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

A beautiful leopard called Kilima returns to the hill after her nightly hunt in Lumo Taita Hills With her tail held up high to disclose her position and indicating her non hunting gesture, this beautiful leopard was spotted on our early morning game drive in Lumo Conservancy Taita Hills. With two little cubs to feed that are secretly hidden in one of the hills crevasses, she can be spotted walking to and from lion rock as she is regularly on the prowl for a meal. This beautiful big cat which i am naming "Kilima" (swahili word for hill), is almost a permanent resident in the wildlife sanctuary.

Raptors confront each other mid air over Lumo sanctuary One of the great things about staying at Lions Bluff Lodge in Lumo/Taita Sanctuary, is being strategically placed at an advantageous height. From the comfort of the hill top we can watch the wildlife walking quietly below or get some really interesting photos of high altitude flying raptors. While watching these two raptors take to aerial dispute resolution, i was fascinated not only by their behavior and technique towards one another, but also by the cinematic drama the golden rays of sunlight that was outlining their wings. These golden highlights gave the impression of a powerful comic book like superhero confrontation in the skies directly above us.

A cheetah stops for a rest at ngutuni wildlife sanctuary in Kenya Among the many animals that may be spotted at Ngutuni Sanctuary, there is a small family cheetah that occasionally traverse through this private game sanctuary which is surrounded by Tsavo East National Park on three sides. During our afternoon game drive, we came across this beautiful big cat resting on the red sand. She was quite happy to share a few moments of her time with us as we happily clicked away on our cameras upto our hearts content.

A goldbar wrasse in Kenya's marine park Darting between corals and rocky outcrops in the shallow lagoon, the strikingly noticeable goldbar wrasse gets its name from the golden yellow vertical line that starts from the beginning of its dorsal fin near the head, and ends down by its pelvic fin.   The most unique feature about this fish is that its only found in the western Indian Ocean and makes for a nice addition to a snorkelers, scuba divers or fish watchers marine checklist.

A melanistic serval cat stealthily walks through the grass in Lumo Sanctuary Taita Kenya  Finding a melanistic serval cat or any kind of big cat for that matter in their natural habitat that's melanistic is truly a rare and blessed event. This shy and extremely reserved feline would have quietly slipped away from us were it not for the help of a sharp pair of eyes from another cat... a Cheetah!   While on a game drive in Lumo Sanctuary, we spotted a cheetah resting on a termite mound and decided to spend some quality photographic time with it. After about 20 minutes or so, i noticed that the body language of the resting cheetah had suddenly changed, and as i looked towards the direction that this cheetah was concentrating on, saw a small tuft of black ears cutting through the grass like a sharks fin would over water. Hidden in the grass a melanistic serval cat almost goes unnoticed in Lumo Taita Sanctuary Kenya The cheetah having pointed us t...

Scissortail Sergeants in Mombasa Marine Park Approaching Mombasa Marine Park by dive boat or glass bottomed boat the number of scissortail sergeants you will encounter in this marine park  is remarkably overwhelming. Always looking for a handout, these large damselfish hang around the coral heads and swim up to the hull of the boat where they search for algae and small crustaceans attached to the vessel or receive small bread morsels that has been handed out by the boat crew.  Black and white in colour and averaging four to six inches in length they get heir name from their scissor like tail and banded stripes that resemble that of a military sergeants patched insignia. Their natural oceanic predators include groupers, barracuda and other pelagic's. 

Maneless Lion and a Lioness side by side in Tsavo East National Park With crimson sunsets, red elephants and contrasting landscapes, Tsavo East National Park is one of the few parks in Kenya that still remains utterly wild and does not fall short of wildlife variety and uniqueness. Adding to a long list of "why should i visit Tsavo?" one of the top reasons to visit this park is to search for the reputed Maneless Lions.  As the name suggests, the adult and sub adult male lions here do not have thick black hairy manes similar those found at the Masai Mara, instead, Tsavo lions only have a little mohawk or at times they just have no mane at all. While a Male lion in the Masai Mara starts developing its mane from two to three years of age, a tsavo lion of similar age would remain maneless. Among the different theories suggesting Tsavo Lion baldness, here are some of the most common explanations :- 1. Tsavo Climate : With average temperatures of about 30 degree...

A Giant Red Snapper swims up close with a Remora firmly attached to its back in Mombasa Marine Park  Kenya Beginning its juvenile life in the protection of mangrove estuaries and creeks, red snapper fingerlings are extremely vulnerable in their early months due to predation by man, birds and other larger fish that comb the underwater mangrove root systems. If it happens to survive the odds, the sub adult red snapper then migrates to the ocean's inner reef and finally offshore to deeper reef systems once it has reached full maturity. Reaching sizes of over one meter in length, this mesopredator is generally nocturnal and crepuscular where its aggressive hunting capabilities make it an expert at catching smaller fish and crustaceans. While snorkeling at the Mombasa Marine Park, i was extremely excited to see this large red snapper find a new home in this very active reef. Being extremely curious of my presence, it would fearlessly swim right up to me and gently curve awa...