The staff at ol Donyo have been extremely busy with all of the projects and have spent a lot of time clearing new paths for the vehicles and our guests, the most impressive has been the road leading in to an area, which is dubbed “the mist forests.”  Heading in to the hills from the lodge on a full day safari into the higher altitudes of the Chyulus is stunning.  The slow climb reveals a difference not only in climate but also in flora, fauna and wildlife.  Keen birders who recently stayed with us have been able to add many birds to their “life lists”. Bert, a recent avid birder added over 80!

We are happy and proud to say that our ‘Green Gate Gardens’ are flourishing and our guests are now enjoying home grown cucumbers, lettuce and herbs….soon to come, beetroot, tomatoes and cayenne peppers.  It seems with the fresh home grown produce our chefs are flourishing as well with fabulous dishes like cucumber mint salad with yogurt dressing to accompany lightly spiced Lamb Kofta, or fresh garden greens with a tangy caramelized onion vinaigrette on the of side slow roasted lemon chicken!  Guests are spoilt everyday with our beautiful lunch buffet and multi-course dinners that change on a daily basis.  Our bush breakfast have been a hit recently as well, with a revamped style and new plated main dishes including homemade bagels with scrambled eggs, prosciutto and pesto or classic eggs benedict with a hint of Paprika, not only are the surroundings amazing but so is the cuisine.

We have been treated to many rare sightings over the past few weeks and we are thrilled to say that a trio of lions has been spotted a few nights in a row, slinking along the edge of the lava flow close to the lodge. They are welcome sights indeed as where there are lions, there is game!  Last night one of our guests got a true close and personal view of one of our majestic lionesses whilst she lazily took in her land around her. Along with the lions, we have had a few sightings of cheetah which for us is an amazing treat; one of our guides, Jonathan spotted a family of five the other day with his guests, a beautiful and rare sight here and a really great indication for us that the animals are moving back across the plains.

Sometimes you do not even have to leave the comfort of your room for wildlife viewing. As from the rooftop, the view over the land is magnificent and just two days ago the foreground in front of the lodge was peppered with the black and white of a herd of zebra and layered amongst the view were giraffes, warthog, and various gazelles.  They were patiently roaming around because hogging the water, of course, were the elephants who are never in a rush and are quite happy to actually stand in the hole seemingly just to tease the other animals.

To sit aloft the rooftop of your room with a sundowner drink with animals in every direction draped in the orange hues of the African sunset is really one if the true pleasures of what our guests experience here and we love to hear the stories of sightings and sunsets over and over again.  Hope to see you soon! –Ray, Alyssa and the team at ol Donyo Lodge

The rainy season has come to a close and with it the sights of lush green grassland and those awe inspiring storms rolling towards camp.

The flaps on the tents are up and we have packed away the umbrellas for another season:

“The dry season is here and this year it is very dry indeed”.

The lack or rain this year will have a considerable effect on the wildlife that we will see with high concentrations of elephant, buffalo, roan, sable and potentially eland on their way into the Reserve.  This is because the Selinda Reserve sits on permanent waters and will be the only water for many of the surrounding animals to drink. We have already seen large buffalo herds arriving to the north in an area called Makoba. With nine new lion cubs to feed this year we anticipate a fair amount of hunting.

The Selinda Wapuka lion pride and its cubs – 4 females and 7 cubs

The Selinda Reserve “Performance of the Month” goes to the Wapuka pride of females, or more specifically, their collective seven cubs.

The youngsters are taking the Spillway in their stride and are often found playfighting around “buffalo skull road”, a road named after its rather obvious landmark. The lionesses have been taking turns over who gets to pair up and hunt and who has to stay home with the kids. While it would be interesting to know how this process is decided, it’s quite obvious which of the two tasks is more strenuous.

A young father

The father of the Wapuka pride is a lion that arrived from the north, most likely Namibia.  He had a satellite collar that was beginning to strangle him so we removed it with the assistance of a vet.  Just in his prime a solo male is clearly not as capable a protector as having a coalition of two, three or four males. There have been growing concerns between the guides as to the competence of this male in protecting these cubs.  He has had very little experience in defending a territory. Fortunately, the ladies were more than able to fend off a rival male from the Selinda pride a few days ago, while both cubs and guests looked on, all dumbstruck by the brawling this encroaching male received at the paws and claws of the trinity.  These mothers will put their lives on the lines for the little ones.

You may ask where the Selinda pride has been this month?  They have been hanging out in the southern part of the concession near Zarafa, so most of our sightings have been close by seeing the Wapuka cubs.  Why would you venture miles in a car when you have these little fur balls at your door step.

Bondo the Elephant

There has been plenty action in camp with our resident elephant Bondo visitng every other night, either to show off at dinner for our guests or just to help with the landscaping. Unfortunately, his browsing became a little over zealous one night and he managed to knock down a whole 4ft fence on the pathway. On the bright side he did leave an elephant sized deposit right outside the camp manager Lizzy’s front door which was worth a smile. While the area around the camp gets drier over the next few months it is likely we will be seeing more of him which is a welcome sight, provided he behaves.

Selinda Elephant Facts:

- Elephants will step over the tent guide ropes rather than break them

- Bondo has been seen to breathe in so as to restrict his rib cage and walk through gaps in a fence rather than break them

- Elephants will run away from mice, we have seen it.  They have very poor eyesight.  They run from impala also even though impala are harmless, the theory is they might think they are lions!

- Selinda Reserve holds the largest concentration of elephant bulls in the world

Stop press

Just before publishing we heard of two incredible sightings in camp.  One where a Caracal walked passed Tent 8 whilst the guests had breakfast one morning.  The same morning Dix was walking guests along a pathway to find 3 Aardwolfs.  To see three together is unheard of!  Photos to be posted soon.

So to next month…

- Big herds will be arriving as the dry season continues

- We are all on knife edge waiting to hear about the Wild dogs and whether they den in the area

- Everyone will now be wanting to find those Aardwolf!

What a month we have had at Zarafa! Wild dog, leopard and lion all in one of guests photos, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, leopard and lion cubs galore to name but a few of the myriad animals seen during May.

‘George’ the elephant is back in camp after 3 months wondering the bush and he is in musth now, causing him to be a little more feisty than usual! You don’t want to try and push past him when he is on the hunt for a female!  Musth is like being on heat and George is exuding quite the pungent aroma at the moment.  Sadly for us they can stay in Musth for a while so we have to be on out toes.

The Vervet monkeys still come most days for tea, ever hopeful that Linghi (pictured) or one of her colleagues will take their eye off the cake just long enough for them to slip in unnoticed! The monkeys, however, got more than they bargained for one night, when a honey badger managed to get one of them off some low branches and following a prolonged fight, the honey badger was seen running down the pathway with the monkey in its mouth.  Honey badgers are known to be one of the most ferocious animals in Africa, we felt a little sad for the monkey, perhaps they had stolen too much cake.

The flood is on the way to Zarafa now, but as the surrounds dry up and the temperatures drop the numbers of animals seeking water at the lagoon is ever increasing. Large herds of elephant, buffalo, varied antelope, including the elusive roan and sable antelopes, a real treat for our guests. Coming daily to the banks of the Zibadianja Lagoon, they are in turn attracted more and more predators. Both the cats and dogs have allowed us some fabulous sightings this month, with barely a day going by without seeing at least one of them if not more. The Wild dogs are often visiting and hunting in Zarafa.  It has been the best month to view them.

The Wapuka Pride is growing apace, now with 7 cubs, up from 3 in January and the Selinda Pride has 3 more new cubs in tow. Two of our resident female leopards have young cubs and a third ‘Motsebe’ has one hidden away in the bushes and we are ever hopeful that she will let us see it soon.

And last but not least a little treat fro Katherine our Executive Chef – a gluten free carrot cake.  We produce a lot of gluten free light meals, when bouncing around the concession we find guests appreciate such cuisine.

Here’s hoping for an even better June!

Duba News – May 2013

The Okavango Flood

The famous Okavango Delta flood officially reached Duba Plains in May. This is always celebrated in the region, with countless debates around the camp fire, postulating when the flood might arrive. “Is bigger then last year, or 2005 or 1982″ , there is plenty of room for nostalgia amongst the guides and veterans of Botswana of how big the flood might be this year. What is the famous flood of the Okavango?

The Okavango Flood in one sentence: “The December to February rains from Angola, 1500 miles away, take three to four months to arrive in Botswana and when they do they flow into the Okavango Desert, the largest inland Delta in the world”.

It is all down to the geology of the area, fault lines on the southern reaches of the great rift valley direct the waters in to the Kalahari and not into the ocean. This is a natural annual flood which supplies and supports the area with its lifeline for many thousands of years.

Boating at Duba

The flooding of the area provides the opportunity for spectacular boating experiences, opening up access to areas which vehicles cannot go to.  Duba Plains is one of the most remote camps in Botswana, and exploring in one of our aluminum boats has allowed our guests to experience areas that are otherwise impossible to access by game drive vehicle.  Photography from the boats offers a very unique angle, such as this shot of the  stunning water lilies of the Okavango.

It is only possible to get such low angle shots whilst boating

The Battle of Duba Plains

(click to enlarge)

Duba Plains is on an Island in the Okavango Delta.  The map above maybe able to provide a feel for the intimacy of the region.

One male lion, who is king of all three prides, dominates Duba Plains – he is called the Skimmer Male.  He has upwards of 20 adult lions to watch over and this is proving to be a struggle as the younger males get older and compete for his patch.

The Lion diaries of Otlwaetse, OT

“The Skimmer male lion is in his prime time but on the other hand  feels threatened by his own son who is growing at a great pace. Spike and OB  (our Duba Plains guides) were guiding a professional photographic group . Our guides know very well when it is the right moment. Sitting there in the car, silently waiting as the lions approach the buffalos as part of a calculated move.  With years of experience watching these lions they have become very intuitive.  

With cameras at the ready, just from nowhere, the dominant Skimmer male appeared and started harassing and splitting  the pride up, beating up his maturing sons who attempted to challenge to him but were not quite powerful enough. The photographers shutters were going wild as a big fight ensued – father versus son.  This was the moment the battle for Duba began”. 

Despite the  Skimmer male’s size the two sub-adult male sons in the pride are now posing a threat.  We are suspecting that soon they will be chased off the pride and will become nomadic for a period. They are only three years old now and they are getting stronger every day and the Skimmer male will not want them around.  Once they peel off then who knows what will happen next.

The Skimmer male dominates during a Buffalo kill

Our elderly lady is injured

From the Duba lion map above you will be able see there is a reference to a 20 year old Grandmother.  Along with the infamous Silver Eye, the two are the most mature females at Duba Plains.  A recent extract from a professional photographer’s blog caused huge excitement as “an elderly lion” was gored by a buffalo.  Reports from the guides were that she had been hit in the neck and was now struggling to hunt and also feed with the other lions.  It appeared that she was now becoming thin.  It was revealed to be the grandmother lion, the mother of Ma Di Tau.  Updates are she is getting better now despite her age.  20 years is unprecedented for such a lion.

The Camp is Alive

Hippos continue to keep the night lively with their honk honk honk keeping you company. Whomever came up with the camp architecture is a genius making it very easy to get so close to these large water mammals in safety.

You may find yourself sitting at the fire place watching stars and enjoying an evening drink whilst a hippo minds his business navigating through the marshes below.

Jackals and Bat-eared foxes often roam the Duba islands as well as the young female leopard, suspected to be 2 years, still being spotted in shade island assuring us that it will survive in the land of large predators.  Lions do not like leopards so it is incredible that she is still in the area with some good sighting this month.

The staff are forever playing hide and seek with baboons as the jackal-berry fruits are ripe now and the primates won’t move from the camp. They have named the pictured troublesome baboon Sejeso (Curse), he is very naughty and likes to chase the housekeepers forgetting that they have their brooms handy so they can chase them back.

Next month at Duba Plains

- What will happen to the Skimmer male’s adversaries, will they still be there?

- The Grandmother, will she recover to hunt another day?

- The 2013 flood, how far will it get?

We will keep you posted.

 - J.L.B. Matekoni

Writing now from the dining table outside the Mara Toto mess tent where the morning calls of our resident birds are creating the soundtrack to the scene of the rising sun breaking through the breezing leaves of the canopy that covers this little riverside camp and keeps it cool. The cars and guests are all out having left at the crack of dawn to head into the area around the Musiara marsh. The breakfast car is just leaving to go and find them wherever they may be, with a full delivery and set up.

Most of May has been relatively quiet on the visitor front here in the reserve and the conservancies, so for anyone worried about overcrowding and seeking quiet and space it’s been a good time of year to be here. Now, as we close off the last few days of the month we are seeing a slight influx of new guests in the Mara as the region gears up for the coming months, a time of suspense and anticipation when we start hearing reports “They are coming” and “almost at the border”. The “They” that we refer to are of course the multitudes of individuals that make up one of the ultimate wildlife spectacles on Earth, ‘The Great Migration’. There is nothing quite like seeing the first wave appear over the horizon to the south and nothing can prepare you for the sheer volume of animals and the action that comes with it.

After the incredible rains of the green season, May has been very different. The sunrises each morning have been clear and unbroken; the sunsets dramatic with clouds adding character; and it was in the last week of the month, starting with the full moon, that we began to see storms around us in the evenings adding their strobe lighting displays to this beautiful open landscape of Africa.

A good place to start this month’s wildlife update would be with the cheetah. May started quietly on sightings of these graceful cats due to the long swaying grass and there being fewer vehicles out looking for them.

Malaika, the cheetah with the yearling male cub, is well and they are both healthy. These two have spent the last couple of weeks in the reserve south of Mara Toto moving west to Double Crossing on the Olare River and towards the Topi Plains. Malaika is one of the cheetahs well known in the Mara for her habit of jumping onto vehicles so as to use them as vantage points for hunting. Sadly this has now become something guides are fighting for to get better tips and their interference is stopping the cheetah from being able to feed herself and her cub. Good guiding should uphold mankind’s place as passive observers.

Nosim, another ‘cheetress’ who until recently also had a male cub (a little older than Malaika’s), is currently on the Olare Motorogi Conservancy. She arrived from the south towards the month’s end past the two Great Plains camps heading northwards onto the Saiyalel plain and Porini hill. One of her more recent antics was an attempted hunt of an impala with a fawn. Nosim was after the fawn but embarrassingly for her when the fawn suddenly went to ground she missed it and then completely lost it. Impala 1: cheetah 0!

Nosim’s son, the now large young male who passed by Mara Toto’s tent 5 about a week ago, is also on the OMC (Olare Motorogi Conservancy). We have been watching this male’s first solo steps in the world with interest, as he is now alone as an inexperienced character in an unforgiving environment.

A newcomer to the conservancy, or at least one we have not seen for a while, is an older male cheetah that we believe may be the one who, two-and-a-half years ago, was found with a very bad and contagious infection of mange. The conservancy vet treated him at the time, painting him orange and blue with ointment. When the cheetah woke up he wandered off looking like a nature lover’s Picasso painting. If this is him then we are happy to say the mange is almost gone but it is still present on his right shoulder and ears. On the night of the 29^th May at around 11:30pm this cheetah was watched as he stalked past Mara Toto in the light of the rising moon, fully fed and very round. He was spotted again in the sunrise lying under the Boskia tree between Mara Plains and Mara Toto.

The female cheetah with the three ‘scruffy’ cubs was also around this month. She was originally from the area around Lookout Hill and has come a very long way north, far out of what had been considered her range. She crossed the Burungat plains, the Talek River, Nine Kilometer and then came into the conservancy. Her movement we believe was caused by a search for prey as the area in the south of the reserve is covered in very long grass, so providing very little in the way of small game. Her cubs are growing fast and are now big enough to cover large distances with her, but with their increasing size comes insatiable appetite and so their mother needs to provide for them regularly.

Narasha, the well known female originally from the OMC, is reportedly up on Mara North Conservancy at present, still with her two cubs who should by now be causing trouble, ruining her hunts and keeping her on her toes.

Next up, the lions of this area… At this time of year one of the great tasks we have is to try to find, ID and count the lions in our resident prides. This year it was the Enkoyeni lions that were found first in the season, relatively easily as they were around their maternity rocks on the east side of the Ntiekietiek River. The pride looks healthy, which is a great relief. It has been hard for these cats over the past months as the zebra and wildebeest have moved northeast onto the plains of Motorogi and beyond. This is the time of year that their diet changes and they begin to take on the topi, warthogs, impala, ostrich and in some cases buffalo. With this change in their prey species comes a change in their hunting tactics and even their social organization. Larger prides often break up into smaller groups so as to cover more ground in search of prey, meaning less co-operative hunts and more opportunistic ambushes.

It was in the first days of June that the photographic group staying at Mara Toto found eleven members of the Enkoyeni pride on the Enkoyeni river above the deep-water crossing, consisting of the eight young males and three female ‘hangers-on’. In 2012, these eight brothers led the pride’s attack on Mama Kali, a seasoned fighter and legendary lioness, one of the two ‘prideless females’. It was an attack that led to her death a week later. At the beginning of 2013, these same adolescent males killed tiny cubs – their own siblings – still not yet able to control their strength. This season is going to be very interesting as the two Enkoyeni pride males are forced to evict their sub-adult sons. Now that we are finding them away from the rest of the group this time marks the beginning of the end of their easy life in a pride and the start of their new chapter as a very strong coalition indeed, if they choose to stay together.

Nguro, the single lioness remaining from the ‘prideless females’ duo, is still doing well despite being a single mother with fast growing cubs to feed. Over the past months we have only seen her a couple of times, sometimes around the escarpment road, other times in the hidden valley, and now, as of yesterday she is happily munching away on a cow that was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Not good for the cow or the lioness but the owner of the cow is one of the conservancy’s landowners so hopefully the benefits brought in by the wildlife and specifically a large lion population outweigh the loss of a lone cow. On a positive note, despite this, the human/wildlife conflict on this conservancy is very low in comparison to the surrounding areas.

Hunting buffalo is a relatively rare thing for many of the prides around the Mara, more than likely because out of choice most creatures will take an easier option of prey where the chance of injury or death is far lower. However, one pride in the Mara reserve have proven time and again that they have the know how to do it and do it well. This ability in the low season makes the Marsh pride one of the most successful prides in the entire ecosystem. In the last ten days of the month this pride killed a buffalo on the north end of the marsh, and so did not need to hunt again for a week or more.

Back on the Olare-Motorogi Conservancy, the Moniko pride is proving to be very elusive. At this time of year the grass is towering and predators are on the move in search of food. Through careful observation of the herds shifting south along the eastern boundary of the pride’s range, and through checking off their favorite haunts one by one, we found that this huge pride had crossed from the whistling thorn of the Isiketa Valley into Naboisho to the Moliband River. With the return of the Lloita migration of wildebeest and zebra, these lions will have been happily picking off prey as the herds move south in search of grazing and water. Despite the Moniko lions not being on our doorstep we are all very happy that they feel confident enough to be able to extend their range so far. It is a sign that the natural habitats in this area are secure and expanding. As of the first week of June the Moniko lions have moved back into OMC and are now residing between Lookout Hill and Billy Winter’s.

We are very optimistically looking forward to the rest of the year knowing that the Olare Motorogi Conservancy still has a rising population of lions and that this habitat is supporting greater numbers of predators – a rare and very valuable success story in today’s world where populations of lions have now crashed to less than 20,000 remaining. We feel that community conservation initiatives, the tourism and revenue generated through these, combined with public awareness and education, are the best courses of action for preserving habitats and curbing population declines in lions and other threatened species. The most fun part of this is that the best thing anyone can do to help is to come on safari, support the conservancies and see these incredible creatures in action.

In the words of Dereck Joubert, Great Plains Conservation’s CEO and National Geographic film maker- “If we can protect the three benchmark species and their habitats, namely the lion, elephant and rhino, the tourism value of an area will also be preserved so ensuring a continued income generated for the local communities through wildlife – a win-win situation for the people and the animals”.

The Mara Toto camp local lions, the Double Crossing males, have been a little busy towards the end of May as one of their pride females came into season. They have been spending time near the confluence of the Olare and Ntiekietiek rivers and it was the scrapper of the duo, the darker maned male, who earned the mating rights with the female. From the scratches on his face it can be presumed this was not decided without a fight.

Onto the leopards of this ecosystem… it seems that just when we started wondering where they are, the spotted cats heard their names on the wind and appeared. Yellow, the southern conservancies’ resident male, was found on the 27^th of the month on the drift just north of the salt lick south of Mara Toto with an impala he had freshly killed and hardly touched. He spent the day sleeping, before waking up in the late evening to glance at the setting sun and begin the slow, meticulous and methodical process of cleaning himself, as is his style. He then watched as three hyena stole his kill. It is interesting that he still choses to eat on the ground as opposed to dragging his meat to the safe pantry of the treetops.

One evening a guest stayed in camp to soak up the dappled light beneath the canopy and catch up on some hard earned R&R. But what he discovered to his delight was that you don’t have to go looking for stunning wildlife – the animals will come and find you! Sitting by the river in front of the mess he looked up at the sound of a rustle in time to see a leopard walk in front of him at the top of the river bank on the opposite side, only twenty meters from where he sat peacefully watching the sunset with a chilled beer. Magic!

Earlier in the month guests staying at Mara Toto were lucky enough to see our resident leopardess as she prowled through the confluence of the Ntiekietiek River and the Kereput stream. We had all been asking after her cub (born beneath a fig tree at Mara Plains in December), wondering if it is still alive. Then, on the night of the 18^th May and within fifty meters of Mara Toto, the lights of the last car returning home caught the flitting but unmistakable shape and pattern of a four-month-old leopard cub as it darted across the road and vanished into the long grass. We are so grateful and relieved to know that this little one is healthy and still close by.

Speaking of no guarantees gets us onto another one of the conservancy’s leopards, the young male who was last spotted months ago in the area just east of Olkupelia, having been chased up a tree by the Enkoyeni pride males – a lucky escape (one of those lions, on the rampage and in his throw of testosterone, then decided to chase an adult giraffe – a foolish move which ended with him getting kicked in the head!). This young spotted cat has always been one of the shyest in the area and we are pleased to add to his range as of a week ago when he was found right up on the rocky slopes just east of the Ntiekietiek gorge. It is very exciting and encouraging to find one of the more elusive and less habituated characters of the conservancy. It draws our attention to the wildness of the ecosystem – a leopard not used to vehicles signals an area begging to be explored, but as there is only one road there, it has to be done on foot. We invite all of you intrepid travelers, footloose and with wanderlust, to join us at Mara Plains for professionally guided walks into pristine wilderness packed with game.

The plains of the central Masai Mara are covered in long grass fast turning tawny and swaying in the gusting winds of June. With the April showers came family herds of elephants and groups of bulls moving onto the plains of this ecosystem. These giants followed the fresh green grass and, as the rains moved on and the grass dries, many of these groups end up in the vicinity of the swampy areas where they can still find lush grazing. It was in one of these areas near Musiara where we decided to set up breakfast one morning beneath a tree with a leopard kill hanging overhead. Over the course of an hour we counted over fifty elephant, a journey of giraffe, a herd of a few hundred buffalo, waterbuck, impala, warthogs and some beautiful birds, the highlight of which was a falcon (presumed to be a Peregrine) which dived over the table and caught a dove mid-flight only meters from where we sat, and devoured it on branch nearby.

Another incredible species that is proving hugely successful is the serval cat. On one evening Lorna, the Toto assistant manager, was returning from the airstrip and suddenly came up behind one of these normally shy and elusive cats. But with nobody else in sight, this Serval allowed her to stay with him for over an hour, and witness him make SEVEN successful hunts, one after the other, pin-pointing sounds in the long grass with his huge ears and then leaping into the air, coming down on prey with masterful accuracy and taking birds out of the air mid-flight. It was a once in a lifetime experience, and one that will never be forgotten. In the photograph below, this Serval was already going for another, seconds after catching a rat.

Other highlights this month and straight from the opinions of guests…

• “The area and landscape is magnificent, wildlife is abundant and diverse, sightings are amazing, the guides are so well educated, experienced and of the highest standard”
• “The customized vehicles are perfect”
• “Great sightings of the big cats everyday”
• “Great walking, incredible food, a homely bush camp with attention to detail, smiling happy staff with a ‘can-do’ attitude always willing to help”
• “The set up bush breakfasts with chef Juma’s ‘Egg Mc muffins’ were a novelty”

Guests have also been among the first to visit to the community of Endoinyo Erinka – a beautiful village of land-owning families from the conservancies, where Great Plains is working closely with women, children and teachers to promote businesses and education for future generations.

Toto visitors have been welcomed into the homes of the members of the women’s group there, and have had a huge amount of fun kitting themselves out in colourful and masterfully made beaded jewelry. At the Endoinyo Erinka Primary School, students have laughed and whooped as they performed their incredible, energetic and musical Maasai dance routine especially for Great Plains guests, which has qualified them in regional trials to compete in the National dance competition later this year. In 2012 the school team came second in the country, and this year they are going for gold! We wish them all the best of luck, and what an honour it has been to witness their talent in such beautiful open-air surroundings.

There are seven months left of this year and considering the wonders gifted to us by the first five, we cannot wait to see what Nature still has in store for us. We are ready for world famous Great Migration of animals (and people!) that will arrive this month until approximately November, but those who have been with us so far in 2013 have witnessed the ‘best kept secret’ that is the Mara in low season. Short daily showers clear for starry nights, crisp mornings, beautiful blue skies and endless horizons of green plains, spotted with flowers and healthy, abundant wildlife, cubs and chicks, fowls and fawns, glistening rivers, and – best of all – only a select few visitors to witness it. Truly, the first part of the year in the Mara is spectacular, and should never be overlooked on a Kenyan itinerary.

From the whole Great Plains team here, ‘Karibuni (welcome) to Mara Toto and the all-new Mara Plains.

With special thanks to Andy Biggs for the use of his wildlife photographs

See more of Andy’s work at www.andybiggs.com

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Cheetah cubs – Andy Biggs

Sunset – Lorna Buchanan-Jardine

Cheetah male – Andy Biggs

Lion silhouette – Lorna Buchanan-Jardine

Mating lions – Andy Biggs

Serval cat – Lorna Buchanan-Jardine

Maasai lady – Sarah Hoyland

School dance team – Lorna Buchanan-Jardine

For over two decades now the ultimate battle has been watged between the herds of buffalo and the considerable prides of lion of Duba island. Nature is cruel in tooth and claw, but one lion has managed to outlast them all.  Known most recently as “The Grandmother”, she sadly passed away today. It is estimated that she reached 20 years old, which is unprecedented for wild lions.

It has been a tough few weeks for the guides who watched a series of incidents which ultimately led to her death. First, a tumour appeared on the back of her neck and it began to grow considerably (pictured below).

She did not appear to be in too much discomfort from the tumor but then she got involved in a failed attempt to bring down a buffalo bull and she was gored badly in the neck.  The injury that she sustained prevented her from hunting but worse still she could not compete with her fellow pride members in feeding on a kill. Feeding is quite a frenzy between lions, requires strength to push, pull and jostle for one’s share.  Lions simply don’t like sharing. She became thinner and isolated from the pride until today, when she was found dead just two kilometres from camp.  It is unclear as to whether it was a hyena or even another lion which ultimately ended her life, but we just hope it was not traumatic. Perhaps, she behaved as cats often do and proudly slinked away, quietly laid down to rest.

The grand lady had seen more than perhaps any other lion in the Delta. She witnessed the birth of safaris in the area, she mothered dozens of cubs including the famous Ma di Tau, star of The Last Lions film and her perseverance represents the strength and yet the plight of her species. There is a real sense of nostalgia surrounding her passing.

This lady was a survivor and more, we owe it to her to continue to preserve the rest of her pride for generations to come. Including young cubs, there are around thirty lions in the Duba area. Should they disappear it would devastate and inevitably destroy the entire habitat and its surroundings.

The Grandmother of lions – Rest in Peace – Twenty years and now you rest

So far I had been to Chitabe, Mombo, and Vumbura Plains (North) on my trip to Botswana. I fell in love with each of them! What would Zarafa hold for me? I knew that it was owned by famous wildlife conservationists / filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert. They have made 22 different films, penned 10 books, and have written countless articles for National Geographic. I also knew that Zarafa was located on an island in the floodplains of southern shores of the Zibadianja Lagoon, which is the source of the Savute Channel. Positioned in the extreme eastern side of the Selinda Reserve, its location is in prime wildlife territory. As I flew over Botswana in a small plane I remember thinking “this never gets old”. I know that there are people out there that don’t like flying, especially in a smaller aircraft, me on the other hand – it doesn’t faze me one bit. In fact I rather enjoy flying, especially when you can spot game from the air.

As I flew from Vumbura Plains to the Zarafa Airstrip I counted several herds of elephants from the air. I also spotted numerous giraffe and several herds of impala. I tried to get that elusive aerial shot of a herd of elephant and today my luck changed. I finally got my aerial shot of a herd of elephants, only minutes before we touched down! I felt as though I had accomplished something big.

Our plane landed and I stepped out onto the airstrip. I grabbed my bags and wondered “what’s in store for me next?” My question would soon be answered. I started walking towards a parked Land Rover, a rather large man stepped out of the vehicle and held his massive hand out towards mine. I remember thinking this is what it would be like to shake hands with a bear. He introduced himself as Isaac. He asked me how my stay had been at the other camps, and I replied that it had been quite wonderful. I looked at him and I remember thinking, “this guy could easily play fullback for the Seahawks.” He was massive, and built completely of muscle. He was the only guide that I’ve ever had where the animals should be more scared of him then he should be of the animals. However, the more I talked with Isaac, the more I realized that he would not hurt a fly. Isaac turned the key of the rover and the engine rumbled quietly. We began our journey back to the camp. I noticed Isaac had a green star pinned to his shirt and I asked him what it was. He replied, “I am a member of the ZCC, the Zion Christian Church”. I asked Isaac if he enjoyed his work and he replied, “I love what I do, I love seeing the smiles on people’s faces when they see an elephant for their first time. I love conserving the land that I grew up in, and I love spending every day with the animals that make this land so special.” I could tell that Isaac truly loved this place and enjoyed what he did each day. As we made our way back to the camp, I couldn’t help but to notice that this area was teeming with game – the birding was absolutely spectacular, there was elephants, giraffe, and impala around every turn. I asked Isaac how far we were from camp and he noted “it’s about 500 meters from here”. I replied, “wow the camp seems to be right in the thick of all the game.” Isaac laughed noting “yes the camp is in an excellent location for game viewing.” We pulled up to the camp’s main area and Isaac cut the engine. A tall white man approached and introduced himself as Nick, the camp manager. Nick had a British accent and came off as being very quiet and soft spoken. Later I would revise that view as Nick was probably the funniest guy I had ever met and he would end up being one of the most memorable people I met on my entire 24 day trip in Africa. We enjoyed coffee and snacks while I signed the indemnity waiver. Nick had the chef prepare ostrich burgers which were absolutely delicious. As we ate I noticed an elephant walking between the camp’s shop and the loo with a view! I asked Nick if this was a common occurrence, he laughed and replied “just about every day, you get used to it though. I just wake up 30 minutes early every day because there is a good chance that I will have to wait for the elephants to clear out of my path.” We finished our meal and he walked me towards my room… half way there we had to stop because there was another elephant feeding on the pathway. We admired him from a distance until he ambled off. As we approached the room I was stunned. We climbed several steps to a large tented room with a wraparound deck. There was a plunge pool facing the lagoon. I also noticed 3 elephants playing in the water in front of my deck. I remember thinking “I could spend a whole day admiring the view from there.” Nick opened the room’s heavy wooden door and I stepped in. I was blown away!

All of the other camps had a modern elegance whereas Zarafa was decorated in a colonial style. This is what a safari would be like if I was European royalty. I spotted several couches and a large desk near the entrance of the room. Nick pointed out the Swarovski binoculars and the Zarafa stationary that had my name on it. He also informed me that because the Joubert’s were active photographers and filmmakers, every guest was given a Canon 5D camera and a 100-400mm lens for taking photos while in camp. I thought, “How perfect, I love taking photos but I didn’t want to pack a large bodied DSLR camera and a huge lens like that. Now I have one I can use here.” We walked further and Nick pushed back a canvas divider. I gasped as I saw the large bed in the foreground. Beyond was an extravagant copper bath tub and open air fireplace. I imagined a soothing bath looking out at the elephants as they played in the lagoon. To the right I spotted a large indoor shower fashioned with an elegant copper shower head. The toilet was tucked away in the far back-right corner of the room behind double copper sinks. Nick said I need to show you something. I replied “show away, my friend”. We walked out onto the far side of the deck where he showed me an outdoor shower facing the lagoon. The shower was made of copper with pipes that circled the shower from foot level to shoulder level. I asked him what they were for. He replied, “This is my favorite part. You’ve probably seen several outdoor showers in Botswana, but none are like this.” He turned on the shower and I was astonished to see that there were actually little holes in copper piping – it created a full body massage as you took a shower out in the serenity of nature. Nick left me to my thoughts and told me to make my way back to the main lodge when I felt rested. First thing I did? I took the best shower of my life, the whole time watching several elephants playing in the lagoon in front of me.

After a nap I made my way back towards the camp’s main tent. There I found Nick and Isaac. Isaac asked me how my nap was. I replied, “I dreamed of living here”. Both of them laughed replying “that’s not the first time we’ve heard that”. I asked them, “What’s next, what’s on the agenda for tonight?” They responded, “Well you have your choice, we could go out on our pontoon boat and explore the lagoon or you could elect to go out on a game drive.” I responded, “Well, I was out on a boat all day yesterday at Vumbura Plains, so let’s go out on a drive.” Isaac responded, “Excellent, you will love the wildlife in this area and there are lion tracks all around the outside of the camp today.” That was all I needed to hear. We hopped into the Land Rover and took off into the wilderness. I toyed with the camera they had given me. After 10 minutes we stopped and Isaac examined some impressions in the mud. I took full advantage of the stop to snap some pictures of an elephant and some colorful birds. We continued on as Isaac tried to track down the elusive lions. We drove up to a watering hole where there were lion tracks all around. Isaac examined them and said “they were here less than an hour ago. Now they’ve taken off into that thick brush.” We followed trying to find them before our daylight ran out. We came across all sorts of game as we looked for the lions – impala, several giraffe and elephant. We kept on looking for the lions, but I knew that our chances of finding them were slim as the brush was thick and they very well could be lying down at this point. Several minutes later we lost their tracks and headed back towards camp. Isaac gave me a somber look and said “I’m so sorry we couldn’t find the lions as I know you really wanted to see them.” I could tell by the way he said it, that Isaac was genuinely sorry that we couldn’t find them. I replied to him, “Isaac don’t even worry about it, your company is good enough for me.” He roared with laughter and thanked me for my understanding. We headed back to camp where there was feast fit for a king laid out for us. We indulged until we could eat no more.

After dinner we sat around the fire and exchanged stories from just about every facet of our lives. Nick’s humor took over. He was subtle, almost feeling me out, before decided it was ok to open up. He had a very dry sarcastic way about him. He regaled us with stories of past guests and his time spent at college. We stayed up until the wee hours of the morning exchanging laughs. When I decided it was time to go to bed, they put out the fire and began walking me towards the room. We took one step out of the main lodge before we heard a loud noise in front of us. A flashlight would reveal an elephant standing 10 meters in front of us on the path to my room. We stepped back into the lodge and watched for about 20 minutes before the ele finally moved out of the way. That night I slept incredibly – the bed beyond comfortable, and the temperature was perfect. I awoke to the sound of fish jumping out of the water in the lagoon in front of my room. Isaac arrived bearing coffee. After a cup I made my way to the main tent where breakfast awaited. I sampled everything until I couldn’t sample anymore and then Isaac turned to me and said, “Tim I promise you, this morning I will show you the lions.” I looked at him and replied, “Isaac don’t make promises you can’t keep. Even if you don’t get me close to lions, I won’t mind. My stay here has been incredible and you are an excellent guide.” We departed once more, in search of whatever game we could find. Not more than 10 minutes after departure we came across a herd of elephant trimming the trees and brush. We admired them for a while before we left in search of the predators. About 25 minutes later, Isaac stopped and pointed up in a tree. I gasped as I noticed a leopard watching us from a branch 20 feet up. She seemed content eyeing the landscape from her post. Isaac said, “Beautiful, yes?” I replied without hesitation “Absolutely”. We left the leopard to her thoughts and continued on. Twenty minutes later Isaac looked at me and claimed, “I’ve been following lion tracks for the past 10 minutes, and I’m confident that beyond that thicket of bush there will be a pride of lion at the watering hole.” I laughed, and said, “I hope your right.” True to Isaac’s word, as we came through the bush there was indeed a watering hole along with about 6 Lion. I high fived Isaac. I looked at him and said “If you ever get tired of guiding I could see a career for you in fortune telling.” He laughed at this, and casually replied “I think I’ll stick to guiding.” We watched the Lions for an hour before I had to head back to camp and pack my bags for the next leg of my journey. It was sad saying goodbye to Nick and Isaac and at this point I wish I had more time. The room at Zarafa was amazing, the service stellar, and I had made close friends. I think a good measure of how great a place is, is how sad are you to leave? Leaving Zarafa, my answer: Heartbroken!

April has been amazing month in the Duba Plains concession, with fantastic sightings, hard working guests and inspired guides.
A large group of Australian guests arrived for their fourth visit to the area and were not disappointed on their first night when they were greeted by a large herd of elephant in camp during the night along with our resident hippos who were wandering around, forming part of the welcoming committee. James and Spike once again hosted the Australians who were determined to spend as much time out in the bush, hoping to spot some action. Their hard work and perseverance paid off on their fifth day out, (after having spent two full days out and enjoying their lunch in beautiful settings not far from large herds of buffalo) when one of the groups in the Tsaro Pride took down a large male buffalo. An awe inspiring event which both our guides reckoned had not happened in about a year in the area – normally the lions go for females or young buffalo – so it was amazing to see the pride working together, with the females battling to bring the huge beast down and then at the last minute a large male lion came to the rescue, felling the buffalo and finally putting an end to the battle. The guests were delighted and got some great footage of the entire episode.

Other guests were thrilled to witness some hunting “training” with a couple of lion cubs trying their best to secure themselves a bite to eat, but who were unfortunately unsuccessful in their endeavors. They were also amazed to witness both lions and cubs crossing deep water together.

Another highlight this month has been a mother and her sub-adult female leopard daughter who killed a Reedbuck not far from camp. Extremely shy, the mother was seen dragging their kill into thick brush, where she stayed, avoiding curious onlookers. The younger female, however, had no such misgivings and put on a great display of preening herself while lying in the open for all guests to witness and photograph. On another day, she was also seen “playing” with the horns of their kill, swatting them here and there while pouncing around playfully. Both females have not left their kill for about 5 days now and everyone who has passed by has returned to camp with fabulous photos and footage of the youngster.
Aside from daily sightings of lions sunning themselves and making half hearted attempts at hunting, a pangolin was spotted by some very lucky guests. Bat eared foxes have also been spotted three or four times by different visitors, along with great sightings of a honey badger with a baby – very special. Other general game in the area have added to our guest experiences – large herds of lechwe roaming in the water soaked floodplains, reedbuck and beautiful herds of Kudu are in abundance.
At present we have a resident heard of Kudu who seem to enjoy hanging around the camp and seem extremely unafraid of us as we walk by, continuing to stroll around very relaxed. With them are two beautiful bulls, displaying gorgeous curling headpieces and who are a little more wary of us, skitting away at first, but then always making their way back.
The birdlife in the area is phenomenal, with sightings of Wattled Cranes and myriad other species. In and around camp, we are so spoilt with plenty of Woodlands Kingfishers and Little Bea Eaters who get so close to guests, allowing for fabulous photo opportunities. Early morning wake up calls from a couple of Fish Eagles are the norm and make a wonderful morning song in camp.
The elephant continue to enjoy the ambiance of our camp during the nights and have been serving as fabulous “security guards”, keeping watch over our slumbering guests. We do, however, have one lazy fellow who enjoys taking naps on our pathways in the early hours of the morning and if it was not for his somewhat voracious snoring, we would perhaps not even know he was there until almost stepping on him!

In April Kenya received a huge amount of rain, and in some regions the flooding was overwhelming. But, following the life-giving surge of water, the entire country has been covered in a thick blanket of green, and the Mara too is flourishing. Most evenings the heavens opened and the downpours often continued into the night.

Massive flocks of migratory birds have swooped in to make the most of the mud, and abundance of grass and insects. Lesser-striped swallows are chirping on every perch and are busy painstakingly packing mouthfuls of dirt into masterfully constructed nests. Mara Toto camp is full of these clever creations under the eaves of the tents.

In the second half of April, the Jackson’s widow birds began their incredible annual mating display, cropping circles of grass around neatly trimmed ‘arenas’ on the plains and then simultaneously leaping and dropping above the tall stems, competing for female attention. This makes for a very entertaining sight as half a dozen feathered black creatures pop up and down across the horizon, and fly gracefully around with their long black plumage draping behind them.

The ostriches are still maintaining their massive numbers in one particular flock of over 30 individuals, first seen in February and now again in April, gracefully filing across the conservancy airstrip. Once this month the Enkoyeni pride manage to bring down one of the adults, but it could not have been without a substantial fight.

The skylines are scattered with great herds of elephant, who have moved into the conservancies by the hundreds to feast on the nutritious red oat grass – an annual dietary boost for them in comparison to their typical diet of tougher branches and shrubs. Many of the breeding groups have in tow tiny calves who are fighting to coordinate their trunks and are struggling to see above the waving tops of the grass plains.

Also needing a better view of their surroundings, the troops of Vervet monkeys in our area can be seen pausing as they run to quickly stand on two feet and look around for approaching danger. All prey species are on red alert at this time of year, never able to see what – or who – may be moving in on them.

Slinking through the grass, the cheetah on the conservancy are doing brilliantly, making the most of the cover that is giving them a distinct advantage. Narasha and her two sub-adult cubs (now over a year old) have never looked better, and they have been spending time between Mara Plains and Mara Toto camps. Her almost daily hunts are more often than not successful and their spotted coats are gleaming with health. Her male cub is doing especially well in shadowing his mother as she stalks, and he is set to become a brilliant hunter, learning from one of the best.

The female cheetah, Nosim, with her one male cub is also doing well and was hunting near the murrum towards the end of the month. At eighteen months old, her cub is bigger than his mother, and in the first half of May they have been found separated by some distance. This may be the beginning of the next chapter in the cub’s life when he is forced to find his own path and to start fending for himself. Guests at Mara Toto just watched her mid-May on a long hunt going after a young Thompson’s gazelle right in front of them and without another vehicle in sight. Nosim, then release her catch for cub to chase and finally kill the young Tommy himself. It won’t be long now before he is ready to go solo.

The Moniko and Enkoyeni lion prides have followed their food source – the Lloita migration – far up onto the escarpment where the grass is short and the game is plentiful. The Olare Motorogi rangers have reported the Moniko stronghold to be in the ‘secret valley’ near the conservancy headquarters, while the Enkoyeni base is currently to the northwest beyond the whistling thorn. The two Enkoyeni pride males were last seen at Hammerkop Crossing towards the end of the month, which was around the same time that the two Double Crossing males were found mating with a female opposite Mara Toto. They spent a few days in April resting through the daylight hours in the bushes facing our tents across the river, and calling loudly into the night, making the hairs on the backs of our necks stand on end. They continue to be very vocal and confident, roaring nightly not far from camp.

Guests landing on the private OOC airstrip in May have arrived to a very impressive welcoming committee of massive herds of zebra, topi, eland, Thompson’s and giraffe all grazing on the vast green plain. There is no better place to acclimatize to the Mara pace of life than at a lunch table set up under the ‘waiting room’ acacia, a glass of cold wine in hand, and 360 degree views of unending wilderness and wildlife, and with nobody else around.

A male leopard has been calling his territory through the nights around Mara Toto this month and our guides suspect this is Yellow, though we are yet to see him to confirm this. The shy kicheche female, AKA Houdini, was also spotted on a game drive on the 24^th. But the most spectacular show of the month has to be the moment that Olive, the leopardess on the Talek river, took down a young waterbuck only feet away from Mara Toto guests – priceless!

At Mara Plains, all hands are on deck, erecting what is shaping up to be an absolutely stunning and unique camp. Rustic wood floors and decks are laid, made from antique railway sleepers, and the draping cotton canvas is being rigged up as we speak. Soon the fabrics and furnishings will arrive from far off lands and begin to piece together the jigsaw puzzle vision of Dereck and Beverly Joubert. Having filmed all over Africa in some of the wildest locations, and having built some of Botswana’s most elegant bush camps, we are all very excited to see their greatest Kenyan project to date come together, and emerge as the all new Mara Plains, set to open in July.

With best wishes from the Great Plains Mara team.

All photographs by Claire Fauquier

Follow Claire’s photography here: www.seefolkyay.com

In April 2013 Kevin Siayalel and Duncan Lenjirr sat for the Kenya Professional Safari Guides Association’s Silver Level certification and we’re very pleased to announce that they both passed! CONGRATULATIONS, Kevin and Duncan.

Duncan Lenjirr

Duncan was born in 1977 in the Narok area of the greater Maasai Mara region and was a top student in class throughout primary school. At high school he was also among the best performing students, geography was his best subject and being a great enthusiast of the natural world, he was appointed chairman of the school’s Wildlife and Environment Clubs.

Duncan began his formal training at Mara Intrepids Camp where he guided bird walks for guests. In 2008 he enrolled for a two-year college diploma in Voi (south-east Kenya) training as a professional tour guide. Following graduation Duncan went on to study field training at the Elsamere Conservation and Field Study Centre in Naivasha, writing an extensive report majoring on the birds of Lake Naivasha. In 2010 Duncan’s career path led him to Fairmont Hotels where he further trained as a guide, and in July of that year he moved to Olare Camp in the Mara.

Duncan joined Great Plains Conservation’s Mara Plains Camp in June 2012 and his experience was immediately complimented with a two week guide eco-training course at camp. In April 2013 Duncan achieved his Silver Level guiding certificate, and he will be going for Gold!

Kevin Saiyalel

Kevin Saiyalel was born in 1985 in Talek, a local town not far from Mara Plains Camp. He attended Ole Sankale School, and then Olchekut Sipat Apostolic School where he developed a keen interest in tree planting and was a member of the Friends of Conservation Society.

He started his working life at Riverside Camp as a freelance guide for two years, developing his understanding of mammals and birds. Afterwards he enrolled at the Koiyaki Guiding School near his home in the Masai Mara, excelling in the studies of flora and fauna and graduating with a certificate in Tour Guiding and Wildlife Management.

Joining the Mara Plains team in 2009, Kevin continues to ‘wow’ his guests with his hawk eyes, uncanny intuition and acute understanding of wildlife.