Kenya

Kenya has perhaps the richest mammal fauna on the whole continent. The extensive system of long-protected areas means that nature is both pretty much as it should be within the national parks but also well-habituated to viewers. The now long-established conservancy system has added another layer to the protection of wildlife in Kenya and now some of the very best places to watch mammals in Kenya are inside the conservancies.

This tour is designed around two of Kenya’s rarest and most wonderful mammals. The magnificent Bongo, and the black form of Leopard. The supporting cast is pretty amazing too.

Laikipia is a really special place. It is one of a string of conservancies forming a near continuous protected area all the way from Ol Pejeta right up to Samburu – a vast tract of African bush. Laikipia has an enlightened guiding team who have worked very hard to get to know the ever-increasing richness of animal life in their domain. In particular their knowledge of the movements and ecology of Leopards and their ‘black pearl’ are exemplary. The property has just the one small lodge, so there’s no more than 5-6 vehicles out on any one day (or night) and as its privately owned they can go anywhere. And you can get out too! Dinner in the bush, or on foot with the Wild Dogs, it all happens here. We’ll have several chances to see the black Leopard (they are careful not to allow vehicles to spend too much time with her) as well as the tantalising prospect of her coming through camp whilst we are there. Leopards are everywhere, we’ll likely see three or four most outings. But it’s the way you see them – they are very much active day and night and are completely unconcerned by the vehicles.

African Wild Dogs are another feather in Laikipia’s cap. Though the larger pack has now split up there’s still a small pack spending much of its time on the property. We’ll seek them out and then travel with them – they always seem to be travelling. We’ll almost certainly have the chance to get out and be among them, an amazing experience. We’ll learn the detail of their lives and see how they interact with the many other medium and smaller sized predators that are as visible in Laikipia as anywhere in East Africa. Both Spotted Hyenas and the elegant Striped Hyenas often follow the dogs. Black-backed Jackals too. At night we’ll find Bat-eared Foxes and lovely Servals. African Wild Cats frequent the ridge grasslands. We have a very good chance of finding a Zorilla or too here.

East of the Great Rift rise the Aberdares, a highland area that is still largely forested, and which is home to a number of rare and local mammals. Unlike the open plains of many of Kenya’s national parks the Aberdares makes the mammal watcher work much harder! But the rewards are great. We’ll have one night at the famed Ark. Here are impressive Giant Forest Hogs. Elephants provide endless entertainment and Waterbuck and beautiful Bushbuck are common. Spotted Hyenas visit the waterhole in numbers each night and we’ll see White-tailed Mongoose, Blotched Genets and Brown Greater Galago too. The centrepiece of our visit to the Aberdares will be three days at the Rhino Retreat. This place will be a legend! As at the Ark, Elephants and Cape Buffalo come to the salt lick right outside. The difference is here you are staying in a cottage and if you are out on the verandah you are outside with them hardly ten metres away. Indeed sometimes they even walk up the garden path and peer into the verandah! There’s nothing quite like being outside and with Elephants at ground level. At night something altogether rarer approaches… not every night, but usually every other night, and with a three night stay our chances are strong. The glorious Bongo. This is the isaaci subspecies of Bongo often known as the Mountain Bongo and is so rare its amazing it still exists. Extinct on the Ugandan side, this subspecies is now confined to four isolated populations in Kenya, with the largest one, of around fifty animals, in the Aberdares. The males in particular are truly spectacular antelopes – brilliant orange decked out with sharp white tripes and neat black and white markings – like a bushbuck on steroids. We’ll spend the days exploring the beautiful Aberdares National Park where we’ll look for Mountain Suni, Harvey’s Duiker, Slender Mongoose, Syke’s Monkeys and troupes of the elegant Mount Kenya Guereza. On the high moorlands we’ll meet the lovely little Four-lined Grass Mouse.

This is a wonderful chance to experience remote and beautiful corners of Kenya with a tremendously diverse mammal fauna hardly disturbed by other visitors.