Three Leopards in the Morning

Tuesday August 30, 2005

I slept fitfully last night.

My dreams were strange and I tossed and turned . I woke up several times. It may have been a side effect of the Larium I took yesterday. It's a pill you take once a week for malaria prevention and vivid dreams can be a side-effect.

Then again it may have been the scream of a bush-baby around 3 am that did it. At least, thats probably what it was. The baboons and hippos were also were having a party somewhere nearby.

Around five-thirty in the morning, just as it was getting light , a few of us walked a short distance from our camp to the place where a waterfall fell out of a low cliff into a pool at the river. Alas, it was really too dark to take a good photo but it was a beautiful place. It may be called Makalia Falls if I remember a nearby sign correctly.

We didn't stay long though once we'd realized that a lone buffalo was standing in the mud at the pool's edge. It was hard to see he was there until he moved. He had his back turned and I thought he might have been a hippo at first. Either way, we kept a wary eye on him because lone buffalo are the most unpredictable kind.

There was buffalo scat all through our campsite this morning, especially on the field between the tents and the toilet area, so they'd obviously been roaming about in our vicinity.

We packed up our camp shortly after dawn to go for a game drive. This was not the kind of trip where sleeping in is beneficial as many animals are more easily seen in the early hours. The air was lovely and fresh and warm as we headed out.

We were looking for leopards in particular this morning. At this time of the day they have climbed down from the trees and are down hunting on the ground.

There were lots of other animals to see though, and as we drove slowly along we joked about how we'd probably be gawking out one side of the truck at giraffes and a leopard would casually saunter by while we were all looking the other way.

Before I came to Africa I read a book called Leopards in the Afternoon chronicling the tale of a fellow who comes on safari and is obsessed with seeing a leopard with his own eyes. He finally does see the elusive creature, but not until the final hour of the final day.

We were much luckier than that.

Helen spotted the first one as it emerged from the long yellow grass behind our vehicle. It darted across the road and disappeared so quickly that only Phillip managed to snap a photo. But we all managed to see it, however briefly, and so the mood in the truck was happy and excited. In a funny way, we could all relax now that we'd at least seen one.

And then Emma spied another leopard which appeared to be circling around three zebras at the base of a nearby tree-covered cliff. It was difficult to keep sight of it as it prowled along through the tall grass but we watch it until it disappeared.

Our trusty truck George (yes, that's its name) cautiously bumped its way off the dirt path and onto the bumpy plain, and we circled the cliff to see if we could spot it again.

And then Pete's sharp eyes spot what must be a third big cat as she reclined gracefully on a crag at the back of the cliff. We were quite certain this must be a different animal than the one we just saw with the zebras. There simply wasn't enough time for the other animal to reach this spot. Three leopards! We were so lucky!

We watched the leopard for about half an hour as she eventually descended the cliff and chose another boulder among the jumbled rocks and logs and scree to flake out on. Her camoflauge was marvellous. Binoculars were incredibly useful at this point.

If we hadn't known exactly which rock to look at we could have driven by and never known she was there. It's easy to believe now that we might have passed many leopards unawares yesterday. In fact, as we were looking at Leopard #2 another safari vehicle passed us. They probably thought we were watching zebras.

By eight o'clock on this drive we had also seen( besides our three magnificentl cats) four jackals, some rock hyrax, giraffes, buffalo, a thorny eagle, an amazing bush covered with weaver-bird nests, and enough rhino to bring our count to over twenty.

We also saw millions of flamingos on Lake Nakuru, our next stop.

Bush-Camping Birthday

Monday, August 29, 2006

We reach our campsite just before dusk and set up our camp.

Our tents form a semi-circle around the campfire, all doors facing in for safety. We are camped on a large flat grassy area. Just over the rise of a low hill, a few hundred yards away, a herd of buffalo are grazing.

We are bordered with a lightly forested area on two sides. A baboon troop soon emerges from the undergrowth and sits near the forested edge, grunting and scratching their behinds as they watch us set up.

Across the field another overland group is also camping and there is a little shack with squat toilets there too.

Somewhere nearby we can hear the noise of a waterfall, but it is too dark to explore.

Today it is Jen's 26th birthday, and I think she is truly surprised tonight when presented with a birthday cake that Pete has somehow managed to bake over charcoal. How does one bake such a yummy cake over charcoal?! I have trouble myself in a kitchen with modern appliances...

Wayne and Anne-Dorte also gift her with a yellow Masai shawl and a card that we have all secretly signed on board the truck today.

The air is chilly tonight and we all bring the camp-stools close to our fire. The people in our group are getting to know one another and there is lots of interesting conversation until quite late.

Somebody pulls out an astronomy guide and we try to recognize constellations. The Milky Way is vast tonight.

Brushing our teeth tonight (using water from the truck tanks), we remember to spit the tooth-paste far from the tents. Animals will be attracted by anything remotely edible or scented, including shampoo and cosmetics. We lock up anything remotely suspect in the truck.

I fall asleep in our tent later listening to the sounds of hippos down-river and wondering if the buffalo will wander into our camp.

Afternoon Game Drive

Monday, August 29, 2005

By mid-afternoon we enter Lake Nakuru National Park.

It's a very warm day but soon we are driving slowly a narrow dirt road through shady woodland and a breeze from the nearby lake cools us.

At first there are few animal sightings. We hear rustlings in the tangled undergrowth but the animals are not always easily seen. Sometimes we catch a glimpse of antelope horns and hear the crash of bushes as a waterbuck startles.
Can you spot the antelope in this photograph?

I spy a hammerkop nest, an enormous mass up in a tree. The bird who builds it may be small, but it likes a lot of leg- room.

The landscape becomes more open; to the left are low rocky hills with spindly trees, to the right is shrubby meadowland with the sandy lakeshore on the horizon. Later the land becomes a flat and grassy plain. One can see a long way.

There is a large population of waterbuck in Nakuru and we see these and other small antelope ,like impala and Thompson's gazelle, nimbly crossing the road in front of us and grazing by the roadside.

We see numerous small huddles of broad-shouldered African buffalo grazing alongside zebra, and the now almost-familiar sight of giraffes grazing among the acacia trees. It is amazing how quickly one's eyes become accustomed to the fantastic!

We stop to watch a baboon family for a while. They are large olive baboons, perhaps fifteen of them, and there are several young ones leaping about and playing, while the more sedate adults relax on their haunches and pick at each others' fur. To our delight, we see two infant baboons, one clinging almost unseen to her mother's belly fur and the other riding piggy-back style on another.

There are many birds: long-striding secretary birds (named for the old-fashioned black "pen" quills atop their heads), tiny bee-eaters, lilac-breasted rollers, guinea fowl, hoopoes, hawks, and even a owl, blinking in the daylight.

We also spot a lone jackal loping along in the distance, and strive in vain to photograph a warthog--they are always trotting along in the opposite direction with their wiry tails held straight up in the air.

The highlight of the afternoon for me was stopping on a grassy plain near a group of seven white rhinos, grazing peacefully like cows wearing tank-armour.

"Those aren't animals", somebody whispered in an impressed whisper. "Those are boulders with legs".

We were also lucky enough to come upon another group of three rhinos, and this time one of them was a boulder-like baby suckling its mother. It was young and it was cute, but that was one solid-looking baby. Unfortunately we weren't very close to them and binoculars came in handy.

As the shadows lengthened with the passing afternoon, the light changed from bright white sunshine to a warm orangey mellow glow. The red-brown coats of the gazelle took on a gorgeous colour in this new light. As dusk approached we began to search for less obvious wildlife.

Nakuru Park is known for a fairly large, relatively speaking, leopard population and so we constantly scanned the trees for one. This was the best time of day to see a leopard sitting in a tree because leopards hunt early and then find a convenient limb to snooze on. They blend in easily with the branches though and it was best to look for a tail hanging down.

I looked in vain, staring and staring into the passing golden-lit trees until it seemed that I saw a big cat in every tree. I had to rub my eyes and blink. The leopards stubbornly refused to appear. Perhaps we would have better luck tomorrow morning.

A Drive to Nakuru

Monday, August 29, 2005

Today our group voted to "bush camp" in Nakuru National Park tonight instead of using a more established campsite like Fishermen's Camp.

Not only was the bush-camping an easy sell because it meant a shorter time riding in the truck day after next, but we weren't expecting to camp like this until we'd arrived on the Serengeti. Camping among the animals was an exciting prospect. A few of us were a little nervous. Our guides carry no weapons.

Apparently a few years back, there was an incident with some lions. Most of a safari group had retired to their tents for the night but one amorous couple decided to stay up late canoodling near the campfire. Well, their romantic interlude was interrupted when they looked up to see two lions calmly strolling through their camp. The story has it that the lions came so close that they walked between the people and their campfire.

The couple then acquired super-human powers of speed and dove into their tents, shivering and howling with fright. Luckily for them, the lions' tummies were already full of dinner and they ignored them utterly. I'm sure that safely home again, and after lots of expensive psychiatric therapy, they enjoyed telling their tale of bush-camping in Africa....

After leaving the Crater Lake Sanctuary with its marvellous giraffes this morning, we drove towards Nakuru.

Sometimes we passed through dusty little shanty-towns where children waved at the mzungus (foreigners) in the huge truck. Some people wore the typical red blankets of the Masai people. Other people sat on the ground selling vegetables and other produce. We drove through the outskirts of Nakuru Town (one of the largest towns in Kenya) and stopped at a small shop to buy Fanta sodas and Tusker beer for our evening meal.

"Nakuru" means "dust" or "dusty place" in the Masai language, and sitting in the open back of the truck we could certainly agree with the name's suitability. But some of the landscape in the surrounding area was green and lush and very beautiful. In fact, although we are visiting in the dry season, the land is much greener than usual for this time of year. We hear that farmers are unhappy that there has been too much rain for their crops lately.

Among the Giraffes

Monday August 29, 2005

After we left Crater Lake we drove further into the game sanctuary. From our matutu, Jeff glimpsed a wart-hog and I saw two dik-diks. They are the smallest of the deer family, no bigger than terrier dogs, nestled in the shade under a bush.

Soon we were able to leave the vehicles and take a very unique walk.

This was a very special place because there are few reserves in East Africa where you can travel on foot among the animals without fear of predators.

It is hard to explain how I felt among the giraffes. It was like seeing a mythical animal come to life. Their tall silhouette against the sky was at once magnificent and unreal.They were the strangest and most startlingly beautiful animals that I'd ever seen in the wild. It was like seeing a unicorn that was twenty feet tall.

These were Masai giraffe, and they didn't seem to mind humans very much, regarding us with long-lashed dark eyes as docilely as cows. If someone approached a little too closely, the giraffe would take two or three slow, rocking steps away with its long legs and immediately be at comfortable distance again.

One giraffe sat on the dry savannah grass, its legs folded awkwardly under it. I thought that it must take tremendous effort for giraffes to stand up again with such amazingly long limbs. I sat down on the warm grass too and just watched it for a while in the warm African sunshine. I looked at the giraffe, and it looked at me.

You know when your brain seems to take a snapshot of a particular moment in your life, and you can look back on that moment years in the future and remember it with crystal clarity? I think I'll remember that giraffe like that.

There was also another giraffe I'll remember. It was standing alone in a small sun- dappled patch of forest, stretching its neck up to the acacia leaves and curling its long blue tongue around them. I had wandered away from other people and I was all by myself, listening to the rustle and crunch of its eating. Occasionally it would turn its head with a mouthful of leaves and observe me in turn. I know it sounds strange and anthropomorphic but it really felt like it was a friendly giraffe.

There were other animals to be seen in this preserve, but they proved more elusive than the giraffes. There were several small herds of zebra roaming through the grassy meadows, and small groups of impalas grazing too, but both animals seemed to want to keep their distance.

Our guide took us on a nature walk, pointing out plants and trees and the shiny black volcanic rock that is commonly found in this area.

He also pointed out a shed rock python skin lying in the grass. It was about six feet long. He mentioned that this land was home to Egyptian spitting cobras too. They are seldom seen, he said, but be wary.

Breakfast and Flamingos

Monday August 29, 2005


Our camp was up early, taking down our tents and grabbing a quick pre-breakfast of gingerbread cookies and strong coffee. The hot water for showers was limited and I felt in need of a good wake-up so I had a shivering quick wash-up at the cold-water tap.

Anne-Dorte, a Danish woman who is our second guide, officially introduced herself this morning. She is tall and brisk and reminds me a lot of Kira, my brother's partner. Anne-Dorte arrived last night as we were all heading off to bed. She is fresh from Zanzibar where she left the group that travelled this route before us.

Also with us this morning is a friendly white dog that Wayne has nicknamed Grommet. He joined us at dinner last night. The dog nearly lost favour with us after peeing on one of the tents yesterday, but this morning we are all feeling protective of Grommet because Wayne saw his owner hitting him with a stick.

Soon after dawn two matatus carrying local guides arrive at our campsite. Matatus are rattling mini-vans that the locals use for public transportation. We saw many matatus yesterday as we were driving. It seems common practice to squeeze as many people as you can into them. And we follow the local tradition.

We all cram in with the guides (Evan, Michael, and Daniel) and go for a bouncing ride first along a main road and then up and down a hilly rutted track bordered by dangerously irregular ditches. The matatus move surprisingly swiftly considering the abominable road conditions.

It is along this back road that we collectively gasp as giraffes are spotted near the roadside. The first animal appeared out of nowhere as a long neck suddenly rose above the shrubbery and gazed peacefully at our passing vehicle. I see at least three others as we continue along the track. I feel so contented. I have been to Africa and seen giraffes.

Within half an hour we arrive at the dusty entrance of the lodge of a small private reserve, the Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. There is a sign at the beginning of the path warning people to be on the look-out for roaming buffalo but a guide says that there haven't been buffalo seen around here in a while.

We follow stone steps down a steep path lined with vines, cactus, and the bright yellow flowers of the candle-bush. It leads to a lawn-covered area with thatch-roofed buildings down by the green lake. This is where we are going to have breakfast.

When I signed up for a budget camping safari I was not expecting to be served caffe lattes and elaborate English breakfasts by the lakeside the second morning out. It was unexpectedly posh, although we sadly didn't make it a habit on this trip.

Crater Lake is a small emerald jewel of a lake. Sunlight shone through the shifting mists rising off the green water and flocks of lesser flamingos splashed the lakeside with a frosting of pink.

The flamingos migrate along a chain of similar soda lakes in the area. The alkalinity of the water prevents fish from living in Crater Lake, but produces the amazing colour and the algae for the flamingos to feed on. As rain and season change the water level in the lakes, the alkalinity rises and falls and the flamingoes follow where the algae thrives.

We tried to get nearer to them but when we got too close they'd rise as a group and fly further down the shore, kicking up the water behind them with flapping, spindly legs.

There are only a few things that will prey on the flamingos here: the African fishing-eagles, and occasionally baboons, which can swim as well as a human when hungry.

Walking along the grassy path by the shore we also saw ducks, grebes, blacksmith plovers. And hanging low in the trees were the intricately-woven nests of yellow weaver-birds.

The black and white colobus monkeys in the surrounding acacia forest have already become a familiar sight.