Photo Safaris in Kenya (page 11 of 18)

Along with our first encounter with anhingas, magnificent birds that are very common around Lake Baringo.



But also, cormorants, squacco herons, lapwings, and even a Verreaux's eagle-owl—we were right underneath it! 🙂



Seeing such a variety of birds in just one afternoon is absolutely amazing; we're over the moon.

Two years later, the water has receded from the edges of the lake. The lodge is accessible, and the walk is done on foot. The birds are much less approachable, but we still spot a whole variety of sunbirds we hadn’t seen the first time. They’re recognizable by their long, thin, slightly curved beaks for sipping nectar from flowers.



We also encounter a red-headed barbet, sacred ibises,



But not just birds—vervet monkeys in the trees, a tortoise, and a monitor lizard.



Once again, you can visit the same place multiple times, even during the same time of year (August for us), and have a completely different experience.

For a little boat ride on the lake, it’s here

Gorgeous series of bird photos (should please Bernard/Blesl 😉). The stunning colors of the kingfisher really stand out!

I’ll risk posting a photo (despite the not-great quality) of an anhinga from another continent (Costa Rica). (If I understood correctly, other members' photos don’t count toward travel journals.)

Not sure about the participants' photos—I didn’t quite get it all 🤔

Yes, the malachite kingfishers are gorgeous! They’re smaller than our kingfishers, but the advantage of moving by boat is that you can get much closer to them 😊

The anhinga in Costa Rica isn’t the same color as the African one, but otherwise, yeah, it’s the same bird 😄

malachite kingfishers

... my fave birds 😎

I still haven’t gotten over your encounter with the cheetah family... I dream of seeing the same thing . The cheetah is my favorite animal, yet it keeps refusing to show up, trip after trip. Over 10 visits to Southern Africa, I’ve only seen them twice—once when one snubbed me from the top of its termite mound!

Oh bummer… in Kenya, there are still quite a few cheetahs in the wild, even though their population is unfortunately decreasing too 😢 I think your photo is amazing—they love perching on termite mounds to spot their prey better 👀 The rest of your trip to the Maasai Mara should be great 😊

Jean-François, leaving Southern Africa for East Africa! 😏 Honestly, we saw very few big cats in Kenya... but we did see cheetahs, and in Tanzania (N'dutu) we saw them on every outing (different ones each time) 😎

After more than 10 trips to Southern Africa, I’ve only come across them twice

So you’ve gotta go to Kenya! This one (or was it a she?), it put on quite a show for over half an hour in the Masai Mara!

Thanks for the photos, Isabelle—they’re always top-notch.

And with birds in them too, which makes me really happy to see I’m not the only one shouting into the void with my page https://safari-tanzanie.fr/photo/13-photographier-les-oiseaux-en-safari!

Asante sana again!

BL

After more than 10 trips to Southern Africa, I’ve only come across them twice,

What if you switched cameras? 😎 The place we see them most often in Southern Africa is Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park.

Tsavo East two months ago: nap time for mom and her 3 teens 😉

Thanks for the photos, Isabelle—they’re always top-notch.

And with birds in them too, which makes me really happy to see I’m not the only vox clamantis in deserto with my page https://safari-tanzanie.fr/photo/13-photographier-les-oiseaux-en-safari…

Asante sana again!

BL

Thanks Bernard for the super interesting link 😊 It’s true that when you go on safari in Kenya, it’s usually to see mammals and hope for the Big Five 😆 Personally, I love birds and it’s a real challenge to photograph them in flight 📸

Tsavo East 2 months ago: nap time for mom and her 3 teens 😉



Christelle, after India, will you share a travel journal about your stay in Kenya with us?😊

The cheetah’s fishy business! 😏

Personally, it’s the leopard that bails on me 9.9 times out of 10... 😠

Personally, the leopard lets me down 9.9 times out of 10...

Oh really! Come to Kenya 😂😂😂 But in two trips, we’ve seen way fewer of them than cheetahs

I decided to snub that animal that’s snubbing me! 😛

Thanks everyone for your tips—I won’t let it get me down, and we’ll keep going back to Africa again and again in the hopes of spotting a cheetah family 😉

For Jean-Luc: last time we were in KTP (April 2023), we didn’t see anything—no big cats, nada, zilch... The locals told us there was a huge fire two years earlier, and the animals "forgot" to come back.

For Attila: check out Savuti 😉

For Herodote: we’d love to go to Kenya and Tanzania, but it’s a bit far from Botswana... As soon as we have the time, we’ll get to it.

Sorry, Isabelle, for the cheetah digression

I decided to snub that animal that snubs me! 😛

Here’s a secret for you: in the Swartberg massif (Western Cape), a group of leopards has settled. You take the Die Hell trail, paved with good intentions—a Duster will do the trick. You set up in the valley, enjoy the wonders offered by the family that’s long run the place, and you walk and wait. It’s a nature destination since there are no fences. 😉

Last time we were in KTP, we didn’t see anything (April 2023)—no big cats, nada, zilch...

Tough luck! You might wanna head to Kenya or adjust your expectations. Now you could focus on the Cape grysbok, bontebok, or Cape kudu instead.

Locals told us there was a big fire two years earlier and the animals had "forgotten" to come back

An elephant’s memory, huh?

Definitely Isabelle... even if my photos are all rubbish compared to yours! 😄