Jambo. As ever the trip to Kenya was A-Mazing.
In total it covered 8 nights of Safari in 2 of the best conservancies for Rhinos and Big Cats.
First up was Ol Pejeta Conservancy, staying at Porini Rhino Camp under the guidance of our photographer guide / organiser Alison Mees of Gamewatchers Safaris. The stay at this camp was very cool, great food, attentive staff and top guiding. This time around I shared my trip with a fun couple in Tony and Susan, having lots of laughs along the way, making it one of the best trips I have had and we have all pre-booked again for mid 2026!
“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s gooooo”.
The sightings were exceptional for the Big Cats, which can sometimes be difficult at Ol Pejeta, this year the grass was exceptionally long due to the heavy rains earlier in the year making it a challenging experience…
Key Highlights:
• Lions - lots of them including the Porini Pride Male’s in golden hour all by ourselves, two sets of honeymooners, the rest of the pride including lionesses, sub-adults and older cubs in golden hour the next day. Scratching post shot, tested my body, monopod, gimbal and camera to the extreme!
• One exceptional Cheetah sighting one evening, it was great spending time with the male Cheetah despite missing the beautiful sunset! Watching them think about hunting Impala whilst having a Jackal follow and annoy them was intriguing. Leaving it in complete darkness.
• As ever, the Rhino’s were always close by, White Rhino families and the odd Black Rhino, with one chilled Black Rhino sitting out in the open grasses, an uncommon sight for these rather shy animals.
• Giraffe's - never seen so many in one place, the population seems to be flourishing.
Leaving camp always makes you feel a little sad, however, when you are heading to the Masai Mara then you actually have a little skip in your stride. Catching the small planes is always fun, a couple of hours flight and a couple of stop overs we landed near in Olare Motorogi Conservancy.
It was my first time staying at the Porini Lion Camp. Great camping experience with the sounds of lions, hippos, leopards and buffalo on a night time, not all at the same time though. The staff were excellent, the facilities also extremely good, felt like a king, the food was also very good.
Key highlights:
• Leopard sighting call came in but right on the other side of the Conservancy, we hot footed it over as fast as we could. It was so worth it … slowly making her way through the bush was Akira the female Leopard who recently lost her litter. What we observed was simply one of the best ever experiences you could have with a Leopard, sitting, marauding through the bush, chasing a baby Giraffe, licking the infamous salts from the ground, rolling around scent marking, calling for a mate and making eye contact on many occasions. Moments I will treasure and never forget!
• So how can you beat that, or equal it … maybe another Leopard sighting ... after killing an Impala and hoisting it up a tree, we found Natito sleeping and resting, slowly she went down to the gorge to drink. Climbing back up the bank she gently called her cub, whether she knew the Hyenas were there, I am not sure, but thankfully the cub did not arrive. We left after she walked away, with the Hyenas following closely….
• The next morning the plan was set, get up early and be the first to arrive at the Leopard kill site, sadly we were third, placing our spot in jeopardy as other vehicles duly arrived. We witnessed her pulling the Impala from the tree, carrying it, jumping up the bank, up the tree, going to look out spots, then calling her cub, eventually we were lucky to see the cub and observe Natito carrying her cub in mouth. Absolutely brilliant – what a buzz!
• Watching a number of Lion Prides was interesting, often in the mornings, late afternoon as the harshness of the sun disappeared and replaced by the golden hour. Capturing some amazing images as the sun went down was a particular highlight
• Dominant Male Lion - one of the Lemek Boys walking in the strong winds towards his pride which was positioned high on a large rock one morning was a great moment…
• Cheetah - On our way back from visiting a Masai Village and being accepted into their lives, our guide Chris spotted vehicles moving quickly in the distance following a Cheetah hunt, these guides have amazing eye sight! We drove as fast as we could, arriving in time to watch female Cheetah Kulete dragging her Thompson Gazelle into the bushes out of sight from preying eyes, after some rest she began to eat.
Final day duly arrived, if only you could stop time, whilst waiting at the runway, the plane was cancelled, given a slight reprieve, we headed back into the bush in search of the female Leopard with cub, we found her but the cub was hidden in the bush. Slowly she walked off into the bush, no doubt to let her cub suckle.
Now it was time to go.
The End. But not the very end, I will be back!
Hakuna Matata
