The Polar Bear Safari 2015: Day 1

Having a polar bear meet you at the airstrip is a wonderful start to any safari! Literally, while we were still getting our luggage off the plane, we spotted the first polar bear of the safari. The young female bear didn’t seem to mind us at all and moved on in her never-ending search for food. The short walk to the lodge had another surprise for us; a flock of willow ptarmigans feeding in the shrubs. These snow-white birds can be tricky to find, so it was great seeing them so early in the safari. We didn’t really get a chance to unpack, because 2 male bears were spotted, and they were in a sparring mood! We grabbed the cameras and made our way out into the arctic wilds. The 2 bears were so busy with each other, that they paid us no attention at all, allowing us a really cool photo opportunity! Quite simply, a wonderful start to this awesome safari!

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The Great Migration Safari: Day 10 with Amboseli extension

We woke up on our final day of this amazing safari with a brilliant view of Mount Kilimanjaro. The lodge we were staying at is set perfectly on a small hill, to give you the best possible view of the famous mountain from the Kenyan side. The morning safari was filled with large herds of elephants, and several buffalo dotted here and there. Many general game species can also be found in Amboseli, and we had some wonderful photographic opportunities with a very obliging journey of giraffe. The afternoon safari had a little treat in store for us. We managed to find a pride of 8 lions, which is always nice, but these lions were milling around in front of Mount Kilimanjaro, giving us 2 of Africas icons together in one photograph! As if that wasn’t enough, several elephants left the swamp and also meandered in front of the mountain – photographic heaven! It was a great end to a great safari!

Major sighting of the day:

4 male buffalo

Many different herds of elephants

Several male elephants

Herd of buffalo

Pride of 8 lions

Spotted hyena

Mount Kilimanjaro

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The Great Migration Safari: Day 9 with Amboseli extension

It was our final day in the Masai Mara, and it didn’t disappoint! After all the crossing action we have had over the first few days, it didn’t even cross our mind to see what the wildebeest were up to, so the wildebeest came to us. After seeing one of the biggest herds of elephants I have ever seen in the Mara, over 100 individuals, and spending some quality time with a female leopard, we made our way to the airstrip for our onward flight to Amboseli. As luck would have it, the plane was delayed a little in Nairobi, and thousands of wildebeest wanted to cross the Mara River only a few minutes from the airstrip. With all our gear in the back, we made a quick dash down to the river, and saw a crossing filled with excitement. As always, we had our cameras handy for just such an occurrence, and enjoyed a full photo shoot. Only after the last wildebeest had made its way out of the river, did the plane fly above us signalling the end.

Heading into Amboseli is always fun, because as you approach, you fly over the few marsh areas they have, and spotting the animals is quite easy. On safari in Amboseli, there are a lot of elephants, and we enjoyed their company for the entire afternoon. It was awesome, and the cameras had a field day. Loads of little ele’s were running around, giving us a great show.

Major sightings of the day:

Hyena den with 3 cubs and 1 adult

Several sightings of hyenas

Female leopard in a tree

Many sightings of buffalo

Large herd of elephants, over 100 animals

River crossing

Many different herds of elephants

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The Great Migration Safari: Day 8

As now seems to be the norm, we started off with a spotted hyena den site, with 1 adult hanging around the den. Immediately afterwards we happened across 2 more hyenas feeding on the remains of a young wildebeest kill. It was the classic Masai Mara scene, with a couple of black-backed jackals hanging around looking for some scraps, and all the vultures coming in to see what they could get. When the hyenas were done, we made our way back to the Mara River to see if we could photograph any crossing action. After the usual wildebeest back and forth, we managed to see quite a big crossing, which was made even more exciting by the arrival of a large crocodile. It didn’t take the crocodile long to pick off a victim. The young wildebeest really didn’t stand a chance. We ended the day with 3 lions getting ready for the nights hunt.

Major sightings of the day:

Spotted hyena den, with 1 adult at the den

2 spotted hyena feeing on wildebeest

2 lions

Many different elephants

1 river crossing

Crocodile kill

3 black-backed jackals

Many buffalo

3 lions

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The Great Migration Safari: Day 7

Although the big cats were out and about, the famous river crossings were the highlight in a day filled with amazing sightings. We saw three different crossings, and during one of these crossings a young zebra got caught by a huge crocodile. The crocodile quickly swam away with its prize, so we followed to see if there would be any feeding action to photograph. That turned out to be the right decision, because in no time at all, several monster crocodiles were involved in a feeding frenzy that needed to be seen to be believed. What a scene to witness and photograph!

Throughout the rest of the day, the cameras were kept busy by a host of other species, but a family of 5 cheetah were particularly special. We also managed to find the big male lion we saw on day 5, and he made for good images as well. The real surprise of this years Great Migration Safari, has been the number of hyenas we have seen. We saw another den site with 7 adults and 1 little baby, and continuous sightings of them throughout the day.

Major sightings of the day:

Hyena den site with 7 adults and 1 little cub

Several sightings of spotted hyena

Several sightings of elephants

3 female lions and 1 male lion

3 river crossings

crocodile kill and feeding on zebra

1 female and 4 sub-adult cheetah

fighting elephants

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