Seems like the stars aligned for us once again. Our original (revised) plan was to come back to Entim after our family departed, and then to follow with the two camps we had not been to yet. But this was just meant to be. We landed at the airstrip and were greeted warmly by Duncan, with a smile on his face and “tiny hands” to shake! Our niece, Renee, had brought two or three sets of these and as Duncan got such a kick out of it, she left a set with him. And so, the fun was just starting.

We would spend our final 5 nights of this trip at Entim. The first two nights in the main camp where we had stayed about a week earlier, and the final three nights in the “private” camp. Not really private, but just 6 tents, and a separate lounge and meal area (and chef). More about that later. The good news is we would have Duncan as our driver and guide for all five days.

So, after a tiny hands greeting from Duncan’s friend, we settled in at the main camp where Mary met us with two glasses of Chardonnay - yes, they remembered us! And then off on our afternoon/evening game drive.

As we came up the driveway we saw about 20 giraffes - I guess they call this a “tower” or a “journey”. They were incredible.

Then, as we were looking for a place for a sundowner, Duncan says “look, there’s a rhino”. He was maybe half a mile away from us (oh to have those Maasai eyes), but we were off - “drive like Duncan”, I said…in jest (and he did!)

We made it to the field where a huge black rhino was just strolling and eating, and we were the only vehicle there to see him. What an amazing sight at sunset!

No time for sundowners so we head back to camp and enjoy dinner and one of the beautiful fires built by Joel. He builds these each afternoon, stacking the charcoal around hot coals inside.

Ok - it’s morning and time (5:45) for our game drive. We are ready to go and thankful for the blankets in the Land Cruiser. So how do you follow that rhino sighting? Oh, let’s start with a leopard, just laying there for all to see. And then on to not one, but three lion kills with a pride of maybe 15 or so lions (and some hyenas) feasting on breakfast. There were three different kills in an area about the size of a football field. Sorry if the pictures and videos are a bit graphic but hey, it’s nature.

So after taking a break for breakfast, it’s time to head down to the Mara River to see if anything is going on…and yes, it is. There is a large herd of wildebeest and zebra heading towards the river. And we are just in time. Duncan stops a few hundred yards above the river and tells us they could go to one of two crossing points. Some vehicles were down there, and it looked like the zebras were headed into the water. But wait - spooked by crocodiles! The herd starts moving toward the other crossing points, and so do we.

Duncan knows just where to position the vehicle and we get to see this crossing firsthand. Including one takedown by crocs. A couple crocs take down a zebra, by happily the zebra was too strong and got away! Seeing this part of the migration was amazing.

Time to head back to camp and relax after an eventful morning. Duncan gets the rest of the day off - we need to digest everything we’ve just seen, and rest up for another day. We enjoyed a nice massage (thanks to Nikki & Travis), and another beautiful sunset on the deck overlooking the river - of course with a glass of Chardonnay!

Time for a new day and more sights to see. We decide to head to the town of Talek, just outside the east entrance to the Reserve (we are on the west side). Our flight from Meru was originally planned to stop in Nairobi and we had planned to go to an ATM for some much needed tip cash, but since we came direct instead we needed to make this run. It was also a chance to see the town.

Some beautiful scenery on the way, with the balloons rising with the sun, another lion feeding and a mom and new baby giraffe. Hard to see in the photos but the baby still had part of its umbilical cord attached, and had a gash across its face and wounds on its neck. Duncan thought possibly lions attacked it just after it was born. Glad they weren’t successful, and Duncan thought it could recover.

Not much to the town of Talek, but we got our cash and bought a few trinkets (Renee would be proud), and even stopped in at the (totally un sanctioned) Hard Rock Cafe.

We head back to camp and see more beautiful animals on the way, including some Topy, and a couple of huge Elans. These guys are the largest in the gazelle family, and they can leap over a Land Cruiser if needed.

Back at camp we move from the main camp to the private camp and meet Angie, the manager on the private side. Of course she has to go through “tiny hands” training! And, of course, they anticipated our arrival with two glasses of Chardonnay - yes!

The camp is beautiful - no view of the river, but a nice setting where the hippos would come at night to eat the grass outside our tents. All the camps had incredible security - watching 24/7 outside the tents for wildlife. These guys are amazing, and are at your tent in 2 seconds if you flash your flashlights at night to take you where you want to go.

Smaller than the main camp, this one usually gets many professional photographers, some staying a month at a time. Not as concerned with views, they go on game drives all day and use their computers to edit pictures in the evening. We loved this camp, but our hearts are at the main camp. Still, another nice place for a campfire and glass of wine (or G&T).

After a good night of sleep (only the hippo brushing up against the tent a few times), it’s time for the morning game drive. We’ve seen it all, and almost decided to take the day off. Thankfully, we didn’t!

Today Duncan wants to show us his favorite spot to see elephants crossing the Mara River. Ok, ok, why not. But on the way there, we see: 1) a lone cheetah crossing in the tall grass; 2) a pride of lions; 3) a lioness and some young cubs; 4) an incredible leopard in a tree with its kill - a Grants Gazelle. Glad we didn’t take the day off!

All this before breakfast! Now let’s see if we can find those elephants. Of course we did. We first see a family of about 15 crossing the road right in front of us. One has totally crossed tusks, and another nearly crossed. Likely a genetic thing. Duncan says they are heading through the forest to the river. We’ll go set up above the river, have breakfast and watch for them.

Sounds great and we enjoy our bush breakfast, sharing some with the beautiful birds. Our Land Cruiser is about 20 feet away from us, and there is maybe another 15 feet on the other side of it. I ask Duncan, what happens if the elephants come up from behind us? “Oh, they never come from that way” he says…so of course…yup - here they come! After he makes a quick TikTok video, Duncan tells us to get in the vehicle and don’t move or make a sound. They are color blind and if we don’t move they just see a big object.

They march right past us, me knowing all the time that if they wanted to, our vehicle (and us) could soon be in the river with the hippos and crocs! Yes, we survived - I only peed myself a little - and this was a fantastic experience.

The elephants work their way down to the river where another family passes by from the other direction. A great sight for sure, and end to another amazing day.

Ok - I know everyone wants me to wrap this up, so I’ll try. One final day and one final morning game drive. Surely we’ve seen all there is to see(?). Nope! As usual we start with a beautiful sunrise and a few lions. This guy was incredible.

As we move on we see an amazing “one-eyed” huge male leopard as he tracks a smaller Serval Cat.

And now we get a chance to see a chase and a kill. A family of cheetahs that hasn’t eaten in a few days is hungry and not about to give up today. Duncan puts us into position. As another vehicle try’s to get in front of us he lets them know not to block the path of the hunters, and so they back off (Duncan is clearly very well known and respected out here).

The cheetahs are successful and get a young wildebeest. Pretty rare to see this firsthand - the videos don’t show just how fast these animals are - but the team effort can truly be seen. The cheetahs are protected by the rangers and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust vehicle, keeping the paparazzi away. After they eat for a bit, they open up to allowing about 3 vehicles at a time to make a loop around them. Duncan first, of course - we later learned he was in constant communication with them.

Back to camp and then one final afternoon/evening game drive and sundowners. Our first sighting was a bit depressing - a zebra that had a horrible gash on his hindquarters. Duncan said likely a croc, and likely he wouldn’t survive the night. A bit sad, but part of nature.

Around the next corner we came across a group of animals all in one place like we had not seen before. Giraffe, zebra, wildebeests, and others, all together. It was beautiful.

And then our final sighting of the trip - a lioness with her brand new cubs. Eyes still closed and crawling, this was the circle of life completed. Amazing sight!

Time for one final sundowner with Duncan. What an amazing guy - we spent a lot of time with him on this visit and heard about his family and his life. He was attacked by a lion when he was 10 years old. His brother was there and they were able to fight the lion off. Never going to a doctor, his grandmother (a medicine woman) helped him heal with natural herbs and medicines.

Anyway, Duncan had brought the two of us local Maasai outfits for our final evening together. It was a great honor and an amazing time for us. We wore them back at camp that evening and every one of the staff thought it was so beautiful.

Well (finally), that’s a wrap on this trip to Kenya. We are already trying to figure out how soon we can get back here. Next time we’ll add Uganda (Gorillas) and maybe Tanzania. And it will be soon.

Hope you enjoyed the posts, photo albums and videos from this trip. And if you can, plan a safari trip (we can help you) - this should be on your bucket list for sure.

Take care,

Tim & Eileen