ENCOUNTER MARA CAMP AND NABOISHO CONSERVANCY, BLOG 4, MARCH 10TH, 2020

After our orientation tour of the tent, Paul and I return to the community area as it is time for lunch. Paul and I line up with other guests to go through the buffet line. I prefer buffets as you can choose what you want and how much you want and I don’t end up wasting half my food.  All the guests are sitting at the same table except for one couple and their guide who have a table to themselves.

We return to our tent after lunch and get our things organized, dirty clothes in the laundry basket, clothes hung up or laid on the shelves, etc. I don’t think this tent is any larger than our tent in Enaidura camp, (which was a great tent too), but everything is laid out horizontally instead of vertically and it feels roomier for some reason.  Whatever the case it is a really nice tent.

Since our game drive isn’t until four p.m., Paul and I decide to go orient ourselves with the camp layout. It is a five-minute trek from our tent to the community tent but that is fine as we need exercise! Mercy had told us about an observation deck near the dining tent but we aren’t quite sure how to get there. A staff member, Joseph, notices that we seem to be a bit lost and comes to our rescue. Instead of just pointing out the path for us, Joseph leads us to the covered deck. The deck is very nice and has several comfortable chairs and a wide ledge that you can set drinks on. A small water hole is situated right below the platform but the main draw for the wildlife is the saline soil which they will lick to get their salt fix. Since our afternoon game drive doesn’t leave until four p.m., Paul and I just relax as we enjoy the view and the cool breeze that is wafting over us.

Just before four, we return to our tent to grab a backpack, our coats and water bottles, then return to the community tent where we are to meet our guide. I believe it is Sam who introduces us to our guide, Francis. Francis will be our guide the entire time we are here. There is only one other person in our vehicle, Jacob, a young man from New York who is on his first safari.

When we have situated ourselves in the truck, Francis asks each of us what we hope to see while we are on game drives. Paul and I both reply that we enjoy experiencing everything. Jacob says he definitely wants to see lions and Francis assures him that we will see lions.  Once we exit the camps fenced acreage, we begin to see lots of animals. Numerous zebras, large herds of eland, wildebeest including some babies, elephant, giraffe, impalas, and some vervet monkeys. As we are cruising by this menagerie of animals, I comment that there are a couple of running jackals in the distance. Francis corrects me and says those are bat-eared fox! Paul decides that Jacob is bringing us luck since bat-eared fox are not easy to see during the daylight.

Francis points out a lost baby impala that is feverishly running about while frantically bleating for its mother. This is so sad as in this area there are no animals close by and any predator, even the small jackals according to Francis, could bring the misplaced baby down. The real world of nature sure isn’t a Disney movie.

Sometime during our drive Francis receives call from another guide who needs to be rescued. We drive maybe twenty minutes and see why our help is needed as the guide’s truck didn’t make it through a narrow and steep crossing. The vehicle is high centered and tilted to one side so far that one front tire is not touching the ground. Holy Smokes. There is no sign of any passengers so we assume the guide is alone. Backing up to the man’s truck isn’t all that easy but Francis manages to get close enough to hook the tow rope up. At first the tires on our vehicle spin but then gain traction and we pull the guy’s vehicle free. The driver comes over and thanks all of us profusely for coming out of our way to help. Everyone assures him it was no problem, (besides it makes a great story😊). As we drive away, we look back and see several people climbing into the freed truck, I guess the guide didn’t want them in the tilted vehicle for safety reasons.

Francis drives towards a couple of vehicles that are parked by a brushy area and on our approach, we can see a sleepy lioness resting under the foliage. Once we arrive, we discover four lions, three females, (two which are easily visible but the other mostly concealed in the bushes) and one male laying just at the edge of the bushes.  I would assume that Francis had radio confirmation of the location of the lions before our game drive and that is why he was so positive that we would see lions! We stay with the big cats for fifteen minutes and then move on. In the conservancy the rule of thumb is that four vehicles can closely approach animals such as these lions, and other arriving vehicles must wait at a distance until someone leaves. This is what I really like about conservancies, they limit the number of guests to begin with and they discourage the disturbing practice seen in the reserves where 30 or 40 vehicles may be jockeying for position to get near animals, usually big cats. Also, the conservancies work with the natives and allow them to graze cattle within the conservancy. This attracts the wild grazers because of the short grass where the land has been grazed but there are spots where the grass is very tall due to the rotational grazing practice.

Francis chooses a beautiful place for us to have our sundowners with hundreds of animals peppering the landscape around us. Paul and I enjoy a Tusker beer while Jacob opts for whiskey. A Martial Eagle lands in a tree very close to us which seems odd until Francis points out that his mate is perching in a nearby tree. When the big raptor goes to join his mate, he lands on a dead branch that promptly breaks forcing him to take wing again, and yes, we laugh at the bird’s misfortune. The eagle comes back and lands in the tree next to us making funny noises that sound suspiciously like embarrassed muttering.

As the sun is sinking below the horizon all the animals begin walking north. We ask Francis what in the world is going on as lines of zebra and impala file by us to join the large herd far below us. Francis says the prey animals are going to find a place to spend the night together. He tells us that the more eyes and ears there are the better the animals’ chances of surviving to the next morning.

As we continue to watch the moving mass of wildlife, Francis steps forward studying the area below us. He then declares that there are two male lions running alongside the marching animals far below us. It takes a little while before the rest of us see the lions in the dim light. Francis immediately begins to pack up the basket of supplies and we soon are driving into the dusky evening in pursuit of the lions.

Once we catch up with the big males it is obvious that this is a territorial dispute and not a hunt. Both lions seem to be out of gas because they have stopped running. The alpha male occasionally stops to mark his territory in which he sprays but also drops to the ground and rolls in the grass. He will then trot to catch up with the smaller male, who often turns his head to growl at his pursuer but it is more to save face than to voice a challenge. Francis seems to know what path the two cats will take and he drives ahead of the lions a couple of times which makes them walk right by our vehicle. It is too dark for photos but we are able to watch the cats because Francis flicks a red spotlight over the feuding lions, (the red light doesn’t blind the cats like a regular spotlight would). This is so cool but it also is a bit more disconcerting encountering these huge predators after dark!

We leave the males to their posturing and begin the drive to camp. We have one more interesting encounter on our way back when we happen upon a trumpeting elephant who is chasing after two hyenas. Once the big tusker is satisfied that he has taught the skulking scavengers a lesson, he promptly begins eating grass.

No time for a shower before supper because of our unusual encounters after dark. That is another thing that is different in the conservancies, you can be out after dark and you can drive off road. We have ham and mashed potatoes for dinner which was tasty. We also enjoy visiting with a couple from Detroit whose travels and adventures make Paul and I feel like novices. It is nice to have other guests to visit with at our meals. Later, Nancy