

@@FlyTraveler

Great pictures and really helpful detail in the text

Superb cheetah pictures and very cute lion cubs! + the running giraffe

(Thanks for the kind comments - I do know my writing is very basic - I enjoying reading the more evocative and poetic writing from others but I can't write like that!)

[graceland]

Really enjoying this report @Flytraveler; I love Kenya and seeing it through your lens is quite lovely.

 

Giving the particulars on how and why you chose different areas of Kenya from the lakes to Amboselli to the Mara will really be beneficial to anyone planning their first time in Kenya. There are so many places to see!

 

Welcome to the world of Safaritalk!

[FlyTraveler]

@@graceland Thanks for the kind comments! I just went through your amazing green season Botswana report and photos, it just keeps getting better and better towards the end, I will have to read it properly when I have more time... Today I just wired the deposit for Botswana safari at the end of May, beginning of June (in combination with Timbavati and Sabi Sand in the Great Kruger area).

 

@@TonyQ Thanks Tony, I'll post some more input - Masai Mara with two different safari companies and a terrific camp in Central Mara (most people don't know it exists). Your report is lined up for more thorough scanning (to understand reading slowly), as well :)

[FlyTraveler]

I think that I should not loose the momentum and continue with my report before I run out of time and forget all about it. :)

 

 

August 06, August 08, 2013. Full day game drives in Masai Mara with Gamewatchers Safaris.

 

 

While staying at the Gamewatchers adventure camp in Ol Kinyei (4 nights) we went on a full day game drive to Masai Mara National Reserve twice and although they were not consecutive days, for the sake of saving time I summarize the experience in this instalment of my trip report.

 

Going to Masai Mara from Ol Kinyei has it’s limitations and is worth doing as a full day game drive only – you leave Ol Kinyei early in the morning and travel between 45 minutes and hour and a half (depending on taking the main road or going through the other conservancies) to the main gate of the reserve (the one on the northern side, I do not recall it’s name). There is some paperwork to be done at the gate plus at least another good 30 minutes drive to the more interesting parts of the reserve, perhaps a bit more to Mara River. For most of the visitors in our camp this was the only day in Mara (at least during this safari), so obviously the main focus was on seeing a migratory wildebeest and zebras river crossing and as a result we headed straight to Mara River.

 

This was the first time in Masai Mara for me and my wife and despite of the overcast day we were overwhelmed by the endless plains of the savannah and the sheer number of wildebeest and zebras visible to as far as the eye can see. A doubt if there is another place in the world with such density of wildlife (except Serengeti, but both reserves are within the same eco systems, just happen to be in different countries) like Masai Mara. Please, correct me if I am wrong. The annual wildebeest and zebra migration is a miracle and perhaps one of the wonders of the world, the figures about animals involved were in the neighbourhood of four million wildebeest and about million and a half zebras.

 

When we reached Mara River we were able to witness for a first time huge crowds while on safari. Close to a hundred vehicles (perhaps more, did not count them) were packed right at the river banks waiting for a crossing to start. There are several crossing points along this section of the river and it is kind of a guess where the animals will decide to cross if they cross at all. Our guide said that the best tactic would be to park the vehicles a bit further form the river, wait for the crossing to start and then go closer to observe it, but this would work only if all vehicles do it which was out of question, everybody is manoeuvring and pushing to get a good position and to please his guests. On top of all this crazyness the wildebeest were constantly changing their mind – staying at the edge of the river at one crossing point with the ones on the back pushing forward, then those on the back turning in an opposite direction towards the next crossing point, followed immediately by all vehicles, the same thing at the next point, then wildebeest deciding to go back to the previous crossing point and like this several times.

 

I do write about the crowds, but in the same time I realize that we are also part of them and that we do not have the right to complain about this, everybody wants to see the crossing and this is the place that we have chosen to come. After going back and forth for about an hour, our guide decided to check out another crossing point located further down the river. While on the way we were radioed by the other Porini Camps vehicle that the crossing has started at the place which we just left, so we rushed back as faster as the guide could drive and caught the last 3-4 minutes of the crossing. Later we were able to witness a full crossing and while staying in the camp in central Mara - 3 more.

 

My only disappointment was that they were all “vegetarian” crossings - no crocs action at all. The crocs were so full that they laid down at the river bank and just looked at the crossing zebras and wildebeest. The river was full of carcasses and event the vultures and the marabou storks could not eat them all.

 

Besides the river crossings we managed to see a male and a female lions (did not mate, unfortunately), hippos, crocs and lots of general game. On the way back to Ol Kinyei, we drove through several concessions (I asked the guide to do this, so we can get an idea about the landscapes at least) – Olare Orok (right next to Masai Mara with lots of migratory animals), Olare Motorogi (the migration can be felt there, as well) and Naboisho (this is the one next to Ol Kinyei, both conservancies rely on resident game or least we do not feel the migration there at the beginning of August).

 

Before I forget, I should mention the Chinese presence (mainland China) in Masai Mara. Besides the thousands of Chinese tourists, one of their major TV channels was filming the river crossings and they had about 30 people crew plus another 30 locals for logistic support with their own camp with huge aerial antennas. The only Chinese specialist on lions and conservationist nicknamed Simba lived permanently in our camp in Ol Kinyei. One of the evenings he brought a small part of the crew in the camp – one of the most famous PR of China female journalists and TV anchors and a cameraman. We had a nice chat at dinner which continued around the bonfire. I am really bad with Chinese names, so can not remember any of them, except the nickname Simba.

 

The second time we went to Mara with Gamewatchers was our last full day in Ol Kinyei. We were given the choice of either to stay at the conservancy and do morning and afternoon game drives or go to Masai Mara again on a full day game drive. The manager told us that we would need to pay extra for the Mara fee ($ 80 per person), but since we were just five people left in the camp and the other three were going to Mara on that day, he would have to order a separate vehicle for us if we stayed in Ol Kinyei, so he offered to wave the entry fee to Mara. This was not a decision maker to us, the more important factor was that in Mara we would get the open top vehicle which we asked for the previous day, while in the conservancy it would be open-sided vehicle only. We also liked very much the guide, who was also the camp manager.

 

So, we had another full day in Mara with Gamewatchers Safaris. This time we left the other three people, a family from Florida to “call the shots”, since they were flying home on the next day while we were just moving to the camp in central Mara. They didn’t want to hustle of river crossings, just wanted good hippo and crocodile sightings along Mara River. We did go to the more southern part of Mara, very close to the Tanzanian border. There was also a hill with fabulous views of the plains. This time the sky was clear and the scenery looked a lot nicer with the golden grass and the blue sky combination. Lots of shots of general game, hippos and crocs. There was an excellent hippo sighting, a single male hippo was laying up on the river bank. We stopped quite close to it to take photos when my wife dropped the lens cap from the vehicle. The guide manoeuvred the car, so the spotter could reach and take the cap from the opposite to the hippo side and at this moment the hippo got angry, stood up and almost mocked charged us. Our guide and spotter were very experienced and backed immediately, as we all know hippos are one of the most dangerous wild animals and are responsible for the majority of human deaths in Africa.

 

After the close hippo encounter, we all decided to go back to Ol Kinyei to spend more time with the resident cheetahs and lions, which was a great decision, so we did not feel that we have made the wrong decision by going to Mara instead of spending the day in the conservancy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The hippo sequence:

 

 

 

 

 

The fast moving croc sequence (sorry, the focus is more on the back rather than on the head):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 3, 2013 by FlyTraveler

[Leely]

Very nice photos and helpful details.

 

So Ol Kinyei borders Naboisho, then. I was in Kenya last year--June 2012--staying for the first time in Mara North. In conversation with camp managers and owners as well as my fellow tourists, it sounded as if Naboisho was getting more wildlife moving in (so to speak) at that time, and that the expectation/hope is that this trend will continue. Ol Kinyei sounds similar.

 

Thank you for posting!

Edited October 3, 2013 by Leely

[TonyQ]

This continues as a great report

It is a very good point you make about the crowds - we can't complain as we are also part of it. The crossings are certainly spectacular and your photos convey that life and death struggle- but I confess to finding the crowds a bit off putting

[FlyTraveler]

This continues as a great report

It is a very good point you make about the crowds - we can't complain as we are also part of it. The crossings are certainly spectacular and your photos convey that life and death struggle- but I confess to finding the crowds a bit off putting

Thanks @@TonyQ, I noticed that there were a lot less vehicles on the opposite bank of Mara River (where the hill with Mara Serena Lodge on top is located). I guess this (the opposite bank) would be the best spot for viewing the river crossings, asked our driver if we could go there, but he said that the bridge was too far.

[FlyTraveler]

I think that I should use the momentum and write the last instalment for this trip report, better brief than never written.

 

August 09 – August 12, 2013. Freeman Safaris (Brian Freeman) camp in central Mara.

 

This section of the report is about the highlight of our first trip to Africa – the three nights spent at the Brian Freeman’s camp in central Mara. I truly believe that this is the best kept secret in Masai Mara. The camp was referred to us from friends of us who have stayed there in 2009 for ten days, otherwise I would have never found the website on Google, I don’t think that the camp is marketed or sold by travel agents, either. Brian gets enough repeated customers and ones via referrals. There were several families there who have visited the camp for 15 + times ! There was a resident pro wildlife photographer, an Italian guy who lived in Kenya. Most of the guests were British (Brian himself is a Britt, born and raised in Kenya), there were some Italians, most likely referred by the photographer and some East Indians. I liked very much what I read on his website - lots of details , which is exactly the opposite of basic marketing techniques (people tent not to like reading much), but it was exactly what I was looking for.

 

The experience with Freeman Safaris is focused 100% on wildlife viewing and photography. The location of the camp is great – in central Mara, 10 minutes drive from Olkiombo airstrip and without 30 – 45 minutes of most of the best wildlife viewing areas. We had all the comforts one needs on a safari (at least us) – a large meru style tent with en-suite flushing toilet and shower, a large double bed, shelves for storage and a small desk with a chair with electrical sockets (very important for me, since I could plug in my laptop and sort my photos, without going to a public area like at the adventure camps. There was a hippo pool right in front of our tent.

 

We were given a private vehicle and a driver without any extra charge with a choice of morning and afternoon game drives or full day drives with packed lunch. We took an afternoon drive on the day of arrival, two full day drives and a morning (06:00 – until noon) drive on the day of our departure. Basically we were out all the time, didn’t have time even to enjoy the beautiful camp.

 

A few worlds about the safari vehicles used, since I find this aspect of every safari to be very important - Brian offers the best possible vehicles for a photographic safari, modified Land Rovers with only two rows of seats + the driver (better turning radius and manoeuvrability), open sides and top with padded bars (you do not hurt your ribs when standing during a drive, the seat next to the driver is removed and the side is open almost down to the floor (one can take photos of lions from an eye level), just perfect. I could not believe how the use of a private vehicle increased the rate of my keepers photos by about 50%. When we shared a vehicle at the previous camps I had to take many of the photos while driving, using a high shutter speed to compensate the jumps of the vehicle, often screwing the framing and the horizon line (some of the photos could be corrected post production).

 

Both companies (Gamewatchers and Freeman Safaris) cooperated regarding the transfer between the camps and everything went smooth like a Swiss watch – Gamewatchers drove us to Olseki airstrip along with the guests who were flying to Nairobi this day and our Freeman Safaris driver was waiting for us there. It took about an hour drive to Brian’s camp. Quick lunch and off for a game drive. There was no schedule at all, we could use the vehicle and the driver for as long as we wanted.

 

We had also an amazing Masai driver named Joshua, who almost seemed to be able to “serve” wildlife “on a plate”. There were two animals from “The Big Five” that we have had not seen up to this moment - a leopard and a rhino, so we started looking for a leopard on the very first drive. It is not like we wanted to complete “The Big Five” by all means, but we really wanted to see a leopard and a rhino (I could go without seeing a buffalo, for example). This might sound funny to seasoned safari travelers, but for first timers like us, this was important.

 

Josh found us a leopard on the very first drive - in the “leopard area” across the Talek River. We would cross this river back and forth many times. The male leopard that we saw was resting on a tree, it was kind of difficult to get a “clean” line of view, so most of the initial photos that I took were in between leafs and branches. There was a light rain when we departed for the game drive and the driver has placed the canvas on the top, so I could not stand up for a better view (didn’t know at the time that I could roll up the canvas a bit without getting out of the vehicle). We had also the best position amongst all other vehicles who arrived at the sight in terms of seeing and photographing the leopard should he decides to get off the tree. The best option at the moment was to stay patiently there and wait for the leopard to move. After about an hour we were rewarded for our patience – the leopard got off the tree and passed just next to us at about three meters from the vehicle. It was quite dark already and due to the slow lens that I had some of the photos turned blurry (the VR would compensate for my hand shaking, but would not for movement of the object, after all, we get what we pay for). I still got several all right images of the leopard, though. The same evening we saw also a lioness eating a dead giraffe at the Talek riverbed (@@gregv showed in his report a photo of the same giraffe, taken on the next day). Later on in camp we were told that the giraffe has slipped and fallen down the riverbed breaking it’s spinal cord. There were tremendous amount of vehicles at this sight, so I could only take very vague photos in between the tree branches and the high grass. On the same drive we also saw a single spotted hyena feasting totally undisturbed on a wildebeest. I would guess that this would happen only during “the time of plenty” - the annual migration.

 

The rhino was “served” on the next day. We started to look for it in the morning, Josh (the driver) got tipped on the radio from other Freeman Safaris driver about a black rhino seen on top of a ridge. Went there, but the rhino was sleeping in the bushes, totally out of sight (we were told so by the other vehicle waiting next to us), so we decided to drive to Mara River to check out what was happening there. On the way had a great sight of a lioness with a cub. When we reached Mara River, there were some wildebeest gathered at the bank, so we decided to wait a bit to see if they would cross. After 10-15 minutes they did, it wasn’t a major crossing, but still it was interesting plus there weren’t that many vehicles around, so it was pretty relaxed experience (we did see two more crossings, one from the opposite side of the river towards us). After the crossing went back to check on the black rhino, drove off-road quite far up the ridge, got a good position and started waiting for the rare for Mara animal to get out of the bush. I would assume that we were extremely lucky, since only after 10 minutes the rhino went out and we were able to see it and photograph it.

 

We had numerous amazing sights during the next two days, the weather was also cooperating - got nice blue sky and stunning sunrises and sunsets. Saw lions on several occasions, lots of cheetah (three brothers really posing for us, a mother with two cubs on the next day, and a cheetah kill on our last day - the same brothers took down a young wildebeest and consumed it in front of us). One of the cutest sights was a newborn Thomson gazelle with it’s mom and dad.

 

After having a ball at the Brian Freeman’s camp, we finally had to fly back to Nairobi. Had a long 6 hours drive on the day of departure, came back to camp just for quick lunch and to pick up our luggage, took several photos of the camp and off to the Olkiombo airstrip for our flight to Nairobi Wilson airport. Brian came with his vehicle to see us off at the airstrip, I assume that he is doing this for all of his guests.

 

The last bush flight we had on this trip resembled very much the very first one (from Nairobi to Selenkay), we were on the same model aircraft (Cessna Grand Caravan) and there were small incidents on both flights - on the first one zebras crossed the runway and we had to go around and make two more attempts for landing, on this one a bird hit the windscreen, bounced and hit the wing. Everything happened very quickly, I could not recognize the type of bird, but it was of a fairly large size. We had a scheduled landing at another airstrip in Mara, so the pilots were able to look at the plane from outside and make sure that there wasn’t any damage before we took of for Nairobi.

 

In Nairobi we stayed again at Karen Embers guesthouse and had a great time there (as the previous two times during this trip. The transfers from Wilson airport to the guesthouse and then to KJIA were arranged in advance through Gamewatchers Safaris and pre-paid as part of our package. We asked the driver if he could come 3 hours earlier for the transfer to the international airport and give us a quick tour around downtown Nairobi and he agreed, so we were able to see a bit of the Kenyan capital before our flight. Went to Karen Blixen museum and were really disappointed by the management – we just wanted to take a photo of the house from outside (did not have enough time for a proper visit, but both of us like very much the Sidney Pollack’s film “Out of Africa” and wanted to photograph the original Karen Blixen’s house). They did not allow us to do so, I assume that many tourists go and just take photos without visiting the museum. I took a quick photo from the car while arguing with the staff anyway, but this wasn’t a great last impression from Kenya.

 

There has been a major fire at the KJIA while we have been on safari and we had to wait for the plane in a make shift huge tent right on the tarmac of the airport. I was impressed by the ability of the airport authorities and staff to deal with the situation.

 

THE END

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our tent at Freeman Safaris camp:

 

 

The hippo pool at the camp:

 

 

 

A bonfire at the camp:

 

 

My better half and our guide/driver having tea (the best safari vehicle that I have seen):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AKR1]

Brilliant pictures. The Mara never fails to deliver. Thanks for this. Loved your trip report.

[graceland]

Lovely! Nothing better than a leopard in the Mara, or a cheetah (or 3), oh and lions, zebras, hippos, rhinos..you got them all!

Loved the sunset and tree photo. Yes, Mara does deliver, esp, when you can avoid hundreds of vehicles.

 

Great reporting!

[twaffle]

What a great end to the trip, especially that magnificent rhino. Are you planning another trip already?

[Sangeeta]

Superb images and really interesting to hear these details about Freeman camp and vehicles. All of that is new to me. Do you know if their camp is seasonal or permanent? The private vehicle was a fantastic bonus and really paid off for you

 

Your enthusiasm is really infectious, FlyTraveler. We are delighted to have you on board ST and are now awaiting your next report!

[TonyQ]

@@FlyTraveler

This has been a great report from start to finish - and in the last section you have had some great sightings

The camp looks really good - everything you need

SO many good photos in this section the lions, gazelle with baby, the sunsets (I never get good sunset photos), the herd of wildebeest on the plain, leopard on the kill.

My real favourites - the 3 cheetah huddled up together, and the lion licking the second lion - great moments perfect timing

 

Thanks for taking the time to produce this - I have really enjoyed it

[JohnR]

@FlyTraveller Really enjoyed this report which took me back to my first safari with Gamewatchers though you managed much better pictures than I did. The leopards were not playing ball when we were there.

[FlyTraveler]

Brilliant pictures. The Mara never fails to deliver. Thanks for this. Loved your trip report.

 

Thanks @@AKR1! Mara certainly delivers.

[FlyTraveler]

Lovely! Nothing better than a leopard in the Mara, or a cheetah (or 3), oh and lions, zebras, hippos, rhinos..you got them all!

Loved the sunset and tree photo. Yes, Mara does deliver, esp, when you can avoid hundreds of vehicles.

 

Great reporting!

Thank you for the nice comments @@graceland ! Sometimes you can drive in Mara for an hour or two almost without seeing another vehicle, it all depends on the location.

[FlyTraveler]

What a great end to the trip, especially that magnificent rhino. Are you planning another trip already?

 

@@twaffle Thanks very much, I am really enjoying your 'Childish' trip report! Whatever any of us is posting, it just can not be as interesting as Africa in photos and through the eyes of a child 40 years ago!

 

Yes, I have already booked flights and camps/lodges/hotels for Cape Town (great white shark safari), Timbavati and Sabi Sand (Kruger area), Livingstone (Victoria Falls) and Botswana for May/June, 2014. I have posted my plans in detail on this website - http://safaritalk.net/topic/11533-south-africa-and-botswana-safari-plus-victoria-falls/

[FlyTraveler]

Superb images and really interesting to hear these details about Freeman camp and vehicles. All of that is new to me. Do you know if their camp is seasonal or permanent? The private vehicle was a fantastic bonus and really paid off for you

 

Your enthusiasm is really infectious, FlyTraveler. We are delighted to have you on board ST and are now awaiting your next report!

 

 

@@Sangeeta Thanks very much for the nice comments! I think that Brian Freeman's camp in Mara is permanent, he also has a camp in Samburu, but we have not visited that one. At the moment I have nothing else to report about Hopefully our trip to South Africa and Botswana in May/June will go well and there will be material for a TR

[FlyTraveler]

@@FlyTraveler

This has been a great report from start to finish - and in the last section you have had some great sightings

The camp looks really good - everything you need

SO many good photos in this section the lions, gazelle with baby, the sunsets (I never get good sunset photos), the herd of wildebeest on the plain, leopard on the kill.

My real favourites - the 3 cheetah huddled up together, and the lion licking the second lion - great moments perfect timing

 

Thanks for taking the time to produce this - I have really enjoyed it

 

@@TonyQ Thanks a lot for the good words! I still go and will keep doing so when I have time though your SLNP report and photos The camp is fabulous, I just could not think of anything else that I would need on a safari, we didn't even use the drinking part of our all inclusive package (one night I just had one beer and my wife a glass of wine). The price was also very good, considering location and quality of game drives (about $400 p.p.p.n.) The private vehicle was not pre-arranged and came as a very nice surprise.

 

The last 3 days except very good sightings, we also had a great weather - clear blue skies, which helps very much for shooting. Regarding the sunset and sunrise photos - I find them a lot easier to take than wildlife, all you need is either a good low light capability camera which can shoot at high ISO without producing much noise (I have a Nikon D700 body which does this perfectly [a full frame sensor with not too many mpix - 12], especially when combined with a fast f:2.8 24-70 mm lens) or you just need to stabilize your camera - even without a tripod, just place it on the top of the vehicle or on whatever available. It is a good idea to find an appropriate spot several minutes in advance - in Mara we were always looking for a nice tree (since the landscape is plains), I would assume that elephants silhuettes with an acacia tree would be perfect I have seen great sunset/sunrise photos from SLNP with the river (it would be great to find a place where the sun is coming from or setting into the river).

[jeremie]

Spectacular report! The only critic I have is that there were not enough pictures, I'd love to watch further more!

[FlyTraveler]

Spectacular report! The only critic I have is that there were not enough pictures, I'd love to watch further more!

Well... since up to this moment I have not done any other safari trips, I will use the post above as an excuse and will post some other photos from this Kenya trip (not published in the TR).

 

Cheetahs in Masai Mara (August 2013):

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunrise in Masai Mara (August 2013):

 

 

 

 

Lecturing an intruder in Mara River (August 2013):

 

Lesson #1

 

 

Lesson #2

 

[Atravelynn]

So glad you have updated this report to bring it back to the top. One impressive shot after the next, including Kili. Obscured for a whole month, how fortunate it peeked out for you. I would think that July/Aug is a good time to see Kili. Was there talk of the cloud cover being unusual?

 

That kudu in Selenkay is a Lesser Kudu! Rarer than the Greater. Selenkay is an impressive spot and proved to be economical as well.

 

Can you give some time estimates for visiting Bogoria? Like how long it took from Nakuru to get to Bogoria. Then how long between Bogoria and Naivasha? Was it a day trip or did you stay in Bogoria. Very wise decision for flamingos. You saw thousands and got great shots. You Naivasha eagle shots reminded me, also, of Rainbirder's. You both got the birds in flying action!

 

For the adventure camps, did you book them per your schedule and stay the # of days you wanted? Your response to the English practicing Chinese visitor indicates this was not a group transfer between the camps. Funny I just referred to this option in another post yesterday. I'm going to link your report to that reference.

 

The cheetah and hippo fight (with a little one looking on) photos are superb.

 

Such a creative itinerary that yielded tremendous success. Could you outline the itinerary and lodging for us? Thanks!