Safari in Kenya 2014 — Bernd's Perspective

on our way from nairobi to lewa downs

slightly apprehensive about the small plane but it was fun

giraffe number 1

waterbuck at lewa wilderness

what're you looking at

lonely zebra

an example of the amazing umbrella trees in kenya

havoc wreaked by elephants - not the most popular animals in the mara (except with tourists)

only a giraffe could look at an acacia bush and see a tasty snack

first glimpse of a lion

first look at a lion cub

a hyrax on our patio at lewa wilderness - there were many of them running about

white rhino - lewa was originally set up as a sanctuary for these rare animals

rhinos are still very much in danger from poachers after their horns

a reticulated giraffe

giraffes strolling through a pond

splish splash

a picnic breakfast on a morning game drive at lewa

cereals fruit pastries toast bacon sausages and scrambled eggs - we ate well

african birds make english ones seem so boring

camel ride ? how can we refuse?

the camel ride was surprisingly fun, may not have been if it was longer

tough life for a lioness

one hell of a scratching post

we were lucky enough to see this pride of lions including 7 cubs, some of which were good enough to pose for this shot

the living room in our cottage at lewa wilderness

our bedroom at lewa wilderness overlooked the valley

our patio and mini pool at lewa wilderness

taking a dip - lewa wilderness

a hyrax comes to visit - lewa wilderness

the amazing scenery at lewa

some more amazing scenery at lewa

our lewa wilderness cottage as seen from the other side of the valley

with our lewa guide karamushu

one of the common areas at lewa wilderness

the view at lewa wilderness

the main pool at lewa wilderness - great view

when we returned to the cottage at night, the fire had been lit for us (evenings were quite chilly and days hot)

dinner at lewa wilderness (always delicious and always 3 courses)

bed with mosquito net - both practical and romantic

lewa view of mount kenya

our tent at naboisho camp - modern luxury

a great place to watch the wildlife - the camp was not fenced and animals were free to roam through it

a male ostrich in mating season - hence the pink skin (how embarrassing)

our naboisho guide benjamin showing us an ostrich egg - he then sat on it to demonstrate its toughness (we hoped it would break but it didn't)

wildebeest and background olive baboon

a cute impala

not the previous impala. jackals target pregnant impalas giving birth, kill the baby when half-born, then the mother dies. nature is brutal, people

vulture waiting for its turn at the feast

sunset at naboisho

more sunset with distant animals

our naboisho guides benjamin and francis making us gin and tonics while out on an evening game drive

jill rugged up with poncho and hot water bottle for another early morning look at what the conservancy had to offer

a proud lioness and 2 cute cubs

dad looks on watchfully (but not actually moving at all)

a pod of hippos

jill patiently waiting for her lunch

the lilac -breasted roller (yes i had to google that)

jackal puppy - they may look cute but they are lethal

zebra chilling out in the sunshine

our walking guide ruloef - full of fascinating insights and experienced enough to scare off the sleeping lion we woke

ruloef gives us 'the termite talk' - he knows an awful lot about them

that's a water bottle holder on jill not a penis sheath

one of the evil-looking acacia trees that cover the mara

our outdoor bucket shower at naboisho

jill enjoying yet another sumptuous meal

the cliched lion profile shot

a lion scanning the horizon for his next meal (not to be killed by him, of course)

a tower of giraffes watch the lions in the distance

nice mohawk

warthogs are funny looking creatures

an eland, one of the largest species of antelope

the small primary school we visited near the naboisho conservancy

we were introduced to one of the classes

dormitory at the larger school we visited (many students board for the entire 3 month term as they live very far away)

the girl's dormitory at the school

a farewell wave from the students

qualities of a teacher

our guide benjamin and his family - he invited us to his house which was quite a privilege

benjamin's bull ('he sometimes charges!' he announced merrily as we approached)

benjamin's house

a mud hut - this type of house is common amongst the poorer villages in the mara. they are built and maintained by women

vultures waiting to scavenge

stretching its wings (creepy)

waiting for another amazing outdoor meal at naboisho

tranquil

a reptilian resident at naboisho

the communal area at naboisho

the deck and seating area - lovely in the late afternoon

with the naboisho camp managers chloe and moses - fantastic hosts

our bathroom at serian camp - it overlooked the river mara

our patio at serian

fantastic views from our bedroom at serian camp

jill getting into the spirit of things in a safari dress

bats in the bathroom? no problem

one of the smallest kinds of antelope, the dik dik. this is a dik dik pic (sorry)

a lazy afternoon for another pride of lions

sleepy

we're not moving

just like a big domestic cat

we were close enough to hear this elephant drinking

hyena relaxing - probably with a full belly

a lovely gazelle

male gazelles

another amazing view of the horizon

mongoose

the hammerkop bird - it builds a massive nest that is then stolen by other birds. no wonder it looks cranky

olive baboon having a quiet moment

lazing around, as lions do best

a bit of grooming never goes astray

lovely mane on this one

sleeeeepy

we stopped for lunch at this hippo-filled river

we were very lucky to see this cheetah, they can be hard to find

he looks sad, but probably isn't

cheetahs are solitary animals

nobody else cramps their style

an older wizened male lion with battle scars

a vision in beige

we had fun feeding bread to some starlings and watching their brilliant colours as they darted around

gorgeous

a lion cub takes a nap

lion testicles, anyone?

wildebeest queuing up to cross the mara river (we visited during the migration period)

father and son

jill patiently waiting for the wildebeest to decide whether to cross the river (they decided not to)

other jeeps waiting for the crossing - it was a slow tourist season in kenya. luckily for us - we heard that there can be 40 or 50 cars lining the river bank in busy years

a crocodile hoping to capture a hapless wildebeest during the crossing

a wildebeest recently killed by a leopard and hung in a tree - you can see the skeleton of an older kill below

a male leopard relaxes in the shade

lunch on the move in the maasai mara reserve

a fine spread as usual

riverside dining

the wildebeest gather in preparation to cross - will they or won't they?

thousands upon thousands gather together, if they don't have a leader to make the first move there will be no crossing

it's understandably tense for them, given the amount of crocodiles, leopards and lions waiting to eat them

zebras are often the ones to kick things off

another fresh leopard kill

a small wild cat, the serval cat

very pretty with a tiny head

hyena with cubs

our anniversary dinner outside our tent - fireside with champagne

a female leopard relaxing with latest kill hanging above - a gazelle. leopards often hollow out the animal on the ground, eating the softest organs before dragging it up the tree