Enjoying the Masai Mara during the low tourists season

I just completed a great safari in what most would expect would be a very wet and boring season to be in the Mara. I also had some doubt of a memorable experience over the this period, basing it on past experience. However, my guest, who have made regular visit to Kenya and Tanzania over the past few years during the month of April, had another memorable experience int ehMara that was bereft of tourists at that time. We arrived int eh Mara over Easter, and as usual was busy over that  weekend, then come Monday and the Mara was left to us. We had sighting all to ourselves and even watched wildebeests and zebras crossing the Mara over a couple of days at the same spot that is usually packed with cars in August, but this time all on our own.

We had an excellent share of leopard sightings with kills. Siri, Kijana and Bahati and another un-named leopard near Kichwa Tembo airstrip, gave us more sightings than we expected of leopards. 

during this trip too, i spent a week not eh Mara triangle, which was my base 16 years ago, and i must say i enjoyed every bit of my stay on that side of the Mara. General the trip was good, and my guests, Kym and Tonya, who are writing a book to be launched in Oct, managed to get more than enough shots to fill the spaces left to complete the book. You may see some of their images at;

www.kymillman.com/photography

Here, Charity, one of the very few female guides in the Mara sets breakfast for us

Scar face with a hippo kill near Kichwa Tembo airstrip

Kijana, Siri's son going up a tree near the pump house

Subadult lions from Rekero pride playing

Siri with a kill, ready to hoist up a tree

Bahati stops to rest before taking her kill not hiding

One of the Rhinos seen on our trip

Kijana comes down a tree and runs to mum

Siri and son

Zebras and Topi crossing the Mara river. Very unusual sighting in April

Nice sunrises 

Charity scouting for game early in the morning

A low cloud below Oloololo escarpment

Some cubs from the new Kichwa pride (Formerly marsh lions)

Malaika's cubs learning to hunt

One of Malaika's cubs posing for a photo

Never underestimate the influence of the youth! Here, my two young guests converted me briefly into a Maasai  Rapper.

It was great catching up with Jonathan Scot