Working in travel we’re often asked which are our favourite nature videos, and with so many amazing videos out there it is hard to come up with a shortlist we think are the most inspirational. There are so many wonderful destinations just waiting to be explored!

It’s been quite a challenge to select our top 5 videos!  Without further ado here are our favourites:

As many of you have heard the Government of Tanzania was again considering a proposal to construct a road across the Serengeti, one of the most famous National Parks on the planet. The proposed road was estimated to carry 800 vehicles a day by 2015 (one every two minutes) and 3,000 a day by 2035 (one every 30 seconds). Collisions between people and wildlife would have been inevitable. Wildlife experts had warned that paving and expanding the route would have severed a critical corridor for the annual migration of 1.5 million of wildebeests, zebra and gazelles.

Yesterday however many conservationists were declaring a victory as Tanzania’s Department of Natural Resources and Tourism said in a letter to the World Heritage Center in Paris that the 30-mile road across the park would remain gravel and would “continue to be managed mainly for tourism and administrative purposes, as it is now.” A certain victory in the effort to stop the proposed highway!

Please contact us to customise your Serengeti Safari to your exact dates and group size.

Game Report, Masai Mara, April 2011

 

Once again we experienced dry weather during the first week or so of the month – it just didn’t seem to want to rain! There would very often be a big build-up of clouds all along the western and north-western horizon which would raise our hopes, but the first decent, soaking rains only came fairly late in the month.

Photos courtesy of Katie McLellan

Last month’s spate of rain (where it rained heavily for about four days) meant there was (and still is) lots of water in the marshes and luggas, which attracted a big collection of herbivores, especially zebra, wildebeest and elephant, in these areas.

Photos courtesy of Katie McLellan and Samwel Kiplangat

The Marsh Pride has been seen regularly around Bila Shaka and has fed there almost every night. It is amazing to see fifteen lions all together around a kill! The lioness with her four three month old cubs was seen a number of times around Musiara Swamp. They are still fit and healthy and seem to be making progress in, to them, what must seem like a harsh world. These poor little fellows were really thirsty one day and had the unfortunate experience of all falling into the murky water! One cub was covered in mud and mewled incessantly like a distressed child!

Photos courtesy of Katie McLellan

The Paradise Pride has been seen mostly around the crossing below Serena Lodge, but on some days as far a-field as Chemorita. Notch and one male seem to have the urge to patrol more than the other males and these two have been seen between Rhino Ridge and Salinga on a number of occasions. One particular game drive vehicle was treated to the spectacle of about 16 hyenas trying to chase 6 lions off a warthog kill on the far southern reaches of Rhino Ridge. The lions were having none of it, but the noise and interaction was quite fantastic to experience!

Photo courtesy of Samwel Kiplangat

Leopards were seen fairly regularly last month, in fact as often as three times a week. A mother with two cubs was seen around Paradise quite often and on one day five leopards were seen together. These were the same three as mentioned above with two males. Watch this space in just over three month’s time. The existing cubs are close to the age where they would leave their mother, so perhaps more youngsters are on their way! Of further interest was another female leopard with a cub of three months old in the “Base” area.

Rhinos, as usual, have remained the more elusive of the Big Five. Even so, two males and a female with a three month old calf were seen fairly regularly between Chemorita and Paradise.

Cheetahs were also less visible last month due to the movement of the bigger predators. The three brothers were seen in the Salinga area towards the middle of the month, after which they moved into the Paradise area. A young female was on Topi Plain for some time.

Photos courtesy of Samantha McLellan

 The big herd of buffalo that seems ever present at the western base of Rhino Ridge was still very prominent last month. They too have many youngsters at foot. These grand beasts are often over-looked but can offer hours of entertainment should one take the time to sit and watch them. There is a definite method to their movements and their actions that bears observation. Especially their interaction with various bird species can be of great interest.

The “little critters” remained captivating last month. Birding has been pretty good as the avian migrants are still around, but are soon to leave. Of course we are all waiting for the rains to come and the wildebeest that are sure to follow. We had to be very careful where we put our feet last month as there were huge collections and processions of “siafu” (safari ants), a sure sign that this is on the way. Once again nature moves through its processes as it has since time immemorial, seemingly with no big method but definitely with a plan and an end goal. All one has to do is quietly observe and all becomes clear.

For Kenyan Safari ideas including staying at Governors’ Camp please contact us, we would love to speak with you so we can share our passion for exploring this wonderful country.

Bwenge’s group

April Brought Three Newborns – and More

Despite heavy rain, April has been a lucky month for gorilla births. Three infants were born, one in each of three groups monitored by the Fossey Fund’s Karisoke Research Center: Bwenge’s group, Isabukuru’s group and Pablo’s group. A birth is always a special event for gorilla group members, as the group’s growth is a sign of success. Every birth is also celebrated by the people working for the protection of this endangered species, as population growth is an important confirmation of a successful conservation strategy.

On the morning of April 18, young female Faida was holding a tiny new member of Bwenge’s group, which has grown to 11 gorillas. The newborn seemed to be particularly small, but this was not surprising, as the mother is also a small gorilla. Despite this vulnerable feature he was normally active and busy looking for his mother’s nipple to get his first meal.

Bwenge is the dominant and only silverback of the group, which has five females, each with an infant. The group formed in 2007 when Bwenge left his natal group, and gradually was joined by females from other groups. After the first year, the group passed through an unfortunate sequence of infant mortality, which saw six infants die for different reasons. Among these infants was Faida’s first offspring, who died in March 2009 as the victim of a fight between females, shown by the postmortem analysis which found evidence of a lethal bite of female size.

More recently, one after the other all females in the group gave birth, confirming the success of the group, which is led by a strong and capable silverback.

Isabukuru’s group

On April 26, Isabukuru’s group saw the birth of female Bukima’s infant. Bukima has lost three infants in her life, due to unrelated events. The first died from a  birth defect; the second died a few months after the mother’s transfer to Isabukuru’s group; and the last one was the victim of infanticide by Kubaha, the second male in Isabukuru’s group. This tragic event occurred when the dominant silverback Isabukuru left the group to confront a lone silverback, leaving the females with Kubaha. This young male tried to escalate his own social position through the extreme though not unusual act of  infanticide. This confirms that gorilla social dynamics vary depending on different personalities and scenarios.

A reassuring fact is that, according to our calculation of the gestation period (which is 8.5 months for a mountain gorilla female), the latest newborn was conceived just a few days after the infanticide.

Pablo’s group

The biggest surprise of the month came from Pablo’s group, with the unexpected birth of Gutangara’s infant on April 26. The interval between Gutangara’s two consecutive births was less than three years, which is a particularly short time for mountain gorillas.

This pregnancy explains the recent dynamics observed between the mother and her 2-year-old daughter Shishikara. The infant went through a period of physical and emotional depression in November 2010 when Gutangara decided to prematurely wean her. Shishikara was following her mother and whimpering, but Gutangara did not allow her to approach the nipple, forcing the little gorilla to become independent. It was necessary for Gutangara to terminate lactation because her advanced stage of pregnancy required her to save energy. To reassure the little gorilla, all members of Gutangara’s family, as well as other females of the group, helped her to face the lack of her mother’s proximity and milk.

Pablo’s group is the largest group of mountain gorillas we have observed, now counting 47 members including the newborn. The presence of so many individuals of different sex and age classes allows many alliances to be extended to non-relatives. Infant care is made easier by the support of other females rather than depending exclusively on the mother. In the case of Shishikara, the old female Mukecuru was often seen close to her, as well as Shishikara’s sister Tamu.

The official celebration of gorilla births will take place in June, as it does every year, with the big event of the naming ceremony (Kwita Izina in Kinyarwanda) organized by the Rwandan Development Board, during which all gorillas born in the past year will be named. The big party takes place not far from Volcanoes National Park. All partners in conservation, including the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, as well as national and international guests and members of the local community will participate.

NEWSFLASH:

We have just received word that Izuru, a female in the Susa group, which is habituated for tourism, has also given birth! This means that as of today we have reached a total of 22 infants born in all the Virunga mountain gorilla groups, ready to be named at the Kwita Izina naming ceremony that will be held June 18.

Submitted by Veronica Vecellio, Gorilla Program Manager, Karisoke™ Research Center

VISIT THE GORILLAS:

Fossey Fund president and CEO Clare Richardson leads trips to Rwanda in June and November to see the mountain gorillas, visit the Karisoke Research Center, meet the Fosseys Fund’s scientists and staff, and much more. Click here to learn more about these gorilla trips.

Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live, is a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya’s Masai Mara.  Watch some of the best video clips here:

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Cheza & Sala Part A

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Cheza & Sala Part B

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Cheza & Sala Part C

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Bella’s Cubs Part A

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Bella’s Cubs Part B

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Bella’s Cubs Part C

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Duma Part A

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Duma Part B

Big Cat Diary: Family Histories | Duma Part C

For more inspiration, or to take trip to Kenya, why not check out our Kenyan Safaris.





 

THE WINNER’S DIARY – TRIP OF A LIFETIME!

You may remember a few months ago Craghoppers gave away a trip of a lifetime to David Jenkinson. He and a friend won a trip to the Galapagos Islands courtesy of Baobab Expeditions. Here is their diary of the trip and you can also see some of the amazing photos on our Facebook page .

“DAY 1 & 2: We spent the first 2 days in Quito (Old Town) – what a city. It was very hilly and we had mountains and volcanoes as our view from the hotel. Due to the altitude (2800mts) we found it difficult to catch our breath as we walked around, so we stopped for a few drinks and sat and watched the local way of life. The following day we were picked up by our guide and had a private tour of the old town, where we visited about 7 churches each one more spectacular and ornate than the other, all lavishly decorated with 23ct gold. They were a million miles away from our churches back home.

“DAY 3-6: We were transferred to the Amazon, where we boarded our canoe for a two hour ride down the river, then we swapped to an another canoe to cross a lagoon and reach our jungle camp. We had tea then went out for a night walk in the jungle. The noises and atmosphere were amazing and everywhere you shone your torch there was some exotic creature. Every day was packed with something to do, either out in a canoe or walking through the forest. We climbed to the top of a Capoc tree (130ft) early one morning and saw the sun rising. There were all kinds of birds – woodpeckers, toucans, macaws and many more I can’t even remember the name of, as well as a few different species of monkeys.

“We also had a go at some fishing in our lagoon and caught a few piranhas! We went in for a swim with our new friends – it was excellent.

“DAY 7- 10: We traveled to the Galapagos Islands, and boarded our cruise ship (M/V Santa Cruz). These islands are something else it was like Jurassic Park. Again we were busy doing something all day, everyday. The ship would anchor up and we would dingy to each island, and go for walks – some of the animals there were unreal. The list goes on but we saw Giant Sea Turtles, Sea-Lions, thousands of Iguanas, Sally Light Foot Crabs, and lots of different species of birds, e.g. Blue Footed Boobies, Finches and Galapagos Hawks. We did a couple of deep sea snorkeling sessions (this made my trip) swimming with hundreds of huge tropical fish, White Tipped Sharks, Giant Sea Turtles, and Sea-Lions, which were swimming about 2ft away from us, AMAZING. .

“My trip came to an end and I feel so sad I’m back home, could have stayed there for a year but I had an amazing experience and thoroughly enjoyed seeing such wonderful culture and wildlife. So, all that leaves me with, is to say a big thank you to Craghoppers & Baobab Expeditions for an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life!

“Thank you very much Dave.”

TOUR DETAILS:

• Want to visit the Galapagos Islands too?  Click here for travel ideas.

• For further information email us or call: +44 (0)844 826 8550 /+1 516 622 2279 /+27 (0)21 680 5106

TOUR NOTES:

Ecuador is located on the northwest of South America, straddling latitude 0°. Its four natural regions are easily accessible and offer a wide variety of landscapes: from spectacular beaches on the Pacific to magic rainforests in the Amazon. From snow-capped mountains and volcanoes to quaint Indian villages and Colonial cities in the Andes; and from business-oriented centres to the fabled Galapagos Islands.

The capital of Ecuador has a setting that few cities can match.  During the 13th century it was the prosperous centre of the Kingdom of Quitus.  It later became the northern capital of the Inca Empire.  In the 16th and 17th centuries, Colonial architects built formidable temples, monasteries and mansions, creating an urban jewel designated by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.  Quito’s artistic creativity awaits the visitor in cosmopolitan galleries and boutiques filled with contemporary paintings, sculptures and exquisite traditional crafts.  The stay in Quito must include a visit to the Colonial sector, the old and charming city with 400 years of Spanish heritage.

Ecuador’s rainforest is located in the heart of the World’s largest tropical rainforest, the Amazon Basin, a unique ecosystem. A short flight or a descent by road on the flanks of the Andes leads modern explorers and adventurers along the same routes that the first Spanish conquerors ventured through in their search of the land of Gold and Cinnamon… and found the mighty Amazon River.

The Galapagos Islands were named after the giant Galapagos tortoises. The archipelago emerged six million years ago as a result of volcanic activity in the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. This alluring and complex ecosystem is located 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) off the coast of Ecuador. It has a world record of special titles and management categories: the islands are Ecuador’s first National Park; a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, both the terrestrial Park and the Reserve,( the second largest and possibly the most unique in the world); a Biosphere Reserve and a Whale Sanctuary.

In 1835, the English naturalist Charles Darwin visited the Galapagos, and this “living laboratory” inspired his writings in support of the Theory of Evolution. In fact, many of the species on these islands have evolved differently from their continental ancestors, and thus have become unique species in the planet which display an astonishing lack of fear towards humans.

 

Crunchy numbers

The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health:

The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads This blog is on fire!.

A Boeing 747-400 passenger jet can hold 416 passengers. This blog was viewed about 6,000 times in 2010. That’s about 14 full 747s.

 

In 2010, there were 31 new posts, not bad for the first year! There were 355 pictures uploaded, taking up a total of 70mb. That’s about 7 pictures per week.

The busiest day of the year was June 13th with 252 views. The most popular post that day was Lynne Leakey: Day 2 – Our first glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro! .

Where did they come from?

The top referring sites in 2010 were baobabexpeditions.com, twitter.com, networkedblogs.com, and facebook.com.

Some visitors came searching, mostly for wildebeest migration map, big cat diary 2010, wildebeest migration, big cat diaries, and watch big cat diary online.

Attractions in 2010

These are the posts and pages that got the most views in 2010.

1

Lynne Leakey: Day 2 – Our first glimpse of Mt. Kilimanjaro! June 2010

2

Big Cat Diaries – latest episodes, online and ready to watch! June 2010
1 comment

3

Annual Migration of the wildebeest from the Serengeti into the Masai Mara June 2010

4

50 destinations to explore before you die May 2010
5 comments

5

Southern Africa’s best Wildlife Parks March 2010
1 comment

Francoise and Lynne with Agashya Group

Just  returned from an amazing morning with the AGASHYA group. Lots of playful activity with Silverback looking on and then accepting youngsters clambouring all over him. Perfect weather. Then attended a special party at the Kariosoki Research centre to meet all the teams doing such great work gathering data, monitoring, protecting, involving communities in positive ways and honouring the memory and great work started by Dian Fossey.

A couple of research group families have moved high up the mountain challenging the teams monitoring them with cold and inhospitable weather and high altitudes – but they soldier on. They really deserved the party which included great entertainment with dancers and musicians. Fun time had by everyone.  Thanks to them all plus Katie Fawcett and Clare Richardson.

Our Baobab Expeditions DFGFI safari group was very fortunate and honoured. Everyone is just overwhelmed by their experiences first day which have far exceeded their anticipations.

 

Photo courtesy of Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

As we enter the high season we have been very busy here at Baobab Expeditions organising mountain gorilla trekking expeditions for our guests.   

We definitely entered the long dry season early this year with the weather drying out by mid June and very little rain falling apart from a few drops towards the middle and end of July, the only significant rainstorm fell on the afternoon of the 21st July, when in true tropical style Parc National des Volcans received 21 mm in a few hours. As this is the “winter time”, temperatures have been pretty cool in the evenings, below 10° Celsius, and most of the time the sky has been cloudy, and the air misty or hazy. The Volcanoes made a few brief appearances from behind the veil of misty haze…   

Despite the mist, the gorilla sightings have been great!  Normally the mammals of Volcanoes National Park, including Mountain Gorillas, tend to be more on the move during the dry season and their movements become more unpredictable as they go in search of rich and palatable food that is becoming scarcer. However, most guests did not have to trek too long to see the gorillas, and most were back at the lodges in the early afternoon to have lunch and relax quietly for the rest of the day, unless they preferred to visit one of the other points of interest in the volcanoes area.   

Photo courtesy of Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge

The major development in the gorilla population was that the Susa Group, that had split and joined back together numerous times during the last few months, has now definitely split into two separate groups. ‘Susa-A’ has been named ‘Susa’ Group and ‘Susa-B’ was renamed the ‘Karisimbi’ Group, as the family live in the Mt. Karisimbi area of the national park.  Although the Susa Group can usually be found not too far into the forest, the “new” Karisimbi Group will be visited only by hardcore hikers, they have pretty much established  their home range quite far (and high) on the slopes of the Karisimbi caldera… making a trip to see them a full-days trek indeed!   

With the formation of this new gorilla family the Park authorities have agreed to increase the number of gorilla permits available each day to 64.   

As for other news; at Sabyinyo Silverback Lodge they continue to have exciting sightings. On the 12th of July, for the second time in the last four months, an African Wild Cat was sighted by two observers in the lodge’s grounds in the late afternoon. Although the species is still included in the official Mammal List of Volcanoes National Park, no confirmed records of the cat had been reported for many of years, until now…   

If you’d like to see the wonderful mountain gorillas for yourself why not join Baobab Expeditions on our Gorillas and the Big 5 Safaris?  Departing 3 November 2010, 18 June and 05 November 2011 we are offering three once-in-a-lifetime private gorilla trekking safaris to Rwanda with continuations to Kenya and Tanzania, where you’ll go in search of the Big Five (Lion, Elephant, Buffalo, Leopard and Rhinoceros).  The Rwanda leg of the journey will be led by Dr. Clare Richardson, president of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.  The Kenya portion of the trip will be led by the renowned safari guide, Lynne Leakey.   

For more information on these spectacular safaris call us or download the itineraries here    

To watch a video of one of our Mountain Gorilla treks click here.   

We hope to share the magic of the Virunga Volcanoes with you sometime soon!

Wildebeest jumping (Image: Kenya Tourist Board)

As promised we continue to update you on the Great Annual Migration of the wildebeest that takes place in the world-famous Masai Mara Game Reserve. The herds have, in the past few days parted ways and some are moving towards the Mara Triangle, whilst others have moved west of the Mara River.

Approximately 3000 animals have meanwhile crossed the river, whereby some have provided a wonderful snack for many crocodiles. Some of the divided animals have crossed the Talke River at two different points.  This is truly a special treat for the wild cats that enjoy and appreciate the welcome feast.  In addition, part of the Loita herds have wandered into the reserve by now and will be meeting up with the Serengeti herds.

We are awaiting the exciting progress of this unusually early start to the migration. If you’d like to see this unique spectacle for yourself, why not check out our superb discovery safaris to Tanzania and Kenya?