Adventures in a different Land Rover!

After what has seemed like an absolute eternity I am now happy to report I am back in the Masai Mara! 


You will notice this time I have said 'I' and not 'we', and that's because sadly I have returned to the Mara without Andy. Although we were due to travel to the Mara in December we were forced at the last minute to change the trip, largely due to Andy's workload but also heavily influenced by very wet weather conditions in the Mara, so this was changed to February instead. However, yep...you guessed it this trip also had to be aborted again just 48 hours before we were due to fly as Andy was under so much pressure at work, plus a few other factors (being self employed sucks sometimes for Andy!) 


Whilst it was a hard decision to make my amazing husband (Thank you Andy!) decided that why should we both suffer from not going to the Mara, so he kindly sent me packing off so I could catch up on all the news in the bush. Instead of taking a trip in the Mara in our own Land Rover I decided to join my good friend Angela, who by a twist of fate was also looking for a travel partner to get back to the Mara. So, this time I was not to be guiding both Andy and I but instead to be guided by one of the finest guides in the Masai Mara, Paul Kirui. It was going to be a different trip for sure and whilst  I knew it would sad returning to the Mara without Andy it was going to be great opportunity to join Angela for some 'girlie time' and also a chance for me to hone my bush skills further and learn from the master himself! 


So here I am now, sitting in the luxury of a lovely tented camp and in just a couple of hours off on our next drive but not before I have a chance to update on all the goings on in the last 24 hours since we arrived in the Mara


Although jaded after a long flight we spent no time messing around and embarked on a our first drive yesterday (10th)


It was just so special to be back, I had so desperately missed being in the bush. Admittedly it was at first a little strange driving the same tracks that Andy and I have done many times! I knew I would miss certain things for sure in comparison to our other trips (camp fires!) but I wont lie and admit that I was rather looking forward a a little luxury and also it was going to be a great opportunity to catch up again with Paul, Angela and other friends in the Mara, four and two legged of course!


Whilst there is  never a firm plan in the Mara and you go 'with the flow'  the agreed idea for the afternoon was to hopefully check out some lions seen nearby to the camp (Mara Intrepids) and also to see if we would be able to find a Leopard that Andy, Angela and I have photographed many times, known to many as Olive and of course hopefully a glimpse (or more!) of her newly born cubs. 


It was not long until we came across the lions, not too far from Olkiombo Airstrip, 3 Adult females and 2 Sub Adults (2-3years) and two tiny little cubs,  just 6-8 weeks old. The sighting was marked by a stench, one that meant only one thing, a lion kill. Paul advised that he had heard that the lions had killed a Buffalo just a few days prior  and by now the unlucky Buffalo was becoming rather rancid to say the least as it lay deep in a culvert where they had obviously had the opportunity to ambush


The cubs frolicked around in the long grass, doing everything possible to evade the opportunity of a clear shot with our camera whilst the mothers lay close by and still digesting what they had gorged in the last 48 hours. As with all lion cubs they were just so cute and utterly adorable! Sadly one of the females was in very bad shape, desperately thin and weak.  Paul advised she had been one of the females that had tried defending cubs from the 'Notch boys' some time ago (and who now control this 'break-away' pride). She had sustained some injuries and had since this event had never recovered. It seemed her condition had began to worsen again, she was in a bad way, that was for sure.


For those who are familiar with the Mara and follow the trials and tribulations this group of lions were originally part of the "Olkiombo pride' but now considered as a breakaway pride from the core group (who have now moved much further East).  Times are tough right now for the lions, not only due to the lack of prey but also due to the chaos that the Notch crew continue to bring upon the lion prides in the Mara. So many of them are split and pride territories a little more vague as you would expect in such conditions. The two tiny cubs were sired by one of the Notch boys, and lets hope this time these ones survive. There was no sign of the boys themselves.


Coming out for a brief moment in order to investigate the interest from the vehicles we managed to get a couple of shots of the little cubs before they darted back into the long grass. There was lots of vocalising from the cubs and in return came back stern instructions from 2 of the lionesses to return to the safety of the 'creche',  followed by a little discipline by the mother, which is always rather comical! 


As the temperature started to drop now seemed a good time to see if we could find Olive. As the cubs were still only 6-8 weeks old we all knew that this would be no easy task but we would certainly give it a go! It was clear when we visited the den, where the cubs had been spotted that morning that Olive was not around, given this it meant the likelihood of finding the cubs was going to be a slim one as they would remain hidden in Olives absence. So,  we left the cubs, who we assumed were hidden under the granite rock. 


Soon after the sun dropped and darkness fell across the Mara so this was our cue to head back, get some food and finally some rest! 

Cubs Sired by Notch et al.

 View of the Talek from the air

My tent......Luxury compared to what I am used to!

Tent from the outside