African Safari - 2021 day 12 PM - Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya (full length)

full length video of my 2021 Day 12 PM safari - with Kicheche Valley Camp, Mara Naboisho Conservancy, Kenya

This video starts with the view from my tent - unlike other camps, this one isn't fenced (it still has guards patrolling) and I really enjoyed being able to see more wildlife from my deck.

We thought it was funny how the two topi clearly want us to leave so they could get back to sparring without prying eyes.

Then we saw a group of impala very hesitant to pass a certain point - and my guide saw the lioness hiding in the tree line. I'm always amazed at safari guides' vision, but this guide said it wasn't actually better vision, but being able to recognize the specific shape in a jumble of other shapes. Very impressive!

We headed back to the hippo pod we visited in the AM - I wanted to revisit it like I had the lion kill and hyena den - you never know what you'll experience a few days in a row. Like this big hippo licking another hippo's rump - hippo bonding - how sweet! Interesting how they sleep so close together, and frequently erupt into 'fights' that cascade and disrupt everyone. https://stluciasouthafrica.com/hippo-...

During the AM I saw a large herd of eland - I've only ever seen singles male on their own - and I really wanted to observe them as a group. Since they were headed into dense brush, my guide suggested we look for them in the PM. I couldn't believe he found them! ...to me, they look like something out of Narnia - magical beasts. One eland is missing the fluffy bit of her tail. This herd isn't habituated (I'm guessing most guests don't ask to observe them often, if at all), so I got a lot of 'butt shots' - but I really enjoyed watching them - and my guide did his best to keep them in sight while keeping a respectful distance (good thing I have a 50x zoom!)

This is a Masai giraffe herd - they have irregular patterns.

As the sun set, we followed the wildebeest, zebra, and gazelle grazing - a male wildebeest checks a female's urine to see if she's in estrus.

On the way home we saw a good-sized topi herd - a lucky find - a calf started nursing until mom had enough.

The clouds threatened to pour, but never did (on us) - what a beautiful end to a wonderful day!

Tips from my trip:
Hands down, the BEST safari company in Kenya! Staying with Kicheche (Laikipia Ol Pejeta and Valley Camp, Maasai Mara) is my favorite safari experience of all time! Other places claim ‘luxury’ experiences, this one actually delivers! The lodging, food, service, location, and animal diversity and density are all amazing and make Kicheche camps your best investment.

Just like Kicheche Laikipia, Kicheche Valley Camp rocks! It’s my favorite area in the Mara – the lion prides were HUGE! Every aspect of the camp and service was extremely thoughtful without being or trying to be pretentious like other lodges/camps. The food, to include the packed breakfasts and sundowners, was consistently good and diverse. Chefs Ali and Wellington were respectful of dietary accommodations, wowed me with flavor, and plated beautiful and well-cooked food. I really appreciated that the menu was different from the Laikipia Camp, so it didn’t feel like a chain restaurant but still solid and enjoyable and consistent with the Kicheche quality.

Just like their Laikipia camp, the tented room is luxurious, but not fenced like other lodges/camps, but still well-guarded. So, you get a different experience with the wild animals so close to the camp, very fun!

At both camps, the jeeps are also standouts, the best I’ve had – with multiple plugs, camera platforms, bean bags and fully stocked with the necessities. At Kicheche Valley Camp, they have a great ‘photography jeep’ with no doors so you can get lower shots, very cool! But I found the other ‘regular’ jeep worked better if you use a tripod on the roof.

After I told my guide, Bernard, that I really enjoyed Kicheche Laikipia’s hyena den, he planned two different dens sites that I really enjoyed. He got me A LOT of great lion pride experiences, and he was eager to find me a leopard - but I asked if we could instead find the herd of eland we saw earlier, since I never saw a group of them before. So he enthusiastically tracked them and respectfully followed them as they grazed - it was really nice. I stayed 3 nights, but would do more next time.