WILD KENYA SAFARIS - Kenya Safaris, Diani Beach Safaris, Mombasa Safaris and more

European Roller at Tsavo National Park in Kenya catches a flying beetle The European Roller is a regular and much welcomed visitor to the Tsavo conservation area. At first glance, one could possibly mistake it for the Lilac Breasted or Abyssinian Rollers as their colors may look somewhat similar when viewing the birds from distance. The European roller's colors consist of a light dullish blue chest while the top is a tawny brown on its wings and back.  The European Roller can easily be spotted as they prefer to perch on medium sized bushes in their search for insects and tiny reptiles like lizards. Hence, because of their ease in spotting, they may seem to be abundant in numbers, while in reality they are actually listed as a Near Threatened species on the IUCN list.  Enjoy the sound's of the European Roller on the player below ...

A White Mouth Moray Eel takes shelter between some disc coral in Kenya's Indian Ocean Kenya's scuba industry does not have a Big 5 classification for marine life, but if i were asked to prepare one, i would definitely include the moray eel on that list.  Moray eels are one of those species that are hard to find yet had to miss, if you know what i mean. They are can be seen meandering their way on the open seafloor mostly at night as its their preferred hunting time, however during the day, you can find them hidden in cracks, crevices or sandwiched between corals as they intriguingly stare at the diver with their jaws gaping open and shut exposing their intimidating razer sharp teeth. An experienced diver knows that there isn't much to worry about from this fierce looking display as morays usually never attack divers unless they have been provoked, fed by hand or inhibited from entering their coral burrows.  Watching and photographing moray eels is really a re...

A superb starling at Ngutuni Sanctuary in Tsavo East Kenya With its iridescent blue wings and orange red breast, the superb starling can be found across all of Kenya's national parks. Normally spotted around the camps, lodges and areas with acacia trees, its superb colors cannot help but grab the immediate attention of visitors. Filled with confidence and somewhat unafraid of mankind, this bird is easily approachable which hence makes it one of the most photographed birds on a Kenyan safari.  Watching them constantly hop around as they busily chat away among themselves, their presence makes for a really colorful and enjoyable spectacle.  Have a listen to their song on the link below ...

Female Impala goes airborne in Tsavo East, Kenya Its the middle of the year and Santa Clause's factories are probably running at full production to meet this years Christmas demand. Traditionally, tales have been told of his reindeer being spotted over the skies of the European and American subcontinent, but what about Africa? When i captured the photo of this female Impala fully airborne flying towards me in Tsavo East, the thought of Santa's new substitute reindeer coming to Kenya immediately came to mind! Impala are extremely fast runners and once they attain a certain speed, they can leap up to three meters high in the air while covering a linear distance of over ten meters. Their remarkable agility and burst of jet powered energy makes them quite a versatile adversary for the predators that feed on them. Some Impala are even known to purposefully show-off their high jumping abilities to a wandering predator just to relay the message "catch me if you...

A Gerenuk stands up reaching for leaves during the dry season's in  Tsavo  One of the most unique looking and adaptable of all antelope species in the Tsavo ecosystem is the Gerenuk. Sometimes also referred to as "Giraffe Gazelle" they get this nickname because of their impressive and flexible long neck.  During the dry seasons, Tsavo can become quite uninhabitable. The waterholes dry up leaving behind basins of red sand while the grass disappears and changes from lush green to rusty brown which is un-nutritious and quite inedible. Competition for pasture becomes stiff as the  park's different species of antelope and all other herbivores like zebra's and buffalo seek out to finish any available patch of grass. This is when the gerenuk uses an extraordinary adaptation to find food. While thousands of other animals search for grass, the gerenuk looks for thickets and bushes! Standing up on its long skinny legs and stretching out its neck, it is able to r...

A Turtle relaxes on the Indian Ocean seabed with remoras attached on its top and bottom shell May 23rd is designated as world turtle day. Its a day where people from across the globe interested in watching marine life or working towards its conservation make a little extra effort to highlight the importance of protecting turtles in our oceans. Its a wonderful attempt at placing a spotlight on this beautiful and friendly marine species. The Kenyan and Tanzanian coastline is blessed with a healthy fringing reef and white sandy beaches that make it an ideal breeding and feeding environment for turtles. The dive schools that are located in Shimoni, Diani, Tiwi, Mombasa, Kilifi, Watamu, Malindi and Lamu can all proudly boast about their favorite dive spot where the visiting scuba diver can be pretty much guaranteed a turtle sighting.  Having a turtle curiously take a glance as it swims past is a memorable experience for every diver. Sadly enough, the amount of p...

The shy baby white rhino stays close to its mum in Kenya At a certain time and secret place in Kenya, a baby white rhino was born. Its a real cause for celebration when news breaks out of a rhino birth seeing as they are critically endangered. This story however is not about the already well publicized plight of rhinos, i'll add my 2 cents to that story some other day. This story is about a certain moment in time on the life of the baby rhino itself. Since were the first to ever see this baby white rhino, we wanted to make its first time experience with people a very non intrusive one. We parked our safari vehicle about 200 meter's away leaving plenty of room for mama rhino and her calf to feel completely uninhibited and at ease. As we were a group of experienced wildlife photographers, the vehicle was switched off, HF radio turned down without making any calls about our current location and that's when we brought out the 500mm and 600mm camera lenses. Watch...

A lioness taking a deep stretch when she wakes up in Kenya From early childhood memories at P.E class to modern day gym workouts, trainers have always generally advised on the importance of stretching and warming up before any main physical sporty activity. A light warm up is believed to firstly prepare the mind and secondly, loosen up the body's muscles and ligaments to reduce the risk of cramps or other internal injuries. So the question is ... do lion's, wild dogs or other predators have to stretch before a hunt?  If you have ever witnessed a hunt happening in real life while on safari or possibly watched it on a wildlife documentary, you can imagine to an extent, the intense amount of physical strain a predators body has to go through as it sprints into high speed action, takes impromptu sharp corners, jumps over uneven obstacles in the park's terrain and finally wrestles down its target while holding on for dear life until the struggling prey finall...

Cheetah catches a kongoni during a rare night time hunt in Taita Hills / Lumo, Kenya Do Cheetahs hunt at night? The age old question was finally answered during our night game drive in Lumo and Taita Hills Sanctuary. At about 21h00 we came across this young male cheetah that had just finished asphyxiating a young Kongoni and was about to start its meal. Unlike Lions and Leopards, Cheetahs are not known to actively hunt at night! Their night vision capabilities are no better than that of human beings so we were extremely thrilled to witness this and capture this very special and rare event of natural history on camera. The same cheetah finished its entire meal by morning After its successful night time hunt, we quickly caught up with the cheetah again the next morning at 06h30 and were happy to see that he devoured the entire kongoni peacefully at night, with no expected interruptions from lions or hyenas. The above photo shows what remained of its meal....

A herd of elephants march along a straight line on safari in Kenya A typical scenario when you come across a herd of elephants whilst on safari would look something like this:- a small family of about five to twenty individuals scattered apart on the grassland like dots on paper. In this any odd so arrangement they are quite relaxed and care free as they feed on grass, tree leaves or drink at a waterhole. In fact most of the time, elephants that approach a waterhole on a really hot day behave somewhat like school children at the water park! Thrilled, excited and are quite literally all over the place. A remarkable transformation in their discipline however occurs when the elephants have a specific task to do. When the matriarch calls upon the herd to now move from point A to point B, she communicates her intentions and begins to take the first few steps. With her in the lead, the rest of the herd gradually gets into formation, joining up one behind the other in a single fil...

A Leopard spotted out in the open at mid-day in Masai Mara Kenya Undoubtedly, the leopard is one of the most secretive and successful of all the predators you will find on Safari in Kenya. In most of the Kenyan national parks, having a close and clear encounter with this spectacular big cat is a true blessing sent directly from the heavens.  Tsavo West National Park in the southern circuit of Kenya, is well known for its leopard sightings and they usually grace the photographer with a few good minutes during dawn or dusk game drives before they wander along on their way. The leopards of Masai Mara on the other hand seem to be of a different breed altogether. Breaking their self imposed species code, Mara leopards can be spotted roaming the plains freely or resting up a tree right by the road side at any odd hour of the day. Their remarkable level of comfort and self confidence makes the Masai Mara a real treat for both wildlife photographers and holiday makers alike. ...

A herd of Elephants communicate together in Tsavo East Kenya Elephants are the largest and also one of the most intelligent mammals roaming our national parks. Although their vuvuzella like trunks may make you believe otherwise, elephants are complex and have a highly evolved communication system which helps them to maintain their close social structures. We can often see them at a waterhole, touching each other, using body language signals or we can even hear them generating sounds such as trumpeting, snorting and grunting to relay messages to one another. Besides this obvious form of keeping contact and passing down the old savanna stories, elephants have a supplementary communication system known as rumbling. They use something called Infrasonic sound at levels undetectable by the human ear to communicate with other elephant groups or among family members over very very long distances.

The first wildebeest jumps into the Mara river and the herd follows. Photo courtesy by our guest Amira Claudia Khan The 7th greatest natural wonder of the world is upon us once again. It is an event which for years has continually privileged two neighboring countries to offer free passage between their borders for over 3 Million travelers; it is the Annual wildebeest migration in Kenya and Tanzania, the most spectacular natural event in Africa. Your journey to witness this natural adventure starts when you contact Wild Kenya Safaris www.wildkenyasafaris.com The journey for the animals of the great migration however, begins sometime in May where instinctively, large herds of wildebeest begin to leave the Serengeti plains to seek fresher greener pastures in the Maasai Mara. Tens of thousands of acres of grassland are suddenly covered by masses of migrating gnu and every step they take invites more and more followers to the pilgrimage. Come July, the herds are at ...

 A Hartebeest catches some morning sun in Tsavo East right next to the camera setup The beauty of modern technology is that it can allow a wildlife film maker or researcher to remotely trigger a camera from over 300 meters away so as to capture some really intimate wildlife behavior. This kind of physical distance between man and wildlife, allows the animal to feel completely at ease as the subject is usually quite clueless that its being photographed. It hence goes about its day to day rituals unknowingly talking to us about its average day. A researcher who spends many months studying movement patterns could set up their camera on a preferred species trail and simply wait for the wildlife to pass by to get that jackpot of a shot. The above hartebeest in Tsavo East, found this particular sandy spot to be a perfect little resting area to catch some early morning sun. Over a span of one hour, this beautiful shy animal revealed some really interesting details as it practic...

The dangling feet and tail of a lioness relaxing up a tree in Masai Mara Kenya Some safari itineraries can be quite tiresome, especially when doing road circuits covering multiple national parks. The early morning wake up calls followed by long hours in the vehicle can become quite tiring for some travelers.  The key thing to remember is that your safari should be both exciting and relaxing. Sure there isn't much adjustment for time when trying to keep within the itineraries schedule, there are however moments that you can relax on a game drive and truly unwind.  The secret is.... while on your safari drive, stop to really appreciate everything! From small mammals and birds to mighty elephants and big cats. If possible try to spend at least thirty minutes or more with your favorite species to truly appreciate them and completely relax in their presence. Wildlife photographers are accustomed to this technique and can stay with animals for hours, yet holiday make...

A Hippo exhales water from its nostrils in a Kenyan River Having spent many hours watching and photographing Hippo's on safari, i have come up with a new theory about these magnificent animals.  Weighing in at an impressive 1,500kg the hippopotamus is mother natures perfect design of the submarine! It can stay underwater for over 5 minutes, travel underwater close to 10km/h, rise to the surface of the water while sleeping to breath and descend into the depths subconsciously, it's periscope (eyes) and other vital organs are located on top of its head to remain stealth-fully underwater, it's thick armor like skin has very little hair making it extremely streamlined underwater while its large canines and incisors are as deadly and damaging as torpedoes.  So it's no wonder that their reputation even keeps the largest of crocodiles fearful in their bays. Impressive and beautiful to look at, this submarine of the national park is a force not to be reckoned w...