Ok, September/October is Kenya time!
Your main focus must be the Masai Mara. 3 groups of Wildebeests and
zebra join together to form a huge concentration of wildlife. When I
close my eyes and envision Africa, this is about as close as it gets!
The resident herds, the Serengeti herds from the south and the Loita
herds from the north (in total close to a million) are now milling
around, going back and forth across the Mara River where the crocodiles
await in the water, the predators watch on the banks and the hippos
relax with little regard for the life and dead struggles around them.
By early Oct, the herds are starting to split. The Loita herds are
moving north and north east, and the Serengeti herds are moving towards
the south, staying more or less on the western half of the park.
This time of year, I would fly in from Nairobi to the Mara and stay at
the Governors camps or Mara Serena (cheaper) - basically as close to
the Mara river as I can. Kichwa, Olenana and others are good options
too (they are outside the park). These are fly-in safaris using the
camp driver/guides. At Little Governors, the hippos feed next to your
tent at night, and elephants walse through in the afternoon during
their swamp visit.
Would spend at least 3 nights, maybe splitting my time between two
camps to try and see the few leopards.
During the day, it's simply matter of finding a hill top and wait.
Something will happen before too long. Watch for hyenas (they are my
favourite) - always up to something. The cheetahs to the north of the
Mara will hunt daily. The lions will rest, but in the afternoons they
will start to position themselves - just look where the Big Cat Diary
vehicles are going!
And in the heat of the day, listen to the radio or watch the large
herds on the move - a crossing may be eminent. It is hard to watch, yet
you cannot turn away. Nature is doing its thing in brutal ways every
day.
After 4 or 5 days, what do you do for an encore? Go for something
different. Samburu to see the gerenuks and reticulated giraffes or Lake
Nakuru if you did not see leopard earlier and for rhino, flamingos
Rothschild's giraffes.
I would probably do the Mara at the end of my trip - it is a tough act
to follow.
What do you think?
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