Freeman Safaris
‘Yesterday’s Safaris Today’
by Anne Winch
Like Brian I just love going to Samburu and I particularly enjoy our mornings parked up in the shade in one of the glades by the river. We usually go to the river on the 3rd or 4th day of the safari. As a change to the normal routine we get up with the sun at about 0630. After a leisurely full breakfast we leave camp about 0800 and work our way up what I call the ‘hidden valley’, calling into the springs on the way. I remember on my last safari we came a cross a young lioness with her first set of cubs playing by the water’s edge, Mum so proud and the cubs so playful that we couldn’t drag ourselves away. Not today, though, but we see a really lovely pair of white-throated bee-eaters who pose on a branch in the early morning sun in full-frame view.
This is the usual routine and, as Brian says, we have no time table. What we see and the time it takes is the schedule. It is so important that opportunities are taken as they occur as nature has a habit of following one sighting with another, I remember Eric saying, on our last safari, how pleased he was that we stayed on to film vultures as a leopard emerged from the bush shortly after.
Anyway, back to today! We crossed the stream by my bridge and followed the watercourse down to the river where they meet under Marie's Dom Palms. On the way we stopped to look at a little bittern and a grey heron. Marie's spot is one of the nicest places as the stream is always flowing. The Ewaso Nyiro River is wide with sandbanks in the middle with a good patch of grass and lots of light. Just across the stream was a grey-headed kingfisher perched on a branch eating a small grasshopper. Further off to the right about 30 yards away in a huge river acacia tree was a hammerkop nest occupied by a pair of Verreaux's eagle-owls, unusual as they are normally seen in denser trees. Maybe they were just warming up. On the sandbank was a tawny eagle with its feet in the water and above us in the dom palms a pair of noisy African orange-bellied parrots were feeding a chick. Flying in and around us were a few superb starlings who walked right up to the side of Bluebell to eat cake crumbs. They are so beautiful in the morning light, common but still one of my favourites.
I join Brian on the roof scanning the riverbanks. I notice a huge croc just down below us, where the two waters meet, as it comes out to sun itself on the sandbank. I shouldn't imagine he moves far from this spot as animals are for ever coming down to drink. Brian warns me to remain very still as right behind us one of the big Samburu elephant bulls emerges from the thickets. He flaps his head from side to side, sniffs us and walks down the bank into the river to drink and wee at the same time. After a while he continues across the river, water only up to his ankles, and stops for another drink before climbing out the other side. He is an elephant on a mission, he must be able to smell a female who is giving all the right signals.
I watch a male waterbuck eating grass in the middle of the sandbank and further down a herd of Impala come down to drink, very timid. Not far ahead of them is a baby croc, green in the light, and I am sure wishing he could take them on. Where the river bends away about 300 yards further on I see another big bull elephant striding down the hill towards the water. He takes his time to drink and splash himself in a muddy patch. Across the other side of the river more and more elephants arrive in the trees, stopping to eat on the move, in no real rush for the water. At first I thought there were about 50 but as we watch more and even more appear. They move into the water in waves until I have lost count at over 200. The herd consisted of many small groups, all out on a social gathering. Some were crossing, some drinking, some playing, others splashing. Babies of all ages were playing, falling in and under the water with their trunks just poking out, running and trumpeting. The river was awash with elephants with some coming right up to Bluebell and eating dom nuts from the ground. It was just an amazing sight and it was difficult keeping up with all the activity. Brian and I were picking out different elephants, some of them well known to him. The bulls were testing the ladies in the water but it appeared that they were out of luck today.
We were really enjoying the scene when suddenly the large croc immediately in front reared up with a huge splash, frightening a baby elephant who took off in the opposite direction making a hell of a racket. I’m not sure who was more scared, the elephant or the croc! The rest of the elephants in the immediate area trumpeted and dashed forward forcing the croc to move off up stream out of the way. What an exciting 20 minutes, a lovely finale. We had decided that after 3 hours it was time to move on as Brian wanted to check out a new route as we slowly returned to camp
I just love my mornings by the river and I must say so do all our clients. I have never been disappointed as something always happens, a story unfolds involving large or small birds or animals, a real treat.
© Freemansafaris.com
We didn't quite know what to expect, but this has set a new standard as far as we
are concerned. If your idea of a perfect holiday is not having to lift a finger,
then this is it. Nothing, repeat nothing was too much trouble. Spacious and comfortable
tents made the going easy, and yes it's absolutely true, the temperature of the shower
was always spot on. How do they do that?! At the end of a good day's safari, teas
and coffees upon arrival in camp were most welcome, and the standard of the meals
easily matched that of many top hotels (and we'd like to see Gordon Ramsay & Jamie
Oliver try it with a charcoal oven!"
Tracy and John
A Morning by the River
