Time for another tick off the travel bucket list; the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara, Kenya. Once again, we fly via Johannesburg, albeit, there are occasional direct flights from Nairobi to CPT, more of that later.
We are taking an overnight flight, hardly a red eye as the time difference is only +1hour. As flights from CPT to JNB are not as frequent in pandemic times, we take a mid afternoon flight, which means we've booked into our usual airport hotel determined to watch the final of cricket's Hundred, after all, the Birmingham "franchise" have made the final! We also need time to complete yet more online forms. To get to Kenya you need a -tive PCR, natch! You also need to upload that test result to the trusted traveller system which generates a QR code, a public health surveillance form which goes to the Jitenge system which monitors us daily with emails and questions while in Kenya, plus a visa, all of which have different functionality and none of them work out on the first effort…. It's fun to travel, don't you think?
In the end we had to stream the cricket on my laptop as it wasn't on hotel tv, quite a shock that their WiFi didn't buffer, learned of Aston Villa winning their first game of the season and had our collection of Woolies snacks for dinner! We will be returning here late on Wednesday evening as Kenya Airways cancelled our direct flight home, bumping us in to another two days in Nairobi at the peak of their third wave, er no thanks. No contrition, no compensation, you are on your own pal!!
We had intended to do this trip last year as part of Angelka's fiftieth birthday celebrations. Of course, you know the rest, however, instead of having to book up a year in advance, not knowing if you'll see a thing, this year, you can book at a weeks notice knowing they are on the move at a fraction of the normal cost. This is our third trip in sub Saharan Africa in three months, the first two to Botswana and Mozambique have been tremendous, and this trip is using the same travel agent we used for the Botswana trip. At the end of the arrangements, Walter, has stated never again, it's no fun for him either.
Taking a flight in the early hours is pretty soulless. A huge deserted airport, staff at the end of their shift, travellers at the end of their day, hey ho, look where it gets you and what you get to do! As ever, boarding is haphazard, not only do they turn off the luggage carousels at 11.00pm, it appears the PA is on the same loop. By the time we get to the plane we are met by stewardesses in full PPE! The overnight flight is on a small Embraer jet, much to the bemusement of the "lumpy" American passengers shovelled in to their seats and hipster returning Kenyans with nowhere to put their fake Vuitton bags!
This is our second trip to Kenya, we last visited in April 2007 for our first safari, as well as a beach holiday near Mombasa. The flight is ok until deplaning where all protocols go out of the window, the lack of social responsibility and disrespect appears to be universal! We arrive at a time when there is a huge world athletics event for U21s and the country is conducting the biggest ever wildlife census. When we were here 14 years ago we had a quest to find a good cup of coffee in downtown Nairobi which took us to a new store called Java, not half bad in those latte days, AD even bought a cap! They are now 72 stores across the city and we found one at the domestic airport, Wilson, tucked away in the very colonial Aero Club, wood panelled walls, fans… a nice interlude while waiting for our connecting flight! The airport is a plane enthusiast delight, a cross between a museum and a junkyard, splendidly reflecting the progress of aviation.
The flight to Olkiombo airstrip is 40 minutes. Within 5 minutes of takeoff you get the see the vast Rift Valley that runs for thousands of miles from the Middle East to the southern parts of Africa. This airstrip is a mass of small planes coming and going, with clients met by their guides, some in traditional dress. Our guide is Josphat, a proud Masi man whose Dad, in his 80's, is a tribal elder. More of that later. Our lodge, Rekero, sits on the bend of a tributary, to the Mara river, which is made of a small rapids and pools in which we can see hippos and crocodiles. It is the only lodge with its own crossing. We meet Bec and Lewis, both British from Essex, who are manager and game ranger respectively. They've been a couple for a number of years, she is only 27, ex WWF, a veggie like us but she's also a celiac, it's hard to imagine the complications created by life in the bush! Our tent is very comfortable, housed within an outer layer with two triple locked zips to keep the wildlife out. The camp is frequented by all and sundry at night, ably defended by three Masai, armed with spears, bows and arrows. As we head for lunch we are met by one, Jefferson, to tell us to hurry as a crossing is about to happen! Within 30 minutes we get to witness the very thing we came to see, albeit on a smaller scale but, still the same dynamic and participants as a huge crocodile lay in wait for one animal to deviate from the herd's path. Three days earlier he had nabbed a zebra so his hunger made him ambivalent to the smorgasbord before his eyes! Zebras are used by the wildebeest as guinea pigs, they are the outriders who test the water, literally! Watching them drink with their snouts less than a metre from the submerged jaws of a crocodile is scary!
We were beat and spent the afternoon dozing before being collected, after tea and cake, of course, by Josphat, now wearing Masai traditional dress. I'd thought it gimmicky at the airport as he had worn the lodge uniform, however, this proud man wore his colourful plaid looking like a member of clan McMasai!
In the afternoon we saw a raft of hippos, I've never seen so many in one place, two mating lions and a few other types of wildlife in what was meant as a taster. They know we were here to see the wildebeest migration and, hopefully, crossings so we were not paired with other guests for our game drives. Dinner was great and neither of us could recall falling asleep, before being awoken at 5.30 am with a strong, cafetière coffee and hot milk so that we'd make it our vehicle by 6.00am. This is where we are to stay for the next 10 hours, we've been loaded up with breakfast and lunch hampers, game on! It's a glorious sunrise 45 minutes later, with hot air balloon populating the eastern skyline!
There are 2 million wildebeest populating this vast land. This is no reserve, there are no fences, no animal is placed here, it is truly a land of wild life. There are lots of wildebeest all in groups which then start to move in a northerly direction in single walking, or running, file. The numbers are huge, sitting within the herd is spectacular, a real sense of momentum. We get a head of them to arrive at the river at a likely crossing point, the famous Lookout. These are breaks in the steep banks, narrow width and not too strong a current as they aren't good swimmers, what with thin legs and small hooves. At this point we saw a crossing, it was everything you'd hope for, not thousands but, it was what we were here for. The numbers started to swell as the day progressed but, so did the vehicles. Jeeps arriving from Nairobi, on day trips, having set off at 4.00am, as well as those camp dwellers who were reluctant to rise at 5.30am, it's a holiday, after all! This meant there were over a hundred vehicles, whose presence seemed to herd the animals and influence what should be a very random action. They'd often gather, look like they'd cross and then retreat. They were consistently inconsistent! When a small crossing took place the vehicles moved like a cavalry charge with plumes of dust, in their wake. It was an unedifying sight and we decided to retreat as we felt uncomfortable being part of it all.
On the way back to the camp we saw two spectacular things; a leopard had killed a small zebra which it had managed to climb with, up a tree, suspending the carcass high above, where no predators would be able to get to. The strength involved must be immense! The other thing we saw was a riverbank tree, full of vultures, which signifies some issue. Here was the reality of a crossing, dead wildebeest who had drowned, either because of the vast numbers on top of one another or, breaking legs as they plunge off rocks. What the crocodiles don't savage, the vultures take care of, it's quite the circle of life.
We had a long chat with Bec and Lewis when we got back, they've had quite a nomadic life with their work, Zambia and Tanzania to name but two. They are a delightful couple and team, running the lodge seamlessly.
After a shower we head back to the main deck to have a drink and sit next to the boma, a big tradition in Southern Africa, where guests and staff have a chat about their day, around a camp fire. We'd seen a fabulous sunset and as dusk settled another crossing took place. It was small numbers but, much to our surprise, the last animal was followed by a lioness and lion, in hot pursuit. Lions don't like water so, clearly, they were hungry. The wildebeest returned with them both in hot pursuit. There followed a game of cat and mouse where you thought it stood no chance. The animal confronted the lion with its horns which made it retreat, however, the lioness was made of sterner stuff. The animal retreated in to the deeper pool, however, it had been spied by the large crocodile who made a bee line course, much like an exocet torpedo. Just before snapping, the water erupted with a huge hippo between both protagonists. It was immense, breathtaking to watch. At this point I'd been watching below the deck, probably 15-20m from the action in the river below. I was engrossed and had not heard to cries of "Tim, Tim" trying to get me back on the deck, unaware of the danger I was in. It was dusk, they were preoccupied with one another and I was watching pure Attenborough meets Disney. Safely on deck, glass of wine in hand, the wildebeest ran off, hotly pursued while the shadows of the rest of the pride, including cubs, followed. You wanted the wildebeest to survive, but, as Lewis pointed out, with kids to feed, such a kill would benefit a whole pride. It was singularly the most impressive wildlife event I've ever experienced. Staggering!
Our second day was to be much of the same, however, driving back the previous evening had suggested there would not be too many wildebeest around so, our expectation was muted. We set off at 6.00am, a lion roared within a couple of minutes of driving off but, we couldn't see it in the dark. The sun was rising and the horizon was dotted with 8 balloons being inflated. There was obviously a strong thermal we couldn't see in the cloudless sky, as the balloons all stayed quite low, and travelled faster and further than the day before. As we had thought, there weren't too many wildebeest on the move. We stopped to see the leopard who had demolished the zebra he'd left up in the tree. They are very skittish animals and very hard to photograph well. We drove to the highest point on the Mara to be surprised to see quite a few wildebeest on the move towards Lookout crossing. Josphat was keen to get moving so, we drove quickly, for dirt track roads. The wildebeest were running in solitary lines and quite a few thousand have gathered. This is it! Or, is it? They are such contrary animals; they ebb and flow towards the crossing, actually turning away en masse heading back in to the Mara, we look elsewhere to see if there are other collections however, it's decided Lookout is best, this point is called "U" and for that reason the vantage points are limited. Fortunately, it's still before 8.00am, the cavalry haven't yet arrived and at the mad moment they all converge at the point of no return, we can drive up to the river bank and witness what I can only describe as a National Geographic/ David Attenborough moment as thousands of wildebeest and zebra hurtle across the river towards a rocky bank that adds to the chaos, noise, dust, wonder, panic and concern. Three or four minutes later, they have all safely made it to the other side, there are no casualties and one, with a leg stuck between two rocks making it croc fodder, manages to escape and we all applaud! The reception committee of crocodiles, vultures and hippos downstream will have to be disappointed on this occasion! At this point, a young animal does the whole thing in reverse, he's lost his Mum, it's incredible that in amongst 10,000 animals he can identify she's not there and needs to traverse the river to find her, at least this time he doesn't have the chaos, just the danger! Truly, it was the most magnificent experience of nature sticking to its DNA, doing something that makes little sense, embracing danger, following inertia and all, for some longer grass to graze. It's hard not to be emotional behind the sunglasses! We are all elated and decide that as things cannot get any better, head back to the highest point where Josphat lays out breakfast on the front of the jeep. We survey this magnificent land as far as the eye can see. This is the bit he doesn't tell his other Masai male friends, it would be shameful to describe what he considers to be woman's work! What a moment, a huge tick in the box of lifetime dreams and we sit enjoying breakfast, exhilarated and replete, quite a moment! On the way back, bouncing along, looking at the videos and photos we've taken, we come across a cheetah and her two cubs, sheltering from the high noon sun beneath a dead tree trunk. The cubs have these strange furry clown's ears, nothing like the feline ear shape they will have in adulthood, utterly charming. Back to the camp for lunch on the deck, excitedly telling Bec and Lewis of our thrilling experience, they know just how much this meant to us!
There's a great sense of achievement, equally, nothing left to do! To that end, our afternoon drive is relaxed and short with not a lot happening until we find an exhausted lioness, who has just killed a Topi, the largest antelope, and dragged it under a bush, while she recovers. It's a clever place as it's beneath the land line meaning the scent doesn't travel. After 20 minutes or so, she then gives us a magnificent example of predator butchery skills. Using her paws and teeth she slowly makes a cut in the skin of the stomach before she goes to the organs to get to the blood supply, it sounds gruesome but it is so clinical! We leave her to it, spot another lioness who is heading towards, and passing, the jeep, before returning to the camp, where they've laid out a bar next to the boma for the 8 guests, with Bec and Lewis, to exchange stories of this momentous day, enjoying the glow of the camp fire.
It's hard to sleep, so many images! We get a lie in as today, we are leaving. Our PCR tests, easily the most expensive ($200 each) and slowest we've had, have come back negative and after packing, a loose expression for throwing everything in a bag, we have breakfast and a very slow drive to the airport strip checking in with the lioness. The Topi is merely a rib cage, she looks very happy with herself, the excellent location she chose means no parasitic predators, like hyenas, wild dogs or vultures have made for a very leisurely meal. A sad farewell to the team who've made everything possible and a quick fourty minute flight back to Wilson airport, Nairobi. At this point we should have transferred to the main airport and flown direct to Cape Town, perfect! Not to be with Kenya Airways cancelling the flight leaving us with 9 hours to fill. Angelka had found a great blog with ideas for the best of Nairobi. We've chosen a market garden restaurant called Cultiva in an area called Karen, named after Karen Blixen.
This is not going to go well; arriving at Wilson, despite it being domestic, we are asked for QR codes we know nothing about. The terminal has no WiFi, I'm not turning on my cellular data and the impasse is resolved by saying we are headed home to SA. The chap doesn't seem to have the will to live given our inability to conform. The Uber is meant to collect us at the terminal but won't come in to the airport, to avoid an entrance fee. This involves us in making a ten minute walk, with bags, in heat, so, we give up and melt our way into an airport taxi who doesn't know where he's going and doesn't have GPS! I've got the telephone number but, the lady at the restaurant doesn't know her left from her right! Aaaagh!
Eventually… we arrive at green gates, no sign, no number, no indication but, it's a culinary oasis and by the time I've calmed down we can see it's perfect. It's open plan, surrounded by herb/vegetable beds, poly tunnels and everything is headed for our plates. The food is superb, the environment/ambience very chilled, great call despite four young ladies sitting at the table next to us. Their arrival, dressed up to the nines drew glares and stares while they proceeded to use their phones as mirrors, preen, sign in to which every account they were hoping to impress. It was narcistic bulls*** of the highest order. I thought two had gone out for a cigarette, in fact it was so one could film the other sashaying their way through the restaurant, look at me, envy me… f*** off!!
We decide to make a leisurely Uber to the airport only to find out what I thought would be a 20-30 minute transfer would be a minimum of 90 minutes, it was the worst rush hour I've experienced! Two days later the BBC carried a story of how, the previous night it had been so bad, drivers abandonned the journey to sleep in their cars before turning around and going back to work! Arriving at the airport, after having to decant from the Uber for a security walk through that didn't exist, we found you couldn't enter without being processed by what looked like nurses in a booth that was blacked out, apart from a small hole for documents and a camera. Needless to say, check in wasn't open, and, when it did we had to have our yellow fever certificates, which we'd not been advised to carry! Fortunately, Miss Moneypenny, carries everything and the last drama is hurdled and, as we sit in the lounge our health insurance kindly fascillitates, we reflect, not on the trip's many highlights, but on how, after three trips in three months, the many inconsistencies, formalities, protocols, visas and tests have worn us down to the extend we will probably not travel for quite a while or, until, the new normal is easily negotiated, consistently, between countries.