Twala wrinkles his Maasai nose mid-morning: ' it's too hot' he murmurs, almost as if he can smell the heat. The short grass bakes under a searing equatorial sun and the mercury nudges 30. It is too hot and moments later the first distant cumulus morphs on the horizon indicating potential drama that afternoon.
Charles Wandero is a Kicheche fixture. Charles Wandero is also man blessed with almost superhuman perception, vitality and indeed skill, so when a violent storm drills his Conservancy for hours he is not put off. However, the Ntiaktiak has swollen to a turbulent and terrifying torrent but unbowed he slides his 4WD with impossible skill to gain a view of an alpha male in the sunrise before negotiating more floodwaters (the stream had risen nine feet) to watch the two boys reluctantly cross the river.
The early glow paints the young male impala as it struts around the skittish herd, eager to be box office but aware he will never topple the king and probably struggle to knock over the 25 other young male adversaries to even get to this antelope throne.
'Twas the night before Christmas When all through the camp Every animal was stirring From lions to elephant (sorry) They had roared and they had sung And managers had glared In hoping that dawn's angel Would soon be there.
Charlotte Rhodes has come to Kicheche so many times she has Amazon deliveries waiting for her upon arrival. In 2009 she saw her first leopard cubs, thirteen years later she has perhaps done better. Take it away Charlotte:
Well at least someone did! This week we have to talk about Kevin ...... again. Mr Kevin Rooney is not on debut at Kicheche and returned for his full game last week. His safari to labour the football (soccer) analogy, was like a five-all extra time derby all rolled into one.
There is a guide at Bush Camp that answers to 'mwalimu' (teacher) but perhaps should be known as 'mchawi' (magician). He also answers to Patrick Koriata and is as charming, funny, knowledgeable and perceptive as the very best of them.
Single parent, double, surrogate or foster, the faunal kingdom is underwritten by families. Right now all Kicheche camps resemble one big nursery: cheetahs, elephants, rhinos, leopards, lions, even primates are all dropping their young. Fortunately for the predators, so are the topi and even some late arrivals into the antelope creche, so the larder is burgeoning.
In 2008 a single cheetah clambered up the gnarly weathered trunk of a single Boscia deep in the heart of Olare Conservancy. Kicheche Bush Camp was nascent then and this sort of sighting was a thrill as guides felt this was surely the arboreal preserve for leopards.
Meet Nancie Wight, Charles Wandero you know. Nancie is quite the Kicheche servant but even her back catalogue did not include tiny leopard cubs on granite.
