Safari Stories

The Unique Kitich Camp of Samburu

Published on by Rupi Mangat1 Comment

Above: Kitich Forest Camp – Dinner under the stars with a herd of elephants.

Published: The East African Nation media – FEBRUARY 13 2015

It’s the deep-throated growl of the lion that alerts us that he’ around. The sound wafts through the forest night uninterrupted by any other. Seated by the open glade of grass where the river flows, we’re surrounded by silhouettes of the mountain peaks rising 6,000 feet high, visible in the glare of the full moon. Decked in a mesmerizing forest of sky-spiraling trees and endemic cycads that have been here since the time of the dinosaur, l scan the glade beyond for a glimpse of the mighty king of beast. But it’s only his growl that gives him away – and the hidden camera.

Kitich Forest Camp - The island forests of Mathews Range in the semi-arid north Kenyain d
Kitich Forest Camp – The island forests of Mathews Range in the semi-arid north Kenya drylands

Continue reading “The Unique Kitich Camp of Samburu” →

Mid-year Mara

Published on by Rupi MangatLeave a comment

Above: Maasai giraffe, mother and calf. In Maasai Mara. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 27 Juy 2019

It’s the mid-year bonanza in the Maasai Mara. It’s lush and green after a long dry spell. We’re in the south-eastern part of the 1,510-square-kilometre park that is a continuation of the 14,750-square-kilometres Serengeti National Park.

It is this enormous space that is world-famous as big game country: big for the huge herds of wildebeest, big for the big cats, big for the world’s largest land mammal – the elephant and big for the tallest – the giraffe. There are so many superlatives that describe the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem that it is mind-boggling.

June 2019 Wildebeest arriving from Serengeti into Maasai Mara. Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x600)
June 2019 Wildebeest arriving from Serengeti into Maasai Mara. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Continue reading “Mid-year Mara” →

Gone to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Published on by Rupi Mangat3 Comments

Above: CBD Goma. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 20 July 2019

Congo’s been my dream destination even before Nyiragongo erupted in 2002 and nearly wiped out the little town of Goma in eastern DRC that’s on the shores of Lake Kivu and neighbouring Rwanda. The country is gigantic and the second largest in Africa, the Congo River sways 3,000 kilometres across its girth flowing through the mighty Congo forest which like the Amazon forest is a major lung of our planet. The river empties with such force into the Atlantic that for 200 kilometres into the ocean the water is said to be fresh.

2002 Nyiragngo lava near Goma.. Courtest Bantou Mangat (800x450)
2002 Nyiragngo lava near Goma.. Courtest Bantou Mangat

Continue reading “Gone to Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo” →

At Kahuzi Biega in Search of the Endemic Grauer’s Gorilla in DR Congo

Published on by Rupi MangatLeave a comment

Above: Life-size statue of Grauer’s gorilla at Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DRC. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Published: 13 July 2019

Part 2 of 2

While waiting for the great gorilla safari planned for the following day from Bukavu on the shores of Lake Kivu in the Albertine Rift, the taxi driver arrives for the chimpanzee sanctuary in Lwiro that is 50 kilometers away.

Rescued Chimpanzees at Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center. Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x600)
Rescued Chimpanzees at Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Continue reading “At Kahuzi Biega in Search of the Endemic Grauer’s Gorilla in DR Congo” →

On Mtelo the sacred mountain of the Pokot

Published on by Rupi MangatLeave a comment

Above: Mtelo Peak from Mtelo View Eco Lodge. Copyright Rupi Mangat.

Published: The East African Nation media

It’s dark and the sky is blanketed in stars. We’re following John Yaposiwa Ywalasiwa riding on his pikipiki up a road through the Sekerr mountains in the land of the Pokot in north-western Kenya. It’s an area only visited by few intrepid travellers. The road is unusual – two rail-like tracks cemented on murram leading to the booster. An hour later, we’re finally on one of the peaks facing Mt Mtelo, the sacred mountain of the Pokot.

The road up the hiill to Mt Mtelo. Copyright Rupi Mangat (800x450)
The road up the hill to Mt Mtelo. Copyright Rupi Mangat

Continue reading “On Mtelo the sacred mountain of the Pokot” →