Kicheche Spot of the Week

This week, Mara Camp's theatrically thrown-down gauntlet is currently worn with aplomb by Valley and Bush Camp. Hunting lions and treed leopard families show the Conservancies at their coruscating best.

Mara North, you slay us, as do the set of sorcerers (better collective required) that consistently mine from the highest carat faunal seam. George, Jimmy, Saruni et al we thank you.  I don't think you can have herds of leopards but that is what they seem to find. Regularly.

Perhaps the most inescapably African mammal is the giraffe. For much of the day they stand pensively, observing from their airy penthouse. Giraffes are such a fixture that despite their height they can be underappreciated. Not at Kicheche they are not.  

The facts: Akira, daughter of the venerable Tito, Olare Conservancy. Cub (her first)... tiny (5 weeks), Nancie Wright, seasoned Kichechian, the above title employable for both of them. Top work Charles Wandero, top work Nancie. This is spotted box office but even the most rudimentary safari fan knows how challenging it is for her to look after this beautiful A-lister, Akira nightly patrols are what she might need.

Perhaps the signature species are indulged too often. Many would disagree but I recall 20 years ago Boniface Ole Mpario (Kicheche's venerable first head guide) gasping with joy as he located two of these immaculately created young scamps race across the plains at dawn: ' Now that' he paused theatrically 'is my favourite creature'. He may have a point.

Hyenas divide opinion, that will never change but as a species their family characteristics are fascinating, second only to elephants. They are also not uncommon but that all changes when spots change to stripes (never thought I'd ever write that).

Within four hundred metres from the most easterly wing of Bush Camp, Dickson slows his cruiser. There appears to be most of East Africa's zebra grazing on the nutritious pastures North of camp. However, he has singled out one, there is something different about this animal many hundreds of metres away, a difference not noticeable to most human eyes.

Within four hundred metres from the most easterly wing of Bush Camp, Dickson slows his cruiser. There appears to be most of East Africa's zebra grazing on the nutritious pastures North of camp. However, he has singled out one, there is something different about this animal many hundreds of metres away, a difference not noticeable to most human eyes.

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.

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.

Whatever the arena, whenever weighing up an adversary, there is much to contemplate: speed, size, number, hunger and risk. When it goes awry it can be disastrous but also spectacular.

For many months now Kicheche has been inundated with constant messages from people utterly thrilled to be back on 'home soil'. Some have counted down the days from many days out and most are not shy on expressing their emotions upon arrival.