Kijabe Trip 2012: Beasts

Our second morning in Tsavo started out somewhat like the first, with baboons tearing up and down the pillars of the lodge outside our window. We got to sleep in a bit longer since we skipped the morning game drive in favor of getting ready for our early flight out of the park. I spent some time again admiring the view off the patio before we headed down to breakfast.

Pumpkin moon

Hand-carved wine rack.

Kira, Joe wants this for his next birthday.

I included the pineapple to balance it out.

Our lineup of breakfast juices.

Impressionist's sky in Africa.

After breakfast we made sure our affairs were settled at Kilaguni and then walked out to the landing strip as Harry regaled us with tales of his days as a young British soldier on the way. We all piled into the Cessna Caravan and taxied out to the runway. I didn't have my camera ready to capture it, but a single male ostrich was on the right side of the runway as we took off, and our wing passed over his head as we nosed up into the sky. There was a hilarious blur of feathers and legs as he was suddenly caught in the propwash and blown about like a palm tree in a storm. We had another 50 minute flight back to Wilson, then a brief layover before we boarded another plane for the Mara. The flight to the Mara was equally beautiful, and the landscape became smoother as we approached our destination. The word Mara means "spotted" in the Masai language, and the collection of bright green brush pockets dotting the vast empty plains of the park seem to hold true to this name. As we descended towards the landing strip, the unmistakable shapes of countless antelopes, buffalo, hippos, zebra, and many other creatures became visible from the windows of the plane. We touched down on the gravel runway and taxied to a row of vehicles waiting for passengers.

Our plane arriving to Tsavo.

Clouds over a green Africa below us.

Now after we arrived, I quickly noticed that all the drivers for the vehicles were dressed in what I had come to recognize as Masai warrior clothes. It seemed a little gimmicky, and I still don't know if they do that for legitimate cultural reasons or just for effect, but it made it particularly funny to watch one of them talking on his cell phone as he approached the plane.

Gotcha! What will your customer's say about this

juxtaposition of technology and ancient traditions?...

...Oops, looks like we ARE your customers...

Dominick came highly recommended by Jace and Justin when they were here in the Mara, so we had requested him as the driver. After introduction, he drove us away from the airfield and (as we soon learned) away from the tented camp we were heading to as well.

"Dominick, take us to something violent!"

Dominick didn't disappoint, and within 10 minutes we were parked next to a pack of hyena fighting over the remains of a water buffalo that a group of lions had been feeding on earlier. The lions rested in the shade of a small bush while the hyenas cracked and tore at the carcass. They danced and growled at each other while casting careful eyes at the lions to make sure they wouldn't be interrupted.

"I say, good chap, might you be finishing that rib?"

We're in the big leagues, now.

"Come back when I'm hungry again."

Junior partners in the pride.

We were still reeling from the fact that we had seen lions in the Mara after only ten minutes as we began the long trip to Ilkeliani Tented Camp. Ilkeliani came highly recommended by Jace as well, and we planned to stay there after talking with him long before the trip. Ilkeliani sits on a bend in the Talek River (much smaller than the more famous Mara River), and is a permanent tented camp with solar-powered electricity and a modern plumbing system with flush toilets and hot showers. The look is british colonial, and the pairing of the older feel of the tents with the modern amenities make it a very attractive option for a stay in the park. It's a 40 minute drive to the camp from the airfield, but there was a LOT to see on the way. Huge herds of Masai cattle wandered across the road in front of the Range Rover, and we would occasionally be forced to honk at zebra and gazelle to clear the way (It's interesting to see this after being in Tsavo where we strained to find these animals hidden in the brush). The only strange thing that happened on the drive was that we stopped in the middle of the Mara at one point and were asked to pay the $240 park fees in cash before Dominick would continue. It seemed pretty shady (not unlike being driven to the woods and robbed), but we expected to have to pay, and we never had any problems with the payment afterwards. A few shots from the drive:

Typical river crossing.

Lonely tree on the Mara.

"Quit hogging the road!"

After we arrived, we met the staff at Ilkeliani, signed some waivers saying that we wouldn't sue if we were eaten on the camp's grounds, and were shown to our tent to settle in.

"THIS is just the basics?!"

Talek river visible from the tent.

The front of our tent.

One of the beds.

Zippered back room

Again, don't drink the water.

Hot water shower.

We unpacked and headed over to the main tent for lunch. There is no buffet at Ilkeliani, but they have a gourmet menu served as individual courses. The presentation is fantastic, and I took photos of all the meals I had my camera for (which usually excluded dinner since my camera was charging at the main station during that time).

Lunch appetizer. Avocado.

Having a Stoney, the addictive Kenyan ginger ale.

The main course.

After lunch we returned to the tent to rest before the 3:30pm start to our evening game drive. The schedule that quickly develops for most people on safari is to wake up early for a game drive, rest during the day, then go on an evening game drive, then rest at night. It is not too dissimilar from the schedule that much of the wildlife keeps (active during the cool hours of the day, resting otherwise). Unfortunately, it's tough to rest during the middle of the day without air-conditioning. We would try to nap between game drives, but would find ourselves unable to sleep in the heat and constantly waking up to try to cool off. When 3:30 rolled around, we were waiting by the vehicle in expectation that driving around would at least provide a cool breeze. The evening game drive was equally fruitful. Here are some highlights:

The Topi. Often found standing on ant mounds.

A pregnant Cheetah. Dominick spotted

her while looking for a lion pride.

Careful. Pregnant doesn't mean not hungry.

Tired of all the attention.

Moving on...

Heaven pauses above the Mara.

Apparently there are Dik Dik here, too.

A herd of Impala in Leopard counrty.

The raucous Hippo. There were over 100 in this little bay.

The area smelled awful as the Hippo loves to swim in the

excrement of the herd. We walked around here for a bit, but

decided to leave when they started coming out of the water

The Crocodile. This one is about 15 feet.

All that was left of the Buffalo from the morning.

Driving back to camp.

Black and white and gold all over.

Red sun setting.

We got back to camp and got ready for dinner. We stopped at the elevated platform that looks out towards Tanzania first to catch the last rays of the day. While we peered out to the Mara, we heard a grunting sound below us, followed by a big splash. We aimed a flashlight down into the Talek to see the red glow of Hippo eyes staring back. The Hippo climbed out on our side of the river and bellowed as he trotted past the dining area before splashing back into the river downstream. We had a great meal, then a quick Amarula in the tented lounge next to the dining area. We were escorted back to our tent by the Masai night watchman, who left us after the tent was in sight. As we unzipped the entrance, the low laugh of a hippo rose from the river below. Needless to say, we stayed inside until the morning.