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Tuesday, November 26, 2013

November 2013 KENYA Photo Safari SAMBURU, NAKURU & the MAASAI MARA

November in Kenya is just outside the peak season and that is the reason we run a trip at this time. The reserves were very quiet and the Mara was perhaps the quietest of all, we had almost every sighting to ourselves which is unheard of in the Mara, especially during the busy migration season.

The weather was fantastic too, clear sunny mornings followed by cloud build up in the afternoons, but very little rain.

The tour started with the standard 6 night extension to Samburu and Lake Nakuru. Samburu was excellent as always, quite wet to start with, which made for some interesting and different photo opportunities, and one highlight was seeing a lioness with her 3 very small cubs. The young Leopard we saw in September was also spotted at the top of a tree.

Elephants and birds are always very good in Samburu and one of my favourite antelopes, the unusual long necked Gerenuk was present in good numbers.

We continued on to Lake Nakuru which is still very flooded and full of water, but we did manage to get some good bird photos as well as good White Rhino sightings and an excellent time with the Rothschild Giraffes.

Finally we headed to the Maasai Mara for our final 9 nights. The Mara was excellent as it always is, a wonderful sighting of a Cheetah going back to her den site and revealing 5 tiny cubs no more than a few weeks old was a sighting none of us will forget.

We photographed a nice young male Leopard, numerous other cheetah and Lions. Another highlight was to see the 1000's and 1000's of wildebeest and zebra still in the Mara. They were very late to return this year and we were lucky to see a couple of crossings.

All in all a great trip. Many thanks to our Guides Mamai and James for looking after us in the field and getting those big heavy cruisers into great positions for photos... and also to staff at the camps... Next November we will be running the same safari so let us know if you are interested as spaces are limited.

Here are a few photos from the safari.

Warmest regards

Stu


Baby Elephant in the rain - SAMBURU

Tree Agama - SAMBURU

SAMBURU

Scarlet Chested Sunbird in rain - SAMBURU

Golden Breasted Starling in rain - SAMBURU

Vulturine Guineafowl - SAMBURU

Grevy's Zebra - SAMBURU

Lioness with her three cubs - SAMBURU

Dik Dik - SAMBURU

Tawny Eagle - SAMBURU

Yellow Necked Spurfowl - SAMBURU

Namaqua Dove - SAMBURU

Black Capped Social Weaver - SAMBURU

Gerenuk - SAMBURU

Black Faced Sand Grouse - SAMBURU

Elephants - SAMBURU

Northern Masked Weaver - SAMBURU

Lioness and cub - SAMBURU

Lion Cub - SAMBURU

Von Der Decken's Hornbill - SAMBURU

Ground Squirrel - SAMBURU

Red Billed Hornbill - SAMBURU

Vervet Monkey - SAMBURU

Orange Bellied Parrot - SAMBURU

Yellow Billed Hornbill - SAMBURU

Little Bee eater - SAMBURU

Pale Chanting Goshawk - SAMBURU

Purple Roller - SAMBURU

SAMBURU at night

Leopard and Hornbill - SAMBURU

Lesser Flamingo - LAKE NAKURU

Male Impala - LAKE NAKURU

Lesser Flamingo - LAKE NAKURU

Cape Buffalo - LAKE NAKURU

White Rhino and Calf - LAKE NAKURU

Superb Starling - LAKE NAKURU

Rothschild Giraffe - LAKE NAKURU

Northern Shoveler - LAKE NAKURU

Sunrise - MAASAI MARA

sunrise and waterbuck - MAASAI MARA

Sunrise and Ballanites trees - MAASAI MARA

Cheetah - MAASAI MARA

Wildebeest Crossing - MAASAI MARA

Elephant sunset - MAASAI MARA

Yellow Throated Longclaw - MAASAI MARA

Male leopard - MAASAI MARA

Cheetah with tiny cubs - MAASAI MARA

The female cheetah with a baby Grant's Gazelle - MAASAI MARA

Group of Banded Mongooses - MAASAI MARA

Maasai Giraffe - MAASAI MARA

Cheetah - MAASAI MARA

Hartebeest running - MAASAI MARA

Topi Running - MAASAI MARA

Male Lion from the Marsh Pride - MAASAI MARA

Sunset - MAASAI MARA

Zebra at sunrise - MAASAI MARA

Saddlebilled Stork feeding the youngsters - MAASAI MARA

Lion cub -MAASAI MARA

Cheetah - MAASAI MARA

Wildebeest crossing - MAASAI MARA

Lions - MAASAI MARA

Serval - MAASAI MARA

Serval - MAASAI MARA

Serval - MAASAI MARA

Sunrise and Giraffe - MAASAI MARA

Male Lion crossing Olare Orok river - MAASAI MARA

Male Lion - MAASAI MARA

Topi at Sunset - MAASAI MARA

Mating pair of Lions - MAASAI MARA

Ground Hornbill - MAASAI MARA

Secretary Bird - MAASAI MARA

Defassa Waterbuck - MAASAI MARA

Leopard in top of tree - MAASAI MARA

Leopard - MAASAI MARA

Long Crested Eagle - MAASAI MARA

Lions playing - MAASAI MARA

Lioness - MAASAI MARA

Zebra and foal - MAASAI MARA

Topi and Calf - MAASAI MARA

Lion cubs - MAASAI MARA

Topi on termite mound - MAASAI MARA