UNIQUE SAFARI EXPERIENCES AFRICA

"Searching for the best safari experiences in Africa? Jonathan and his family share some of their unique experiences in the Masai Mara, Kenya..."

Our family has been on African safari several times over the years, but this time was different. Bateleur camp’s standout feature is its stellar location in Kenya’s Masai Mara: on the path of the annual Great Migration (which originates in the Serengeti Reserve). The game drives here offer amazing access to the spectacle of millions of wildebeest traveling each year on their ritual clockwise pilgrimage to rains and lush greenery.

If you are the type of traveler who is happy to slowly, patiently stalk and search for rare animals out in the wild, that’s the experience you’ll find at most camps in Southern Africa and here in Kenya, East Africa. But if you want to look upon abundance during your African safari experience - a sea of gazelles horns and zebra stripes - this camp will offer you some truly overwhelming sights. 

PRIME TIME - JUNE to AUGUST 

But first… we had to get the guide right. On arrival at the airport, the guide- David was assigned to us. En route to camp we quickly realised he wasn’t quite right for us. He was sweet and kind, but just not animated enough. We required a strong personality from our guide. Someone who would keep Zoe, along with us engaged!

A tip that I have learnt the hard way: whoever drives you out into the bush also acts as your guide, storyteller and caretaker. You spend more time with this person than anyone; I think of them as the key element. When on safari, you need an engaging, compelling personality who can command your attention and chat with you in the downtime, as well as help you understand the big game sightings.

We had just come from a wonderful safari experience where we had forged a great bond with our guide, Sammy (see SHOMPOLE) and wanted the same level of connection here.   

Although I was concerned about how to approach this delicately, as you couldn’t fault David, our first driver for sweetness and graciousness; Joseph completely understood and found the perfect guide for us. He was another “Sammy” - which we took to be a good sign! We hit it off from the beginning by engaging with Sheira and Zoe, so it was well worth pushing to get it right - one of my across-the-board travel philosophies. 

We knew immediately that we were in Great Migration territory from the sheer density of wildlife, which was a first for us. I was in amateur-photographer heaven because no matter where I pointed my camera I had a multitude of beautiful animals in frame.  

When the zebras and their travel companions, the wildebeest move over the Kenyan border from Tanzania as if drawn by an invisible magnet, they take huge risks along the way to get to the precious, sweet grasslands of this region. We drove to the rivers to see their predators - the crocodiles wait for the animal traffic jam to cross. Would they be naive enough?  

Several other Land Rovers were waiting by the riverbed to find out too. We saw dozens of zebras clip clop their way down, their instinct for danger clearly awakened. While they drank the water out of necessity, at the slightest hint of a breeze or crocodile movement in the water they got jittery and retreated. We were fascinated to watch this life-and-death game with an uncertain outcome. But this time the crocodiles were outsmarted and missed their kill. 

We had plenty of wonderful sightings, including two large male lions with their majestic manes, plenty of elephants and buffalo. Travelers can find certain signature animals in this western part of the Masai Mara that are prized for their beauty, like the BLACK-MANED MARA LION and the bronze-and-brown TOPI ANTELOPE - alongside giraffes, ever-fascinating monkeys and the fastest of them all, the cheetah. 

Even though personally we are more fascinated by the four-legged creatures, there are 470 species in the surrounding Kichwa Tembo hillside for those who love bird watching. The neighbouring camp of the same name has printed a colour booklet displaying 10 of the most flamboyantly colourful species, from the sapphire and scarlet ROSS’S TURACO to the GREY CROWNED CRANE with a mustard coloured spray of feathers bursting from its head. They are some of the most unbelievable looking birds I have ever seen!

If you had only one safari camp to visit in East Africa and animal sightings were your priority, then Bateleur Camp has the variety and abundance of animals you are looking for! 

PLEASE NOTE: Children under five are too young to go on game drives. Children 6-12 can participate at the manager’s discretion. 

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