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The Lazy Lions of Lemek

BY Ravi Patel

May 2016 – Saruni Mara & Saruni Wild Camps, Masai Mara, Kenya

Sometimes you need a break to recharge the batteries and refocus your energy. This was a really last-minute trip – planned and booked on Thursday – and the very next morning, we were off to the Mara for the first time this year. There was no goal or plan for this trip – we needed to get away for a few nights.

Friday, April 29, 2016

Torrential rains poured down in Nairobi on Thursday evening, causing lots of flooding and traffic jams. This was going to be a real black-cotton safari. We flew out of Nairobi Wilson, and we had our last chance to say goodbye to our fallen wildlife, as Kenya’s largest Ivory Burn was underway in Nairobi National Park. We flew over the Mara conservancies, and the landscape below was lush and green – something we hadn’t seen in a long time. Landing at Mara North Airstrip, Dickson, our guide greeted us, and we made our way up to Saruni Mara, way up north in the Aitong Hills. This is about a far north as you get in the Mara ecosystem.

Along the way, we came across some elephants, relaxing in a patch of flooded evergreen bushes, and wallowing in the small pools the rains had created. Nearby, in the tall grasses, we came upon the first of our lazy lions – two lionesses and a male, sleeping in the tall grass and under shaded bushes. We would have missed them altogether were it not for Dicksons’ well-trained eyes. When we returned in the evening, they had moved a few meters forward, but nothing much had changed. This was to be the theme of the weekend. We’d find lions out in the open, up on rocky ridges, in the bushes – but rarely did we find them moving.

Saruni Mara was perfect for us to recharge our batteries. After a hectic few months, the peace and tranquility was much needed. With massive cottage rooms, large decks and a luxurious atmosphere, we were off to a great start. The food was incredible – actually the best Italian food that we’ve had in a while. It is amazing how such great food, from home made pastas to three course dinners, can be cooked in such a simple kitchen.

We went out on our afternoon game drive and the weather was rapidly changing. As we continued on, the skies went dark, the sun peered through the black clouds, and we settled in for a spectacular sunset. All around us, drama filled the skies as the dark purple storms gave way to a clear sunset of orange and pink hues. It was one of the most dramatic skies I’ve seen.

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Although it didn’t rain heavily around the lodge, it poured up in the hills, and by morning, small streams were flowing down the hills and every track was flooded. As we searched the riverine forest for elusive leopards, we also had to plan our lugga crossing. These dry, seasonal streams are normally easy to cross. Now they had turned into torrential rivers, and crossing became a challenge on its own.

Eventually, at the far end of the conservancy, we found the most stable crossing point – a rickety bridge overflowing with water – and we worked our way back across the flooded plains. Our famously lazy lions had moved overnight, but when we caught up to them, they were resting again, in thick leleshwa bushes. Along the way, we came across an elephant family crossing the plains, and Dickson positioned the car perfectly ahead of them. Slowly the procession came right up to us and passed a few meters in front of the car.

The afternoon was relatively uneventful, as we decided to check out the Ol Chorro Rhino Sanctuary, since it was near the to camp. The sanctuary currently takes care of two rescued white rhinos, and they’re easily approachable on foot. It’s definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area, although I’m not sure I’d go specifically to see them if we were further south.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

This morning, we were off to a slow start and had breakfast in camp. We got ready for our move to Saruni Wild, a smaller mobile camp setup, which offers a more natural bush experience to contrast the luxury of Saruni Mara. The camp was a few kilometers away, bordering the Mara North & Lemek Conservancies, and we decided to take a full morning game drive, arriving at camp in time for lunch. Saruni Wild is exactly what the name appears to be – ‘wild’. It is the smallest camp in the Mara with only three tents and we were the only ones there for the next two nights. Unfenced, and hidden on the edge of the tall grass plains, it was the perfect balance to Saruni Mara’s luxuries.

On our morning drive into camp, we came across a lone lioness and spent most of the morning with her. Although she wasn’t active, she did raise her head a few times, as animals passed in the distance, which is more than I can say for the other lions! We thought we heard some sounds in the leleshwa bushes and thought it may be her cubs. We searched, but even at a short distance, it’s hard to see anything inside the thick bushes.

The afternoon was a full-on lion safari. Up on a rocky hill, we came across most of the Olngoswa Pride, one of the largest prides in the Mara. Out of 28, we saw 19 lions lazing on the hill. Only a few lifted their heads to see us! About a kilometer away, a lone lioness was not as full or lazy. She was ready for dinner and she kept constantly scanning the area for prey. With no prey in sight, she began moving and disappeared out of view. Close by, there was another pride with cubs, and we spent the rest of the evening with them, until the light faded.

Monday, May 2, 2016

Early this morning, we caught up with the lionesses and cubs from the night before. The females attempted a half-hearted hunt and were unsuccessful. We then drove south towards the border of Mara North and the Mara Triangle for breakfast. The river was flowing in full force, and with all the rapids, even the hippos were having a tough time in the water. After breakfast we came across three cheetahs – a mother and two older cubs – hiding the in the long grass. Other highlights of the morning were a crown crane mating dance, and a plover attacking a secretary bird, as she guarded her nest.

In the afternoon, we headed out from Saruni Wild with clear skies above us. Within minutes, the clouds rolled in and the heavens opened up. Pelted with rain, we closed up the sides of the Land Cruiser. The roads started flooding, but Dickson’s determined to continue on. We reached a familiar lugga crossing, which was easily crossed earlier in the day – it had turned into raging rapids. At that point, we decided to head back, slipping and sliding the whole way back on the black cotton roads.

Tuesday, May 3, 2016

Our final day was slow-paced, and we headed back to the airstrip, ready to get back to the hectic pace of Nairobi. The combination of Saruni Mara and Saruni Wild was perfect – a few nights in luxury cottages and a few nights in the simple tents in the wilderness. The rainy month of May makes wildlife viewing a little difficult, but on the plus side, most camps are closed and its very quiet. In all, we only saw a few other vehicles and at most of our sightings, we were the only ones around. It felt like a private Mara experience – a complete contrast to the thousands of vehicles that would be jostling for the wildebeest crossing in a few months.

First Foray into The Conservancies

BY Ravi Patel

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.

Waiting for a River Crossing

BY Ravi Patel

August 2012 – Sala’s Camp, Masai Mara, Kenya

In August 2012, with the wildebeest migration making its way into the Mara, we headed to Sala’s Camp, near the border with Tanzania on the Sand River.

The camp directions given to us involved a lot of natural features – turn right at this hill, left at this tree. So it came to be that at one junction near the camp, we were perched on higher ground searching for signs of a camp nearby. No one bothered to look the bush right next to us until we started moving again – a pride of lions were seeking shelter from the searing midday sun. If it weren’t for a quick glance back from Phera, we would have missed them! Fortunately for us, the camp was only a few hundred meters away, and the afternoon was spent with the lions.

Having only 2 nights to spare, and with the wildebeest herds crossing the Mara River, it was a pretty singular affair as we headed to the river. The queues of wildebeest were building up, so we found a good spot and waited. On the riverbanks, the crocodiles were full, watching as wildebeest carcasses floated by them. Finally, the crossing began. Pressure from the back of the herd pushed forward and the wildebeest (and some zebra) took the plunge. This lasted only a few moments as reckless minibus driver drove straight through the queue and the wildebeest scattered. The crossing came to an abrupt end.

On the way back to camp for lunch, we came upon a leopard, out in an open area between the riverine forests. Her head darted in and out of the ground several times. At a distance, it was hard to see what was happening. On her last dive, her head came back up with a warthog piglet in her mouth. She was searching the burrows for a quick snack.

Chilling with The Kichwa Pride

BY Ravi Patel

May 2012 – Kichwa Tembo, Masai Mara, Kenya

The drive to Mara itself was an adventure. The rains had recently passed and the black cotton roads going from Mara Serena to Kichwa Tembo were slick. We got stuck three times, and there was a stretch of road where we weren’t in control – the car followed whatever tracks were made before us. In the end, we made it to Kichwa Tembo close to around 2pm, close to 8 hours after leaving Nairobi!

Close to camp, the Kichwa Pride had setup shop for the next few days, and we spent a large part of our 3-night trip with them. The pride was made up of 5 lionesses, 9 cubs and 4 males. We only saw two of the males; the other two were on duty patrolling the territory.

The first afternoon was action-packed pretty much right outside camp. The pride was hungry – we watched as one by one each of the 4 lionesses spread out across the plains in front of us. They were on the hunt, and as the sun was setting over the plains, they made their move on of zeal of zebra. They were unsuccessful – getting our hopes up and then back down quickly. We turned and went back to the cubs. We hung back, close to the cubs, and kept a careful eye on them.

More Zebras were heading up to the escarpment for the night. The lionesses felt the opportunity fading. They made their move – one foal went down immediately, and close by two lionesses struggled with an adult zebra. Out of the blue, a huge male came running in (we didn’t even notice him nearby), and proved his usefulness. With one swift lunge, the adult zebra came down. A very successful hunt for the pride, less than a kilometer from camp.

The next morning, we set off from camp in a different direction – from the far side of camp towards a dense thicket of bush. We saw a huge male leopard walking into the thicket. Nearby, in a deep ravine, we spotted a leopard with a warthog carcass. Viewing was difficult. Although we went into the Mara Triangle area, we did not see a great deal of game. A lot of the action was around the Kichwa Tembo area, and by and large, we remained with in a few kilometers of camp.

We explored the area nearby and saw some other small game, but eventually we returned to the Kichwa Pride. We spent the next 2 days with them, watching their pride dynamics. Full and satiated, the adults lazed around, as the cubs played in their new-found territories.