The Great Migration Safari: Day 9 with Amboseli extension

It was our final day in the Masai Mara, and it didn’t disappoint!  After all the crossing action we have had over the first few days, it didn’t even cross our mind to see what the wildebeest were up to, so the wildebeest came to us.  After seeing one of the biggest herds of elephants I have ever seen in the Mara, over 100 individuals, and spending some quality time with a female leopard, we made our way to the airstrip for our onward flight to Amboseli.  As luck would have it, the plane was delayed a little in Nairobi, and thousands of wildebeest wanted to cross the Mara River only a few minutes from the airstrip.  With all our gear in the back, we made a quick dash down to the river, and saw a crossing filled with excitement.  As always, we had our cameras handy for just such an occurrence, and enjoyed a full photo shoot.  Only after the last wildebeest had made its way out of the river, did the plane fly above us signalling the end.

Heading into Amboseli is always fun, because as you approach, you fly over the few marsh areas they have, and spotting the animals is quite easy.  On safari in Amboseli, there are a lot of elephants, and we enjoyed their company for the entire afternoon.  It was awesome, and the cameras had a field day.  Loads of little ele’s were running around, giving us a great show.

Major sightings of the day:

Hyena den with 3 cubs and 1 adult

Several sightings of hyenas

Female leopard in a tree

Many sightings of buffalo

Large herd of elephants, over 100 animals

River crossing

Many different herds of elephants

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The Great Migration Safari: Day 8

As now seems to be the norm, we started off with a spotted hyena den site, with 1 adult hanging around the den. Immediately afterwards we happened across 2 more hyenas feeding on the remains of a young wildebeest kill.  It was the classic Masai Mara scene, with a couple of black-backed jackals hanging around looking for some scraps, and all the vultures coming in to see what they could get. When the hyenas were done, we made our way back to the Mara River to see if we could photograph any crossing action.  After the usual wildebeest back and forth, we managed to see quite a big crossing, which was made even more exciting by the arrival of a large crocodile. It didn’t take the crocodile long to pick off a victim. The young wildebeest really didn’t stand a chance.  We ended the day with 3 lions getting ready for the nights hunt.

Major sightings of the day:

Spotted hyena den, with 1 adult at the den

2 spotted hyena feeing on wildebeest

2 lions

Many different elephants

1 river crossing

Crocodile kill

3 black-backed jackals

Many buffalo

3 lions

To jon us on safari, click here!

 

The South African Predators Safari: Day 6

After a great few days down in the Cape, we were welcomed to the wilds by some very warm weather, and several herds of elephants.  We spotted quite a few animals from the plane before even landing, which seemed to set the tone for the day, because we got off to a flyer! Two male rhinos having a serious disagreement meant the cameras were put to work early into the first drive, and a male leopard kept them clicking.  You couldn’t ask for a better start to this leg of the photo safari.

Major sightings of the day:

Several herds of elephants

Hippo

4 male buffalo

4 rhinos, 2 males fighting

Male leopard

White tailed mongoose eating tortoise eggs

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The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 10 with Amboseli add-on

What a way to end such a great safari!  Most of our morning was spent with a herd of around 100 elephants, going about their business and providing us with unbelievable photographic opportunities.  Leaving the elephants and heading back to the camp, there was one last surprise waiting for us – a pride of 4 lionesses with 7 cubs had just killed a wildebeest at the edge of a waterhole, and were busy feeding.

Major sightings of the day:

  • A herd of ±100 elephants
  • Giraffe
  • 3 verreauxs eagle owls
  • Lanner falcon
  • Fringe eared oryx
  • Good plains game
  • 4 lionesses and 7 cubs on a wildebeest kill

To join us on safari, click here!

 

The Great Migration Safari 2013: Day 9 with Amboseli add-on

As expected, in Amboseli there were loads of elephants out and about.  Many large herds were seen, most with young calves.  We were also lucky enough to see some lions; 2 females with 2 cubs.  They were sleeping close to a large male elephant who felt like showing his might, and eventually chased them off.  Mount Kilimanjaro appeared both in the morning and again in the late afternoon, but the real highlight was an african wild cat walking around in the middle of the day.

Major sightings of the day:

  • Many herds of elephants
  • Elephants in the swamps
  • Mount Kilimanjaro
  • Good plains game
  • African wild cat
  • 2 lionesses with 2 cubs next to male elephant

To join us on safari, click here!