Big tuskers, hides and Big Five in Kenya

Kenya keeps amazing us. After numerous safaris we keep on discovering new things in this beautiful country. This time we started out looking for big tuskers. There are not many of these magnificent giants left. We were lucky to meet some of them near the Chyulu Hills and around Amboseli. After that we went towards Lake Natron. We took amazing pictures from several hides. During our last week we went to look for the Big Five in Laikipia for one of our nephews who had just turned eighteen.

Up close with Big Tuskers

Bull elephants live fairly solitary lives, away from their family groups. They might hang out in small bachelor groups. The really big tuskers often have askaris who stay close to them to learn from them and protect them. Sadly there are few really big tuskers left. Elephants in general are under pressure because they compete with humans for scarce resources as space, food and water. Therefore less elephants reach the age of 50. The remaining big tuskers die of old age. In some countries they are still hunted for their ivory.

Some of the old boys like to hang out near the Chyulu Hills where they are protected and monitored. This beautiful area with hills and open grasslands is too dry for the family groups, who need water in walking distance on a regular basis. They prefer the area around Amboseli National park at the base of Kilimanjaro. The big tuskers visit the area looking for females to reproduce.

We were able to photograph and observe these amazing creatures  not only from the safari vehicle but also from hides at artificial water holes which the big boys visit. These waterholes attract an abundance of wildlife, where the big boys are the dominant species. Zebras, giraffes, elands, they all drift in during the morning and wait their turn to drink. They then spend the afternoon in the shade of the vegetation. In the evening they move out again to the open planes to graze and to keep an eye on the ever present predators.

To hide or not to hide

Taking pictures of animals from an underground hide has a lot of advantages. You are on eye-level with them and can get very close because you are behind glass and they do not realize that you are watching them. It is even possible to take pictures of night time behavior. The pictures you get seem very dark, but once processed they appear to be real treasures.

We visited two hides along the Rift Valley, near Lake Magadi and Lake Natron with Shompole Mountain in the background. After short nights we went to explore the wildlife in these amazing landscapes.

Looking for the famous Big Five

The last week of our trip we spent on Loisaba, a private conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. The aim was to find the Big Five for one or our nephews who had just turned 18. The landscape is stunning with its lush valleys and wide open plains set against the backdrop of Mount Kenya.

The abundance of wildlife made spotting the famous five, lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino possible. The rare black rhino has been reintroduced a few months ago. Besides that, rare species like Grevy’s zebra and reticulated giraffe seem to find precious refuge in the area. On this ranch wildlife successfully coexist with cattle and mixed herds of livestock.