Africa | Josette King

African Diaries — Selous. The Gem of Tanzania’s Southern Circuit

9 April 2021 | Africa, Journeys, Places, Tanzania | 2 comments

The Safari Air Link Cessna is approaching the Mtemere airstrip. This is the last stop on my journey around the little visited wildlife sanctuaries of Tanzania’s Southern Circuit. After a lengthy flight from the remote Katavi National Park, in the furthest southwestern reaches of the country, I have now come all the way back east to the great Selous Game Reserve.

Selous is defined by its network of rivers and oxbow lakes,

First declared a protected area over a century ago, Selous expanded over time to become a boundless swathe of mostly unexplored bush teaming with wildlife. With almost no roads into its remote interior, it is one of the least visited major parks in Africa, and at 52,000 square kilometers (20,000 square miles), an area larger than Switzerland, it is the largest game reserve on the continent.

Life Along the Rufiji River

Elephants thrive along the Rufiji River.

A defining feature of Selous is the network of rivers that converge into it from the surrounding highlands to become the powerful Rufiji River. As it meanders through the northeastern part of the reserve on its way to the ocean, the river’s eco-system sustains an exceptional diversity of wildlife and exuberant vegetation

The Rufiji River Camp offers an exceptional view of the river.

A black heron attracts fish by forming a shady canopy over the water with its wings.

Stretched along a bluff overlooking the Rufiji River, at the especially scenic northeastern tip of the reserve, the Rufiji River Camp provides a variety of game viewing opportunities. Its privileged riverside location, which includes its own boat slip and flat-bottomed game-watching boats, makes for a rare chance to enjoy a floating safari. A leisurely day-long cruise allows me to explore the lush riverbanks, islands and oxbow lakes upriver from the camp, and to enjoy a lovely riverside picnic lunch.

Home to over 350 species of birds, Selous is a birdwatcher’s paradise, and birding from the water for a front seat view of birds nesting along the banks is a photographer’s dream. It allows me to capture such close-up gems as my only sighting ever of a black heron, the only heron to fish by forming a canopy over the water with its wings, thus reducing glare and attracting preys to the shade. I am also able to document the unique moment when a startled Goliath heron realizes that the fish he had just caught for its breakfast proves to be larger than its gullet can ingurgitate.

The Best of the Bush

A herd of giraffes scampers at our approach.

A lion cub wanders away from its mother.

Game drives in the camp’s open-sided vehicles are equally amazing. Buffalos, zebras and all manners of antelopes are everywhere. Breeding herds of elephants nudging their calves along as they forage through the underbrush are also a frequent sight; as are families of giraffes swaying across our path, or pausing to prune the underside of thorn acacias into neat umbrellas while they wait for their wobbly calves to catch up. On one very special drive, I spend delightful moments watching a pair of lionesses patiently nursing their cubs, while trying with limited success to keep the most adventurous of the offsprings in check.

Back at the camp, my spacious side-entrance tent is especially light and welcoming. Nestled in a grove of mature trees and raised on a high deck under thatch, it features a wrap-around veranda with two separate lounging areas overlooking the river to give a whole new meaning to the concept of armchair safari. In addition to the large pods of hippos jostling for position in the water, I have a clear view of the far bank where rows of crocodiles laze in the sun and elephants come to drink. Meanwhile, every rustle in the canopy is a bird sighting opportunity – or a hint that a hopeful vervet monkey is getting ready to pounce on any snack I may have left unguarded.

Pods of hippos were a constant sight in the river.

With its sprawling, open-sided central lounge and dinning area taking full advantage of its scenic setting in the heart of some of the best wildlife viewing in East Africa and its welcoming relaxed atmosphere, my stay at the Rufiji River Camp is a grand finale worthy of my memorable tour of the unfairly overlooked wilderness reserves of Tanzania’s Southern Circuit.

Endangered Eden

The waterbuck is instantly identifiable by the distinctive white ring on its rear.

Tanzania has long been considered one of Africa’s prime hunting destination and remains to this day a major draw for safari hunters. More than sixty species can legally be hunted, including four of the famed “big fives” – buffalo, elephant, leopard and lion. Only the critically endangered, rhino escapes the list, but not the poachers. The country remains frequently mentioned in the international press for large scale poaching incidents, illegal ivory, rhino horn and bush meat traffic.

While still abundant in the “photographic tourism” part of the park, the elephant population is being decimated by poaching.

Crocodiles navigate the Rufiji River.

Since its inception over a century ago, Selous has been managed as a hunting reserve with only a small portion – approximately eight percent in the spectacular northeastern part of the reserve – eventually dedicated to photographic tourism. Vast areas south of the Rufiji River remain allocated to game hunting through a number of privately leased hunting concessions.

Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1982 for ”its wildlife diversity and its natural immensity relatively undisturbed by human impact,” Selous is the only site in southern Tanzania to have ever been awarded this distinction. However, by 2014, the characteristics that had earned the site its prestigious status had deteriorated to the point that Selous was placed on the list of World Heritage in Danger. Rampant poaching had reduced the elephant population in the reserve from nearly 110,000 in the mid-1970 to less than 16,000 – a loss of ninety percent in four decades. And the rhino population had dwindled dangerously close to extinction within the Selous ecosystem.

Nyerere National Park

Siesta time in the Nyerere National Park.

In December 2019, it was officially announced by the government of Tanzania that to further develop tourism in Selous, the northern part of the reserve would be excised to form a new national park to be known as the Nyerere National Park in honor of the first president of Tanzania, Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere. The new park, the largest in Africa with a surface of 31,000 square kilometers (12,000 square miles) or two-thirds of the original reserve, now falls under the authority of the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA). This new status means that hunting is no longer permitted in the area that falls within the park, which doesn’t change anything for visitors to the previously designated photographic area as no hunting was ever permitted there anyway.

However the residual one-third of the land is still managed as a hunting reserve. It remains to be seen whether this change in status can reverse the devastation that industrial-scale poaching has inflicted in recent decades on the elephant population and the ensuing damaging effect on the ecosystem of the overall Selous area.

The Rufiji River Camp stretches along a scenic bluff overlooking the river.

Good to Know

Getting there — Tanzania’s main airport is Julius Nyerere International Airport, located 13 kilometers (eight miles) southwest of Dar es Salaam, which is the entry-point for visitors to the southern parks. There are no direct flights from North America to Tanzania, and only one direct route from Europe: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which offers a daily flight from Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam. Another option is to fly to Nairobi, Kenya, where there are a number of daily connection possibilities to Dar es Salaam. From there, the Selous Game Reserve Mtemere airstrip, the closest to the Rufiji River Camp, is a mere 45-minute flight.
Getting around — My entire itinerary from Dar es Salaam throughout the Southern Circuit, including all air transfers via Safari Air Link, was seamlessly managed by Foxes Safaris.
Environmental Red Flags — Unrestrained poaching is not the only threat to the survival of the overall Selous area as one of the greatest wildlife conservancies in Africa.
- Uranium mining. A boundary change was decreed in the past decade to excise some 400 square kilometers (155 square miles) from the southwestern border of the reserve, thus allowing the exploitation of uranium deposits. This would pose a serious environmental threat to the surrounding areas in the form of toxic emissions (most notably Radon and Carbon Monoxide), windblown dust dispersal and leaching of contaminant including heavy metals and arsenic into the water. While at the time of this writing, according to the State Party no active mining is taking place, the threat potential continues to exist.
- Hydropower dam. Although highly controversial, construction of a dam across the Rufiji River at the scenic Stiegler’s Gorge, in the northeastern confines of the park, received government approval in 2018. Construction began in 2019. After completion, the power station and reservoir lake are projected to occupy approximately 1350 square kilometers (520 square miles) within the Nyerere National Park and cause serious environmental concerns. Firstly, the dam will flood over 2.2% of the parks total area, reducing its forest and riverine habitat. Additionally, the dam project will directly impact a main area of biodiversity in the reserve, a large area of wetland, marsh and savanna, and risk cutting off wildlife migratory routes.
- NGO reactions. UNESCO World Heritage Center, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) as well as other prominent international conservation NGO’s have registered strong opposition to both projects and are calling for action to protest them.

A Few Souvenirs

Location, location, location!

Rufiji River Camp, Tanzania

African Diaries — The Remote Parks of Tanzania’s Southern Circuit

12 March 2021 | Africa, Journeys, Places, Tanzania | 5 comments

The Republic of Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa. Of its landmass of 885,800 square kilometers (or 342,000 square miles – approximately twice the size of California), over 25 percent consists of 21 national parks and other wildlife management areas, home to two world-famous safari destinations: the Serengeti plain and the Ngorongoro crater. Yet, together these two legendary Northern Tanzania national parks account for less than ten percent of the total preservation land in the country. What of the remainder?

The Other Tanzania

Game is exceptionally abundant in the remote wilderness of the Southern Circuit.

As I began to plan my visit to Tanzania, it became obvious that in the southern and western parts of the country, an off the beaten track complex of parks and reserves whose combined area covered more than 77,000 square kilometers (20,020 square miles), remained mostly overlooked by international visitors. These great swaths of remote wilderness, home to prolific wildlife and mainly unscathed by human interaction, became an irresistible draw for me.

Safari Air Link brings visitors to the Ruaha River Lodge airstrip.

Of the handful of upscale bush camp operators that service the area, one immediately caught my attention: Foxes Safaris. Owned and managed for three generations by the Fox family, the organization is a recognized pioneer in establishing camps in prime game-viewing locations within the southern parks.

Stanley’s Kopje is perched on a rocky knoll.

To ensure the transfer of visitors across the vast distances between these parks, they have also implemented Safari Air Link, a sister company with a small fleet of Cessnas offering daily flights between Dar es Salam and the various destinations of the Southern Circuit. Their regular scheduling and friendly bush pilots put the pleasure back into flying as I made my way across the raw immensity of Southern and Western Tanzania.

Mikumi National Park

Shady trees are favorite lounging stops for Mikumi lions.

After an endless international journey to Dar es Salaam, the first stop on my month-long itinerary around Tanzania and the start of my Southern Circuit adventure, was Mikumi, the fourth largest national park in the country. It was home to multiple prides of lions as well as a variety of smaller predators, large herds of buffalos, zebras, and everything that made for gratifying game drives. A short 90- minute flight from Dar es Salaam, or half a day’s drive away, it was also the only national park readily accessible from the metropolis on the Red Sea, making it an attractive destination from the city. Yet visitors were few, and international tourists notably rare.

Mikumi abounds with varied wildlife.

My home in Mikumi was Stanley’s Kopje, the only camp in the entire park to be perched on a high rocky knoll (or kopje – Stanley’s being a nod to the famed 19th century explorer Morton Stanley, who led an expedition through the area). Historic anecdote aside, the site was spectacular, with the camp’s dining area and lounge enjoying a circular view of the vast Mkata flood plain and overlooking one of the best game-viewing area of the park: the Mwanamboga waterhole. The guest tents were spaced lower down the hill, around the perimeter of the kopje, and raised on high wooden platforms under thatch roofs that also shaded their oversized deck.

The fiery sunset dips behind the Udzungwa Mountains.

It was an ideal place to relax and reacquaint myself with the thrill of the African bush. From the serenity of my private veranda, I whiled away the lazy post-game drive hours watching herds of buffalos lumber their way across the plain, and elephants converging toward their favorite watering hole. Meanwhile on the horizon, a fiery sunset outlined the Udzungwa Mountains, and the heady sounds of the bush filled the air, complete with the vibrating roar of a lion coming from somewhere at the base of the knoll.

By the Ruaha Riverside

The Ruaha National is famous for its ancient baobabs. This one has become a scratching post for elephants.

It was a one-hour flight from Mikumi to Ruaha, due west over a landscape of increasingly high, craggy ridges and agricultural plains. Then the farmland subsided, replaced by forest and rock. We were approaching a rippling plateau bordered by a steep escarpment, and a dusty airstrip with a welcoming committee of parading giraffes. This was Ruaha, the second largest national park it Tanzania, known for its exceptionally large population of elephants, giraffes and greater kudus, and for the outstanding diversity of its wildlife. But when I think of Ruaha, what first comes to mind are the baobabs, hundreds of the ancient giants in colossal groves across the plain, and clinging to the rock all the way up the escarpment.

Elephants come to drink in the rock pools of the Ruaha River.

Then there was the Ruaha River Lodge itself, stretched along the bank of the river that gave it and the park their name, where game-viewing was a never-ending feast. It started at breakfast in the riverside dining room, with a Goliath heron coming to preen on the bank right in front of us, and baboons bouncing from rock to rock across the water. It continued with lunch at the hilltop dining room, and panoramic view of a herd of elephants coming to drink in the rock pool below. And evenings on the veranda of my banda (Swahili for cottage) were equally exciting, with hippos stopping by, just a few feet away from my banister, to chomp on the landscape on their way to the river.

The Ultimate Wilderness

Bull giraffes struggle for supremacy.

It was another two hours westward to Katavi, the third-largest park in Tanzania, and a place so far beyond remote that it receives barely one thousand visitors per year. What enchanted me there was Africa at its primeval best, the rich and varied wildlife going about the rhythm of its existence as it had for millennia in a pristine environment of reed-filled floodplains and dense woodlands. On my first morning, I woke up to find a herd of elusive elands emerging from the misty silence of the plain to graze beneath my deck. Later on, I was treated to a neck joust by bull giraffes, each determined to assert his supremacy over the herd.

Katavi Wilderness Camp was nestled in a grove of soaring marula and tamarind trees.

Nestled under the canopy of soaring marula and tamarind trees, the Katavi Wilderness Camp was an intimate enclave of luxury overlooking the Katisunga Plain as it stretched to the Lyamba-lya-Mfipa escarpment on the horizon. Beyond the pleasure of finding contemporary comforts in such an improbable place, what made the camp truly special was its attentive staff and guide who welcomed me to a level of gracious hospitality worthy of the East African safari tradition of a bygone era.

According to the park authorities records, I was one of only three tourists in the park at the time of my visit, and I never came across the other two. Katavi gave me the intoxicating experience that I had, for a few days, Africa all to myself.

Large herds of buffalos roam the remote parks of the Southern Circuit.

Good to Know

Getting there — Tanzania’s main airport is Julius Nyerere International Airport, located 13 kilometers(8 miles) southwest of Dar es Salaam, which is the entry-point for visitors to the southern parks. There are no direct flights from North American to Tanzania, and only one direct route from Europe: KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, which offers a daily flight from Amsterdam to Dar es Salaam. Another option is to fly to Nairobi, Kenya, where there are a number of daily connection possibilities to Dar es Salaam.

Getting around — My entire itinerary from Dar es Salaam throughout the Southern Circuit, including all air transfers via Safari Air Link, was seamlessly managed by Foxes Safaris.

A Few Souvenirs

Location, location, location!

Katavi

Mikumi

Ruaha

African Diaries — The Wetland Eden of the Okavango Delta

12 February 2021 | Africa, Botswana, Journeys, Places | 3 comments

In the mainly roadless immensity that is Botswana, the landlocked southwest-African country where a sparse 2.3 million population is spread across an area roughly the size of France, adventure usually begins with a bush plane flight into the middle of nowhere.

Okavango Delta sunset.

Now, after over almost two weeks spent exploring the surreal, featureless landscapes of the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans and the barren plains of the Central Kalahari, my next nowhere is the Okavango Delta.

A Natural Wonder of Africa

Bird’s eye view of Delta.

There is no sign of human life below the chartered Cessna – only a patchwork of greens and ochers stitched together by narrow canals, all the way to the hazy midday horizon. The plane drones on for some 30 minutes before the bare ground slash of an airstrip emerges from the exuberant greenery. We are about land.

Zebras appear unconcerned by our presence.

Grey herons abound in the wetlands.

Rated one of the of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa, and a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Okavango Delta is considered one of the most pristine oasis in the world. From its origins in the highlands of Angola, the Okavango River travels some 1,900 kilometers (1200 miles) to come fanning out into an intricate system of wetlands that cover some two-million hectares (77,000 square miles) of Kalahari sands before being swallowed by the desert.

One of the largest in-land deltas in the world, the Okavango boasts a unique eco-system that offers a safari experience unlike any other in all of Africa. It is renowned for the outstanding diversity and abundance of fauna that congregates to its waters. For my introduction to this intricate environment, I have trusted andBeyond Botswana for their long established reputation as a conservation-driven, experiential travel company.

The Place of the Giraffe

The camp’s namesake pays frequent visits.

Today, I am headed for Xnabega (“the place of the giraffe” in Basarwa, the language of the river bushmen), one of andBeyond’s luxury tented camps. But since exceptional rains have recently flooded the camp’s own airstrip, my guide informs me in the course of his greeting that I have landed on a nearby, higher ground one. We now will have to drive a few miles to Nxabega (pronounce Na-ber-rah).

Sturdy tree-trunk bridges straddle the channels.

A few miles’ drive on a remote African bush trail can easily take a couple of hours. Ours does. After a visit to an obviously satiated leopard warily guarding the remains of its impala dinner as we gawk at it through the thicket, we stop for a tailgate picnic lunch. Reedbucks scamper away, red lechwes – indigenous wetlands antelopes – meld into the reeds. The camp’s namesake, a regal bull giraffe, struts across our path. Two hours and a few channel-crossings over narrow tree-trunk bridges later, we pull into the shaded clearing in front of Nxabega’s main lodge to the warm welcome from the assembled staff.

Xnabega tented suites bring a high level of luxury to the bush.

Set under the lush canopy of massive ebony trees in a remote 8,000 hectare (19,8000 acre) private concession, Nxabega Okavango Tented Camp brings life in the bush to exceptional heights of luxury. Nine elegantly appointed canvas suites raised on high platforms stretch on either side of the handsome multi-level dining and sitting lodge with burnished teak floors under a lofty thatched roof. Within the expansive space, exotic wood paneling delineate several inviting seating areas decorated in stylish, locally crafted furnishings and artworks, and the sweeping views of the surrounding permanent floodplain and lagoons.

Exceptional Wildlife Experiences

Even huddled high in a tree, this leopard remains vigilant.

These luxury accommodations, further enhanced by outstanding guiding and service are a mere backdrop for the extraordinary wildlife experiences that unfold consistently throughout my stay. My first morning wakeup call comes curtesy of an impressive bull elephant devouring the shrubbery a few feet away from my deck. The high points of a seemingly routine afternoon drive to the nearby boat landing for a sundowner cruise include sightings of a lion on the move and a leopard crouched high in an acacia tree.

A painted reed frog clings to a reed.

While the customary twice-daily game drives are available, my favorite way to explore the delta is from the water. My fondest memories are from exhilarating boat rides through the watery labyrinth of papyrus-bordered channels and floating islands of water lily pads in bloom. Birds soar as we go by, tiny painted frogs cling their reed perches, and occasionally bulbous eyes emerge from the water, attached to unimpressed hippos unflinchingly asserting their right of way.

An elephant challenges our presence in the channel.

I soon discover that there is no better way to enjoy the sunset than sitting low on the water in a mokoro (flat dug-out canoe commonly used to navigate the Okavango waterways) – expertly stirred by my ever cheerful guide. There, with giraffes strutting in the distance and the occasional elephant wading across our path, I spend many contented moments taking in jewel-bright kingfishers darting in and out of the reeds, and iridescent dragon flies hovering about, as the blood orange sun dip into the lagoon

A breeding herd of elephants marches by my tent.

Good to Know

Getting there — Air Botswana and Airlink operate scheduled flights from Johannesburg to Maun. From there, it is a short flight by light aircraft to the Nxabega Okavango Safari Camp airstrip, where andBeyond staff welcome the guests. A 15-minute drive in an open safari vehicle completes the journey to the Camp.
andBeyond Africa — is one of Africa’s leading luxury safari company, with exceptional lodges and camps in Africa’s most breathtaking wilderness locations.

A Few Souvenirs

Location, location, location!

Xnabega, Okavango Delta

African Diaries – Kenya’s Magical Mara

8 January 2021 | Africa, Journeys, Kenya, Places | 6 comments

I was into the second week of my journey around Kenya, a country I had approached with some trepidation because of its established reputation as one of the premiere safari destinations in Africa. This popularity had long attracted hordes of tourists, a situation at odds with my predilection for off the beaten track places. Fortunately, in the early stages of planning my trip, I had come across Gamewatchers Safaris and their four, intimate Porini (Swahili for “in the wild”) Camps. Now, after memorable stays at the Amboseli and Rhino camps, I was headed for the legendary Maasai Mara.

A Mara welcome – Topi female with calfs..

Named for its ancestral inhabitants, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is surrounded by a number of conservancies. The total area under conservation covers 1,500 square kilometers (580 square miles) to form the Greater Mara ecosystem, locally known simply as The Mara. It was deep into one of these conservancies, just northeast of the Reserve, that I was now landing.

Mara Porini Camp

Giraffes were a frequent sight in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy..

The Safarilink Cessna made a quick stop for me at the tiny Siana Springs airstrip, where my guide and spotter awaited. Within minutes, the three of us were rocking along a rough dirt trail and across streams swollen by the early onset of autumn rains. This was iconic Maasai country, dotted with bomas, the distinctive hamlets of squat, flat-roofed mud huts within their protective circle of thorny fences.Tall men draped in flowing crimson shúkàs went about daily activities. Children waved as our Land Rover drove by, before returning their attention to the cattle they were minding. Soon signs of human activity faded away and the prairie morphed into wooded rolling hills. Cattle was replaced by antelopes, giraffes and zebras.The short ride to the camp was stretching into a game drive.

A harem of impalas were often seen near the camp.

Nestled within a grove of soaring yellow-barked acacia, in a vast area set aside by the local Maasai landowners of the Ol Kinyei Conservancy for the exclusive use of the guests, the intimate Masa Porini Camp had the charm of a timeless well-kept secret. While my spacious, eco-friendly tent featured solar electricity, a private bathroom with hot showers and flush toilets – the norm in all Porini Camps – everything blended seamlessly into the rough hewn decor. My large veranda overlooked a permanent brook where a large harem of impalas, its dominant buck in the lead, visited frequently during my stay.

A Resident Pride

The resident pride.- roused from their nap.

Games viewing opportunities were many, both within the conservancy as a destination onto itself or as a drive through on the way to day-long drives into the Maasai Mara National Reserve a mere 17 kilometers (10 miles) away. In addition to the constant sightings of a wide variety of grazing animals and smaller predators, the most remarkable moment of my stay at Mara Porini was and encounter with a large resident pride of lions. We came across a dozen of them, lazily rousing from their afternoon siesta in the high savanna grass.

Resident pride lionesses – getting into stalking formation.

Suddenly they began rising to attention in a slow, intently coordinated move, as they sensed an approaching herd of zebra. It was fascinating to observed them stealthy come into a stalking formation, until some indiscernible alert sent the herd fleeing at a gallop. The zebras managed a narrow escape and the lions returned with feign nonchalance to their grassy lounging spot.

Porini Lion Camp

The stylish dining tent and lounge overlooked the bush.

My next destination, and the last stop of my trip, was Porini Lion Camp, some 15 kilometers (10 miles) further west in the Olare Orok Conservancy, on the immediate northern border of the National Reserve, an area reputed for its abundance of “big cats.”

Strung along the bank of the Ntiakatiak River, a seasonal river with some permanent hippo pools, Porini Lion featured oversized tents of the latest design. All outer walls were floor to ceiling zippered panels that could be completely open from inside the tent to reveal mesh panels for outstanding light and air circulation. The clean-lined pale wood furniture in a contemporary Italian design style enhanced the serene atmosphere of the camp.

A cheetah family – feeding on mother’s fresh impala kill.

The frequent sightings here included not only lions but also and most notably a cheetah and her three tiny cubs, and the occasional leopard on the prowl. We also came across a mating pair of black rhinos, an especially exciting encounter as the population of rhino had been poached to near extinction by the early 1980, having dropped as low as 18 individuals. A effective rhino surveillance unit was subsequently established and the Mara had then become the only protected area in Kenya with an indigenous population of black rhinos. Numbers had been slowly increasing to an estimated 35 at the time of my visit (n.b. today’s estimate is around 50).

Newborn Elephants

Newborn elephant calf – learning to suckle.

However, the most unforgettable moments of my visit to Porini Lion came from an encounter with a breeding herd of elephants. I had the amazing privilege to witness a newborn calf, barely one-hour old, take its first unsteady steps, and its efforts to figure what to do with its unwieldy nasal appendage before it finally began suckling. A few feet away, a sturdier week-old cousin was trying to uproot a twig, before loosing interest and taking off, puppy-like, in hot pursuit of a bird.

With its exceptional game viewing, excellent accommodations, and as with all Porini properties, superior guiding and service, Porini Lion was the ideal grand finale to my Kenya adventure. One that I yearn to repeat once the current global health emergency has abated.

Mara giraffes and friends.

Good to Know

Getting there – Porini Mara Camp is located the Ol Kinyei Conservancy, northeast of the Masai Mara reserve in southwestern Kenya. The nearest airstrip, Siana Springs, was nine miles (15 kilometers) away. The Ol Kinyei Conservancy was 155 miles (250 kilometers) from Nairobi by road, a journey that was estimated to take four to five hours. Porini Lion Camp In the Olare Orok Conservancy on the northern border of the Masai Mara National Reserve in southwestern Kenya. The nearest airstrip, Ol Kiombo, was eight miles (13 kilometers) away. Olare Orok Conservancy was 155 miles (250 kilometers) from Nairobi by road, a journey that was estimated to take four to five hours.
Both camps and their host conservancies were cooperative ventures between Gamewatchers Safaris (Porini’s parent company) and local Maasai landowners. The majority of the camps’ staff were native tribesmen.
One of the longest established safari outfitters based in East Africa, Gamewatchers Safaris also own and manage the intimate, eco-friendly Porini Camps in Kenya. For well over a decade they have been and remain frequent recipients of “Best Green Tour Operator” and “Best Social Impact” awards at the annual Eco Warrior Award event held by Ecotourism Kenya. They are also internationally recognized, with many awards such as National Geographic “Top Ten Safari Outfitters”, and “Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2019 and 2018” in the World Travel Awards.
WTTC Safety Stamp and WHO Covid-19 Safety Standards — The Porini Safari Camps were among the first in Kenya to be checked and certified to re-open with new Covid-19 safety standards in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya Ministry of Health requirements. They also have the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safety Stamp and their teams have completed “Covid-19 Sensitization” training with the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute.

A Few Souvenirs

Location, location, location!

Mara Porini Camp

Porini Lion Camp

African Diaries — In the Land of Rhinos

19 December 2020 | Africa, Journeys, Kenya, Places | 4 comments

For seasoned and armchair travelers alike, the very name of Kenya has long been evocative of one of Africa’s prime safari destinations. Over recent decades, this has fueled the development of an advanced group-tourism infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors – and with it the potential for inflicting considerable stress on the local environment and native culture.

Porini Camps are located in secluded game-rich conservancies, such as the foothills of Kenya’s central Aberdare Range.

Fortunately, a few eco-conscious safari organizers, in partnership with the native community, have addressed the challenge of providing visitors a personalized, low-impact tourism experience while giving local landowners a chance to improve their quality of life and to preserve the land and wildlife for the next generations. A notable example of this successful cooperation is Gamewatchers Safaris, who owns and manages its four intimate Porini (Swahili for in the wild) camps: Amboseli Porini Amboseli Porini, Porini Rhino, Mara Porini and Porini Lion, within conservancies adjoining the famed Amboseli and Maasai Mara National Park, as well as the largest rhinoceros sanctuary in East Africa.

Porini Rhino Camp

Elephants gather around a waterhole near Porini Rhino Camp.

Located within the 36,500 hectare (90,000 acre) Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Porini Rhino Camp sat on a verdant plateau between the foothills of the Aberdare Range and the stately snow-capped peak of Mount Kenya. Although the area straddled the equator, the altitude (around 2,000 meters or 6, 500 feet) made for a temperate climate with cool nights, and a landscape of wooded grassland reminiscent of alpine pastures. But there was nothing alpine about the fauna.

Silverback jackals stealthily stalk a prey.

Ol Pejeta was home to the critically endangered black rhino (a.k.a. hook-lipped rhino) as well the near threatened white rhino (a.k.a. square-lipped rhino). Following a successful black rhino translocation in 2007 from the Solio Rhino Sanctuary (in the northeast of the Aberdare Range), with 78 animals at the time of my visit, Ol Pejeta was one of the largest black rhino sanctuaries in East Africa (n.b. at the time of this writing a decade later, the number of black rhinos in Ol Pejeta has reached 132). Within minutes of entering the conservancy, I had sighted a white rhino – my first rhino sighting ever after two previous trips to the African bush (both in places where, sadly the massive beasts had been poached to near extinction).

A Close Encounter

A close encounter with an annoyed black rhino.

But the most adrenalin-charged moment my entire visit to Kenya occurred the next morning. I was the solo passenger in one of the camp’s custom game-viewing land-cruisers, along with my Samburu (local ethnic cousins of the Maasai) guide-driver and game spotter, driving crosscountry in search of the elusive black rhino. The young spotter pointed silently into the dense brush and we came to a halt. In my excitement, I made an inexcusable rookie mistake. Camera in hand, I jumped up to stand on my seat and brace myself on the roll-bar of the open-roof truck. Startled by the sudden movement, the male rhino charged abruptly – at an amazing speed! He got within a few meters from us before changing his mind and making a 90-degree turn to head at a gallop into the brush. Only then did we let out our collective breath.

A Haven for Endangered Species

The rare Grévy’s zebra is indigenous to the area,

I experienced several additional rhino sightings during my stay, often at close range, but mercifully none as exciting. Beside rhinos, game-viewing was overall superb at the camp, both in its diversity and for the abundance of rare species thriving in the protected conservancy. We regularly came across large journeys of reticulated giraffe, an endangered sub-species indigenous to the area, and small groups of Grevy’s zebra. Also known as imperial zebra, it is the largest living equid, the most untrainable and most threatened of the three zebra sub-species.

Highly endangered chimpanzees found sanctuary at Ol Pejeta.

Ol Pejeta was also home to the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary, arguably the only place in Kenya where this highly endangered primate species could be found. While chimpanzees are not native to Kenya, the sanctuary was established in 1993 with an agreement between the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Jane Goodall Institute. Sweetwaters provided a long-time refuge to 43 chimpanzees evacuated from their Central and West African countries of origin due to civil wars outbreaks.

This exceptional combination of rare, endangered wildlife and stunning views of the snowy peak of Mount Kenya, far from the popular safari circuits, made my stay at the secluded Porini Rhino Camp a unique experience that I treasure to this day.

A journey of reticulated giraffes on the move across the foothills of the Aberdare Range.

Good to Know

Getting there — By road: Located in the central plateau, northwest of Mount Kenya, Porini Rhino Camp was one hour’s drive from Nanuyki, the capital of the Laikipia East District, 190 kilometers (120 miles) north of Nairobi. By air: Scheduled round-trip flights from Nairobi to the Nanuyki airstrip were available via Safarilink. They could be arranged through Gamewatchers Safaris, as was the transportation from the airstrip to the camp.
One of the longest established safari outfitters based in East Africa, Gamewatchers Safaris also own and manage the intimate, eco-friendly Porini Camps in Kenya. For well over a decade they have been and remain frequent recipients of “Best Green Tour Operator” and “Best Social Impact” awards at the annual Eco Warrior Award event held by Ecotourism Kenya. They are also internationally recognized, with many awards such as National Geographic “Top Ten Safari Outfitters”, and “Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2019 and 2018” in the World Travel Awards.
WTTC Safety Stamp and WHO Covid-19 Safety Standards — The Porini Safari Camps were among the first in Kenya to be checked and certified to re-open with new Covid-19 safety standards in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya Ministry of Health requirements. They also have the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safety Stamp and their teams have completed “Covid-19 Sensitization” training with the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute.

A Few Souvenirs

Location, location, location!

Porini Rhino Camp

African Diaries — Kenya’s Maasai Country

5 December 2020 | Africa, Journeys, Kenya, Places | 2 comments

Kenya has long been synonymous with safari. An early leader in the preservation of game and its natural habitat, the country now features close to 50 national parks, game reserves and private conservancies covering some 20 percent of its total landmass. The Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo) can all be found here, as do cheetah, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe and many other carnivores and herbivores, large and small.

Giraffes congregate around under a flat-topped acacia.

But so can herds of minivans filled with eager tourists, drawn to Kenya by visions of abundant game roaming across endless open spaces punctuated by flat-topped acacias, and proud Maasai in crimson robes minding their cattle in the distance. As Kenya’s popularity as a safari destination increased, the country has developed one of Africa’s most advanced tourism infrastructure, and with it the potential of a considerable threat to its environment and native cultures.

Playful Maasai children pop out of the bush to check us out.

These were the considerations that had kept me from realizing a long held desire to visit this iconic safari country. Until I came across a local organization reputed for addressing the challenge of enhancing the tourism experience while giving local landowners a chance to improve their quality of life in the present, and preserve land and wildlife for the next generations.

Gamewatchers Safaris

Amboseli Porini lounge and dining tent.

With its four Porini (Swahili for into the wild) camps: Amboseli Porini, Porini Rhino, Mara Porini and Porini Lion, Gamewatchers Safaris offered small tented camps (between six and ten tents depending on the venue) on private conservancies located in close proximity to the famed Amboseli and Maasai Mara National Parks. The exception was Porini Rhino Camp, which was in the heart of one of the largest rhinoceros sanctuaries in East Africa, in the shadow of Mount Kenya. In these rigorously eco-friendly tented camps, power was exclusively solar generated, and great efforts were made to minimize the impact of the properties on the environment.

Kisonko Maasai welcome us to the Selenkay Conservency.

The host conservancies were on private land leased from the local Maasai tribes, who received financial benefits and employment opportunities as well as infrastructure development (such as roads and improved access to water). Local tribesmen also had access to training in various aspects of the tourism industry and employment at the camps. As the time of my visit, close to 90 percent of the camps’ staff came from local clans.

Amboseli Porini

This elephant cow seems unconcerned by our presence.

A secluded camp under the giant umbrella of a cluster of thorn acacia trees within the Selenkay Conservation Area, a 15,000 acre (6,000 hectare) private game reserve at the northern edge of the Amboseli National Park, Amboseli Porini epitomized the timeless romance of Kenya. The distant Mount Kilimanjaro outlined the horizon as the land-cruiser that was delivering me there after a few days on the Indian Ocean seaside entered the Conservancy. A cheetah flashed across the track just ahead of us. A pair of elephant cows and their calves unhurriedly ambled by. Giraffes peered at us over the treetops and potbellied warthog piglets scampered behind their mother into the high grass. By the time we reached the camp, I had already enjoyed an exciting impromptu game drive.

A Maasai Welcome

Maasai mother and child.

Access to the local Maasai community was exceptional at Amboseli Porini. The camp was a cooperative venture between its owners, Gamewatchers Safaris, and the Kisonko clan of the Maasai people who who owned the Selenkay conservation land, which enabled guests to get a close up experience of Maasai daily life and culture. During my stay, I enjoyed nature walks with Maasai guides who introduced me to various aspects of their traditional lifestyle and highlighted how indigenous natural resources were used by the community. We also had insightful conversations about the tribe’s history, current life, challenges and aspirations. And I was introduced to people of the village, invited into their homes to observe the activities of their daily lives as well as enjoy their ceremonial songs and dances

Legendary Game Drives

A blue wildebeest shows its annoyance at our proximity.

Every subsequent drive in one of the custom-designed, open-sided land- cruisers was equally rewarding. A private four-wheel-drive track linked the Conservancy to Amboseli National Park, and the abundance and variety of wildlife in both the conservancy and the park was startling. We consistently came across lions, cheetahs, caracals, hyenas, buffalos, zebras, wildebeests and gazelles; and bird species too numerous to recall. Most thrilling of all was the dense elephant population. At most recent count, over 1,500 of the great pachyderms were said to live in the park, many of them on the move wherever we went; large swaying herds stirring red dust across the plain, unerringly heading toward the grassy swamp in the distance. Unconcerned by our presence, they sometimes came so close to our vehicle that I felt tempted to reach out to them.

The rare gerenuk (giraffe gazelle) is endemic to the Horn of Africa.

My stay at Amboseli Porini was everything I had envisioned a Kilimanjaro safari should be: legendary vistas and superb game viewing, enhanced by comfortable accommodations in an intimate, environmentally responsible setting. Now it was time to head northward to a much more confidential destination in the highlands of central Kenya.

The entire Kisonko Maasai village gathers to welcome us.

Good to Know

Getting there — Amboseli Porini Camp was located in the Selenkay Conservancy, on the northern boundary of Amboseli National Park in southeast Kenya.. By road —From Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta Airport, the entry point for most International visitors to the sountry, it was a 170 kilometer (100 mile), 3-hour drive drive along the Mombasa Road to the Camp. From Mombasa, it was a 434 kilometer (260 mile), 6 hour drive to the camp. By air — Charter flights are also available between Nairobi or Mombasa and the conservancy. In all cases transfers can be arranged through Gamewatchers Safaris.
Gamewatchers Safaris, is one of the longest established safari outfitters based in East Africa. They also own and manage the intimate, eco-friendly Porini Camps in Kenya. For well over a decade they have been frequent recipients of “Best Green Tour Operator” and “Best Social Impact” awards, at the annual Eco Warrior Award event held by Ecotourism Kenya. They are also internationally recognized, with many awards such as National Geographic Top Ten Safari Outfitters, and “Africa’s Responsible Tourism Award 2019 and 2018” in the World Travel Awards.
WTTC Safety Stamp and WHO Covid-19 Safety Standards — The Porini Safari Camps were among the first in Kenya to be checked and certified to re-open with new Covid-19 safety standards in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) and Kenya Ministry of Health requirements. They have received the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Safety Stamp, and their teams have completed “Covid-19 Sensitization” training with the Kenya Red Cross Training Institute.