29/12/2014
Mzuri sana sana.
Here is why we think you should visit Kenya prompted by questions asked us in a recent interview:
Where did your passion for Africa spring from? I was raised on a farm in England and loved being outdoors watching wild creatures. Angie was born in Africa and grew up in Tanzania - so she had a heads start on me and was on safari in places like the Serengeti long before I had even heard of them. I studied Zoology at Queens University in Belfast for 4 years. But it was the overland trip I made in 1974 from London to Johannesburg - nearly 4 months and 6,000 miles on the road - that changed my life. Once I had visited Kenya and Tanzania and seen the great Mara-Serengeti first hand I knew I had to make this my home. I have lived in Kenya since 1977. Angie and I were married on top of the Siria Escarpment overlooking the Marsh Pride territory in Mara where the lions roam that we have watched for nearly 40 years. We have just been recording some promotional material for the Kenya Tour Tourism Board to remind people of what an amazing country this - and that their is nowhere quite like the Mara!
Where do you often choose to stay on safari and why? Angie and I travel the world in search of great photographs - from Africa to Antarctica - our home might be a tent or a ship or our safari wagon. If I only had one day left in my life I would spend it in the Masai Mara with Angie watching the big cats and all the other incredible animals and birds that make this their home. We have a beautiful property close to Nairobi National Park with the Giraffe Sanctuary as our neighbours as well as a base in the Mara - a stone cottage at Governor's Camp overlooking the animal speckled plains. In fact we had lions walk past our cottage the other night as we slept peacefully unaware of their presence - until they started roaring! The sound of a lion announcing itself sends tingles up your spine! We filmed Big Cat Diary in the Governor's Camp area - in fact Governor's outfitted the camp for the crew of 30 people when we first started the show in 1996 - and their Il Moran luxury camp is the location of one of the campsites they used to accommodate us all. So the Musiara area as it is known, and the Musiara Marsh at the heart of the Marsh Pride's territory, is a very special place for us. It is no more than 30 to 40 minutes from here to the wildebeest river crossing sites on the Mara River - and to the Talek River area which is a hot spot for leopards. Right now it is easier to find a leopard than a cheetah. Other top tented camps that we enjoy are Rekero on the Talek River - and Kicheche Mara Camp or Acacia Camp in the Mara North Conservancy (MRC) which is where we used to search for Half-Tail and her daughter Zawadi (Shadow to Big Cat fans). The MRC is home to Leopard Gorge and Fig Tree Ridge and Mara Buffalo Rocks - leopard havens that I wrote about in our book The Leopard's Tale (1985) that Angie and I recently updated as a paperback edition for Bradt Publishers in 2013. We also love the Mara Triangle to the west of the Mara River. The backdrop of the Siria Escarpment and the balanites woodloods of scattered dessert date trees make the landscape very different to our side of the river and wonderful for photography. We also love Lake Nakuru and Lake Bogoria for the spectacle of the flamingos - and Samburu and Buffalo Springs in the north for a whole range of different species like Grevy's zebra, reticulated giraffe and gerenuk. Kenya has so many options for visitors to enjoy. The only thing you cannot do is snow ski! Our favourite holiday is to visit the Kenya coast and swim in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. We love the island of Lamu and our daughter and her family had a wonderful Easter vacation at the Mombassa Serena Hotel.
What are your tips to see the migration at its best? The migration is a lifelong journey for the wildebeest and begins at the time of the calving of the wildebeest on the short grass plains of Serengeti in Tanzania. This is an incredible time to be on the southern plains with around 500,000 calves born at a peak between January and March each year during the rainy season. A visit to the Serengeti Plains at that time of the year is a wonderful experience - all those animals spread across the grasslands with their attendant predators trailing them. The wildebeest and zebra leave the plains towards the end of May and head north and west. Moru Kopjes is a spectacular place to visit at this time of the year with the ancient granite outcrops making for wonderful photographs as the herds stream past. Asilia Africa have a number of small tented camps in these areas - Olakira Camp, Ubuntu Camp (south) and Kimondo Camp - ideal locations for a Serengeti migration adventure.
June and July is the rutting season with the herds of wildebeest at their most concentrated as they trek in to the woodlands in the center of the Serengeti around Seronera in their search for grass and permanent water. The great herds cross the Sand River in to the Mara in early June. The pick of the dry season game viewing is often during the month of September - that is when we always filmed Big Cat Diary. October is also a good time to visit as it is a little quieter. August is the peak of the high season and very busy. More and more people are choosing to travel to Mara in the low or green season - you will still be awed at the abundance and variety of wildlife even if the wildebeest are not in residence.
What projects are you working on at the moment? I have been working on an Autobiography to be published in the next year or so. Angie and I have been so blessed to live the life of our dreams. And Angie and I are writing and illustrating two new children's books - one on The Great Migration and the other on Scarface: The Real Lion King (the story of one of the 4 Musketeers - the four males pride males currently resident with the Marsh Pride). We are Canon Ambassadors so that keeps us busy giving talks and lectures, and we are visiting Namibia in early October, then Zambia (Mfuwe Lodge in the South Luangwa National Park) in November, followed by Myanmar in December/January. We want people around the world to know Why We Love Kenya. It is our home. We always remind potential visitors that a visit to Kenya is so much more than experiencing an epic safari adventure. You will be bowled over by the warmth and friendliness of the Kenyan people - they are so welcoming to visitors of all ages - from Grannies to babes in arms. Your visit will enable you to contribute to the conservation of our wild places and their charismatic inhabitants. Without the revenue from tourism it is much harder to ensure their future - and the jobs and wellbeing of all Kenyans.
