| The
Summer Safari Season 2000 has been another memorable
one. There was a great deal of time spent in Shaba Game
Reserve in the North and the Masai Mara Game Reserve
in the West. In between these two location I used a
variety of destinations from the remote and secluded
Il Ngwesi Lodge to the lakeside resort of Rusinga Island
on Lake Victoria. Other locations visited included Loisaba,
Lake Baringo, Lake Nakuru, Deloraine, Mt Kenya Safari
Club, The Ark, Tsavo National Park and Ngorongoro. Each
destination was chosen carefully to suit the different
groups. |
 Shaba
remains fabulous in its rugged beauty and peacefulness.
Hikes on the edge of the Uaso Nyiro River as well as
in it are ever rewarding. The wildlife is becoming more
accustomed to vehicles, and we are regularly seeing
lion, cheetah and leopard. Elephant populations are
also doing very well. Visits to the remote crater, Magado,
have been eye-opening cultural experiences to all the
visitors. |
| The
Mara has not failed us in its concentrations
of wildlife, although much drier this year due to the
complete failure of the April or May rains. The Mara
plains and valleys continue to attract vast herds of
wildebeest and zebra and these grazers in turn support
a tremendous carnivore population, lions and hyenas
doing particularly well. Leopard, although scarce have
been seen regularly. Cheetah are proving tough to find
this year, a spread of a particularly virulent form
of mange causing problems for them. Elephant populations
are doing well, enjoying the protection of the international
ban on ivory trading which was upheld this year during
the UN CITES Conference held in Nairobi. Masai populations
around the edge of the Mara Game Reserve continue to
increase and put pressure on the reserve, especially
in the dry years such as these. We continue to try and
help to educate these communities in these times of
change through our efforts with Campfire Conservation.
It is not an easy task but we do see encouraging signs
and hope to make more of a difference over the long
term. |
 The
New Tents are all masterpieces, and have given
the term camping a whole new meaning. The inner canvas
is beige and the outer olive green, thus light and airy
inside but blending in well when viewed from the outside.
These tents are all much larger than before. The sleeping
tents are ensuite with facilities attached, and the
mess tent includes space for a bar area and casual seating
as well as the dining table. |
| The
Staff continue to look after us, nothing seems
to much to ask and James culinary skills continue to
amaze even myself. In fact he is right now on a course
learning some traditional Swahili skills with a chef
from Mombasa. Exotic African flavours such as coconut,
mango and tamarind should be something to look forward
to in the future. Meanwhile Judy has continued to control
the administration in her admirable fashion. The complex
arrangements which are necessary to get a safari into
the bush and make it successful have kept her extremely
busy. |
| Safari
Experiences have been memorable the most dramatic
of which was me coming within a hair breadth of being
caught on foot by a cape buffalo which, thankfully,
left a large dent in the landrover instead of myself.
 Closer
to Home there are rumours of a girlfriend called
Fiona.... my brother safari season has also been good
father continues to enjoy his retirement mother manages
to stay busy organising anything and everything. My
two young Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Mara and Shaba are
a joy to return home to, and the python continues
to lurk in its enclosure.
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