Royalty in camp again. Jules Oldroyd seems to have her faunal subjects on a lead as she photographs award - winners quicker than British favourites dropping out of the All England club.
Meet the Bergers, no strangers to Africa but first timers to Kicheche Laikipia. They and Peter Karuiki put on a whopper of a safari. Each sighting was a nugget seemingly choreographed to outdo the previous one, from elephants in the sunrise to rainbowed rhinos. Aardvarks are tough, but not to this crowd. Leopards in Laikipia are even harder currency but one of the girls spotted this beauty on the flame-grilled grass.
When camps close for the season it is not just a close season for staff, it is a period away from the animals, many that guides and guests have grown attached to. Throughout the year we answer countless questions from people wanting to know the whereabouts and welfare of their favourites. For many - they tell us this too - Spot (obviously everyone reads it as well as gazing at the pictures...) is like leafing through a family album.
Andrew Obaga is excited, he has good reason to be: three spanking new tents, a well-appointed, deceptively spacious freshly-designed photography mess and a young starting chef who's orange shortbread this afternoon has already been labelled as best in class, by a 25-safari veteran.
The Kicheche inbox has been groaning for a fortnight now with cwt. of Fig images. (Particularly from those who sent them at 10MB resolution or Tiff files!!) As important as the beautiful imagery are, the many heartfelt words touched us all and particularly those at Bush Camp.
RIP FIG 2012 - March 5th 2022 The Queen is dead ...Guides and guests stood by traumatised this evening as a brutal Alpha male invaded a small unthreatening enclave North of the Ntiakntiak river and butchered its inhabitant.Despite brave resistance this leonine tyrant savaged its innocent prey in an unprovoked, un-necessary and seemingly unwarranted attack.
You get forced to postpone your safari three times then you catch the pesky virus yourself. Finally, you arrive and all that hassle is vapourised by Benja's reception committee above camp. Thanks for your patience and stoicism team Eisenberger, you know it was the right decision when this happens and respect for the spookily intuitive guiding from Mr B.
Laura Dyer ... take a bow today. This is not her Spot debut, far from it, she and her husband Dan kept travelling to their favourite camps in Africa throughout the lonely days of 2020 and 21. We salute you both but you really have outdone yourselves this time.
This sleight but fleet-footed cat has many foes. They are well down on the predator food chain but blessed with the faculty no other has and to see one, nostrils flared and body stretched out, hurtling across the plains is a sight every safari fan should see at least once.
It appears that current guests (and there are plenty) into all four Kicheche Camps are all going back to nursery. Pick a camp, any camp and you will find their pre-school faunal classrooms bursting at the seams. Cheetah kittens, lion cubs, elephant and rhino calves and even leopard cubs.
