Kenya Odyssey

2008-07-08T01:15:00.000-07:00

Game Report June 2008 Governors Camp

The rainy season is definitely behind us as June was a dry month with scattered rainfall of 26mm. Early morning temperatures were around 13ºC and by mid day temperatures varied between 28 and 31ºC. The grasslands are drying out turning the savannah a rich golden colour in readiness for the arrival of the big herds of wildebeest. The Musiara Marsh is lush and green with plenty of good grazing for the game.

The fantastic river crossings of large numbers of zebra that we witnessed in May continued into early and mid June, and many zebra can still be seen in the plains areas. Large numbers of these zebra have come down from the east, crossing the Mara River at Paradise to the west and then crossing back again.

June marks the start of the rutting season for the wildebeest, and big herds moved down on to the short grass plains of the conservation areas and then into the Game Reserve as competition with livestock for grazing outside the reserve intensifies. The rutting bulls were noisily grunting and chasing and fighting rival males for dominance, territory and ultimately access to females. With loud thumps, heads clashed together as they jostled for dominance. These males also scrape the ground with their forefeet as they have interdigital hoof glands to mark their territory.

Out on the plains there are large breeding herds of eland with many young calves averaging one to three months of age and some large dark males on the periphery of the herds. Good numbers of giraffe along with many young calves again in crèches of varying age groups are within the Marsh and riverine woodlands. Impala in breeding herds, and a few young fawns are within the woodlands of the camps. A large breeding herd of Cape Buffalo has been on the plains beyond the marsh for some time now the grass value is sufficient for hard lipped bovids such as buffalo.

Family herds of elephant with many young calves are in the Marsh and adjacent plains areas, moving out of the grasslands and into the woodlands during the day. The lush grasses and sedges of the watered areas in the Marsh keep the elephant herds well fed.

Large numbers of topi have been out on the plains along with Cokes Hartebeest in smaller herd groups. A handsome dark male bushbuck has been emerging from the verges of the woodland outside Il Moran where his territory lies, making his presence felt in the evenings and early mornings. A large troop of Olive Baboons are occupying the grasslands on the verges of the marsh where they spend much of the day foraging for food. This troop has many playful young babies.

June brought some lovely sightings of our resident black rhinos. The two female black rhino (mother and daughter) were seen out in the luggas on the verges of the plains and in the river bed crossing to the other side of the plains.

The resident hyena cubs are emerging from their dens and we were delighted to discover four spotted hyena cubs on the edge of the plains. Spotted hyena tend to have no more than two cubs and here the extra two may be from a sister or an elder daughter of the parents.

On the feline front, we were thrilled when the Bila Shaka/Marsh pride of three males of which one dark manned Lion is called ‘Pavarotti’ and six females added a further two new cubs (estimated at one month old) to the pride. There are now nine cubs of varying ages in this pride. The pride is also feeding well, and on the 11th June was seen on a giraffe kill near the Musiara gate. They have also been seen feeding off zebra, and all signs are that the pride is thriving.

The Ridge/Paradise pride, which consists of four breeding females, two of which have three cubs estimated at two months old, are often seen near the river crossing that takes one into the plains area.

The five young males who were ousted from the Bila Shaka pride and the old Bila Shaka male (also ousted when Pavarotti and his brothers took over the pride) have taken up residence in the Paradise Plains area. These males have formed a strong coalition and have been taking advantage of the thousands of zebra who moved through paradise last month. They have had many successful kills and have been feeding off Zebra, killing at least three in the last ten days of the month.

Towards the end of the month, clients at Governors’ Camp were treated to the sight of two lionesses draped over a large branch of a dead tree the other side of the river from the camp. Lions climb trees commonly elsewhere in Africa and it is thought they do this for coolness, a better vantage point and to get away from biting flies.

Cheetah sightings have been good again in June, and the lone male has been seen outside of the reserve hunting Thomson gazelle on the short grass plains. A female cheetah was in the long grass plains of Bila Shaka, and another was on the Topi plains; on the 28th they were seen chasing and killing a yearling zebra. One of the males had a large gash on his left shoulder which appears to have been caused by a warthog. The young female cheetah was in the Paradise area close by to the wildebeest crossing point and another female has been seen up on the ridges and hunting in the plains.

The resident leopards are thriving. Pole and her cub Kijana have been seen in the woodland areas between Il Moran Camp and Little Governors’ Camp. Kijana is often sighted, much to the delight of our clients and guides, surveying his territory on the fringes of the marsh. The new large male (who may be the father of Kijana) has been making his presence felt in the woodlands near the BBC camp site. On the edge of the reserve, a young female has two very young cubs, which we estimate to be around two months old. There may be more cubs on the way as a male and female were seen mating near Governors’ Private Camp.

Back in Camp the butterflies have been an absolute delight. The bushes on the riverbanks have been flowering following the rains last month and are providing a feast for the butterflies that have been flitting around on the riverbanks in their hundreds. We have seen Mocker Swallowtails, Papilo Butterflies, Cirtrus Butterflies, Forest Mother of Pearl, Blue Sailors and Acraea Butterflies, just to name a few!

-----------there is still space in the Mara!!!!---------------------------

2008-05-27T05:17:00.000-07:00

***********Please Note that Kenya is still operating and is still NOT busy!!!*******

"Governors’ Camp Bird Report April 2008

With all the amazing bird sightings we have had this month we couldn’t resist a specialised bird report and this one is focused on “Widows and Whydahs”.

Widows and Whydahs are birds which, for most of the year, look rather like dull sparrows and are hardly noticeable at all. But when the rainy season starts, the males suddenly change colour, and within a few weeks their colour turns from brown to mostly black, hence ‘Widowbird’. The origin of the word ‘Whydah’ seems to have been lost. It is thought that it may be a corruption of the word ‘widow’, most whydahs have long black tails like a widow’s train, or it may be from the locality of Ouidah, on the West African coast where they were first found by Europeans in the cage bird trade. Another oddity of the Whydahs is that they are parasitic (like Cuckoos). These two families (or Widows and Whydahs) are endemic to Africa.

Just now, the rains in the Masai Mara have mostly finished and the grass is tall and green. The male widows and whydahs are very active courting and can easily be seen. The most obvious is the Pin-tailed Whydah. Several males with females can be seen along the road side between Governors’ Camp and Little Governors’ Camp. The male Pin-tailed Whydah is a striking black and white with a bright red bill and a long black tail. Its tail is three times as long has its body. The male Pin-tailed Whydah can be seen with a bouncing hovering flight above a female. The female sits on an obvious perch and the male hovers vigorously above her. During this time of the year the male Pin –tailed Whydah will attack any other bird that approaches his territory, even birds as large as doves are vigorously chased away. After mating, the female seeks out the nest of one of the waxbill family, in the Mara it is almost certainly the Common Waxbill and she lays her eggs in the waxbill’s nest.

Jackson’s Widowbird (named after Sir Fredrick Jackson who was a Governor of Kenya in colonial times), by comparison, is much more difficult to see. Male Jackson’s Widowbirds are mostly black with tawny-brown shoulders and a long, black, droopy curved tail. The males have a very interesting method of attracting their females. They flatten a small circular ring in the grass and then attempt to attract a female to it by repeatedly jumping up and down above it. When jumping, they arch most of their tail feathers until they are almost touching the back of the bird’s neck, while at the same time the males make a sizzling-like song. Very often several males will display close to each other and all one sees are a number of black objects momentarily appearing and disappearing above the top of the long grass as they jump up and down. A Jackson’s Widowbird will attract several females and he will build a nest for each of them. Two other Widowbirds can also be seen in the Mara, Red-collared Widowbird and the Fan-tailed Widowbird. The Red-collared is mainly black with a long tail, with a red collar which extends over its head, while the Fan-tailed widowbird is again mostly black but has a short tail. The Red-collared displays by flying low over the grass with slow wingbeats and with its tail curved downwards, they also sit on an obvious perch, fluff up their body feather, and make an almost metallic-sounding, rasping song. The Fan-tailed Widowbird again is mostly black, but has bright red shoulder patches and a short tail. When displaying they perch, showing off their red shoulder patches, and with their tail spread and neck feathers raised. When flying, they fly low over the grassland with slow wingbeats, again showing off their red shoulder patches.

The long tails of the Widowbirds must be a hindrance, making it much more difficult to fly and putting them in danger of a predator such as an Ovambo Sparrowhawk. So, why the long tail? One theory is that if a male can manage with a long cumbersome tail this may well attract the female who see a strong male as a better partner."

2008-05-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

please see the latest game reports from Governors' Camps in the Mara....

"Game Report April 2008

Little rain fell in April in the form of a few large rain storms towards the end of the month. Cool early mornings with temperatures of around 19 degrees C have given way to warm days with temperatures of up to 30 degrees C at midday. The combination of rain and sunshine has brought on a burst of growth and the grasses are long and lush with a profusion of beautiful wild flowers. Cycnium Tubolosum or the “Tissue Paper Flower”, covers the grass verges and the forest margins; nearby we have seen many Abutilon Mauritanium, which is yellow with a flower similar to that of a Hibiscus, Pavonia’s and Hibiscuses themselves. In the gullies the beautiful blue Ipomoea Cairica is blossoming and we have been treated to the magnificent sight of the flowers of the yellow and red Flame Lily (the aptly named Glorosia Superba). Out on the grasslands and especially up on Paradise Plain the beautiful red Klennia Abysinnica is blooming.

Three herds of Impala are now resident in the woodlands of the Marsh area together with good numbers of Defassa Waterbuck. A herd of sixteen giraffe are resident in the forests around the camps and are often seen browsing on the trees. Large breeding herds of elephant (counting up to fifty members in one herd) are in the Bila Shaka grass lands and the Musiara Marsh with many young calves, the youngest of which is just a week old! The abundance of soft grass is keeping the elephant herds well fed. During the rainy season their diet changes as the growth of fresh grass provides them with a wealth of necessary minerals. This also gives the precious trees of the riverine forests and the acacia woodlands a much needed respite.

With the arrival of the rains, the resident Bila Shaka / Marsh Pride male lions have had to patrol the boundaries of their territory continuously scent-marking the area as each rain storm washes the previous scent marks off. On the 18th of April we were entertaining some Tour Operators and they received a dramatic demonstration of this. We were driving back from Governors’ Camp to Little Governors’ Camp and came across the two Bila Shaka males lying across the middle of the road. One of the males got up, nonchalantly strolled past the vehicle and when he reached the back tyre he swung round, lifted his tail and liberally scent-sprayed the vehicle and its occupants! Quite an introduction to the Masai Mara! The rest of the pride is doing well. We have seen them feeding regularly on a hippo carcass and topi kills, and the females have been bringing their five cubs out into the grasslands to explore. Towards the end of the month the dark-maned lion Pavarotti was seen with an injury. We are unsure whether he received this fighting with the other two pride males over females in oestrus or with another lion, but I am happy to report that his wounds are healing although he is still limping a little.

The Ridge Pride of five lionesses and three sub adult males has also been doing well. Towards the end of the month they were seen on the carcass of a dead hippo semi-submerged in a muddy pool and they could only devour the top of the hippo. A couple of days later the rest of the hippo was consumed by around fifteen spotted hyena. We have also witnessed the males of the Ridge Pride digging hapless warthogs out of their bolt holes in the lower plains area.

We continue to have lovely sightings of the resident cheetahs. A lone male has been seen hunting on the plains and grasslands flats near the entrance to Little Governors’ Camp. Honey’s three adult male cubs continue to hunt up on the ridges and down in the gullies, and the female with her two thirteen month old cubs are doing well out on the grasslands. There is also a heavily pregnant female out on the plains looking for cover and a safe secure place to have her cubs, so we expect her to give birth anytime now.

The leopards resident to our area are also thriving, and many guests have been fortunate to see Pole Pole and her son Kijana. They continue to share the territory in the woodland area between Il Moran and Little Governors’, and a new large male has also been seen in the same riverine forest between these camps. There is also another resident male who‘s territory includes the forest further down-river between Governors’ Camp and Private Camp. We are privileged to have so many of the beautiful elusive cats on our “doorstep”. This is truly “Big Cat” country.
This month has been all about the birds, which have been extraordinary. The Musiara Marsh is such an important area for many bird species and this month they have all been out in force. Tens of thousands of European Barn Swallows on their migration to Europe have been roosting in the swamp every evening, and at dusk we have witnessed huge clouds of them diving and swooping over the grasslands adjacent to the swamp hunting grass-hoppers, crickets and small insects.

The first rains brought on a growth of grass which has now matured and produced seed, so there are many seed eaters coming to feed and breed. The abundance of nutritious food heralds the mating season as the chances of conception are increased, and we have been privileged to witness Red Collared Widow-birds, Fan Tailed Widow-birds, Pin Tailed Whydah’s and Yellow Mantled Widow-birds all transformed from their dull plumage into magnificent breeding plumage.

With the growth of the long grass the Weaver birds have been out harvesting grass to build their new nests. If the hen doesn’t like the new nest she dismantles it and makes the male rebuild it until she is happy with it and agrees to be his mate. The Widow-birds have been doing the same and the females have also been inspecting the male’s long breeding plumage tails to identify a good mate.

The abundance of insects, frogs, tad poles and fish has meant that there are lots of storks (Yellow Billed and Saddle Billed), Grey Herons, Fish Eagles and Sacred Ibis’ feasting in the swamp .

A solitary European Roller has been seen several times in the gully before Paradise Plains. This roller is a migrant from Europe and Asia, and visits this area between October and April before beginning his long migration north. This small bird has a magnificent bright blue head, throat, belly and wings.

The insects have also been busy. The ants and termites have been reproducing. The king and queen mate, then the queen lays the eggs, some of which are reproductive’s, some soldiers, and some are workers for the colony. The reproductives have wings and when they are ready they fly out of the nest, find a partner and then dig down into the ground to start their own colony. During the rainy season the ground is softer and for this reason the ants fly out during a rainstorm and then dig down into the soft earth. This whole reproductive cycle provides a feast for the birds, and we have seen lots of Sooty Chats parked on termite mounds all over our area waiting for these ant and termite reproductives to emerge."

for their camps and many others please visit our web site at www.kenyaodyssey.com

2008-04-15T08:05:00.000-07:00

a quick update on the game viewing in Kenya.....BARGAINS galore to be had with all of the camps still only running at %50 and the situation as stable as it has ever been!!!

"KICHECHE BUSH CAMP

'The brutal squalls and savage downpours of Easter have been chased away by a strong easterly and the final week of the season has seen the Mara at its most pristine. Good job too, as the camp has been full all week with some keen (but not geekish) photographers. One or two had thought of canceling due to the Western press painting with brushes as broad as John Prescott's waistline. Fortunately they understood that this was the optimum time and have been rewarded in spades. With Jonathan Scott in camp and our top guides champing at the bit there was never going to be a shortage of game but the cat sightings were remarkable.

Within the first three days the feline holy trinity of leopards, cheetahs and lions had been comprehensively fulfilled. Choose, if you will, from Mrembo chasing down a large impala above leopard gorge then feasting with her now almost adult boys. Alternatively the majestic matinee of Supuu walking her two cubs over a kilometre across the baize-like short grass below sundowner ridge, before leading them to a fresh impala dinner.

However if it is lions you are after the Kicheche Pride was in belligerent mood, keen not to disappoint and at sunrise two females sneaked up on an unsuspecting topi like hoodies around a cashpoint. Within seconds they and the big pride males were feasting on the steaming carcass. Like pallid Christians being marched into the Coliseum the mother then brought her two 14 week cubs into the abattoir before they slaked their thirst at a nearby waterhole. At the same time the enigmatic shy boys, these monster cheetahs with chests like Phil Vickery and shoulders to match were downing another adult topi. This smorgasbord of game was illuminated by skies and light only the Mara can deliver and with the plains emptier than a terminal 5 baggage carousel.

There can never have been a better time to be here. Crisis, what crisis, the Mara never lets anyone down, as one guest remarked 'I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a unicorn being chased by a leopard on a bicycle' - miracles take longer to achieve but only on the fabled grasslands of the Mara can they even be contemplated. 'Spot' will return in June."

PLEASE SEE OUR WEB SITE FOR FURTHER PRICES AND AVAILABILITY OR CALL ON 020 7471 8780

2008-04-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

GREAT GAME..NO PEOPLE!!! WHAT A GREAT TIME TO GO TO KENYA!!!!

please see the latest game report from Governors' Camps...

"Game Report March 2008

During most of March the weather in the Masai Mara remained hot and humid with cool mornings. Towards the end of the month the rains began to arrive. The rains are always much anticipated and bring a sense of renewal and vigor to the area. In response grasses on the plains and in the marsh have grown attracting families of elephant back across the Mara River and into the Musiara Marshlands.

The changing of the seasons has brought some of the largest Bull elephants into “Musth” and some of the older Bull elephants will remain in this state for the next 2- 3 months mating when they get the chance. Indeed we have seen some elephants already getting and taking that chance!

The branches of the magnificent Warburgia Ugandensis trees in the forest are heavy with fruit, much to the delight of feasting baboons, elephant families and Sykes monkeys. We often hear and see troops of Sykes Monkeys foraging in the forest canopy and along the river banks. One Sykes monkey had a close shave with a crocodile this month when he came down to the riverbank to drink, suddenly leaping back from the water’s edge to avoid a fatal snap from a lurking crocodile.

Rain showers have been filling up the marsh land and sending water gushing down small streams to new pools. Catfish have been caught up in these strong currents and swept into new lakes and pools where resident fish eagles have been enjoying feeding on the new arrivals. A large catfish was spotted swimming against the current back up a small stream. The catfish crossed the road keeping in a stream of running water, all the time getting closer to the quieter waters of the swamp. Two more catfish then followed wriggling from side to side and using their fins to propel them forward against the current. The first fish finally reached the swamp and with a flurry of energy wriggled in the swamp and disappeared, glad to have made it back to the calm deeper waters. This unusual migration was a delight to see.

On the verges of the Marsh a resident family of Defassa Waterbuck and their calves are thriving and there is also a satellite group of young males never far away. The luscious grasses of the marsh continue to attract good size breeding herds of impala and large troops of Olive Baboons. We have seen good numbers of Masai Giraffe throughout the Musiara Grasslands and within the woodlands around the camps and large solitary males wandering alone. The short grass plains continue to support herds of Topi and their 4 – 5 month old calves, Cokes Heartebeest, Thomson and Grants Gazelles.

Monogamous pairs of black backed jackals are out on the plains, and many female spotted hyenas have been seen with their cubs in dens. We tend to see more hyenas in the Koiyaki conservation area where there are less lion and therefore less competition. We continue to have sightings of Aardwolf, which are a treat as these nocturnal specialized Hyenids are truly shy creatures. We have also seen Serval Cats hunting in the long grasses.

The Bila Shaka and Marsh pride of Lions of three males, one of which is the dark maned lion “Pavarotti”, four breeding females and five two month old cubs and three young females, continues to thrive. The two mothers and their five young cubs are more mobile now, coming out of the croton thickets and frequently exploring the areas around our airstrip. They have been hunting well this month and on the 20th of March two of the pride were seen mating, so watch this space, the Bila Shaka pride may have new cubs in four months time if all has been successful.

The cheetah are also doing well, Honey’s three two year old male cubs continue to be seen up on the ridges, down on the plains and skirting the marsh. The female with two cubs about a year old continue to be seen on the grasslands and another pregnant female has been seen close to our area feeding frequently on Thomson Gazelle fawns and warthog piglets.

The leopards of our part of the Mara have also been doing well this month; Pole Pole and her son Kijana continue to be seen in the woodland near our camps, sometimes together and sometimes apart; Kijana still preferring his mother’s territory over establishing his own independence. Clients of Governors’ had a wonderful sighting this month when Kijana came out to the edge of the swamp and caught a cat-fish, He dragged it out of the water and sat on a dry patch of ground nearby looking very proud of himself and his achievement. With Kijana’s attention elsewhere momentarily the cat-fish made a break for freedom and wriggled back to the swamp whereupon Kijana bounded after it but to no avail. The cat-fish had a lucky escape and Kijana learnt a valuable lesson.

Finally on the feathered front, we were delighted and a little surprised to see a group of Lesser Flamingoes in the swamp on the last day of the month. This is not the first time we have seen flamingos here, indeed our drivers named this area “Lake Nakuru”, the last time a flock of migrating lesser flamingoes decided to stop over here.

We hope to share the magic of our corner of the Mara with you sometime soon."

If you would like to know anything more about either the Governors' Camps or anywhere else in keny then please get in touch with us on either 0044 (0)207 471 8780 or by email on info@kenyaodyssey.com

we look forward to hearing from you!!

2008-03-06T05:22:00.000-08:00

Governors' Camp Game report

Game Report February 2008

We have had another wonderful month of Game Viewing here in the Governors’ area of the Masai Mara.

Rain arrived early in the month and brought a green flush to the grasslands which were drying out due to the high winds. The rains brought on a beautiful blossoming of wild flowers on the plains, cycnium tubolosum (white tissue paper flower) was seen everywhere. We also saw the yellow flowers of abuliton mauritanium, the blue wandering dew flower (commelina) and the orange and peach cossandras. These wildflowers bring colour to the plains and are always a delight to see.

The zebras have been crossing the Mara River back and forth this month and then spreading out on the plains to graze. Last year a large area of the Mara was burnt in a bush fire and the lush new growth is now attracting large numbers of plains game including Thomson and Grants Gazelles, Topis, Impala, Cokes Heartebeest and warthogs. The warthog families have lots of piglets on the plains this month and many have proved too easy a meal for the resident prides of lion.

The Bila Shaka and Marsh pride of lions have been doing well this month. It seems the three new dominant males (including Pavarotti the dark- maned male) have sired new offspring. Two of the females (including ‘one eye’) have five cubs which we estimate to be around a month old. Their eyes are now open and they are wobbling around on little legs. Their mothers keep them well hidden and away from danger in the croton thickets. On the 16th of February guests witnessed the pride devouring a hippo carcass and a few days later they were seen on a zebra Kill.

The Paradise or Ridge Pride is also thriving. This is a large pride with three males, five females and eleven cubs that we regularly see in the Paradise plains area and near the riverine woodlands. There are a further two females, three young cubs (who we estimate to be around two months old), six sub adult cubs and one male from the pride, who have now moved to the other side of the Mara River.

We have had lots of wonderful cheetah sightings this month, Honey and her three male cubs (23 months old) have been seen on the plains and the areas south of the Talek River and the three males have been seen hunting up on the ridges and down on the plains. Another female was seen this month on Paradise plains where she successfully hunted an impala only to lose the entire kill to a hungry hyena.

The leopards are also doing well this month, Pole Pole (pictured above) and her son Kijana have been seen in the Riverine forests near Little Governors’. Zawadi and her cub has been seen out on the plains and another female with two large cubs that (we estimate to be 20 months old) have been seen in the rocky croton thickets near the Mara River, her cubs are old enough now to move on (leopard cubs usually leave their mothers at around 18 months) so we expect that they will part company soon.

Jackman and the other black rhino we saw in December and January continue to be seen; these black rhino love to browse on croton bushes and are often hidden away from view in the thickets. Guests were thrilled when they recently witnessed these two chasing one another out on the plains.

The Musiara marsh and riverine woodlands have been popular with the elephant families again this month. Many of these family units have very young calves which is always a good sign of health in elephant herds, since the females will often miss oestrus cycles when stressed.

We have had some lovely walking safaris this month with guests seeing family units of elephant and herds of up to twenty giraffe in the acacia woodland. An aardwolf has been seen on a few occasions just after dawn and many Tawny eagles have been seen nesting.

We have had great bird sightings again this month Pallid and Montagu Harriers continue to be seen all over the grasslands, they have been here for sometime now and we believe they are wintering with us. On the 27th of February our guests were treated to a sight of twenty lesser kestrels, which was fantastic. Out on the plains we have seen many Abdim Storks and back in the camps we have heard the calls of banded snake eagles.

more to follow....if you would like to take a look at video footage for any of the lodges then please visit our main site at http://www.kenyaodyssey.com/

2008-02-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

***********NEWS FLASH**********************************************************

Breaking News - Kenyan Coalition Government Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga have signed an agreement in a ceremony in Nairobi. Both leaders put their signatures to a power-sharing deal brokered by Kofi Annan. "We have come to an understanding on the coalition agreement. We do have an agreement," he said.

A coalition government comprising members of the current ruling party and opposition will now be formed. The constitution will now be changed to incorporate a Vice-President, a Prime Minister and two deputy Prime Ministers. Parliament will reconvene on 06 March at which time this constitution change will take place.

2008-02-19T05:19:00.000-08:00

Game Report January 2008 from Governors' Camps in the Mara.

The wonderful wildlife viewing that we experienced in January carried on well into February. The sheer amount of wildlife along Rhino Ridge and the adjoining plains was astonishing. There were large numbers of Wildebeest accompanied by Zebra, many with very young foals, plus herds of Topi, Coke’s Hartebeest (Kongoni), Grant’s and Thompson’s Gazelle and surprising numbers of Eland, which is always a lovely sight. A large herd of more than two hundred Buffalo have also become resident in this area. Towards the end of the month many of the Zebra and Wildebeest crossed the Mara River and headed south towards the Serengeti (most have since returned during February). On the 24th our guests witnessed a dramatic crossing of the Mara River by Zebra and Wildebeest. This provided an unexpected bonus to the resident crocodiles when one Zebra was taken by a very large crocodile.

Along the edge of the riverine forest and close to the Musiara Swamp, Giraffe, Impala, Waterbuck, and, of course, Elephant were seen daily in good numbers as usual. A feature of the Elephant herds at the moment is the large numbers of very young babies, which is always a delight to see.

Normally guests at Little Governors are treated to the sight of elephant in the swamp in front of Little Governors but this month our guests were delighted one morning in January when two black Rhinos also visited the swamp . Quite a sighting from the morning breakfast table!

With this large amount of wildlife it is no surprise that cat sightings have been so good. The Marsh Pride and Ridge Prides were seen most days and a female with two small cubs has been seen on a number of occasions. Cheetah sightings have also been extremely good with sightings every day. The three brothers have provided guests with lots of photographic opportunities, with guests getting great shots of them hunting. On at least two occasions they have successfully killed fully grown Topi. Topi are quite a large antelope, reputed to be the fastest antelope, so for the brothers to be successful with such a large antelope is quite an achievement. It is a good illustration that co-operative hunting is so much more successful. Other Cheetahs seen in our area are a female with two male cubs and at least two other lone females. Leopard sightings again were good during the month and a particular highlight for our clients on walking safaris was large male, seen in the walking area.
We were delighted to welcome back Brian and Annabelle Jackman to Little Governors' in January, and they had some wonderful predator sightings and general game viewing during their two day stay . For those of you who don't know Brian, he is the doyen of safari travel writers in the UK and a great friend of Little Governors '. On a game drive together with Aris (our Managing Director) and his wife Romi, they witnessed the three brother cheetahs succesfully hunt a young wildebeest, then came across a beautiful black - maned lion lying across a mound surveying his territory and six female lionesses who were hunting in it. One of these females spotted the three brother cheetahs and stole their kill. The black - maned lion produced a impressive roar, and Brian and Aris duly named him " Pavarotti " . The naming didnt stop there; Brian also named the resident male leopard “Kijana” (which translates from Swahili as " young man” ), because despite the fact that he is fully grown, he shares his mother's territory between Il Moran, Governors’ Camp and the Musiara Swamp (“Lake Nakuru”) and they are often seen together. Indeed we have had regular sightings of them this month. On the Jackmans second afternoon game drive, after the privilege of watching a Serval Cat hunting rodents on Rhino Ridge, they were heading back to camp at sunset when they came across a very large male leopard which had not been seen before, according to Stanley, our head driver-guide at Little Governors' . The leopard was sitting on a large rock over looking the Mara plains and as the light was fading fast they couldn't identify any special features to gives this magnificent animal a name. We will keep this naming priviledge for Brian and Annabelle ' s next visit. One afternoon whilst the Jackmans were enjoying an afternoon siesta a black rhino was seen browsing near their tent at Little Governors'. What Brian does not know is that we have now named the rhino " Jackman " and requested Mara Conservancy , whose area Little Governors ' is situated in , to adopt this name as well. After fantastic game viewing on the safari Brian remarked to Aris that "the area of the Masai Mara in which we did all our game drives must be the predator capital of the world" , a quote he was happy for us to use. He also commented that it was such a pity that so many people, who had planned a holiday of a lifetime, had to cancel their visits to this beautiful country, particularly as no tourist had been harmed in any way during these sad times for Kenya.
We have had wonderful bird sightings in January. On the open plains we have seen Pallid and Montagu’s’ Harriers flying low over the grass, hunting large insects and small rodents. Among the Wildebeest and Zebra herds were many Yellow Wagtails. These migrants from Europe love to forage at the feet of the herds, where they feed on insects disturbed by the many hoofs. Other migrants feeding in the grass with the herds were Caspian Plovers and some of the males were in partial breeding colour. These Plovers, as their name suggests, breed in the Caspian Sea area and winter in Africa as far south as South Africa.

2008-02-01T06:35:00.000-08:00

Thursday 31st January 2008 3.30 p.m.

Murder of MP today in Eldoret
It was reported that an ODM opposition MP, Mr David Kimutai Too, was shot dead in Eldoret this morning. Some international media reports have appeared claiming that Mr Too was shot by police at a road-block.

However the Kenya Police have now issued a statement indicating that the shooting of the ODM opposition MP today appears to be a “crime of passion” and that the correct details are as follows:

- At 10:00 am Eldoret Police Station received a report that a policewoman who was in the company of a man had been shot by a colleague in the town of Eldoret.

- Police moved to the scene and commenced investigations where they established that at about 09:30 am PC Eunice Chepkwony was picked up by a man outside the police station in a vehicle and that they drove off towards a hotel. The policewoman’s boyfriend, another Police constable, PC Andrew Maoche, then trailed them on a motorcycle.

- PC Eunice Chepkwony and her companion stopped outside the hotel and as they were about to enter PC Maoche approached the couple and fired several shots at them. The man died on the way to Hospital while PC Eunice Chepkwony was admitted in serious condition.

- Later it was established that the deceased is Hon. David Kimutai Too, the MP for Ainamoi Constituency.

- PC Andrew Maoche has been arrested and will appear in court tomorrow charged with murder.

We hope that the international media will correct their reports to avoid creating the impression that this incident was linked to post-election unrest.

Other than some initial anxiety over speculation about the motives for the killing of the MP Hon Kimutai Too, which has now been allayed by the statement issued quickly by the Kenya Police, the situation throughout the country has been calm today with no reports of any disturbances or violence linked to the post-election crisis as at 3.30 p.m. today.

Nairobi: The situation within the city of Nairobi was all calm and normal today.

Tourist areas:
The main tourist areas at the beach resorts and the safari circuit continue to receive international tourist visitors as usual and the current situation is as follows:

Mombasa and coast: There are no problems at any of the beach resorts and the roads between Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Nyali, Bamburi, Mombasa, Diani, Galu, Msambweni are all open and reported to have no problems.

The international airport at Mombasa is operating as normal with both charter flights and daily scheduled services flying in and there is no problem with access to the airport on the roads from the north and south of Mombasa. The ferry at Likoni is operating as normal for tourists travelling to the south coast.

Safaris: All the national parks and wildlife reserves are operating as normal with most camps and lodges open for business. The roads linking the parks and reserves are all open and conditions are normal with the exception of roads through Naivasha town.

For tourist vehicles travelling by road to the Mara, the road passing Narok town is a stretch of approximately 4 kms and is now being monitored by a permanent security patrol to ensure that there are no problems for tourist vehicles. For the past week tourist vehicles have been driving along this route from Nairobi to the Mara daily without any problem and latest reports indicate that the road is open and that traffic is moving freely.

The route to the Mara is south from Narok and drivers do not need to drive north to Bomet which is within the area recommended as off-limits to tourists.

Areas to avoid
The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to monitor the security situation to ensure that any areas considered unsafe for tourists are avoided. While the beach resorts, the safari circuit, the airports in Nairobi and the highways between them to the Nairobi international hotels are considered safe for visitors at the present time, the following areas are off-limits for tourists until further notice.

Naivasha and Nakuru
Following the recent clashes between rival groups in and around Naivasha and Nakuru, the roads have been open to traffic for the past three days and the police have restored order. However the Kenya Tourism Federation recommends that road safaris through Naivasha town and on by road to Lake Nakuru should be suspended for the present time while we monitor the situation and until we can confirm that peace and calm have been fully restored once again in the area.

Air safaris may continue to Lake Nakuru National Park using the airstrips next to the park in the Congreve Conservancy or at Lanet. The Warden of Lake Nakuru National Park has confirmed that all is calm within the park and that tourist visitors have not been affected by the clashes beyond Nakuru. Lake Nakuru Park remains secure and safe for visitors with KWS rangers on duty.

Western Kenya, areas off-limits for tourists: In addition to Naivasha and Nakuru, the Kenya Tourism Federation continues to recommend that for the time being visitors should avoid the following areas where there have been sporadic incidents of civil unrest in recent weeks; Nyanza Province, Western Province, and the western area of Rift Valley Province including roads to the north of Narok to Bomet, Sotik and Njoro, the areas surrounding Kericho, Molo, Londiani, Nandi Hills and Eldoret.

These places are not normally visited by tourists and members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided these areas since the onset of the post-election problems

2008-01-31T07:46:00.001-08:00

Please find below the Kenya Tourism Federation’s security update and advice on travel to specific geographical areas within Kenya:

KENYA Tourism Federation with Kenya Tourist Board Daily Security Updates

Thursday 31st January 2008

Shooting of MP today in Eldoret:
It was reported that an ODM opposition MP, Mr David Kimutai Too, was shot dead in Eldoret this morning. Some international media reports have appeared claiming that Mr Too was shot by police at a road-block. However the Kenya Police have now issued a statement indicating that the shooting of the ODM opposition MP today appears to be a “crime of passion” and that the correct details are as follows:
• At 10:00 am Eldoret Police Station received a report that a policewoman who was in the company of a man had been shot by a colleague in the town of Eldoret.
• Police moved to the scene and commenced investigations where they established that at about 09:30 am PC Eunice Chepkwony was picked up by a man outside the police station in a vehicle and that they drove off towards a hotel. The policewoman’s boyfriend, another Police constable, PC Andrew Maoche, then trailed them on a motorcycle.
• PC Eunice Chepkwony and her companion stopped outside the hotel and as they were about to enter PC Maoche approached the couple and fired several shots at them. The man died on the way to Hospital while PC Eunice Chepkwony was admitted in serious condition.
• Later it was established that the deceased is Hon. David Kimutai Too, the MP for Ainamoi Constituency.
• PC Andrew Maoche has been arrested and will appear in court tomorrow charged with murder.
We hope that the international media will correct their reports to avoid creating the impression that this incident was linked to post-election unrest.

Other than some initial anxiety over speculation about the motives for the killing of the MP Hon Kimutai Too, which has now been allayed by the statement issued quickly by the Kenya Police, the situation throughout the country has been calm today with no reports of any disturbances or violence linked to the post-election crisis as at 3.30 p.m. today.

Nairobi: The situation within the city of Nairobi was all calm and normal today.

Tourist areas:
The main tourist areas at the beach resorts and the safari circuit continue to receive international tourist visitors as usual and the current situation is as follows:

Mombasa and coast: there are no problems at any of the beach resorts and the roads between Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Nyali, Bamburi, Mombasa, Diani, Galu, Msambweni are all open and reported to have no problems. The international airport at Mombasa is operating as normal with both charter flights and daily scheduled services flying in and there is no problem with access to the airport on the roads from the north and south of Mombasa. The ferry at Likoni is operating as normal for tourists travelling to the south coast.

For visitors to Mombasa and the Coast: all has been calm and normal for over a week now but it is recommended to avoid going to the following areas in Mombasa at the present time: Majengo, Tonononka, and Bondeni. Sporadic demonstrations had occurred previously in these areas. Mombasa is an island and not a beach resort and the areas mentioned can be avoided by tourist vehicles transferring from the airport to the beach resorts on the north and south mainland.

Safaris: all the national parks and wildlife reserves are operating as normal with most camps and lodges open for business. The roads linking the parks and reserves are all open and conditions are normal with the exception of roads through Naivasha town (see below). For tourist vehicles travelling by road to the Mara, the road passing Narok town is a stretch of approximately 4 klms and is now being monitored by a permanent security patrol to ensure that there are no problems for tourist vehicles. For the past week tourist vehicles have been driving along this route from Nairobi to the Mara daily without any problem and latest reports indicate that the road is open and that traffic is moving freely. The route to the Mara is south from Narok and drivers do not need to drive north to Bomet which is within the area recommended as off-limits to tourists (see below).

Areas which should be avoided for the time being
The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to monitor the security situation to ensure that any areas considered unsafe for tourists are avoided. While the beach resorts, the safari circuit, the airports in Nairobi and the highways between them to the Nairobi international hotels are considered safe for visitors at the present time, the following areas are off-limits for tourists until further notice:

Naivasha and Nakuru
Following the recent clashes between rival groups in and around Naivasha and Nakuru, the roads have been open to traffic for the past three days and the police have restored order. However the Kenya Tourism Federation recommends that road safaris through Naivasha town and on by road to Lake Nakuru should be suspended for the present time while we monitor the situation and until we can confirm that peace and calm have been fully restored once again in the area.
Air safaris may continue to Lake Nakuru National Park using the airstrips next to the park in the Congreve Conservancy or at Lanet. The Warden of Lake Nakuru National Park has confirmed that all is calm within the park and that tourist visitors have not been affected by the clashes beyond Nakuru. Lake Nakuru Park remains secure and safe for visitors with KWS rangers on duty.

Western Kenya: In addition to Naivasha and Nakuru, the Kenya Tourism Federation continues to recommend that for the time being visitors should avoid the following areas where there have been sporadic incidents of civil unrest in recent weeks: Nyanza Province, Western Province, and the western area of Rift Valley Province including roads to the north of Narok to Bomet, Sotik and Njoro, the areas surrounding Kericho, Molo, Londiani, Nandi Hills and Eldoret. These places are not normally visited by tourists and members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided these areas since the onset of the post-election problems. Currently the situation in these areas is reported to be calm.

For visitors to Nairobi it is recommended that the high density housing estates and slums should be avoided, including Eastleigh, Mathare, Huruma, and Kibera but tourists have always been advised to keep away from these areas.

Political developments
Talks are expected to continue today in Nairobi between the political leadership of both sides with Kofi Annan mediating.

With regards to air travel to, and within Kenya, we can communicate the following:

Scheduled airline services to Nairobi
British Airways is still operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. There have been some revisions to both the Virgin Atlantic Airways timetable (with passengers on occasional flights moved to other dates of travel or carriers) and Kenya Airways which may not operate certain day time flights but will continue to operate their daily evening departures. For details please contact the appropriate carrier. KLM (flying via Amsterdam) advise that there may be certain route changes but its daily departures to Nairobi continue and Swiss services via Zurich and Brussels Airlines via Brussels also continue as normal. All airlines now confirm that their ‘liberal’ reservations policies on Nairobi flights will be extended until February 15th.

All international passengers continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations and domestic flights by all carriers continue as normal with some cancellations due to low passenger loads.

2008-01-28T09:42:00.001-08:00

Kenya Situational Update as at 16.00 GMT Monday 28th January 2008

Following the removal of the FCO ban on all but essential travel to Kenya on Saturday 19th January, the overall level of the travel advice remains the same and continues to recommend that visitors do not go to certain areas of the country. We suggest that you continue to constantly review both the recommendations of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Ireland and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories in the United Kingdom.
www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie
www.fco.gov.uk

Please find below the Kenya Tourism Federation’s security update and advice on travel to specific geographical areas within Kenya:

Following the events reported by the media that the Rift Valley Province experienced some clashes in the communities within Nakuru and the adjacent area surrounding Naivasha. Police and the paramilitary security are in Naivasha to bring the situation under control. Tourist vehicles which were due to drive from Lake Nakuru to hotels at Lake Naivasha were advised to stay at Lake Nakuru National Park. The Lake Nakuru national Park remains secure and safe for visitors with KWS rangers on duty.

It is recommended that tourist vehicles use the main highway to Lake Nakuru and avoid any travel through Naivasha town. The town of Nakuru is also to be avoided with all safaris accessing and exiting via the Lanet Gate.

The situation throughout the rest of the country remains calm as per the description below.

The Kenya Tourism Federation continues to recommend that for the time being visitors should avoid the following areas:
Nyanza Province, Western Province, and the western area of Rift Valley Province including roads to the north of Narok to Bomet, Sotik and Njoro, the areas surrounding Kericho, Molo, Londiani, Nandi Hills and Eldoret. These places are not normally visited by most tourists and members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators have avoided these areas since the onset of the post-election problems.

For visitors to Nairobi it is recommended that the high density housing estates and slums should be avoided, including Eastleigh, Mathare, Huruma and Kibera but tourists have always been advised to keep away from these areas.

For visitors to the Coast it is recommended to avoid going into Mombasa “old town” at the present time as some sporadic demonstrations have occurred previously in this area. There are no problems at any of the beach resorts and the roads between Malindi, Watamu, Kilifi, Nyali, Bamburi, Mombasa, Diani, Galu, Msambweni are all open and reported to have no problems. Mombasa is an island and not a beach resort and the “old town” area can be avoided by tourist vehicles transferring from the airport to the beach resorts on the north and south mainland. The Likoni ferry continues to operate as usual carrying traffic to the south coast.

For tourist vehicles travelling to the Mara, the road passing Narok town is a stretch of approximately 4 kms and is now being monitored by a permanent security patrol to ensure that there are no problems for tourist vehicles. For the past week tourist vehicles have been driving along this route from Nairobi to the Mara daily without a problem and it is reported that the road is open and that traffic is moving freely. The route to the Mara is south from Narok and drivers do not need to drive north to Bomet which is within the area recommended as off-limits to tourists.
Jake Grieves-Cook, Spokesman, Kenya Tourism Federation

2008-01-22T11:02:00.000-08:00

In response to the British Foreign Office down-grading its travel advisory on Kenya, The Funzi Keys has introduced a special offer for new bookings staying between 21st January and 21st April 2008

** stay 4 nights for the price of 3 **

For reservations and enquiries please contact central reservations

Kenya Odyssey at 020 7471 8780 or info@kenyaodyssey.com

This offer is only valid for new bookings made from 21st January 2008 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers.

Standard terms and conditions apply

2008-01-22T11:01:00.001-08:00

Kenya Situational Update as at 17.00 GMT Tuesday 22nd January 2008

Following the removal of the FCO ban on all but essential travel to Kenya on Saturday 19th January, the overall level of the travel advice remains the same and continues to recommend that visitors do not go to certain areas of the country. We suggest that you continue to constantly review both the recommendations of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Ireland and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories in the United Kingdom.
www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie
www.fco.gov.uk

Today’s security update (below) gives more information about these regions. We continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya and the daily Situational Updates from the Kenya Tourist Board in association with the Kenya Tourism Federation. These will be issued for the foreseeable future.

o The scheduled carriers - British Airways is still operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. There have been some revisions to both the Virgin Atlantic Airways timetable (with passengers on occasional flights moved to other dates of travel or carriers) and Kenya Airways which may not operate certain day time flights but will continue to operate their daily evening departures. For details please contact the appropriate carrier. KLM (flying via Amsterdam) advise that there may be certain route changes but its daily departures to Nairobi continue and Swiss services via Zurich and Brussels Airlines via Brussels also continue as normal.
o All international passengers continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations and domestic flights by all carriers continue as normal with some cancellations due to low passenger loads.

Today in Kenya

Tuesday 22nd January 2008: Security Update: 6.00 p.m.

“Today Nairobi was calm and all was operating as normal, apart from an incident this morning when a small crowd gathered in the city centre and attempted to hold a demonstration in support of the President. This was quickly dispersed by the police and all quickly returned to normal. There were no reports of any injuries and no tourists were reported to be in the vicinity of this demonstration. No problems were reported today in the Nairobi slums. The airports operated as normal and all roads were open as usual.

Mombasa and the coastal areas: all calm and quiet with business as usual in Mombasa town and all roads open as normal.

No problems were reported in any of the wildlife parks and reserves, with all tourist routes open for traffic as normal to all the leading parks and reserves including the Mara, Lake Nakuru, Aberdares, Laikipia, Samburu, Meru, Mt Kenya, Amboseli, Tsavo, Shimba Hills and the community wildlife conservancies.

Once again there were no reports of any problems affecting tourists staying in Nairobi hotels, beach resorts, on safari, or transferring between airports and hotels.

The scenes of violent demonstrations and confrontations with police which have been frequently screened on international TV networks during the last fortnight have been sporadic and isolated, confined to certain parts of Kenya and have not occurred across the whole country. They have largely taken place in some of Nairobi’s slums and areas of Western Kenya around Kisumu-Kericho-Eldoret which are not often visited by tourists. These areas are at present off-limits for tourists and have been avoided by tour operators since the onset of the post-election crisis. The tourist resorts and wildlife parks have been unaffected and tourists continue to visit these areas without a problem.

The arrival of Kofi Annan is expected today and it is hoped that he will be able to assist as a mediator between both sides in the current political impasse to achieve an early settlement.

The British Travel Advisory was amended on Saturday so that it is no longer a blanket “non-essential travel” warning against the whole of Kenya and applies only to specific locations, in line with our own recommendations, and on similar lines to the US and German government advisories.” Jake Grieves-Cook, Spokesman, Kenya Tourism Federation

2008-01-21T01:30:00.000-08:00

Kenya Situational Update as at 21.00 GMT Saturday 19th January 2008

The Kenya Tourist Board welcome today’s news that the level of travel advice from the British Government has been lowered so removing any real or perceived bar to travel to most of Kenya.

The Travel Advisory though continues to recommend that visitors don’t go to certain areas of the country so we suggest that you continue to constantly review both the recommendations of the Department of Foreign Affairs in the Republic of Ireland and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories in the United Kingdom.

Today’s security update (below) gives more information about these regions. We continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya and these daily Situational Updates from the Kenya Tourist Board in association with the Kenya Tourism Federation will be issued for the foreseeable future.

o Today’s report from the Kenya Tourism Federation’s Operations Office (which is always on 24 hour watch) and their monitors around the country shows a calmer situation on Saturday. We shall continue to monitor the situation over this weekend. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories are being constantly updated. These sites should be referred to frequently.
www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie
www.fco.gov.uk
o The scheduled carriers - British Airways is still operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. There have been some revisions to both the Virgin Atlantic Airways timetable (with passengers on occasional flights moved to other dates of travel or carriers) and Kenya Airways which may not operate certain day time flights but will continue to operate their daily evening departures. For details please contact the appropriate carrier. KLM (flying via Amsterdam) advise that there may be certain route changes but its daily departures to Nairobi continue and Swiss services via Zurich and Brussels Airlines via Brussels also continue as normal.
o Some British operators have withdrawn from the weekly charter flown by Monarch Airlines and passengers are being placed on other carriers. The announcement states that the charter series will recommence in April
o All international passengers continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations and domestic flights by all carriers continue as normal with some cancellations due only to low loads.

Today in Kenya

Saturday 19th January 2008: Security Update: 4.00 p.m. local time

Following the announcement yesterday by the ODM opposition party that they had called off any further street protests, calm has returned to those areas in Kenya which had experienced demonstrations in the previous three days.

All the tourist resorts and the wildlife parks were unaffected and continued to operate as normal. The routes connecting the parks are also open and all is calm with traffic moving as normal. The route to the Mara which was affected by demonstrations at Narok in the last two days is open and calm and tourist vehicles have driven on this route today with no sign of any problem.

As a result of the ending of the street protests, the British government issued a revised Travel Advisory today, removing the blanket “non-essential travel” advice against visiting Kenya so British visitors coming to Kenya will have no problems with matters such as insurance.

Over the last two weeks the Kenya Tourism Federation has been consistently advising that the main tourist areas have not experienced problems affecting foreign visitors but that certain places should be considered off-limits for tourists at the present time such as the slums around Nairobi and the Kisumu-Kericho-Eldoret area of Western Kenya. The revised British government travel advice takes the same approach, warning against travel to specific areas of Kenya. These are Western Kenya including Kisumu, and parts of Rift Valley province including Kericho and Eldoret. At the coast the British Travel Advisory indicates that Mombasa town should be avoided.

We can confirm that the areas mentioned in Western Kenya are already being avoided by Kenyan tour operators. In Nairobi the airports and the main highways to the hotels are secure and open so that tourist vehicles are able to transfer between the airports and hotels without a problem and we are clarifying the British government advisory in this respect.

At the coast, the routes between the airports and the beach resorts are open and secure and have continued to have tourist traffic daily without any problem throughout the last two weeks. Mombasa town is on the island of Mombasa and is not a beach resort but mainly a commercial area with shops and offices. The beach resorts on the mainland north and south of Mombasa including Msambweni, Galu, Diani, Bamburi, Nyali, Shanzu, Kikambala, Kilifi and on to Watamu, Malindi and Lamu are all calm and the highways linking them are all open and secure. Tourists have been staying at the beach resorts throughout the last fortnight without any problems and all have travelled between the airports and their beach hotels without any incidents being reported.

Now that both the USA and the UK along with the Republic of Germany have Travel Advisories which allow travel to Kenya, with specific advice to avoid certain areas, we hope that the Travel Advice of other governments will be revised accordingly.

Tourists continue to experience a warm welcome from Kenyans as always and we are receiving very positive comments from the visitors in the country at the moment. It is important for the many thousands of Kenyans who are involved in earning a livelihood from tourism that we continue to receive visitors so that our tourism industry can keep playing an important role contributing to the national economy and creating benefits for the ordinary people of this country. Tourism is also vital if our wildlife parks are to continue conserving some of the world’s last great concentrations of wildlife and endangered species. Although tourism has continued to operate as usual over the last fortnight, we have experienced a big drop in tourist arrivals since the imposition of travel warnings and the subsequent temporary cessation of some of the charter flights into Mombasa. This has caused a decline in occupancies at all our tourist facilities, threatening the future of the tourism industry, but the removal of the non-essential travel warning by the British is a step in the right direction and will mean that tourist arrivals should now start returning to normal.

This is a great time to be on safari in Kenya or enjoying our Indian Ocean beaches!” Jake Grieves-Cook, Spokesman, Kenya Tourism Federation

2008-01-18T10:01:00.001-08:00

The latest from Kenya....

"Kenya Situational Update as at 17.00 GMT Friday 18th January 2008

We feel sure that everyone is aware of events in Kenya over the last three weeks. It would be difficult to avoid the media coverage be it on TV, radio, the web or in newspapers. The intention with our daily statements is to give an overview of the situation within the main areas frequented by UK visitors to Kenya. Our aim, of course, is to promote tourism for the benefit of all our visitors and, most importantly, for the benefit of all Kenyans. In that connection we welcome today’s news (detailed in this bulletin) that there is no fresh call for demonstrations.
The situation remains the same in terms of Department of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories and we continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya on the situation.

o Following the opening of Parliament on Tuesday, rallies and demonstrations have been staged in some of the main cities of Kenya but, in the main, well away from the main tourist areas. These rallies have continued today but a public announcement this morning was made stating that they would end today (Friday). We shall continue to monitor the situation over the weekend. Therefore the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisories are being constantly updated. These sites should be referred to frequently.
www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie
www.fco.gov.uk
o The scheduled carriers - British Airways is still operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. There have been some revisions to both the Virgin Atlantic Airways timetable (with passengers on occasional flights moved to other dates of travel or carriers) and Kenya Airways which may not operate certain day time flights but will continue to operate their daily evening departures. For details please contact the appropriate carrier. KLM (flying via Amsterdam) advise that there may be certain routing changes but its daily departures to Nairobi continue and Swiss services via Zurich and Brussels Airlines via Brussels also continue as normal.
o Some British operators have withdrawn from the weekly charter flown by Monarch Airlines and passengers are being placed on other carriers. The announcement states that the charter series will recommence in April
o All international flights continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations.

Today in Kenya

Friday 18th January 2008: Security Update: 7.00 p.m local time.

“As of now the reports we have received from around the country are as follows:

Mombasa and coast:
Demonstrations started after the Friday prayers and crowds of demonstrators across Mombasa were involved in skirmishes and confrontations with riot police. Tear gas was fired and police shot in the air to disperse the crowds. It was reported that one person had died and five were injured. By late afternoon calm had been restored. No tourists were caught up in the demonstrations as tour operators ensured that the areas where the demonstrations took place were avoided. The airports operated as normal.

Nairobi:
There were some skirmishes in the city centre and crowds were dispersed by the heavy police presence. Once again the slum areas of Nairobi at Kibera and Mathare were reported to have had violent confrontations between demonstrators and police with shots being fired. Reports have not yet been received of any injuries.

The Nairobi airports at Jomo Kenyatta International and Wilson operated as usual with no disruption to flights. A strong police presence ensured that the highways between the Nairobi hotels and the airports were kept open and the Kibera demonstrators did not move beyond the slum area. There were no reports of tourists being inconvenienced or affected by street demonstrations.

Up-country:
Narok: There were reports of further demonstrations in the town with crowds of opposition supporters confronting police. At least one person was reported to have been killed in fighting between rival groups.

Kisumu: It was reported that the level of disturbances decreased today.

The ODM leadership announced today that they would call off any further street protests from now on. This means that peace and calm should be restored quickly in the areas where violent demonstrations have been taking place over the last three days and it is expected that things will be back to normal soon. The tourism industry has been operating as usual throughout this period and the Kenya Tourism Federation 24 hour Safety & Communication Centre has been monitoring events throughout to ensure that tour operators are able to avoid any areas where demonstrations occur. ” Jake Grieves-Cook, KTF Spokesman"

2008-01-17T09:38:00.000-08:00

"Thursday 17th January 2008: Security Update: 7.00 p.m local time.

“As of now the reports we have received from around the country are as follows:

Mombasa and coast:
There were no reports today of any demonstrations or attempts to stage rallies in Mombasa or the coast area and no reports of any confrontations between protesters and police other than small groups holding placards. All remained calm and all roads were open as normal.

Nairobi:
There were some minor skirmishes in the city centre and the Kilimani area of Narobi when crowds were dispersed by the heavy police presence but with no reports of any injuries. Traffic continued as normal in Nairobi including buses and public commuter minibuses (matatus).

The situation was different in the slum areas of Nairobi at Kibera, Kariobangi and Mathare where there were reports once again today of violent confrontations between demonstrators and police with shots being fired. Reports have not yet been received of any injuries.

The Nairobi airports at Jomo Kenyatta International and Wilson operated as normal with no disruption to flights. A strong police presence ensured that the highways between the Nairobi hotels and the airports were kept open and the Kibera demonstrations were prevented from moving beyond the slum area.

Up-country:
Narok: There were reports of demonstrations in the town and barricades being erected and fires lit by demonstrators confronting police. A number of tourist vehicles drove through Narok and were aware of the gathering protesters but there were no reports of any incidents involving tourists. The Kenya Tourism Federation Safety & Communications Centre is monitoring the situation along the route to Narok to ensure that safari operators are kept informed.

Kisumu: Once again there were violent confrontations between demonstrators and riot police.

Eldoret: in the afternoon a large crowd were involved in a demonstration in the town centre which became violent and was broken up and dispersed by police who fired shots in the air.

The Kisumu – Eldoret area in Western Kenya remains off-limits for tourists but there were no reports of any incidents affecting tourists at the coastal beach resorts, the international airports, or the wildlife parks.” Jake Grieves-Cook, KTF Spokesman"

2008-01-16T07:18:00.000-08:00

Today in Kenya

Wednesday 16th January 2008

“Yesterday saw the opening of the Kenya Parliament after the elections and this took place without any public disturbance. There was a strong police presence around parliament to ensure there was no disorder and the authorities decided not to close the Uhuru Highway so tourist traffic continued as normal past Parliament for airport transfers and for safaris departing or driving through Nairobi.

The peaceful re-opening of Parliament is another positive step towards having travel advisories revised by the international governments who have imposed warnings against travel to Kenya.

In Parliament it was noteworthy that the opposition had a majority: 105 seats to 102. This means the opposition should now be able to pursue their interests in Parliament rather than on the streets and we are all hopeful that the calm that has prevailed for over a week now will continue.

It is encouraging to see two positive comments from the leadership on opposite sides of the political divide quoted by the BBC today:
The opposition: ODM MP Najib Balala told the BBC's Network Africa programme: "We want to prove to the world we are not going to act in an uncivilised way, we are going to parliament, we are going to show that we are controlling parliament."
The government: Justice Minister Martha Karua told the BBC she believed cooler heads would prevail. "We are ready to navigate through a hung parliament through persuasion, through negotiations. We expect that eventually everybody will come to their senses, realise that we've got to learn to live with each other."

The main opposition party, ODM, had announced that they would hold rallies in different parts of the country today and on Thursday and Friday this week but issued assurances that that these are intended to be peaceful.

In both Nairobi and in Mombasa today several small groups attempted to assemble in different parts of both cities in response to the call for rallies but were quickly dispersed after minor skirmishes with the police and with no reports of any violence taking place. It is reported that a more serious demonstration took place in the Kibera slum in Nairobi but this was prevented from spreading beyond Kibera by the police.

In Kisumu it is reported that there were violent confrontations between police and demonstrators which were dispersed by the police but at this stage we do not have further details. In Eldoret demonstrators are reported to have been dispersed by police. It should be noted that the Kisumu-Kericho-Eldoret area is considered off-limits for tourists and is being avoided by tour operators.

The security situation continues as before with no tourists affected at the beach resorts, in the international Nairobi hotels or in the wildlife parks and any violent confrontations between protesters and police confined to districts of Nairobi, Mombasa and also to parts of Western Kenya all of which are in areas not frequented by our visitors.” Jake Grieves-Cook, KTF Spokesman

2008-01-15T09:56:00.001-08:00

The latest from the Kenyan Tourist Board...

"The situation remains the same in terms of Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory and we continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya on the situation.

o The scheduled carriers, Kenya Airways, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways are still operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. But we are advised that some schedules may be changed, so please contact the relevant carrier. KLM and Swiss services via Amsterdam and Zurich continue as normal.
o All international flights continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations.
o Parliament sat for the first time since the election today and further rallies are planned for the rest of the week (additional information below) so therefore the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory is being consistently updated. This site should be referred to frequently. www.fco.gov.uk

Please find to follow a statement for the Kenya Tourism Federation issued at 14.00 GMT today, Tuesday 15th January:
“The situation in Nairobi and Mombasa was normal today, with no problems or incidents affecting tourists reported today as at 5pm this afternoon.

In Nairobi, Parliament re-opened and is currently in session. Although there was a heavy police presence around Parliament, the authorities decided not to close the Uhuru Highway so tourist traffic continued as normal for airport transfers and for safaris departing or driving through Nairobi.

There were no reports of any problems in any of the wildlife reserves and national parks or on the access routes to and from these areas.

The main opposition party, ODM, has confirmed that they will hold rallies in different parts of the country tomorrow and on Thursday and Friday this week but have issued assurances that that these are intended to be peaceful. The Kenya Tourism Federation will be monitoring the situation and will advise all members of the Kenya Association of Tour Operators if detours need to be made to avoid taking tourists near any areas where demonstrations or rallies are taking place. .” Comment by Jake Grieves-Cook, KTF Spokesman"

2008-01-14T06:01:00.000-08:00

The latest from Kenyan Tourist board....

"The situation remains the same in terms of Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory and we continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya on the situation.

o The scheduled carriers, Kenya Airways, British Airways & Virgin Atlantic Airways are operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. KLM and Swiss services via Amsterdam and Zurich continue as normal.
o All international flights continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations.
o Unless otherwise notified via the FTO all charter flights to Mombasa continue to operate departing flights as usual and as per timetable. Outbound legs are being flown empty whilst the FCO’s Travel Advisory is in place
o A unified cancellation policy for all the Kenyan Tourism Industry is expected imminently. We will forward it as soon as it is available.
o The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory is being consistently updated and now includes references to the calming situation. This site should be referred to frequently. www.fco.gov.uk

Today was another normal day in Nairobi and Mombasa with no problems or incidents reported.

There were no reports of any insecurity or problems affecting tourists in any of Kenya’s parks and reserves or on any of the roads connecting them.

There were no reports today of any demonstrations or violent disturbances elsewhere in the country but inter-ethnic tensions remain in the area around Kericho in the Western corner of Kenya, which on the advice of the Kenya Tourism Federation remains off-limits to tourists.

Much attention will be focused on Nairobi tomorrow when the new Parliament sits for the first time. The main opposition party has confirmed that they will hold rallies in different parts of the country on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday but have issued assurances that that these are intended to be peaceful."

watch this space for more updates...

2008-01-10T10:43:00.003-08:00

The most recent update from the Kenyan Authorities regardign the situation in Kenya...

"The situation remains the same in terms of Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory and we continue to receive updates from the private sector in Kenya on the situation.

o The scheduled carriers, Kenya Airways, British Airways & Virgin Atlantic Airways are operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow. KLM and Swiss services via Amsterdam and Zurich continue as normal.
o All international flights continue to transit normally through Nairobi International Airport to onward destinations.
o Unless otherwise notified via the FTO all charter flights to Mombasa continue to operate departing flights as usual and as per timetable. Outbound legs are being flown empty whilst the FCO’s Travel Advisory is in place
o A unified cancellation policy for all the Kenyan Tourism Industry is expected imminently. We will forward it as soon as it is available.
o The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory is being consistently updated and now includes references to the calming situation. This site should be referred to frequently. www.fco.gov.uk
The following is a statement from the Kenya Tourism Federation issued at 16.00 GMT today, Thursday 10th January
“Once again in Nairobi and Mombasa all is quiet and there has been no change to the situation of calm which has prevailed all week.

All roads between airports and hotels in Nairobi and Mombasa are open and traffic is flowing as normal. All safari departures took place as usual with no problems reported on any of the roads to the parks and reserves. In Mombasa, City tours are operating once again.

In Nairobi, it was reported that a procession of women heading for a prayer meeting at a church near the Hurlingham area were forced to disperse by police as marches, demonstrations and rallies are not permitted at present. This did not result in any serious disturbance or disruption.

There were no reports of any incidents or problems affecting tourists in any of Kenya’s parks and reserves or on any of the roads connecting them.

There are no reports of any demonstrations in Kisumu today but the advice of the Kenya Tourism Federation is that the Kisumu-Kericho-Eldoret areas should continue to be off-limits for tourists for the time being.” Comment by Jake Grieves-Cook, KTF Spokesman"

2008-01-08T06:41:00.000-08:00

the latest update from Kenya....

"Kenya Situational Update as at 16.30 GMT 07 January 2008

Please find to follow an update from the Kenya Tourist Board to reflect the current position in Kenya with regards to the localised incidents that have taken place since the General Election results were announced.

o Although the situation remains the same in terms of Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory, the many reports we have received from Kenya today have advised that the situation continues to be much calmer in all the key areas.
o The rallies planned to take place tomorrow have been cancelled and the political parties now appear to be moving towards negotiation to try to resolve the current political situation.
o The scheduled carriers, Kenya Airways, British Airways & Virgin Atlantic Airways are operating their daily schedules as normal from London Heathrow to Nairobi and from Nairobi International Airport to London Heathrow.
o All charter flights to Mombasa continue to operate departing flights as usual and as per timetable. Outbound legs are being flown empty whilst the FCO’s Travel Advisory is in place.
o The Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advisory is being consistently updated and now includes references to the calming situation. This site should be referred to frequently. www.fco.gov.uk
o A ground update from the Kenya Tourism Federation (KTF) is as follows:

“Monday 7 January 2008
Nairobi
Once again there were no security problems at all in Nairobi and it was a normal Monday with busy traffic in the city centre and all offices and banks open as usual.
There were no problems for any tourist vehicles driving through the city, no delays, and all transfers to and from the airport and to the Nairobi hotels.

Mombasa
Everything is back to normal and there were no problems affecting tourists in any of the beach resorts or in Mombasa. The Likoni ferries are in operation as normal. Some tour operators have now re-introduced City Tours once again into Mombasa and all safaris and excursions out of Mombasa continue as usual. All transfers and safaris continue to operate from Mombasa.

Parks and Reserves
There were no reports of any problems anywhere in the parks, reserves or tourist routes. All national parks and reserves may be visited by road or air as normal. The daily scheduled services linking all the parks continue to operate as per the schedules.

Overall there is a feeling that things are quickly getting back to normal and calm has been restored.

There is now increased attention being given to people who were displaced by the unrest a week ago. The tourism industry is joining other organisations in supporting the Kenya Red Cross in providing food and shelter. There are adequate stocks of food and fuel in Kenya and transport services have resumed so that deliveries are being made to areas where supplies had been disrupted.

Throughout the period of civil unrest and even at the height of the problems when there was continual footage of riots on TV, no tourists were harmed in any way in spite of over 30,000 international tourists being in Kenya. The tourism industry ensured that there was close liaison and communication 24 hrs a day to avoid tourists being endangered. Now it appears that tensions are being calmed and that normality has returned. It is vital that travel advisories are softened to allow tourists to visit Kenya to avoid a collapse of tourism which would have a massive negative impact on the economy and the thousands of Kenyans earning a livelihood from tourism. It would be ironic if tourists stopped coming just as the situation returned to normal whereas all hotels were running full when the violent civil unrest took place immediately after the elections."

2007-11-07T08:17:00.000-08:00

OL DONYO WUAS COMES OF AGE AND EXCITING TIMES AHEAD
This year we celebrate the 21st birthday of Ol Donyo Wuas and what a 21 years it has been! We have been through the normal adolescent growing pains from early start up jitters, through fires that nearly destroyed us and the lodge, to weathering the storms of the Gulf War and 9/11 and so on. But through it all Ol Donyo Wuas has blossomed. These 21 years have also seen an incredible turnaround in the wildlife of the area. Poachers and snares littered the area when we first arrived. But now, with 44 game scouts on the payroll, the poachers have all but disappeared and the scouts are having to move further and further away to find their prey. When I first came here we would get excited even if we saw the tracks of an elephant passing through. Today we have elephants most of the day in front of the lodge, including two 1000 pounders who are permanent fixtures. Lion and cheetah concentrations are excellent and their numbers are increasing while our black rhino population is secure.

The wildlife has not been the only beneficiary of Ol Donyo Wuas. The community too has seen significant developments as a result of the lodge. Schools have been built, students educated through to university level, water projects initiated, women's projects set up and effective health programmes are running … and many more.

The purpose of this email is however not to talk of the past as we are looking into major changes and a new beginning. We are working with the Maasai community who have agreed in principal to set aside 70,000 acres as a core conservation area as well as creating wildlife corridors to keep the ancient migration routes open from Amboseli through to the Chyulu National Park and therefore onto Tsavo. This will be land set aside for wildlife and I don’t need to tell you what a major significance in conservation terms this will have not only for the Chyulu Hills area, but also for the Amboseli / Tsavo ecosystem as a whole. It is so exciting I can hardly sleep at night as to the possibilities it will create in producing a wildlife experience that will compete with anywhere in Africa.

This conservation initiative will be owned one hundred per cent by the Maasai community, funded through the lodge’s activities. We hope to conclude a sustainable structure so that it will be theirs in perpetuity. Each individual household within the conservancy will be a beneficiary. Part of our commitment to the community is to ensure that our revenues and benefits accruing to the community increase over time.

Ol Donyo Wuas therefore needs to rebuild the cottage that was gutted by fire earlier this year and the entire lodge needs an upgrade and a refurbishment to maintain its market share to ensure that the community gets fair returns for setting aside even more land for wildlife and conservation. We have looked at all the options on how to achieve this rebuild and upgrade without impinging on or spoiling guests experience while staying there. We realise the only fair way to do this is to temporarily close the lodge for the upgrade and renovations.

Ol Donyo Wuas will therefore close on January 10th, 2008 and will re-open on June 19th, 2008 for a soft opening, with the full opening on July 8th, 2008. When we re-open, the lodge will have a new and exciting design without changing the guest numbers in the lodge, nor its character. The bedrooms, bathrooms and furnishings are where the biggest changes will take place. All bedrooms will now have separate en-suite bathrooms, each with a great view and with a sleep-out option “under-the-stars” on the new bathroom roofs.

This renovation programme will affect any booking you may have at Ol Donyo Wuas between these dates for which we sincerely apologise. But believe it is in all our interests to close the lodge, rather than having unhappy guests while construction work is in progress.

We will have a great tented camp set up near the plains which will continue operating throughout this period. If your guests would enjoy this alternative accommodation option, (subject to dates available and limited to four sleeping tents) we shall happily host them there. If you are unhappy with this, you can cancel your bookings over our renovation period.

For 2008, we are increasing our Ride Kenya horse safari offerings. In addition to our popular 6 night and tailor-made safaris, we are adding a new 4 day safari with guaranteed departures. All these safaris are personally guided and hosted by Patrick Stanton and Nicola Young. These 4 and 6 night safaris have guaranteed monthly departures for a minimum of two guests and a maximum of eight guests. For those who have even less time on their hands, Ride Kenya offers day trips on horseback from Ol Donyo Wuas.

Please accept our apologies for all the resulting inconveniences for the lodge upgrade, but we felt the new lodge and expanded conservation area will speak for themselves when we re-open in June. Thanks again for all your support over the years.

Elizabeth Bean, Kerin Larby and Nicola Young will be at WTM on the ATTA stand and will be able to show you artistic impressions of what the up-graded cottages will look like.

Richard Bonham and Trish Luke

2007-09-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

Dear readers,

The Migartion Herd has been in Kenya for over a month now and the reviews and wild life sightings have been as good as ever. Please see the report below from Governors'...

"During the last week, we have had a lot of rain, which has brought on new growth on the areas that were burnt latterly last month. Many wildebeest and zebra have crossed west to east and are now seen scattered through out Rhino Ridge, paradise and Topi plains. Good numbers will also be seen in the Koiyaki conservation areas. The 12th, 13th and 14th were good days and some excellent sightings with many crossing just below the main crossing points at paradise. There has also been some very good crocodile activity.

Cats

Leopard and cheetah sightings have been very rewarding just recently with up to three different Leopards and six Cheetahs seen in a single morning’s game drive. The female with the two cubs has given much enjoyment to many viewers, as there are many Thomson Gazelle fawns about so the cubs have an opportunity to learn. Good Lion sightings with many Wildebeest and Zebra were seen taken at the crossing points."

if you would like to take a look at any of the lodges in the Mara or go ahead and check availbility for later in the year then please go to http://www.kenyaodyssey.com/

2007-08-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Hi one and all!

please see the update for the Migration which is now fully in the Masai Mara...

"In the last week, many Wildebeest and Zebra can be seen coming through from the sand river area below Keekorok, there have been reports back with good viewings of them crossing the Mara River at the Mara River bridge in the southern section of the Masai Mara. A few again have crossed the Talek into the North Mara regions and these have been crossing mainly below OL Kiombo, some of these animals have reached the Topi plains and also into the Koiyaki conservation areas from there. A large number of Wildebeest and Zebra can also be seen on the short green grass plains south of the double crossing, this area was burnt some weeks ago."

please go to the web site on the link below to take a look at the lodges in the Parks..

www.kenyaodyssey.com

or alternatively call us on 0044 (0)207 471 8780