Spectacles and celebrity spots

The Masai Mara reserve is always a safe bet for great African wildlife spotting, but this year’s migration season has been impressive, even by the usual standards.

Over the past few weeks, much of our safari activity has been focused on the awesome spectacle of the great migration in which massive numbers of wildebeest, zebras and gazelle cross the Mara River from the Serengeti onto Kenyan soil. This year’s generous rains have not only brought a lush landscape for our guests to enjoy, but also seem to have attracted more wildebeest to the region than we’ve seen in recent years.


Migrating wildebeest, gathering to make the treacherous river crossing.



The crocodiles which prey on these migrating grazers as they cross the Mara River have been more than adequately supplied with food during this migration. At one stage we witnessed the bizarre sight of wildebeest using the crocodiles beneath them as stepping stones to traverse the river. The indifference of these well-fed predators combined with the vigorous flow of a river which was swelling due to the generous rainfall actually made this the safest option for some of the travelling animals.

It has also been a bumper season for big cat appearances. Our guests have been treated to abundant sightings of lions, some being lucky enough to see large prides with their cubs in tow. A further cause for excitement has been the frequent showing of leopards, which are far less numerous than lions in the Masai Mara.

We’ve been delighted to see Zawadi, one of Kenya’s resident ‘celebrity’ leopards, identifiable by a distinctive line of spots under her right eye. Her photogenic looks and relative ease with human attention have earned her worldwide renown amongst wildlife lovers. She has even been one of the stars of a BBC’s ‘Big Cat Diaries’ documentary series, in which she goes by the name of Shadow. Click here to see a video of her employing her stealth and speed to hunt her prey.

Zawadi, aka Shadow, who has become known around the world.

As if that wasn’t enough animal activity for our guests to witness, the elephants have been getting in on the action too. At Africa House we’re renowned for the excellent service we provide, so if dinner is delayed there must be a good reason for it. When a family of elephants decided to investigate our guests’ eating area at Little Governor’s Camp recently, we got a more intimate wildlife encounter than anyone had bargained for. With an experience like that to take home, it’s no surprise that nobody minded waiting for their meal!