Kenya 2026 (Page 2)

People often ask how close do we get to the animals. Sometimes, we can be parked up and they decide to come a lot closer to us than we would naturally get to them. This Lioness was a case in point - she decided to have a drink about 2 ft away from us. Very special.

A Hippo had died of natural causes in this pond. This cub was braver / more adventurous than its sibling and paddled across to help himself to a tasty meal.

We saw a large variety of birds so here they are:

As we headed out, we doubted whether we'd be changing camps today but we would find out when we got back. All our bags were packed in readiness, just in case, but with no real expectation of moving on.

... and now to the birds ... we saw quite a few new species on the drive.

starling

Long Tailed Starling

We got back to camp where Moses showed us some photos of the crossings to the new camp - both the usual route and a possible alternative. Neither were passable. A bit later, we heard form Audley and, after a few emails to and fro, it was agreed that we should stay at Karen Blixen Camp for the last couple of days of our holiday and we'd be collected from there and taken to Nairobi airport after a game drive and breakfast on Monday. At least we now knew what were doing and could unpack etc.

We set off for our afternoon game drive and, before long, the heavens opened. This time I accepted the offer of a poncho to try and stay reasonably dry. Jack put down one side of the plastic windows and we both sat at that side, looking out of the other, camera at the ready in Jonathon's case.

When the rain stopped, the light was quite special.

The birds from this safari trip were many and varied

We saw a lot of Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope on the way but it was too dark to photograph them. These two Eland were wandering about just about when the sun rose.

First stop was to check on what was left of the Hippo and see if there was any Lion activity. Two Lionesses (one at a time) decided to have a munch. The second one dragged the carcass to the edge of the pond so she didn't have to stand in so much water.

The other Lions were not far away, sleeping under a bushy canopy and the cubs were well hidden.

There was a Hyena not far away, sniffing the air - possibly trying to work out when it would be safe for him to scavenge.

Apparently this is a mushroom. Francis explained that Maasai don't eat mushrooms (I'd fit in well). It was enormous - would fall off the edge of a dinner plate.

This is our lovely Solomon, who seemed to be everywhere that food was involved. He looked after us very well all week, even serving us some special, traditional Kenyan food for dinner on Saturday night as we'd been in camp so long!

The Giraffe were easier to photograph on the way back in the light.

go away bird

Bare Faced Go-Away-Bird

The sunshine lasted all day - it looks so much better when that happens!

That said, it was quite quiet around the conservancy when we first got there for the afternoon drive - I think the animals were all looking for shade. The reappeared as the heat of the day subsided.

I could definitely see the creature in this area - the Crocodile was enormous.

Dusk doesn't happen in this part of Kenya (too close to the Equator). Instead, the sun starts setting and before you know it, it's dark, just like someone switched the light off.

We got back to camp and had a yummy dinner.

The camp fire was lit but, unfortunately, we had to pack our bags for real because we were heading off to Nairobi for the long journey home tomorrow (after one last game drive and breakfast).

It seems that this page is now full so on to Page 3.

Kenya March 2026 (Page 2)
Friday the 13th and things didn't go to plan. We were supposed to leave Karen Blixen Camp and head over to Encounter Mara. However, the torrential storm last night (lasted about 3 hours solid) meant that the Mara River had visibly risen and wasn't passable on the way to our new camp. The decision was finally made that we would stay at KBC for at least one more night. They upgraded our tent and sorted out game drives for us for Friday afternoon and Saturday morning then let's see.		This is what we woke up to and it showed no signs of subsiding during the day so, although it's very frustrating, I think the right decision was made. Rather than just sit around, I explored the camp - very pretty but not very big but at least my walk meant I knew where tent 4 was (other side of the camp to tent 11 where we were before). We had lunch at camp - the first time I'd had lunch in the mess tent since we got here - very tasty Red Snapper for me.


		Tent 4 is slightly up river from tent 11 and much closer to the river, which was just as "busy". We went on an afternoon safari drive. We spent quite a bit of time with the Lion cubs and I thought that would be the highlight of the drive but we saw a Leopard when it was almost time to come home.

People often ask how close do we get to the animals. Sometimes, we can be parked up and they decide to come a lot closer to us than we would naturally get to them. This Lioness was a case in point - she decided to have a drink about 2 ft away from us. Very special.






A Hippo had died of natural causes in this pond. This cub was braver / more adventurous than its sibling and paddled across to help himself to a tasty meal.
	It was lovely to see some Hartebeest - there was a small group of them as we drove into the conservancy. The Dwarf Mongoose were hard to see let alone photograph (Jonathon likes a challenge).
		Whenever we went out, we saw something different. The Agama Lizard was enjoying the afternoon sunshine. The baby Baboon soon left his mound when a larger one moved in, but it was nice while it lasted.
I was happy to photograph a Buffalo calf and Jonathon was very happy to catch the late afternoon sun on a relaxed Buffalo.

We saw a large variety of birds so here they are:	African Fish Eagle? (over the river in camp)	Bulbul
Bulbul	Village Weaver	Bee Eater
Bee Eater	Helmeted Shrike	African Gray Flycatcher
Rufus Naped Lark	Rufous-naped Lark	Helmeted Shrike
Red Billed Francolin	Stout Cisticola	Whinchat
African Jacana	Egyptian Goose	Spur-winged Lapwing
Black Bellied Bustard	Oxpecker
		The Leopard was really special. They are naturally shy and very well camouflaged so we were lucky to see him. Apparently his mum was somewhere in the vicinity but she takes shyness to a new level so we definitely didn't spot her.

We spent so long with the Leopard that the sun was setting when we started our drive back to camp.
There was thunder and lightning on the way back so we went straight in for dinner to try and avoid any possible rain. The rain was just starting as we walked back to our new tent. Around 9 p.m. the thunder and lightning started in earnest and then more torrential rain. Deep joy! The nights are usually black dark but the lightning completely lit up our balcony with thunder directly ahead.		Saturday - the river was about 2 ft higher this morning than yesterday but it was starting to recede by the time we got back from our early game drive. There was yet another beautiful sunrise as we headed into the conservancy and plenty to see.

As we headed out, we doubted whether we'd be changing camps today but we would find out when we got back. All our bags were packed in readiness, just in case, but with no real expectation of moving on.		We were really pleased to be able to photograph this Dik dik.
These were two new Lions - even Francis hadn't seen them before. Clearly the lure of a dead hippo (natural causes) had enticed them to the pond.

		There seemed to be a lot more giraffe around today.

The "special' animal we encountered on this drive was Fred. He is about 53 years old - a real tusker.
		... and now to the birds ... we saw quite a few new species on the drive.
Speckled Mousebird	Black Shouldered Kite	Lappet-faced Vulture
Pied Kingfisher	Pied Kingfisher	Pied Kingfisher
Wattled Plover	Juvenile Tawny Eagle	Long Tailed Starling
Cattle Egret
Whistling Ducks	Sooty Chat?	Long Tailed Starling
Lilac Breasted Roller	Purple Grenadier	Speckle-fronted Weaver
Bare-faced Go-away-bird	White Browed Coucal	Bulbul
We got back to camp where Moses showed us some photos of the crossings to the new camp - both the usual route and a possible alternative. Neither were passable. A bit later, we heard form Audley and, after a few emails to and fro, it was agreed that we should stay at Karen Blixen Camp for the last couple of days of our holiday and we'd be collected from there and taken to Nairobi airport after a game drive and breakfast on Monday. At least we now knew what were doing and could unpack etc. We set off for our afternoon game drive and, before long, the heavens opened. This time I accepted the offer of a poncho to try and stay reasonably dry. Jack put down one side of the plastic windows and we both sat at that side, looking out of the other, camera at the ready in Jonathon's case. When the rain stopped, the light was quite special.
	The Banded Mongoose were having a ery active time in the old termite mound. In and out of the holes, leaving the mound, trotting back and so on. And then the rain came ... These poor Elephants were absolutely soaked.
		Jonathon has an ideal Zebra photo in his head. This is getting quite close to what he is after but not quite there. In the meantime, baby Zebra was doing its best to find shelter with its Mum.
	We visited a breeding herd of Elephants. I really like young Elephants - so cute, not quite knowing what to do with their trunk but trying to copy the adults.



On our way to look for a Cheetah, Jonathon had the shock of his life. A big, male Warthog suddenly shot out of his burrow, shouting and swearing for all he was worth - right next to the safari truck where Jonathon was seated. I think he saw the funny side of it when he recovered from the shock.
		We were told earlier in the week that Cerval Cats were very shy, hard to spot etc. This female proved all those points wrong as she wandered around, posing nicely for photographs etc.



Night, night Cerval Cat - it was lovely seeing you	The birds from this safari trip were many and varied	White Backed Vulture
Red-necked Spurfowl	Stout Cisticola	Black Stork
Gray Crowned Crane	Yellow Billed Stork	Jackson's Widowbird
Fan-tailed Widowbird (female)?	Yellow Bishop	Croaking Cisticola
Once again, we were so caught up with big cats that it was getting dark by the time we left the conservancy. The sunset was quite stunning as we drove home.
Sunday and we'd reached our last full day in camp. I used my torch to check the river levels in the morning (not light when we get up for safari) and, to my delight, I saw a Genet. Obviously too dark (and too slow on my part) to photograph it but it was a lovely surprise! It was quite misty when we set off but the sun came up before long.
		We saw a lot of Giraffe, Zebra and Antelope on the way but it was too dark to photograph them. These two Eland were wandering about just about when the sun rose.
	First stop was to check on what was left of the Hippo and see if there was any Lion activity. Two Lionesses (one at a time) decided to have a munch. The second one dragged the carcass to the edge of the pond so she didn't have to stand in so much water. The other Lions were not far away, sleeping under a bushy canopy and the cubs were well hidden. There was a Hyena not far away, sniffing the air - possibly trying to work out when it would be safe for him to scavenge.

	Our next animal encounter was a male Cheetah. He was on the prowl, looking for something to eat but all the Antelope and other animals around were fully aware of him so he wasn't having any luck.


	Apparently this is a mushroom. Francis explained that Maasai don't eat mushrooms (I'd fit in well). It was enormous - would fall off the edge of a dinner plate.
A treat today was breakfast on the hill. The views were stunning.


	This is our lovely Solomon, who seemed to be everywhere that food was involved. He looked after us very well all week, even serving us some special, traditional Kenyan food for dinner on Saturday night as we'd been in camp so long! The Giraffe were easier to photograph on the way back in the light.
Again, there were loads of birds to be photographed!
Bare Faced Go-Away-Bird	Black Shouldered Kite	Rufous-naped Lark
Snipe	Wood Sandpiper	Rufous-naped Lark
Northern Fiscal	Abdim's Stork	African Gray Hornbill
African Gray Hornbill	Back at camp with plenty of time to go through our photos, relax, enjoy the sunshine and marvel at how much the river had gone down. The view from our tent was pretty in the sunshine. The Hippos across the river seemed to have a lot to say for themselves - perhaps a bit happier now the river is calmer.
	The sunshine lasted all day - it looks so much better when that happens! That said, it was quite quiet around the conservancy when we first got there for the afternoon drive - I think the animals were all looking for shade. The reappeared as the heat of the day subsided.
We didn't see any Jackal for a while then there were a few of them slinking about. I wasn't sure what the Jackal was intending to do with the feather but it was very proud of its find.
This Buffalo was taking a mud pack to a completely new level. The mud hole was just the right size for a huge male to wallow about in and he took full advantage, having to scramble out when he thought he was done. Then he decided that his face wasn't covered in enough mud so he rub his face in it. Yuck!

We visited some different parts of the conservancy on our afternoon drive - ancient rocks and mature trees. Apparently there was a Rock Hyrax in the rocks but I couldn't see it. Thankfully, Jonathon could see it through his big lens.

		I could definitely see the creature in this area - the Crocodile was enormous.
We watched the male Cheetah for a while - he was stalking a gazelle. Unfortunately, for him (but not for the gazelle) he didn't catch it. He'll be hungry for a while longer.
	We finally saw a Giraffe eating high leaves from a tree. I was wondering if we would spot one so was pleased when we did. It was grooming time at the Baboon corner. Once groomed, the youngsters were happy to play in the trees and long grass.
These three Elephants are a lot drier than when we saw them before!		The Butterflies were really enjoying the Fireball Lilies. We saw a Hyena den and plenty of Hyenas hanging around. They are so chilled (unless there's food in the offing).

... and now the birds from the afternoon drive
Red-capped Lark	Rufous-naped Lark	Rufous-naped Lark
Long Tailed Starling	Juvenile Tawny Eagle	Rattling Cisticola
Yellow-spotted Bush Sparrow	Yellow Throated Longclaw	Striped Kingfisher
Dusk doesn't happen in this part of Kenya (too close to the Equator). Instead, the sun starts setting and before you know it, it's dark, just like someone switched the light off.

	We got back to camp and had a yummy dinner. The camp fire was lit but, unfortunately, we had to pack our bags for real because we were heading off to Nairobi for the long journey home tomorrow (after one last game drive and breakfast). It seems that this page is now full so on to Page 3.
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