The beautiful North...

Shaba, Buffalo springs and Samburu national reserve have got to be some of the best places to experience an authentic safari and a place to see some of the most amazing wildlife in Africa. My family and I did a 3 night safari which was booked through a good friend of mine - Anthony Muli and Entice Africa Safaris and one thing is for sure, it was worth every penny. We stayed at Sarova Shaba and Entice Africa Safaris took care of all the details which made the safari flawless... A good friend of mine Jonathan Musyoka, guide par excellence was with us on this safari and we knew it's going to be an epic one!

Saturday 26th August we make our way from Sarova shaba and at 7am we drive into Buffalo Springs reserve through Choka gate. The feeling was good and we were optimistic about seeing amazing game. Little did we know that there is on going action minutes from us.  

A short drive from the gate, we saw some distressed giraffes and Jonathan our skilled guide knew this was a sign not to take for granted. We stopped and looked around and to the left we say a pride of lions successfully brought down a giraffe. We made our way to the site. The kill was fresh, literally made just minutes from the time we arrived. We we're lucky to be the only ones there for about 15minutes before the second vehicle arrived. 

Lions are apex predators and this successful hunt is a reminder of the power and beauty of lions. 

A lion feeding on a giraffe

A lioness looking around

Shaba Elephants in the golden light

Each game drive presented us with amazing game sightings and the experience of not having too many cars around you truly enhances this. 

Highly recommend a safari with Entice Africa and Jonathan Musyoka as guide... 

Until next time... stay safe!

Nairobi National Park

 Just 7 kilometers south of Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya lies a unique one of its kind National park. Here the open grasslands are home to some unique wildlife - from rhinos to lions to the elusive leopard and cheetahs. Nairobi park is home to numerous wildlife, flora and fauna and over 400 species of wildlife. 

Nairobi National park is also home to the famous ivory burning site. This is an important site in the annals of conservation. In 1989, Kenyan president Daniel Arap Moi made a dramatic statement to poachers worldwide by setting fire to 11 tons of seized ivory. In 2016 then President Uhuru Kenyatta oversaw the burning of 105 tons of ivory and 1.3 tons of rhino horn. 

There is a unique juxtaposition of a thriving cityscapes and a natural habitat with wild open spaces. Nairobi national park was gazetted as Kenya's first national park on 6th December, 1946 and covers about 117 square kilometers. This unique park is also a breeding area for Rhinos which are then translocated to other parks in Kenya. Nairobi park is also a bird watchers paradise, you can also have excellent game viewing and the park has some amazing picnic locations. 

Lioness in Nairobi park.

Lioness with her cubs. 

Splitnose, the Leopard King, Loses His Crown

After a long break, yours truly is back online and this blog is a tribute to a cat that holds a special place in my heart... 

Splitnose, the legendary male leopard of the Maasai Mara, has lost his grip on his vast kingdom. The once-dominant cat has been forced to retreat to his first territory of dominance, after being challenged by younger and more aggressive males.

Splitnose's decline has been a long time coming. He is now 15-17 years old, which is considered to be old age for a leopard. He has also suffered a number of injuries over the years, including a broken canine and the legendary scar across his nose. These injuries and his age are now making it difficult for him to defend his territory and his mates.

In recent months, Splitnose has been challenged by a number of younger males. These males are stronger and more agile than him, and they have been able to take advantage of his age and injuries. As a result, Splitnose has been forced to give up control of much of his territory.

Splitnose's retreat is a reminder of the harsh realities of life in the wild. Even the most dominant animals eventually reach a point where they can no longer hold on to their power. However, Splitnose's story is also one of resilience. Despite his age and injuries, he has refused to give up completely. He has returned to his first territory, where he is still able to find food and mates.

It is unclear how long Splitnose will be able to maintain his dominance in his new territory. However, one thing is for sure: he is a true leopard king, and his story is one of strength, resilience, and determination.

What does this mean for the future of Splitnose?

It is difficult to say what the future holds for Splitnose. He is still a powerful leopard, but he is no longer the dominant force that he once was. It is possible that he will be able to hold on to his new territory, but it is also possible that he will be challenged again by younger males.

Only time will tell what the future holds for Splitnose. However, one thing is for sure: he is a true leopard king, and his story is one of strength, resilience, and determination.

Splitnose perched on a tree

A tail take sign

Sunset photography

Taking photographs of the sunset doesn't necessarily require a ton of specialized gear... but it might require some finesse and knowing what camera settings to use to match the photo to the beautiful scene you see before you. 

Regardless of your skill level or how fancy your camera gear is, there are some basic sunset photography tips that anyone can benefit from.

When it comes to sunset photography, the settings and technique you use are more important than the camera & lens you use. And... this is where you switch your camera setting into manual shooting mode.

I'll talk about some basic settings you will need to adjust on your camera to get a stunning sunset photo. Lets start with the aperture settings. To get a large depth of field you will need to increase your aperture to a high number (f/11 to f/16). You will also need to keep your ISO as low as possible in order to avoid the 'grains' in your photo. You need to remember that the higher the ISO the brighter you image will be. You can also change the cameras white balance setting from auto to cloudy - this will help you get yellow, purple or red sunset pictures.  

Another trick is to get low while taking sunset photos 😎 Find a good spot and make sure you are on a lower ground and looking up into the direction of the sunset. 

Wildebeests. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Wildebeest. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Zebras. Maasai Mara, Kenya 

As the year comes to an end, I wish you all happy holidays and a prosperous new year! Keep well and take care of yourselves... ciao! 

A Safari with children

 Traveling with children (of any age 😊 ) is not always an easy task, especially if its a Safari...

Going on safari with kids is not a new thing, however its always a challenge for the parents from the planing stage of the safari to the safari itself. Kids can easily loose concentration and interest in activities that they are doing. Game drives are a fun activity but while on safari kids need to be engaged and kept interested in other activities as well.

Having a six year old child my own, I always look at all activities a camp or lodge has to offer for kids before making my booking. From short nature walks or nature trails for kids to tree planting sessions to having a swimming pool or other activities such as horse riding or archery. I don't always look for camps or lodges with a swimming pool though. There are many camps and lodges that have kids games in their lounge areas. 

There comes a time where you have to disconnect your child from technology - tabs, iPads, phones and the internet. Being on safari, you are at one with nature, and this is the best time to bond as a family, create memories and gain knowledge. 

Having been on many safaris in the African bush and beaches with my child, I know what to look for before booking a safari. Get in touch with me and I will happily put together a safari for you.

I offer much more than just a safari - I offer an experience! ❤

Maasai tales at sun downer 

Please feel free to have a look at our website - www.safariwithmurad.com

Facebook profile - https://www.facebook.com/murad.r.habib/

Instagram profile - https://www.instagram.com/murad_r_habib/?hl=en

Chasing sunsets

Is there anything more peaceful than taking in the beauty of a setting sun?

As the sun dips below the horizon, a display shades of red and orange are created on the sky. While the sunsets is the end of the day, literally. They have become global symbols of harmony, peace and promise of rejuvenation and renewal. 

I will also share with you a scientific view on sunsets. At sunset, when the sunlight travels through the atmosphere its path is longer, the blue and green components which have shorter wavelengths are removed (almost completely) leaving the longer wavelength orange and reds we see at that time. The remaining red sunlight is then scattered by cloud particles and makes the horizon a mix of red and orange. The sunset colors are more brilliant than the sunrise colors because the evening air contains more particles than the morning air.

Until next time, keep well and keep safe! 

"May every sunrise hold more promise and every sunset hold more peace" Umair Siddiqui

Zebras at sunset. Amboseli national park, Kenya

Elephants sunset silhouette. Maasai Mara, Kenya

Some of the last remaining super-tuskers

A 'super-tusker' is an elephant with tusks so large that they can weigh over 50 kilos each. Tusks of this size are usually long and at times, may even touch the ground. Unfortunately, chances of seeing the super-tuskers out in the wild and roaming free are slim. There are approximately 25 individuals left in the world. Most of which live in the Amboseli eco-system and Tsavo conservation area. 

Only recently, two of Kenyas famous super-tuskers died. Tim, the celebrity super-tusker who lived in Amboseli eco-system died in February 2020 at the age of 50 years. Il Talal who lived in the Tsavo conservation area died in April 2021 at the age of 55 years. It is sad to loose such magnificent beasts. But its comforting to know that they both died of natural causes. They lived, and died as wild and free elephants. Their legacy lives on, they both have fathered calves and hopefully their genes will carry on. 

We are lucky have more super-tusker elephants who grace us with their presence. Craig is the more popular bull after the sad demise of Tim. Craig just turned 50 and he is the star of the show in Amboseli. Tolstoy, a 49 year old bull lives and roams freely in the Amboseli eco-system. Lugard, aka LU1 is a 48 year old super-tusker who lives in the Tsavo conservation area. All these three super-tuskers have magnificent tusks. They are all gentle and seeing them out it the wild will leave you breathless. These three bulls are not the only super-tuskers alive in Kenya. There are more bulls - younger and still growing. 

The future of the super-tuskers is not as bleak as one would think. However, these gentle giants need constant protection and a safe free roaming home range for them to spread their genes. 

Super-tusker Craig in Amboseli

Lugurd aka LU1 in Tsavo.

An elephants tale

February 1979, Una one of the elephant cows in Amboseli gave birth to her first calf which turned out to be a male. Four years later, The Amboseli trust for elephants named him Ulysses. The trust always names the elephant calves four years after they are born, this is because their survival chances are higher after they turn four. 

This is a short story of Ulysses, one of the big tusked bull elephants in Amboseli eco-system. Growing up, Ulysses stood out. He is unique and his personality was different. In the mid 90's, Ulysses was the first of his age group to leave his maternal herd to live the life of a bachelor and join the 'mens club'. He grew up to be a fighter, he is not known to back out of a challenge. He's even broken his left ear in a fight with another bull elephant. His broken ear is one of the ways to identify him these days, but he's not the only bull elephant with big tusks and a broken left ear - Palmer also has a broken ear. Now at the age of 42 years, he's become more calm. Last week, I had the privilege of spending almost an hour with this magnificent bull. I was blown away and at times I didn't even pick up my camera to take pictures. He is majestic. What made this sighting even more special was the fact that I was the only one there. It felt special and I could not help but imagine how the super-tuskers looked like when they roamed freely. The fact that such bulls still roam the Amboseli plains freely and as wild as they could be. This gives me some hope that the future generations will get to see, protect and photograph such amazing elephants.

Amboseli trust for elephants has been monitoring and researching on elephants since 1974. Founded by Dr Cynthia Moss and her colleague Harvey Croze. According to research by the research teams in Amboseli, Una was born in 1964 to the UA family. She died in the year 2006 from unknown causes, and she left five living off springs - four females (Undine, Usha, Utwo and Undo) and one male (Ulysses). Undine was born in September 1985, Usha was born in May 1990, Utwo was born in February 1997 and Undo was born in June 2000. Ulysses and his four sisters still live in Amboseli as wild and free elephants. You can get to see them when you visit the Amboseli National park. 

Enjoy the pictures of Ulysses... Until next time, keep safe and take care!

Curiosity of an elephant. 

A competent road inspector.

A trip to Amboseli

Last week I visited the Amboseli national park, in the southern part of Kenya. This is the land famed by elephant herds, the majestic Mt Kilimanjaro and most recently the flamingos have become a good addition to the over 400 bird species that call this place home. The landscape is mostly flat land, and its stunningly beautiful. This also makes it great for photography. An additional surprise to many travelers is Lake Amboseli, and it happens to be in the middle of the park. The lake attracts many animals and birds. There are many swamps as well. The water flows from the Kilimanjaro into these swamps and lake, and in some places the water is crystal clear. 

All covid safety protocols are adhered to. Hotel staff, park rangers and guests are all wearing masks and sanitizing. Maintaining social distancing has become a new norm. At the park gates there are hand washing stations as well. You will find this in place in the camps and lodges too. 

The Amboseli was virtually empty, I could hardly see any cars on game drive. However, this did not take anything away from the magic that's always in store when on safari in Africa. I enjoy my game drives, even if I don't see any of the big five. I am a birding enthusiast as well so I can be easily distracted by birds. On this particular drive I entered the park through the Kimana gate which is on the eastern side of the park. Tim, the charming bull elephant and famous big tusker died close to Kimana gate. 

After driving for about 10 minutes looking around for animals, I heard a bird like call and I immediately stopped to check around on what it was. The call was constant as I scanned around the plains searching for what it was. Then from the corner of my eyes I caught some movement in the distance. I stop the vehicle and looked, a slender spotted cat in the distance. I obviously could recognize the bird like call and I knew what animal it was. I was thrilled to bits to see a cheetah. It was far to get any good pictures but I still savored the moment. Cheetahs are fast declining into extinction with only about 7,000 individuals left in the wild across the globe. This was a mother cheetah, and I suspect she was calling out to her cubs. I could not see any cub and after about 10 minutes I lost sight of the cheetah as she walked into the tickets. That brought to an end my short appointment with the spotted cat. I love photographing cheetahs, they are more active compared to lions and leopards. They have slender bodies that are built for speed and they are very photogenic. Moving away from the cheetah sighting, I had incredible elephant sightings, an Amboseli trademark. There were lots of other animals that are always interesting to observe and photograph like zebras, giraffes, wildebeests, buffaloes, flamingos and pelicans.

Here are some of the pictures from that drive. I still am in Amboseli and I will share with you more pictures and stories... Until next time, be safe!

A cheetah in the distance

Zebras and Mt Kilimanjaro

The power of technology

Technology has always had its pros and cons. With the recent covid-19 pandemic, many of us were forced to work from home. Something we have not done before. These were strange times, our livelihoods had been shaken to the core.

But every grey cloud has a silver lining. We are a curious bunch, we always look for new ways to keep moving forward in life. Due to the nature of my work, I am privileged to got to travel to some of the most amazing parts of our country. The word safari has always had a strong connection with our beloved country. I now move a step further by using videos to show case the safari side of our country. Let me bring the safari to you while you are in the comfort of your home.  

Feel free to subscribe to my youtube channel - Murad Habib and stay tuned for more videos

This is the link to my first video uploaded on youtube. https://youtu.be/trJRz-OftUU 

Plains of Lewa conservancy with Mt Kenya in the distance 

A tremendous bird

Flamingos have got to be some of the most tremendous birds. Most of the eggs are laid (and hatch) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, but the flamingos spend most of their adult life in Kenya. From the five species of flamingos worldwide, two are found in Kenya - the lesser and greater flamingo.

The greater flamingos are bigger, taller and have a light pink shade on their beaks, while the lesser flamingos have a deeper pink color on their feathers with black at the tips and a deep red color on their beaks. 

The greater flamingo feeds on crustaceans and other organisms found in mud while the lesser flamingo feeds on the floating algae found in the soda lakes, it is believed that the algae they feed on gives them the pink color. These are intelligent birds. It is believed that they stand on one leg to retain body heat. They also fly at night, this is to avoid being spotted by predators like the eagles. 

Flamingos are monogamous, they retain a mating partner through out their life. They breed once every three years and the female will often lay one egg at a time. Both the male and female take part in incubating the egg. After 21-38 days the egg hatches. When young, the flamingo chick is white in color, their beaks are straight, then curve with time. For the first three months, the young flamingo chick will feed on milk produced by both parents from the upper digestive tract and other members of the colony can feed the chicks. 

Their average lifespan is between 20-40 years and will start breeding when they are about 4 years. 

Flamingos. Amboseli, Kenya