Jenny Varley

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Kenya, Maasai Mara 2019

After four nights at Kicheche Bush Camp in the Olore Motorogi Conservancy we moved to a splendid bush house for a further sixteen nights, Topi House, run by Asilia Africa. The house was superb and allowed us to have easy access to the Mara National Reserve as well as several Conservancies. The wildlife sightings were outstanding with fantastic experiences with lions, leopards, cheetah, servals, foxes, hyenas and many other typical African mammals and birds. There were many, many highlights but one which stands out was seeing a lioness with four of the tiniest cubs our guides had even seen. They were less than a week old and their eyes were still closed, and we witnessed the mother gently move them to a new den site after they had been disturbed my marauding hippos. Other great experiences were with two different lion prides both with many subadults, and we saw them playing with each other as well as with sticks and tufts of grass. We saw many different facets of the characters of hyenas; as vicious predators trying to take down zebra or snatch new-born buffalo calves, as scavengers at kills risking the wrath of lions, as tender mothers and as frolicsome animals as they played together in water. Their cackling laughter and whoops frequently kept us awake at night though!

The staff as Topi House were absolutely brilliant. Fred and Martin were amazing and hugely knowledgeable guides and seemed to know every blade of grass and bush! Mpatinga was an unbelievable spotter, able to see things by eye which we could not see even through binoculars! Isaac cooked us superb meals and James and Kileya tended us superbly, aided by several back room staff. Finally thanks to Michele Seamark at Safari Consultants for putting together such a fantastic trip.

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African white-backed vultures are also classed as endangered, this one mantling as it approached the carcass
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African white-backed vultures are also classed as endangered, this one mantling as it approached the carcass

africakenyamaasai maramasai maravultureAfrican whitebacked vultureGyps africanusNaboisho Conservancy

  • A newborn zebra calf, the umbilical cord still atteched to the mother
  • A bonaza for nearly two hundred vultures - a dead zebra.  Lappet-faced vultures (the one just landing) are the largest and have massive bills capable of tearing through the skin of carcasses
  • Ruppell's griffon vultures are critically endangered but we saw many on this carcass
  • African white-backed vultures are also classed as endangered, this one mantling as it approached the carcass
  • Still vultures were arriving as we left the carcass
  • We experienced some amazing thunderstorms, fortunately arriving back from our drive before this one reached us
  • Sunset and storms, typically African at this time of year...
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