kenya, january 2006

January 2006 saw my third trip to the fantastic Kicheché Mara Camp in the Masai Mara, Kenya.

I travelled to Kenya with friend and fellow photographer Peter Hale. Having benefited so much from having a sole vehicle on my previous trip to Tanzania, we arranged the same again for this trip to Kenya.  The extra cost was worth every penny and we found ourselves in the position of being able to spend time with the animals, track their movements and reap the rewards when they became active.

We were delighted to be assigned Julius Ronjore as our guide.  We had been guided by Julius on our two previous visits to Kicheché, and he has become a good friend in that time.  Beyond that,  Julius is simply a fantastic guide and driver.  His knowledge is incredible, and he knew exactly how to drive and position the vehicle so that we had the opportunities to get the pictures that we wanted.  It was then down to us to do the rest! Julius has worked at the camp for several years and knows the animals and their behaviour extremly well. Kicheché is a fantastic camp, and a significant part of this is owed to the dedication and attitude of the wonderful team of staff that work there.

Our trip was longer than previous visits, to try and squeeze as much as we could out of our budget.  As on previous trips, we travelled with Safari Consultants - whose services remained unparalleled.

At the time we visited the 'Mara, it was in the middle of a bad drought.  The rains which normally come at the end of the year had not arrived, and everywhere was extremely dry.  It is thought, and hoped, that the rain that normally comes in March will arrive earlier and will be longer and heavier.

Our trip gave us some fantastic sightings and opportunities, and we were also fortunate to meet lots of new people and make new friends.  Particular thanks go to Paul Goldstein and Wilma 'stalker' Wilkie.  Some of our sightings were slightly more 'graphic' than I had bargained for, but it is nature after all.

I enjoyed every minute of this trip, and it was over all-too-soon.  There is little doubt that I will be returning to Kicheché again in the future, and cannot wait to do so!

Click here to view some pictures from this trip.  Warning: Some images in this gallery may upset.