Mara Madness!

This summer has been one for many of our guests, trips abroad to Africa will be ones they will never forget. Because there are still many tricky restrictions on many countries for travelling, as well as ones that can travel, there are long rules, regulations and what seems like endless tests to undergo before you can touch down onto the warm, dusty, African soil. BUT there are people who have been able to do just this, and their experiences have been truly and utterly magical.

Continuing on from our Offbeat update from our last blog, we have a few more snippets of information that I am sure you would love to hear. Not only were the lion and leopard sightings incredible at Sosian, but they also saw the return of the wild dog into west Laikipia. However, news has reached us from Offbeat Mara Camp – this camp is very small, wonderfully authentic and in a location of the Masai Mara, that has no comparison to anywhere else. We do not say these kinds of things lightly, but we cannot emphasize how incredibly located this camp is – it is surrounded by 3 prides of lion, numerous wandering herds of buffalo (that you can hear chomping down on leaves, close to your tent during the night) leggy giraffes graze the surrounding trees, and if a leopard is brave enough to creep through the lions territory, sightings of these can be pretty magical too. It is thankfully, lovely and busy again in this small camp. The team at Offbeat Mara have been able to watch the Offbeat Pride grow, seeing the Enkuyianai boys grow into huge brutes of lion, stronger and bolder, they have challenged the Olekiti and Olerai territory. All these dynamics make lion sightings in the Mara North incredibly interesting and at times nail biting.

Offbeat Mara’s cheetah sightings have also been phenomenal, with the two Kirapoche brothers, a couple of young males still finding their feet, and Neema with her three cubs, the team and guests at Offbeat Mara have been completely fascinated with these coalitions. Nalang’u is still often sighted in and near the camp, and several other superb leopard sightings have been recorded over the past few weeks.

Now for the Offbeat Riding Safari news! As with most of the other camps, they have said it is so good to be back in the saddle and that their July and August safaris have been remarkable. Riding through the Mara conservancies is an incredibly special way to see how spectacular not only the wildlife is, but how incredible the landscape is too. Mixing the days up with walks and game drives, moving from mobile camp to mobile camp on horseback, has truly reminded the team and clients how important everyone’s freedom to be nomadic is and is true food for the soul. Most of the riding safaris end at the stunning Deloraine House for some much-needed R&R after such action-packed days.

Deloraine House has had its busiest year ever. With all the lockdowns and people travelling closer to home, this absolute gem of a place has made it onto one of the Nakuru’s top places to stay. Whilst there is no big game here, the list of activities to do is endless. It can be a special place for some simple time out, or an incredibly fun weekend away with the children or extended family. There is lots of riding, polo, walking, swimming and even a bit of biking!

If you would like any more information on any of these places to stay, please drop us a line, we would love to start planning your adventure!