Kenya : story and comments bout our last trip

Dear Liz, dear Hans-Georg, dear all,

as i promised in my previous message a few months ago on this news
group (I think it was at the beginning of Marsh 2005),let me tell you a
few things about the safari we have made with my wife Carine in Kenya
dyring the beginning of August (between the 5th and the 16th of
August).

Here was the program :

1) 3 nights in Baringo Lake. 2 nights in Roberts Camp. 1 night in
Island Camp.
2) 4 nights in Samburu national reserve. 2 nights in Headquarters
public camp site. 2 nights in Larsens Camp
3) 3 nigths in Meru. 3 nights in Bwatherongi public Campsite.

We were guided in our tour by two people : Tony (driver) and David
(cook).

1) BARINGO

My comment about Robert Camp : this is very fine place near the shore
of the lake. The campsite is nice. At this period a bit crowded with
big groups and noisy (i do not speak about hippo calls during the
night) and toilets should be improved.

Our program during our stay there.

We had a one hour boat cruise on the lake on the first evening (it was
good but too short to fully enjoy the lake and the birds). We met our
bird guide Alex there.
The following day we went to Bogoria Lake national reserve. It is my
main little disapointment about this safari : despite the atmosphere of
the Lake created by the smoke of hot springs and the bird walk we have
made there with Alex, i think the conditions of our visit to Bogoria
were not as good as they should be : late morning time, few flamingos
on the lake, impossible to go the other part of the park because our
bus was not a 4WD one.
In the afternoon between 3p30 and 6p30 we went with Alex and a other
guide for a very interesting bird walk coming from, Roberts Camp Site
and walking along the cliff. I was looking for the Verreaux Eagle but
we unfortunately we did not see it but it nest in the cliff (see the
short bird list at the end of this text).

The next day we moved to Island Camp which is as Liz said in one of her
message a very romantic place where we had a wonderfull day, evening
and night. I had a very interesting bird walk on the island in the
evening with Dickson around the camp and to the village.
At night, we had a very nice dinner next to the swimming pool (i think
it is the best meal we had during our safari). The manager is a very
professional and welcming person.
A very charming place we have enjoyed very much.

2) SAMBURU

Three years ago during our first safari in Kenya, we really enjoyed
Samburu country and reserve because of its lanscape with the Ewaso
Nyiro river, ligth on the evenings and animals we have seen there
(especially leopards). It is why we decided to back there with other
idea in mind that we had while meeting two french photographs Bertand
Martel and Laurent Renaud (their book called "Kenya" is one of the most
beautiful i have seen takes place in the samburu country) : not only
stay in Samburu but also go to Shaba National Reserve.

About Samburu, like three years ago we had a wonderful time game
driving in the reserve during these days. Weather was a bit grey and
cloudy. We have seen much more elephants than we did 3 years ago (even
a group of 50). We have seen main cats several times : lions, leopards
and cheetahs. The last day in the evenin as we were going back to
Larsens Camp during our afternoon game drive, we have the opportunity
to see a female cheetah with two young cats (a few weeks old), for this
we were almost alone to watch her preparing to hunt. About the fact we
were alone, i was a bit annoyed in some case in Samburu National
Reserve to see round about traffic jams with almost more than 20
vehicles to see big cats : i know that august is the peak season and
Samburu is a very atractive reserve but my wife and were really annoyed
and preferred sometimes to quit that kind of place instead of waiting
to watch a piece of tail of a leopard ...

About Shaba national reserve, we spent a very peaceful day in this
beautiful reserves.
Note that coming from Samburu, you have to pay a new entry fee to enter
Shaba national reserve.
As entering the reserve we drove on the track that goes along the
river. Unfortunately, the track was cut by a tree fallen across (may be
done by elephants) and we had to go back. There is much less animals
than in Samburu but we had a few good spots with elephants and birds of
prey and the landscapes are really different from Samburu and
beautiful. More dryer and greyish in some scarce swamps.


We passed four nights in Samburu, 2 nights in the headquarters public
campsite and two nights in Larsens Camp (see comments below).

Comments about Headquarters public campsite :

Headquarters public camp site is situated along the Ewaso Nyiro river
next to the park headquarters (which is an advantage for security
reasons).
The situation is good and we spent some time on the shore of the river
watching birds and staring at crocodiles. Because of the period, the
camp site was a it crowdy but much more quiet than Roberts Camp in
Baringo. Accomodations (especially toilets) are simply disgusting.

Comments about Larsens Camp :

Larsens Camp is a luxurous tented camp. 17 very large tents (almost 25
square meters) place along the the river. All accomodation, services,
welcoming are simply great. Lunch and bar rooms are decorated with
design furniture. Electricity s available in rooms (useful to load
batteries). People are very kind and professional. It is a very calm
and quiet place and i think that it is no longer the awful place Has
Georg has described in a previous mail : this time is completely over
now.
More over, the thing that we really did appreciate is the fact that you
have both view to the river and view to the savannah on the other side
of the camp where an observatory has been built near the fence of the
camp with a water hole (that is filled with river water) where we have
seen many animals coming and drinking. Wel; as you understand we had a
two nights marvellous time there.


3) MERU NATIONAL PARK

Sorry, but i have to gather my memories to write you souvenirs from
Meru.
So it will be for another message.
Just know that we had three very good days there almost alone in the
wildness.



SHORT BIRD LIST

Please find below for those who are interested in those things a short
list of bird species we have seen and identified during our safari
(among 152):

goliath heron (baringo and meru)
hartlaub's bustard (meru)
short toed snake eagle (baringo)
bat hawk (meru)
slender tailed nightjar (baringo)
spotted eagle owl (baringo)
white throated bee eater (baringo)
hemprich's hornbill (baringo)
bearded woodpecker (meru)
eastern honey bird (bogoria)
somali fiscal (meru)
mouse coloured penduline tit (baringo)
red-headed weaver (meru)
yellow crowned bishop (bogoria)
northern masked weaver (bogoria)


One question for you folks !


On the way from Samburu to Meru national park we passed in front of the
entry of Lewa Downs conservancy area. We wanted to have a game drive
there (landsape is marvellous and they have black rhinos). But
unfortunaltely we did not succed into dealing this project with our
driver guide who apparently wanted to make money on this idea. Entry
fee is 35 $ per person.
My question is the following : does anybody know this place ? can
anyone tell me if it is worth going there ? do you know some places to
spend the night near Lewa Downs (there is a tented camp inside but it
is a very very expensive one !).


Frédéric (and Carine)

Thanks for the great information about Larsens.
We have never used it - but my wife will be escorting
a group of 18 next month, spending 3 nights there.

You asked about Lewa Downs - it is quite expensive,
and we have taken groups there several times. I feel
that it lacks the diversity of wildlife that most travelers
expect and we haven't been back in the past 4 or 5 years.
Black rhinos, yes indeed. And pretty scenery, but no
better than the places you have just visited.

I did not know they allowed day visitors at Lewa - if
they do, and the driver/guide is willing to take you in,
$35 p.p. is a pretty good deal.

Don't overlook the many, many rhinos at Lake Nakuru,
black and white. Nakuru is a strange little park but does
have lots of wildlife and you can easily go there with
your own vehicle if you rent one.

Thanks Dave for your information about Lewa Downs, in fact i have seen
beautiful pictures about this reserve made by french wldlife
photographers, it is why i was attracted by this place.

I have already been to Nakuru but it was a few year ago.

Has it changed ?

Dave Patterson a écrit :

Thanks for the great information about Larsens.
We have never used it - but my wife will be escorting
a group of 18 next month, spending 3 nights there.

You asked about Lewa Downs - it is quite expensive,
and we have taken groups there several times. I feel
that it lacks the diversity of wildlife that most travelers
expect and we haven't been back in the past 4 or 5 years.
Black rhinos, yes indeed. And pretty scenery, but no
better than the places you have just visited.

I did not know they allowed day visitors at Lewa - if
they do, and the driver/guide is willing to take you in,
$35 p.p. is a pretty good deal.

Don't overlook the many, many rhinos at Lake Nakuru,
black and white. Nakuru is a strange little park but does
have lots of wildlife and you can easily go there with
your own vehicle if you rent one.

At least, but not last
you can find few pictures of this Kenyan trip at the following
address.

http://www.mezimages.com/image/freds...05/galerie.php

Best regards to all

Frédéric