Brendon’s News from the Masai Mara Predator Photo Safari:
We all met at the airport at Nairobi from where we climbed aboard a light aircraft for our trip to Masai Mara where we landed before lunchtime.
The drive from the airport to the camp was superb and a wonderful introduction to the area. We saw elephants, buffalo, giraffe, Black-backed Jackal, Thomson’s Gazelles, hippos, Impala, and more. And this was before we even reached the Lodge.
When we arrived at the Lodge we checked into our superb accommodations, and then enjoyed a very welcome lunch. Everyone was keen to get going and we grabbed our camera equipment and set out with much enthusiasm and as much expectation.
We had hardly left the camp when we came across a large herd of buffalo. There were loads of giraffe dotted around and it didn’t take long for us to spot our first cheetah. It lay on a mound, not doing much for a while, but then gave us some great poses when it got up and stretched and yawned widely. We hoped that she would hunt in the late afternoon, but she was too relaxed and not bothered to hunt for now.
We had heard about a leopard couple that had been mating for the past day or two, and we made our way to them to check whether they were still in the area. As we arrived we found them out in the open, and we quickly filled our memory cards with images of the mating couple. There was no long grass, or any bush to create obstructions.
We left the amorous duo when they moved out of sight into a bushy area, and we started to meander towards the camp. On the way we encountered two lionesses that had killed a wildebeest moments before our arrival. As it was dusk by then we used flash to light the scene adequately as the lions fed.
Whew! What a truly rewarding start to our safari. And what choices we have in the morning – we should check on the lionesses, and also on the mating leopards …
