Australians in Kenya

For Australians, it's a long trek to Kenya. If you add to that a dragging a bunch of heavy telephoto lenses and cameras in and out of airports and airplanes, the destination just better be damn good. On our second day in the country, as a lone leopard began a long and languid stroll towards our 4WD, I knew we were on a winner. From the lush Cloud Forest of the Aberdares to the dry and dusty Savannah of Samburu animals and birds paraded past our hungry cameras in unending procession. Early morning sunlight glinted from a Long-tailed Widowbird as the male danced to attract the rather drab females, Thompson's Gazelles ran towards the rising sun creating magnificent silhouettes. Lions strutted by and lazed the day away pausing to yawn and displace a cloud of flies. The 16 Gb cards in the cameras filled quickly.













The volcanic soda lakes provided a contrasting environment. Great flocks of pelicans, cranes and flamingoes dotted the shores of Lake Nakuru. Spotted Hyenas finished a meal of Giraffe and ran to the water. Of course the intimate body sniffing protocols were rigorously observed as they relaxed like children at the seaside. Concentration was intense and lenses swung in unison as the pelican flights took off and landed. Pied kingfishers watched cautiously from a distant branch. Of course the Marabou Storks always tried to interpose their ugly countenance and ruin the odd perfect composition. I am sure they occupy an important ecological niche - one just wishes it was on another planet.




From Amboseli the snow-crowned peak of Kilimanjaro dominated the contradiction of the arid plains and lush swamp lands that comprise this National Park. The swamps provided a daily spa for Elephants, Hippo and Buffalo. At dusk, the mighty herds of pachyderms trekked single file from the water to the forest. Wildebeest gnu-ed their way around and also managed to mess up an otherwise good composition.




A sneaky little Malachite Kingfisher lurked near a causeway necessitation many return trips to capture his regal splendor. Of great pathos was the Baboon mother with a sickly infant. It struggled to keep up and suckled hungrily when mum would stop. As the anguished human-like features of that doomed face gazed at us, it would have been a nicety to repeal to the laws of survival articulated by Darwin. But this is Africa!







It was our last day and we struck out across a trackless plain. Away from any road, we passed Maasai settlements with protective encirclements of brush bomas. Small children diligently watched over small herds of goats. The foothills of Kilimanjaro loomed. A message jumped onto the screen of my Iphone "Karibu, Welcome to Vodacom Tanzania." We were near our destination of the border town of Namanga and the end of our trip.








20,000 images, 16 days in Kenya with fellow photographic travelers from France, Germany, Holland and Australia. Thank you to our hosts, Frank and Kendy Wirth, it just doesn't get better than this.

Pam & Wayne Osborn (www.wayneosborn.com.au)