Lake Masek in January ‘better than the Great Migration’

By Terry Brownbill

Cheetahs seen at Lake Masek

It is where wildebeest, hartebeest, zebra and lions congregate in vast numbers to give birth in anticipation of the Great Migration, which begins sometime in April/May depending on the weather.

The exclusive eco Lake Masek Tented Camp has been open for just a year and the 20 tents overlooking the soda lake are stunningly luxurious. The wonderful food and cheerful staff at this secluded camp were exceptional.

In January and February the camp is surrounded by millions of animals. It is truly awe-inspiring to see lines of wildebeest stretching across the horizon in every direction.

A cheetah teaching its young to hunt

With such concentrations of animals, the opportunity to see predators in action on our doorstep was a daily spectacle. On our first game drive we saw seven cheetahs, which included a mother and three adolescent cubs being given a lesson in hunting. This consisted of mum catching, but not killing, a Thompson’s gazelle and then letting it go for her cubs to chase and dispatch, which they did within 10 metres of our vehicle after a prolonged chase (see pictures).

Lions learning to climb trees

We spent a marvellous few hours watching a group of more than 10 bat-eared foxes playing and sunning themselves. A rare treat indeed as they are normally nocturnal. We were also lucky to be able to watch two rare and secretive honey badgers.

We were spectators to a running battle over three days between a pack of 13 hyenas and a pride of three female lions and three adolescents. We were privileged to witness lions learning to climb trees – the first time they had been seen doing so in the area. Initially, they fled up trees with hyenas snapping at their heels, but over a five-day period we photographed them becoming increasingly accomplished tree-climbers (see pictures).

Hyenas spotted at Lake Masek

The Lake Masek area is the ideal place to see millions of animals gathering for the Great Migration. The wildlife spectacle is every bit as impressive as the migration itself, perhaps even more so because we had it pretty much to ourselves. Lake Masek in January is also a wonderful place to escape the winter in North America and Europe.

Terry will be joining forces with artist Martin Aveling to guide our Painting Safari which runs from June 23rd – July 5th 2011. There are still places left on this special safari, so if you'd like to develop your artistic talents in some of Africa's most inspiring settings, please get in touch. For more details, click here.

Twin boy gorilla joy

The new twins with their mother

A new birth in the threatened gorilla population is always good news. But nature lovers were given a double cause for celebration last month when a pair of healthy twins was born to a mountain gorilla in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park.

Twin births are highly rare for gorillas, this being only the fifth known occurrence since Rwandan gorillas began to be monitored over 40 years ago. The last case of twin gorilla babies was recorded back in 2004.

These latest twins are a pair of brothers who were born on 3 February to a mother known locally as Kabatwa. They, along with another recently born gorilla, will be named at a national ceremony in Rwanda this June.

The number of mountain gorillas in the wild stands at fewer than 800. The population has been steadily rising thanks to the concerted efforts of conservationists in Rwanda and beyond.

We take the Shira Route to the roof of Africa

By Terry Brownbill

At the summit of Kilimanjaro

We have just returned from climbing Kilimanjaro, taking the Shira Route, which is the mountaineer purist’s route. We were a party of four and it took 22 porters and three guides to get us to the top. We reached Uhuru Peak after six very cold nights and seven glorious days. It certainly ranked as one of life’s great experiences.

Many thousands of people attempt the Kili climb each year and most take the Marangu Route, also known as the Coca Cola Route. The Marangu Route is crowded and the path to the top is well worn. It also only takes four days.



The official Egg Porter
during the climb!

The Shira Route, favoured by Africa House Safaris and our Tanzanian partners Nordic Travel (the Arusha-based mountain specialist who provided the most fantastic team of guides and porters), is more exclusive, more of a challenge and, paradoxically, has a higher summit success rate (97%) than the easier Marangu Route (40%).

No matter how fit you are, there is no shortcut to allowing your body to acclimatise to high altitude. Our Shira Route may have been longer and more arduous (and also much more scenic and spectacular) but we acclimatised perfectly and suffered no ill effects as a result.

Clever planning by Nordic Travel’s mountain guides meant that we always camped at a lower altitude than we had been walking during the day. The mantra ‘walk high and sleep low’ really does work.

A stunning mountain view

The vast majority of Kili climbers have to begin their ascent of Uhuru Peak at midnight, arriving at the top six frozen hours later as the sun is coming up and then they begin their 10-hour descent after just half an hour at the top.

Our final ascent was much more pleasurable and civilised. On our last night, we camped close to the Furtwanger Glacier in the crater at a little over 19,750ft, just 90 metres from the summit. We rose at 7am, tucked into yet another wonderful breakfast and enjoyed a one-and-a-half hour walk to the top in brilliant sunshine. Life just doesn’t get any better.

Terry’s wife Angie also did the climb - she wanted to summit Kili on her 50th Birthday. This also made for the perfect opportunity to raise some money for the London Air Ambulance, which is her law company's adopted charity this year. Angie managed to raise £6,000 for this worthy charity!

Wild dogs make a rare appearance

A single African wild dog

African wild dogs have become an increasingly rare sight, and are almost never spotted in Lake Nakuru National Park. So Africa House guide and photographer Bob Demchuk was more than pleasantly surprised when he was able to take these recent shots at Nakuru – an area where you’re far more likely to see flamingos than wild dogs.

A wild dog being
watched by a buffalo

Also known as ‘Painted Wolves’, owing to their mottled yellow, black and white coats, African wild dogs have dwindled in number over recent years. It is thought that while there were once around half a million of these dogs throughout Africa, only around 5,000 animals remain, and these are confined to parts of eastern and southern Africa. Their survival has faced a number of threats, including loss and fragmentation of their habitat and human disturbance.

A wild dog surveying
Nakuru's varied bird life

African wild dogs are formidable hunters. They work in packs, pursuing their prey in long, open chases and achieving a kill rate of around 80%. They tend to attack medium to large mammals such as impalas, Thomson’s gazelles and wildebeest calves. Conservation groups such as the African Wild Dog Conservancy have worked to safeguard African wild dog populations against further decline in Africa. Bob’s sighting of these unique animals in such a rare hunting ground as Lake Nakuru is an encouraging sign.