From Chaos to Tranquility!

The last month has gone by so fast with all the exciting happenings in the area keeping us very busy!



Unfortunately the incredible wildebeest migration did not pass directly through camp this year but was only a few kilometers away in the Bolagunja area.  




One can hear about the migration your whole life, but when the day arrives when you are actually sitting in the middle of these animals, it is very hard to believe that it is real.  To say that it takes ones breath away is an understatement.

It truly is a spectacular sight which defines nature.

All five senses are opened wide..  The sound of a million wildebeest is like listening to a million bull-fogs, each with their own distinctive voice. Each individual with only one thought in its mind - food!  The males run around the herds giving off their low grunts and prancing their stuff like proud dressage horses.

We have spent many evenings all huddled around in the lounge area, looking at laptops or Ipads, watching slideshows of amazing photos and videos taken by our guests of wildebeest bravely jumping off high cliffs and swimming across the Mara
 River. What a spectacle!

It sometimes takes two hours of patient waiting before witnessing the spectacle of the wildebeest crossing the Mara River.  They are, understandably, very nervous to cross a river full of hungry crocodiles.  However, this is not their only fear - another major hurdle is the massive wildebeest stampede which occurs, when many animals break legs or are drowned during this short journey across the river. We can not help but ask the question -"Why?" 

It is incredible that these animals can move such a distance and through so much danger in search of food.  There is still a lot of luscious grass around the Lamai area but still, they follow their ancestral paths across the dangerous Mara river in search of  greener pastures.

August has been the perfect time to be at Lamai with the best of both worlds.  We have been able to enjoy the excitement of the migration on the plains with the incredible views of one million wildebeest spread out like ants and the overwhelming chaos occurring on the banks of the Mara River, before returning at the end of the day to the peace, tranquility and comfortable luxury of Lamai. 

They seem like two different worlds and we are grateful that we are able to witness both!

Extra Effort Equals Ecstatic Enjoyment! By Emanuel Mosha

Photo by Petra Jansma

As the result of a long days safari their eyes were turned to settings which resulted into a memorable picture of the wildebeest in their life and something which will make them not to forget Lamai Serengeti with their different experience in the bush.

Photo by Petra Jansma

A Sea of Black and White..

Some of us went out on an adventure searching for the Migration which we had heard was not too far away.  I joined Heather, Anne, Richard and Francoise and we started our journey with Kakae after a nice, slow start to the morning, haven had a delicious breakfast.

Our first few sightings outside camp were two Oribis, two Reedbuck and a lovely little Dikdik. We then spotted a huge herd of Elephant over in the hills opposite us and we knew that we were in for a good day!

We drove 70kms South-west and then South-east and saw many fantastic sights, such as hundreds of vultures on a Zebra kill, large herds of Eland, Topi, Red Hartebeest and great groups of assorted animals feasting together on the dried-out burnt patches where National Park had done 'control burning' which is a common occurrence this time of the year.

 

As we left, two lionesses who had recently been feeding on a Wildebeest carcass, were now flopped down in the grass with rather large bellies.  

We drove over the hill and had our first sighting of the beginning of the famous Wildebeest Migration!  There were probably a hundred Wildebeest dotted around the plains with a couple of Zebras thrown in for color, but it was not so much the sight which amazed us as we closed in on them but the sound, which is something that one cannot explain – just truly incredible.  Each Wildebeest has its own voice and each one sounds completely different, with much ‘neighing’ and 'grunting'.  Summing it up in one word, they are quite appropriately called 'G..N..U..'.
 

Soon we left them and continued towards the Bologonja River . Words cannot really express what we saw, but hopefully the photos will be able to explain in more detail.  Let me just say that there was literally a sea of black and white, and in every direction we moved - we saw more and more Zebras!  The collective noun - 'A Dazzle of Zebras' – is definitely the best way to describe this sight!

In total we worked out we saw approximately between 8,000 to 10,000 Zebra in this one area.  They were standing, walking and running in their groups all around us.  The noise was astounding as each stallion called out to his family and each mare called out to her foal.   Groups would run backwards and forwards, trying to decide where to go, and once arriving at the water to drink, one of them would let off a neigh and again, they would all gallop away!  The most incredible thing of all is that each and every Zebra we saw had a different marking, much the same as a finger print!

 We found a lovely spot on the edge of the small stream where we set up our picnic, surrounded by these magnificent animals, all galloping and cantering around us!

 

We arrived back to camp at about 1800 in the evening after a full and truly adventurous day,  ready to tell all about our sightings!

Since then, most guests in camp have taken the time out of their busy Lamai schedule to drive to the Bologonja River to witness this incredible spectacle of the Zebra migration!

If this is only the start of it... we can only wonder what lies in store for us over the next few weeks!! 

A feast for Three! By Kakae Saiteu

I went to the Lamai wedge with the Sheer family and after hours of searching we came across a cheetah kill.  A very healthy and large male cheetah had killed a Thompsons Gazelle a few minutes before.  The kill was very fresh which implies that is had happened very recently. 

After staying there for about 15 minutes the vultures started soaring above us and a few minutes later a black-backed jackal arrived.  The Jackal walked straight towards the cheetah as if he was going to challenge it and take the kill away but he instead he stayed about 3 metres away.   The Jackal waited until the Cheetah saw a hyena coming and moved away and it was then that the jackal got a chance to start eating the Thomie which eventually got taken away by the hyena.  The hyena left both the intestines with the jackal and then the vultures started descending to take away the remains.

The jackal kept chasing the vultures but eventually gave up and allowed the vultures to share!

Just another day at Lamai!

Photo by Lisa Dokken

We have had such fantastic sightings over the last couple of weeks and the Dokken family managed to capture some great photographs with John on their game drives.  In one day they sighted a huge healthy male Cheetah on a 'thomi' kill, which was eyed closely by a black-backed Jackal and eventually stolen by a Hyena!

Photo by Lisa Dokken

 
A beautiful large male leopard was seen relaxing up in a tree and a male lion hiding sneakily behind a bush!  What a day!!

These beautiful photos show two of the biggest spotted cats in Africa in true style!


Lisa Dokken took such great photos I couldn't resist asked her for them!  

'The Rogers Family' with Emmanuel by Lisa Dokken

Fortunately the Lamai wedge has opened up now and it has become a ritual for daily visits to this beautiful area. 


It is like a secret Oasis in the middle of the Serengeti!!

'The Lamai Wedge' by Lisa Dokken

The Hat Rick Game at Lamai - by Emanuel Mosha

After reopening camp for a new season I went out for the morning game drive.  As we were looking from both side to side and below and above the long grass, we suddenly saw some shadows in the grass and noticed that it was a male cheetah on its own!

Photo by Kakae Saiteu

Meanwhile, while taking a chance to enjoy him a buffalo herd appeared in the background and we suddenly surrounded by a the herd of over 100.  Just as we were thinking to leave the sighting and go somewhere else three Rhinos came from the bush, after being disturbed by the Lords of the savannah, four young male lions!

Photo by Kakae Saiteu

Photo by Kakae Saiteu

Photo by Kakae Saiteu

It was a great surprise for us then we were more surprised by the herd of the elephants which were crossing just behind us.  After these fantastic sightings we had nowhere else we could go for that morning drive so we concluded that this is the proper place to be and make life as the most part of it since we were all fancied the super big 4 in one sighting!

Photo by Kakae Saiteu

Our first guests

Our first guests, Bjorn and Katarina Mark arrived a few days ago to celebrate their honeymoon in style at Lamai.  It was the moment when we walked into the lounge together and Katarina gasped at the spectacular beauty of the view, which instantly sent goosebumps all over me!! It was at this minute that I realized all our work over the last few days getting camp ready had paid off and that we were now ready to show off Lamai to the world!!

Gabriel, Kakae, Bjorn, Katarina and I all set off for our first drive after tea.  It was a great afternoon with lots of stories and laughter as we drove through the bush keeping our eyes peeled for anything which may be sunbathing on the Kopjis.

As we drove towards the Mara River we spotted a beautiful Tawny Eagle on top of a dead tree right next to the road so we stopped to view her.  Suddenly something else appeared in the picture and we soon noticed the male Tawny Eagle swoop down, landing right on top of her!  We were amazed and didn't know if we should watch rudely or turn our heads away to give them privacy... but, we decided not to miss this and thus managed to capture some fantastic photographic material to prove their display of affection!

We then carried on towards a gorgeous rain storm up ahead and were soon stopped in our tracks when we saw the silhoette of a Leopard climbing down from a tree.  Soo excited.. we fumbled for our cameras again and managed to get a lovely picture of the Leopard.  Unfortunately, obviously still young, he was quite nervous and hurried away towards a group of unsuspecting Topi's.

Soon afterwards, a glass of white wine was enjoyed altogether toasting the fresh rays of the sun beaming through a beautiful dark thunder storm in the distance!

Ahhh.. could it be better than this?