Alexa Safaris

21/12/2024

It’s one final game drive, and a truly African start to the day as a herd of elephant make their way across the sunrise. Erick has one trick up his sleeve, and tells us we are off to paradise. It turns out to be the Paradise pride, and while the other vehicles sit watching the big male, Erick heads around the hill and there in the grass is what he wants to show us - the little one month old cub, and his slightly older cousin. Playing in the grass, the little one lies on his cousins back and watches us. From behind us, Mum gives out a low grunt calling him, and off he goes. It’s a special ending to what can only be described as an unbelievable 72 hours in the Masai Mara. Having only been here in peak migration time before, we wanted to see what the park offers out of season. Few vehicles, unbelievable sightings and the green expansive plains for which the park is known, the Mara lives up to its name as one of the iconic parks in Africa.

And so our time in Rwanda and Kenya comes to an end. One final flight with Governors Aviation back to Wilson Airport, a final overnight at Sarova PanAfric and two more site inspections, a short transfer to Jomo Kenyatta International, and our journey home begins. We have been away for just over two weeks, visited two countries, stayed at and visited 23 different hotels, lodges and guesthouses. It remains our quest to personally visit as many places as possible, to ensure that we best match you, our clients, to each establishment, and makes your next adventure so special.

19/12/2024

It’s time to change camps this morning, and after our farewells to Benson and Mike, we are met back at the airstrip by Erick, from Governors Camp. As we walk through the tents at Governors and at Il Moran, it’s hard to imagine that just five months ago, guests were evacuated from their tents on the banks of the Mara river as flood levels rose. Today the water is well below us, hippos staking their claim at every bend. After lunch, it’s Erick’s turn to see what magic he can find in the park. We explain that we are very happy birding, enjoying what is around us and that we don’t need to go driving around finding anything specific. In the distance, Erick spots the Marsh pride, so well-known in the Mara that they have their own page! They are looking around, hungry, but there is not much in sight. We sit, and watch, they are not up to much with nothing visible to hunt. James and Erick exchange friendly banter identifying a raptor at a distance. As we look up, the pride are on the move, walking towards us. We move slightly so as not to be in the way of the game path they are using, and they cross the road ahead and behind us. As we turn and follow them, they start walking towards the river bank. Down on the sand, there are two buffalo bulls settling in for the night. The sun is starting to set as we watch the pride spread out. One lioness sneaks down the steep bank under cover of the bushes. The others have gone into stalk mode at the top. We watch as the bottom lioness gets closer to the buffalo. They have sensed her, and too soon she shows herself. The buffalo don’t hesitate, they throw themselves into the river and there is a mighty amount of splashing as they bolt as fast as possible through the water. The other lions have all run down but swimming is not on their agenda this evening, and all they can do is line up on the bank and watch their supper disappear on the far side. We leave them contemplating what next, it’s time to head back to camp.

19/12/2024

We make our way slowly back to camp. Speke’s Camp offers an authentic old-style safari experience. With just seven tents, it’s all about each individual traveller. The tents are well appointed with hot bucket showers available any time. The communal mess area is under canvas, with carefully thought out relaxation and dining areas, a library tucked behind old Zanzibarian doors and a well-stocked bar that has seen many a tale recounted after a day in the Mara. For us this evening, it’s a chance to chat to the other guests, to hear the stories of their day, to enjoy a quiet dinner under the stars, and to climb into bed reliving our incredible day.

18/12/2024

The zebra are still coming. But having dodged the lunges of the hippos, escaped the jaws of the crocodiles, and made it across the river, they face a new threat. From out of the bushes of the koppie, 7 lions are headed right in our direction. It’s a sight to make your blood run cold. Suddenly the front lioness runs at the melee of zebra scrambling out of the water. There is even more noise, dust flying, snorting and barking, and squealing, as in the chaos and panic, the lioness grabs a baby zebra. It’s a matter of seconds, and it’s over. The lioness holds on, the zebra have bolted. So much for no lions that we could see!!!

18/12/2024

Now there is real panic - there are zebra in the water still crossing, crocs, hippo and now on the exit side, 7 lions. Suddenly the largest hippo launches himself at the zebra as they enter the water on the far bank. The line stops, the zebra scramble back up the opposite bank and away from the water’s edge. Unknowingly, the hippo has saved the lives of some of those zebra. No more will cross the river today.

The lions tuck in to their prize, their lunch is served. Benson scans the koppie. There are 13 lions in this pride so somewhere in the bushes, another 6 lions are waiting to ambush the zebra that have moved away in the wrong direction. We watch the lions as they make short work of the baby zebra. Their faces are bloody, and suddenly there is snarling as the carcass is ripped apart. One makes off with a leg, another with the head. The hooded vultures have already arrived, but by the time the lions move away, there is no trace that a zebra was ever there. The vultures will have to find another meal today, there are not even scraps. Lunch over, the lions head back to the koppie - a baby zebra is not enough food for this big pride, there will be more victims today. It has been almost two hours of noise and commotion, but as we scan around us, there is nothing. No zebra to be seen, no lions to be seen, only one vulture still perched in the tree - no signs remain of what we have just witnessed. We too are silent, overawed by this totally unexpected sighting. Benson drives a little way off to the tree, and it’s a stiff gin before we finally have our somewhat belated lunch.

17/12/2024

And so follows what seems to be a never-ending line of zebra… The territorial hippo swim closer, lunging periodically at a passing zebra. The crocs are swimming in from both sides. As the herds start clambering up the bank on our side, the noise builds as they bray and call for their babies and families from whom they have been separated. There is noise, and dust, and splashing, and then the crocs move in. I can’t watch as one baby is taken. And now some of the zebra this side that can’t find their families plunge back into the water, and cross back again. On both sides of the river, the noise is frantic and desperate. We watch one baby make it out of the river, he has escaped the crocodile but with big gashes down his side. His prospects are not good. Those that are across shake themselves, regroup and head off up the hill. To the brave, the prize - fresh green grass. There are two lines of zebra coming across now, the crocs take their own prizes to the bank and go back for more. One heads off downstream, two zebra legs held aloft. And in complete contrast to our previous visits here in peak wildebeest migration season, we watch this incredible spectacle unfold in the company of just two other vehicles. There is no jostling for position, no vehicles blocking the animals’ path, no badly-behaved drivers or noisy spectators. There is just us, and centuries-old instinctive behaviour happening around us.

17/12/2024

What happens next can only be described as a David Attenborough movie scene…

It’s hot now, so we chat to Benson and he suggests lunch under a tree on the riverbank, and a cold gin and tonic. We make our way across the park and as we come over the rise, there on the opposite bank is a gathering of zebra. But not just any gathering, Benson and Mike estimate around 800 zebra!! They, like the wildebeest during the migration, want to cross the river to greener grass. Benson says he saw a crossing a few days ago but the group was only about 20 in size, so this is quite something to behold and not something we even knew happened at this time of year. “Let’s just check the koppie for lions first” says Benson, “they like to wait here for the zebra”. So we skirt slowly around the koppie, all of us searching, but no lions to be seen.

There is one other vehicle sitting, waiting. Our guideline is always, if there is something going on, just sit. So we pull up next to them and watch. The first zebra walk cautiously to the water - but the crocodiles are there waiting and the zebra retreat. Clearly some of the animals have been here for a while and with no action, the herds at the back turn away and start to head back across the hill. We sit and we watch and we wait. Again, the next brave individuals venture down, but the crocs are impatient and they break cover too soon. The zebra retreat. Suddenly from further to the left, one zebra walks determinedly forward, into the water, keeps walking and then plunges in.

17/12/2024

After a leisurely breakfast, we head off and up to the rocky ridge that marks the boundary of the national park and the Mara North conservancy. We can travers our own conservancy and the park, but not other private conservancies, Mara North among them. There is a ranger vehicle parked on the ridge, and to our left Benson picks out the cheetah family under a bush. There is a mother with four sub adult male cubs and they too, are looking for breakfast. The ranger is there to ensure that unauthorised vehicles don’t cross the invisible boundary, but they give us permission to be there and follow a short distance. The family spread out and we get to appreciate these very special predators at work for a short while as they fan out and over the ridge. It’s not our day for seeing if they are successful, but we hope they are. Cheetah are on the decline in the park as the hyena population grows and become ever more powerful.

16/12/2024

It’s up and at ‘em for the early morning game drive. Speke’s Camp has a policy of a separate vehicle for each travelling party. This means that you can choose your own schedule for the day, whether you want to leave early and come back for breakfast or have breakfast first and then go out, or have a bush breakfast. You can choose to have a packed lunch and stay out all day, or be in camp for lunch and go out in the afternoon. Or not go out at all and just enjoy the wildlife around the camp. And then, if you are birders as we are, and like enjoying taking it slowly, you don’t have to worry about annoying other guests. Or if you want to roar around the park and tick off as many of the Big Five as possible, it’s completely your choice. You tracker and guide will work you day exactly as you choose. It’s a huge value-add.
James and I, being absolutely bush lovers, opt for a full day out, breakfast and lunch in the bush. With only two full days in the park, we are keen to spend as much time as possible out. So meals and drinks packed, off we go in the pre-dawn light for our first Mara sunrise in three years. The Masai giraffe give us a quizzical look, a secretary bird perches on a tree looking for breakfast and we rouse a sleepy lioness from under her bush. There are lots of topi on the plains, nicknamed “blue jeans, yellow socks” by the guides. We meander for the first few hours, relishing being back in this iconic park and then it’s time for coffee and breakfast on the riverbank, as a large pod of hippo watch us warily.

16/12/2024

We leave Kitich just after sunrise, the three hour journey in reverse back to the Kalama airstrip. When we land at Loisaba to collect more passengers, the pilot tells us there is going to be a delay as the air space at Nanyuki is closed. There is a military base there, and they are doing flight training. It is never announced upfront and the charter flights are all used to this. So we sit on the runway in the shade of the plane wing and chat to our fellow passengers while we wait. Eventually we can take off again, and finally make it to our next destination - the Masai Mara.

We have been here twice before, both in high season during the migration period so we are very keen to experience the park in green season. And green it is, they have had two weeks of good rain which makes for interesting road conditions, and less concentrated game viewing. Like Amboseli, there are no fences and the plains game spreads out into the conservancies. But there is so much wildlife here, that there is always something to see wherever you drive.

“Jambo - welcome to the Mara”. We are met by Benson and Mike from Speke’s Camp, our home for two nights. It’s now after 2pm, and in less than twenty minutes, we are sitting eating lunch in the shade of a tall tree on the banks of the Mara river, a wary pod of hippos keeping a beady eye on us.
We opt to game drive slowly back to camp over the rest of the afternoon, passing herds of Thompsons gazelle, Grants gazelle, Masai giraffe, Grants zebra, and then there under a tree, six sleeping lions. There are 5 males that have split off from one of the big prides and they have already enticed one of the females of another pride to join them. If these boys stick together, they are going to become a powerful coalition. The only movement now however is as one male gets up, mates with the female, and then collapses again. It’s three minutes from sleeping to sleeping, and we leave them all undisturbed in the same position as when we arrived.

15/12/2024

Just one morning, maybe it will be daylight when we get up - but not yet… It’s an early coffee and off we go. Summer is on its way and we don’t want to be out in the heat of the day. This morning’s walk is to one of the waterfalls for breakfast, staying close to the river for the birds. It takes about two hours to get there, birding as we go. We have to cross the river a couple of times, Gus and Thousand (nicknamed 1K by his colleagues 😂) move rocks to make stepping stones for us. The rocks are slippery so we have to watch our footing. James makes it across. I get across all the complicated ones before my back foot slips and I end up calf deep in water. There is a flurry of local conversation and I can only imagine the team saying “so much for our efforts building a crossing!” They do have the decency not to laugh out loud though, which is more than can be said for my husband who is now almost doubled over! At the waterfall, we take the opportunity to put our feet in the water. I contemplate just climbing in fully clothed as it’s already hot, but then I think the team will really think this is one mad woman! There are little catfish in the water and they swim up curious, and every now and then one has a little nibble. But we clearly don’t taste good and they generally just swim around our feet. Breakfast is laid out on the rocks, and it’s a peaceful time just to sit and enjoy our time here.

Despite the various animal tracks, we don’t actually see any of the animals and I think I am ok with that - encountering a buffalo on foot in a forest is just not on my list of things to do really. By the time we get back to camp, it’s hot and we head to our tent where our bucket shower is ready and waiting. The staff are very efficient, and any time you ask for a shower, the hot water is ready is about five minutes. So while you may think that you are “roughing it” with no running water, the camp works seamlessly. Needless to say, the afternoon was spent in camp, birding from the comfort of the cool deck, cold gin close at hand.

13/12/2024

13/12/2024

We fly past Mount Kenya. In the space of a few hours, we have seen the two of the highest peaks and crossed the equator. Welcome to the northern hemisphere. Kitich Forest Camp is waiting for us, and we set off. It’s a three hour drive to the lodge set high in the Mathews Mountains. The first hour is on the tar road north, and when we turn off, we are just 406kms from the Somali border. Then it’s west and up towards the mountains. An hour of dirt road as we pass through the conservancy, home of the Samburu people. They are pastoralists so they range their livestock communally. Nomadic people, they move their livestock (goats and cows) following the rains. We encounter a Kenyan roadblock - a herd on the move. Then we start climbing and it’s a last hour of BAD dirt road, a truly deep African massage.

Eventually we pop out at the top. The views of the forest are amazing. We check into our tent, and then off for our first walk. Kitich is a hiking camp. From short walks to three night fly camping hikes, it’s a great place to stretch your legs after days in a safari vehicle. We are accompanied by a guide, two trackers and an armed ranger. As we chat to Lemario, we start to understand that this is real wilderness. Over the course of the next two days, we see fresh tracks of forest elephant, buffalo and lion. Lemario points out trees and shrubs, explaining their medicinal uses and the bird count grows.

13/12/2024

You know the routine by now, it’s dark and we are on the move. It’s an hour’s direct driving time from the lodge back to the airport. The plains game are plentiful in the conservancy but back in the park, we get caught at the back of the elephant crossing melee again as the elephants make their way back to the marsh for the day. There is another crossing behind us and there is total chaos as the drivers make u-turns as fast as they can, preferably blocking off as many other vehicles at the same time, and then roar off down the road. Heaven help any other animal that decides to cross the road as these vehicles won’t even see it, let alone be able to stop in time. Henry tells us the Park management are trying to address this problem, but unsuccessfully clearly! Once the dust has settled, we look up - only to see a huge male lion about 200m off the road. He has obviously been lying still, and we are the only vehicle left now watching him. Behind us, the elephants start trumpeting and herding, they have disturbed a second male lion. Discretion over valour, he walks away from the now very cross elephant herd, straight towards us. Justice is served and of course Henry is ecstatic - our patience has been rewarded. Back at the airstrip, our SafariLink plane is waiting and we head back to Wilson Airport, for our connecting flight to Kalama airstrip in the north.

11/12/2024

It’s much warmer in Amboseli that it was in the mountains of Rwanda, so it’s an afternoon swim and cold drinks at Murray’s bar. The birding in the gardens here is busy and our plans for a rest are lost as we spend the hours watching both the birds and the animals coming to waterhole. Sleep when you are dead is the rule of this trip! We head out with Henry at 4pm, headed to the park to see the elephants. They spend their day in the marsh but in the late afternoon they head out back to the savannah so the new game with the guides here is to watch a herd crossing the road. There are lodge vehicles and there are also many independent safari operators in the park. Unfortunately it’s become an example of drivers behaving badly, and we are deeply disappointed in the independent safari guides as they quite literally race past you, covering you in dust and cutting you off in their rush to secure their spot. The result is a complete bunfight of vehicles jostling for space, blocking the road, driving up the sides of the road, all in search of better cash gratuities from their clients. We ask Henry to wait a distance away from the chaos. Once the main herd has crossed, the masses take off to find the next sighting, but we sit. And slowly the elephants make their way towards us, eating as they move. In among them are two youngsters, and one tiny baby less than a month old. Henry turns the front seat into his bar, and we get to enjoy our afternoon sundowners with elephants,just metres from us. When we turn for home, there is one final gift from Amboseli, Kilimanjaro has decided to show herself - not completely, but mostly and it’s a great end to our day here.

11/12/2024

And just for a change, it’s dark when we get up… Our driver is waiting to take us to Wilson Airport for our 7am flight to Amboseli National Park, best known for its large herd of elephants and giant tuskers, and of course its iconic views of Kilimanjaro. Safarilink have scheduled flights daily and it’s a quick 40 minute hop to the park. Our last visit here was in 2021, when we were lucky enough to see the melanistic black serval that live here.

Our ranger, Henry, is waiting for us with coffee and biscuits. We looked for Kilimanjaro as we approached, but she is hiding in the clouds. Henry tells us she is very shy at the moment, and has not been seen for a week. Hmmmm, it doesn’t look promising today either but we can hope. We take a slow three hour game drive to the lodge. It’s green season now and most of the plains game has dispersed into the surrounding conservancies as there is no dependence on the central wetland for water now. There is water everywhere which makes for outstanding bird life, and our fellow visitor from Switzerland enjoys stopping to see them as much as we do. We arrive at Tawi Lodge in time for lunch on the verandah, looking out to the waterhole. There are only two lodges within the park, the rest are on private conservancies bordering the park. But there are no fences and the game moves freely so these lodges have the advantage of being able to travel in the park as well as traverse their own private area.

10/12/2024

When you depart Rwanda, give yourself extra time before your flight as on driving in to the airport, there is a full security procedure which involves taking all luggage out of the car, and each piece is scrutinized by sniffer dogs. Every person passes through security scanners and then each vehicle is searched through by officials. This can take time, particularly if there are a number of people in each vehicle, and there are only two entry points. Luggage and passengers are then scanned again on entry into the airport building so it all takes time.

It’s a short two hour flight to Nairobi. Sarah, our taxi driver we met back in 2021, is waiting for us and we have a short drive catching up with her until she drops us at Fairmont, The Norfolk for the night. The second oldest hotel in Nairobi, built in 1904, this grand old dame retina her proud heritage in the many historic photographs that line the walls. It’s hard to believe that the building looked straight into the Kenyan bush when it was built - now it’s surrounded by offices and shops in central town. We chat over lunch with Ken, the General Manager, about the history of the building and then he walks us around showing us the original building, and each new wing as the hotel has grown over the years. The central garden area is an unbelievably peaceful oasis in the middle of the city. The Christmas decorations are up, and we realize the year is almost at an end as we sit back this evening and enjoy the live jazz band,their repertoire including some Christmas carols.

09/12/2024

This is what we have seen in our week here, a nation determined to be stronger, where everyone wants something better for the generations to come, where every person we encounter has respect for the president, and everyone is pulling in the same direction. There is an absolute sense of a positive future, a sense of building and growth, and an attitude in everyday people to play their part to make this happen. There is respect for the law and a system of justice that for the most part seems to work. Yes, Rwanda like all African countries has its challenges, but rather than view them as problems, here they are just obstacles to be overcome in pursuit of a common goal. People are hopeful that when change comes with a new president in time, that he or she will continue to build on Paul Kagame’s legacy. But for now, each day is one day further from the genocide and one day closer to the future they hope for. There are so many lessons here from which the rest of the world can benefit.

Our last night in Kigali is at The Haven, It’s our final site inspection for this trip, and one final dinner - we opt for a traditional Rwandan goat stew and reflect on a very busy, but fulfilling week. Tomorrow, we head to Kenya…