December 2012 – Kicheche Mara & Kicheche Valley Camps, Masai Mara, Kenya
Our first “long trip” into the Mara spanned six nights over two conservancies – Mara North and the newly-formed Naboisho Conservancy in the north-east. The December rains had started, along with the holidays. Flying into Mara North airstrip, we headed towards Kicheche Mara Camp for two nights.
Kicheche Mara Mara North Conservancy
Kicheche Mara seemed to be a blur of short-lived memories, but nothing spectacular. The photos seem tell a somewhat different story. We came across a large pride of lions relaxing on a rocky hill. The youngsters were tired, fending off the provoking guinea-fowl, while one of the pride males was particularly amorous with one the lionesses. Other sightings included a hyena dragging away a baby zebra foal kill from a group of vultures, a serval cat right before dusk, and giraffes sleeping.
From Kicheche Mara, we did a half-day game drive across Mara North, Olare Orok and Naboisho conservancies, before arriving at Kicheche Valley in time for lunch. Along the way, we came across two cheetah brothers, and spent a good part of the morning with them.
Kicheche Valley Naboisho Conservancy
The landscapes in Naboisho are completely different from the rest of the Masai Mara. Here the land seems to undulate more, between lush valleys and rocky hills – a far cry from the flat plains to the west and south.
The bulk of our four nights here was spent following a family of cheetah – a mother, and her four young cubs. The first day we found them, she was limping and thin – possibly a hunting injury. This was a major concern as the cubs were young, dependent on her and unable to hunt. When we caught up with them the next day, she still hadn’t hunted and the situation was looking bleak. We decided we should leave her alone in the hope that she would be able to hunt. We headed back to camp for lunch, hoping for some good news – and it came in the afternoon. She had managed to kill. We caught up with the fat-bellied cubs in the evening and a feeling of relief came through. Her wounds would heal in time, but she had managed to ensure the family’s survival until then.
Although the cheetah family stole the show, Naboisho was brimming with game. An extremely brief moment with a shy leopard, a few different lion prides, elephants, giraffes and a host of birdlife were also all part of the show.
