I reached out to a few of the companies that operate on the conservancies, and my favorite proved to be Basecamp Explorer. They had one last available spot for the duration of our stay — we seized it and booked the trip right away.
To begin our journey to the bush, we were picked up at our hotel in Nairobi to get to Wilson Airport, a small airport catering to adventurers who want to explore a part of Kenya that involves landing on a grass field instead of a traditional paved runway. After a bit of a delay, we took off and landed in the Naboisho Conservancy. We were quickly loaded into a game drive jeep with our luggage and set off to Leopard Hill Camp, about an hour away.
The first game drive was memorable, even though it was meant to be an airport transport. We saw a myriad of creatures, including elephants, wildebeests, and in the distance, a group of zebras. On the drive, we came across giraffes, gazelles, antelopes, warthogs, secretary birds, and others that have since slipped my mind.
Upon arriving at the camp, we settled for lunch and were then escorted to our tent. We had to walk a distance, as the tents are quite spaced apart from each other. As we arrived, our view opened up to the vast savannah, and we felt truly immersed in the African wilderness, overlooking our own private watering hole. We had a huge private deck attached to our tent with a retractable roof to observe the stars at night, plus two showers. This wasn't our average camping experience.
In the evening, we would go on our first scheduled game drive. Soon into the game drive, we came across an ostrich and a group of mongooses scurrying through the tall grass. But our guide was after a larger prize, a male lion. In the morning, it had been reported that the lion dragged a kill into the bushes. He found the bushes where the lion was protecting his kill. A few jackals skulked around, keeping their distance, hoping for something would be left for them. After spending some time, we would go searching for the larger pride.
Some time later, we came across a watering hole where 16 female lions were waiting, getting ready for the final hour of daylight before beginning their own hunt. We each grabbed a beer and some snacks to set up shop for the next hour observing them. As the sun was setting, the lions began to awaken and rub their heads together. Our guide told us they were communicating to plan their hunt for the night.
We made our way back to camp for dinner. The next day, we decided to go to the Masai Mara, just south of the conservancy, for a full-day safari. This is a very special time in Kenya. The Great Migration from Tanzania descends upon the Masai Mara in late July every year. This brings a few million animals from the Serengeti, many of them being wildebeests and zebras, seeking greener pastures.
Our main goal for the day would be to witness the famous river crossing. This is when the wildebeests and zebras attempt to cross the Mara River, braving the crocodile and hippo-infested waters. But before I get to that, to begin the day, we went to a section of the Mara Reserve where the Masai Mara people live. We had an hour-long experience where we were welcomed by the tribe with three dances.
The Masai are famous for jumping up and down while bobbing their heads as they dance. Then, we were welcomed into one of the houses to learn how they are built and about their daily life. The houses last for 10 years and are mostly constructed with cow dung. It's the woman's job to build and maintain the house, while it's the man's responsibility to look after the cattle. Finally, they showed us how they build fire using a certain type of wood and technique.
After leaving the village, we began our drive in the Mara. Unlike the game conservancy, where vehicles are allowed to go off-road and a limited number of people are allowed to visit at a time, we were warned it would be a crowded experience. Our Masai guide inquired if another American in our group had ever met Obama, which of course, he hadn't. However, our guide then informed us that he was Obama's tour guide when he came to the Mara as a senator in 2006. We later saw a picture to prove it.
As we began the drive, we saw our first African elephants, the largest land mammals in the world. We were on our way to the river to see the hippos. We set up lunch by the riverbank as we observed the fierce hippos far below. They aren't the friendliest neighbors and are among the most dangerous creatures in the reserve to humans. After lunch, we stayed nearby to observe male and female lions who had been breeding for 6 days already. Apparently, they will breed for 8 days straight. They were lying down for a while, but eventually, the male lion got up and started licking the female. He then took it a step too far, and she lashed out. Definitely not in the mood for romance. I was able to capture a few shots of this on the camera before returning it.
In the distance, we saw a larger herd of wildebeests and zebras heading toward the river. This was it, the river crossing. We were about to witness one of nature's most famous events. We parked the jeep close to the river and would be there for at least the next 2 hours. The zebras were the first to approach the river. However, they are smart. They never attempt to cross first; they wait for the wildebeests to take the lead. Every so often, a zebra or two would go down the slope to the riverbank, disappearing out of our sight. Then, they would reemerge, looking quite scared. This went on for a while.
A bigger group of zebras gave up and would wait for another day. But then the wildebeests came to the front, a good sign. Eventually, one plucked up the courage to enter the water. We saw him for just a second before quickly turning back. A solitary hippo was in the way, but crocodiles were definitely lurking in the shadows.
The herd turned around to leave the river, but they would soon turn back toward the river again for another attempt. The drama continued, but we concluded that this wouldn't be the day for them to cross. However, in the distance, a much, much larger herd appeared, numbering in the hundreds. They were walking in a single file line. We left the river to meet them. The sight was spectacular, just like what you see in nature documentaries. Afterward, we had a longer drive back to Leopard Hill.
The next morning, we would participate in another activity not allowed in the Mara — a walking safari. We had two Masai guards and one guide. The two were carrying spears and the third had a gun. However, they would never kill an animal, only scare them. As we were receiving a safety briefing about the most dangerous animals to humans (elephants, buffalo, and lions), an elephant appeared in the distance. It was terrific timing.
During the walk, we learned a lot about different types of dung and animal tracks. It was thrilling to walk in the reserve. When we got back, we had the whole day to relax on our private deck overlooking the watering hole. The two most interesting interactions throughout the day were as follows:
First, we saw eagles diving into the same tree. Upon further inspection, we could see an eagle's nest sitting at the top. A group of baboons were in the upper parts of the tree, attempting to steal eggs from the nest. This went on for 15-20 minutes. Eventually, the baboons gave up and retreated.
In the afternoon, two cranes we had been watching throughout the day finally came to the watering hole. Soon after, a family of warthogs approached them. It was a strange meeting; neither group seemed to know how to approach the situation. The cranes eventually scared the warthogs off, emerging victorious. If there were a tournament, it would be the eagles vs. the cranes next.
In the evening, we would go out on another game drive. This time, we would search for the cheetah. We actually found four of them there. There were two pairs of males from two different families, attempting to form an alliance. Similar to the lions from 2 days ago, they lay in the grass for a while. Every so often, they would roll over, just like your average house cat. One by one, they got up and walked 20 meters to change their location.
Before we left, a hyena showed up. They were stronger than the cheetahs. One of the cheetahs got up and hissed at the hyena. I was able to capture this, one of my favorite shots from the trip. When it got dark, we headed to the Masai River to see the hippos emerging from the water and begin their night feeding on the grass. This is rarely observed, as night safaris are not allowed in the Mara. However, luckily, we could experience it in the conservancy.
Afterward, we headed back to camp. Each night we would return to our tent, where a Masai guard would escort us with a spear in hand, as the dangerous animals become more active at night. That night, we heard many lions around the camp as we slept.
On our final morning, we left for a game drive at dawn to search for the leopard, the shyest big cat in the conservancy. We looked up into the bushes for an hour, with no such luck. It was quite cold, which means they are harder to find. However, we did manage to spot a large herd of buffalo up close. While they were walking under a patch of trees, they suddenly began to run. We found out a few minutes later that a male lion had been spotted nearby, heading into those same trees.
In the early afternoon, we were brought to the "airstrip," which happened to be a tree with a chair underneath it. We were picked up in a very small plane with about 10 passengers on it to return to Wilson Airport. The conservancy was the best travel experience I've had. The concept balances a remarkable experience in nearly untouched nature with the responsibility of helping protect the animals and working with the locals. It's something we will always cherish, and we hope that one day, we can return to Leopard Hill to be by our private watering hole once more.