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Edwards Jouneys

Africa 2008

   Our journeys last October and November took us to Kenya for 6 weeks. For the first 3 weeks we concentrated our time in the Masai Mara and our main focus was on Leopards and Cheetahs. We have travelled overland through Kenya before on our way to Uganda or Tanzania, but have never explored its parks. Additionally, our success with Leopard and Cheetah sightings on previous trips across Africa has been very poor. Needless to say we were well over due.

   Having hired a 4x4 in Nairobi we made our way to the Mara, which took approx. 4 hours. We immediately dove right in with cameras in hand and started winding our way along the park boundary trails in hopes of a sighting. We were pleasantly rewarded with a sunset viewing of 4 Lioness and their 3 cubs giving us a great introduction to the park in our first few hours. We then proceeded to Talek gate where we set up our camp just outside the park… our home base for the next 3 weeks. On a nightly basis we were stirred from our sleep by the chilling laughter of Hyenas or the sound of something roaming through the camp and on one occasion the sound of a herd of Zebra eating all the grasses around our tent. Literally, in a single evening they munched one foot high grasses down to dirt, leaving the only tall grass patch in the camp under our tent. But such is life in Africa.

   Daybreak could not have come fast enough as we were very excited about our first full day in the park. After a quick coffee we grabbed our gear and hit the trails. Sunrise on the Masai Mara is an incredible sight as the grasses burst into a golden glow. We made a beeline for the area of yesterday’s lion sighting and to our pleasant surprise there they were walking along. The young cubs were full of energy jumping and pouncing on one another and then with young purpose they ambushed one of the mature females. She playfully put them back in their place. The pride was on the move and on the lookout for a potential meal. This was not the time for play… this was serious business. We followed them from a distance until they disappeared into a vast expanse of dense acacia bush. Leaving them behind we ventured on to see what else would come out and play.

   It wasn’t long after this encounter that we came across a mother Cheetah and her 5 cubs at a kill. She had taken down a Thompson Gazelle earlier in the morning. She was just finishing up and very quickly vultures began swooping in and harassing her and her young. With one sudden burst she bolted towards a large vulture and leapt up while taking a swipe and narrowly missed the birds back tail. We followed her for a period of time from termite mound to termite mound until she moved into some low lying acacia bushes for a well deserved rest. Time to give her some peace and leave her family to rest.

  With these great sightings after only a few hours we wondered if the day could get any better. Well, yes… how about a leopard. The remainder of our day was spent under a big old acacia tree watching a beautiful leopard reposition itself from one branch to the next. We patiently waited and watched her as a small herd of Elephants grazed under the tree and right past our Land Rover. Then a quick burst of rain blew through and eased the heat enough to get the Leopard moving around for a few more photos.  As the afternoon drew to an end and the sun began to set we were treated to this beautiful cat climbing down into the grasses and slowly stroll right past us. After 900+ photos and a few hours of video, our first day came to a close and we drove back to camp having seen what amounted to be just the tip of the iceberg on this African adventure.

   We had hired a local Masai tribesman as a guide. He asked us to call him John, because quite frankly we could not pronounce his real name… we tried and yes we failed on numerous occasions, so John it was. His knowledge of the animals and phenomenal eyesight were invaluable. On one occasion as we set out from camp he asked if he could try driving the Land Rover. We thought it couldn’t hurt as we looked around the open space in front of us and seeing it had only one small acacia tree a distance away what could happen. Not having ever driven a vehicle, much less a standard vehicle, we gave him a crash course. Well, John got behind the wheel, started the vehicle, shifted it into gear, spun the tires on the damp grass and drove the 4x4 at slow speed straight into the only tree he could have possibly hit. Apparently, as we yelled “hit the brake” he continued to hit the gas. His imbedded tire tracks were called the Masai highway as we left camp every morning and for the remainder of our time together we referred to every acacia tree as a Masai brake… oh look, a leopard in a Masai brake. Good times.

   The next few weeks was saturated with Leopards,  exciting Cheetah chases, Elephants, Lions, Rhinos, Cape Buffalo, Giraffe and more, including some amazing viewings of the great Wildebeest River Crossings… literally,  thousands swimming across the Mara River in a few minutes. The later part of the adventure took us through Nakuru and Samburu Nat. Park where we rounded out the trip with a few more Rhinos and Elephants galore.

   Our Kenyan safari was truly an incredible trip and we’ve returned home with some mesmerizing reference and inspiration for future paintings.  As always our open mindedness towards what we are pursuing and what chooses to let us pursue it lead us through a fantastic adventure. Our knowledge of the African wild and its people was expanded and our friendships with locals and their culture further enriching our lives. Until next time Africa… thank you.

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