Days 8 & 9

Day 9 Masai Mara - Intrepid Tent Camp

2/17/09

Wake up call this morning was with hot coffee served in the tent, then off at 6:15 for morning game drive. Got our first great shots of a Leopard! Our guide Felix was told where the leopard was by a local impala! The guides can get tips from the animal’s behavior as to where the predators are. Wonderful sunrise, birds in flight and newborn Cheetah cubs with mom. Saw hippos, crocs, Eland and more. Great Day so far....! I met the Executive Chef at lunch and we exchanged cards so we can exchange reipes and menus.Afternoon ChaseDavid our guide got a tip on a pride lions, 3 males, 5 females and 8 cubs! We observed them stalking some zebra, the 4 females took off to hunt while 1 stayed back to keep the cubs away so they wouldn't spoil the chase. The males watched from hillside. The 4 females started to outflank 2 lone zebras from the herd as they were grazing with their backs to the approaching lions. 2 of the lions picked up speed to catch then bring down 1 of the zebras. I got the whole sequence shot with my Canon 1DmkIII at 11 frames per second! David our driver took off immediately after the chase and sped off-road past all other observers, we arrived first on scene and took shots as the zebra still struggled. When the kill was done one of the females broke away and summoned the cubs to eat. Eventually the males came but only one (presumably the strongest) ate while the other two surveyed the perimeter. As we headed back thinking our day was done we spotted 3 male cheetahs standing beautifully in the waning sunlight. After our shots we realized they were stalking Impala. The impala spotted the cheetahs; they gave chase but were not successful this time! I gave a big sigh of excitement as we headed back to camp. What a big plus being in a small mobil group arranged by Roger and to have Silver level certified guides like David & Felix. The long hard hours of study, schooling and training is way more than evident!To have guides like this and Roger's Africa experience along with his photography guidance is making this one of the best trips I've ever had.

Day 8 Masai Mara Travel Day

2/16/09

This day was all about off road driving. We game drove all morning to our new camp seeing plenty of wildlife while traversing through grassy plains and through streams and rivers with narrow steep rocky access. What fun! Intrepid is another excellent camp, gourmet food, nice people and even a hot water bladder placed between your sheets to warm the bed!