Tag: Wildlife
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The magic of the Mara Triangle
Along a steep stretch of the Mara River, a cluster of still wildebeest and zebras gaze down at the shallow water below. Beneath them, a bloat of hippos splash and snort, and enormous crocodiles bask on the surrounding sandbanks. As others begin to lose their nerve and turn away from the river, a brave wildebeest…
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A Drive in the Nairobi National Park
Waking up last Saturday morning, the sun wasn’t up either. There was still a chill in the air. I pulled the duvet closer round me and began to wonder what I was going to do about Going Places. I began to wish, as I had often wished these last three lockdown months, that I could…
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Buffalo Springs: Of Blue Pools and Pink Elephants
‘You guys missed all the action!’, one of the rangers said, as we returned to camp from a long morning game drive. ‘A big crocodile dragged an impala into the river, and then fought with three other crocodiles over the scraps!’ They would have had a good view of this toothy tussle – the Spring…
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Suspended Over the Mara
As sundowners go, this one was pretty spectacular. We sat, dawas in hand, 300m above the Mara Triangle, on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment. A group of Masai performed their traditional Adamu dance against a crimson sky, their chequered shukas lit by a stream of lanterns. Silhouetted behind them was the kopje where Meryl…
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With the Birds on the Swara Plains
I thought it was going to be a big sacrifice. We were at the Swara Acacia Lodge, 45 kilometres down the Mombasa Road for what Nature Kenya called the Big Birding Weekend. After a welcome Saturday morning breakfast, we were setting off for the first bird drive across the Swara Plains wildlife conservancy. As we…
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In Tsavo East With Some Wilful Wildlife
‘That’s the way to approach Tsavo East,’ my younger son, Jan, said. As the aircraft came down through the clouds, it flew along the jagged edge of the Yatta Plateau, traced the Galana River, flew low over the Lugard Falls, and banked steeply to make the Lugard airstrip. It was breath-taking – in more ways…
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Camping by the Ewaso in Ol Pejeta
In many ways, Ol Pejeta is the ideal destination for a weekend safari out of Nairobi. The drive is manageable – short enough for a one-night stay, and with plenty of good breakfast spots along the way. The views of Mount Kenya are stunning, the density of wildlife is high, and there are accommodation options…
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On the Sidelines of the Safaricom Marathon
It has been 20 years since the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy hosted its first Safaricom Marathon. The inaugural event was a comparatively low key affair, with just 180 runners taking part. Among them was Dave Buzza, who became the first and only British national to win the race. So a lot has changed in 20 years.…
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A Night Under Canvas in the Mara Triangle
All around us the plains are black and smouldering. The absence of long grass reveals a scattering of bones, and the bottoms of shrubs have been charred by flames. Controlled fires stimulate growth before the dry season, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest make their frenetic journey into the Mara from the Serengeti. We are…
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