Places
Read More
It was breakfast time and he seemed relaxed, but this baboon kept a close watch on every vehicle that went by
As temporary visitors, humans were expected to respect an animals's space, no matter how long we had to wait before they moved away
The young ones are always in the middle of the herd, protected by their mums, sisters, and aunts
My main reason for going on a safari: elephants. Watching a herd of elephant crossing a river took my breath away
There is a safari list called the Ugly 5. Compared to the Big 5 list (the most majestic and dangerous animals), the Ugly 5 lists what people think are the least majestic animals. I fell in love with the warthogs and didn't see them as ugly at all
One of my favorite pictures from my trip
A female giraffe. A female's ossicones, or horns, are usually smaller and have fluffy tips
A good groomer must be thorough to ensure no area is missed
For this sundowner, we shared the panoramic view with Marbou and white-necked storks
The vehicle stayed close for a while, but the noise from the vehicle, camera, and humans didn't seemed to bother it one bit. This relaxed hyena was in the same position when we left
A female waterbuck. Waterbucks have a circular target-mark-shaped marking on their rump. Our guide Kennedy described the marking as a toilet seat
Striking a pose for the tourists
In the distance, we found a journey of giraffes. In a fast moving vehicle, giraffes were surprisingly well camouflaged, but on a walking safari, our slow pace allows us to spot them better
Male elephants tend to have longer trunks than females, and they can reach higher than giraffes, especially if they stand up on their hind legs
After 3 nights at Flatdogs, it was time to move on to the next camp, Tena Tena. Logistically, choosing a rendezvous spot and transferring by boat was the best choice. Here, staff and guests from Tena Tena wait for me to cross the river
After the thirst was quenched, a long discussion took place among the elders on which direction to head toward next. Elephants are known to use body postures and vocalization to communicate with each other, and it was fascinating to witness the way they communicated to decide which way to go
I loved watching their colorful faces and their rich feather patterns
The lilac breasted roller is the national bird of Kenya
Once the last wild dog reluctantly left, the vultures swooped in. White-backed vultures to the to the right and white-headed vultures to the left
Driving a vehicle full of excited tourists, our guide communicated with other guides over the radio to find where the rest of the pack headed. I cannot explain the thrill I felt when we finally caught up with them
This giraffe looks well groomed, but during tick season, the only way to groom hard-to-reach areas, such as between the hind legs, is to scratch them off using trees and bushes
On my second walking tour, our guide Nyambe explains the sausage tree fruit. It is hard to find sausage tree fruit on the ground, since they are prized sustenance to so many animals. All animals except one eat only the skin. Hippos are the only animals capable of eating the entire fruit, including the fibrous core.
Moses, the ranger on our walking safari halts us after spotting a herd of elephants in a distance. Elephants are less tolerant of humans on foot compared to humans in vehicles
When you spend some time with them, some may find these slow-moving birds charming.
