If Craig would have had some dental work done he could have lived many more years, but he wore out of his last set of molars recently and the rangers knew he didn't have much time left. I wonder what they are going to do with his tusks? Auction them off and all proceeds go to the conservancy?
Yes, so sad to hear that. I am glad I got to see him last year. In 2020, I went to Amboseli for the first time and just missed seeing Tim, he had died only a few days earlier. With things being as they are, I doubt we will see the likes of Tim or Craig again, although some of the younger Supertuskers - Michael, Palmer and Esau, may get there if they live that long.
Here's a photo I took of Craig and his caretaker not too long ago, and here he is with Craig's tusks a couple days ago. Seeing Craig's tusks next to David shows just how massive he was. Many of you have stood face to face with Craig and experienced his size, but seeing David hold his tusks like this is just mind blowing to get a true sense of his proportion. There are about 5 more super tuskers left there now, but none of them are as gentle as Craig was. Hopefully they'll last as long as Craig did or longer, and it will be interesting to see how big their tusks get.
I have two exciting trips that I am leading in 2026, and have curated what I believe is the photographers dream trip, and have developed a relationship with locals who help me offer some of the best pricing for the offering. With that being said, Fred Miranda members get an even better price (message me for that). These can be done separately or back to back as one fantastic voyage:
Weather seems to be more RAIN than usual since mid-December in northern South Africa in the Kruger National Park area,,,and a bit west:
"Northeastern South Africa and Kruger National Park is experiencing severe flooding. The Hoedspruit Airport has been closed and flights have been cancelled. Evacuations are taking place across the region. Follow instructions from authorities and monitor local news for road closures. For updates on access and road closures in Kruger National Park, visit the SAN Parks website (see ‘Extreme weather and natural disasters’)."
rdcny wrote:
Weather seems to be more RAIN than usual since mid-December in northern South Africa in the Kruger National Park area,,,and a bit west:
Northeastern South Africa and Kruger National Park is experiencing severe flooding. The Hoedspruit Airport has been closed and flights have been cancelled. Evacuations are taking place across the region. Follow instructions from authorities and monitor local news for road closures. For updates on access and road closures in Kruger National Park, visit the SAN Parks website (see ‘Extreme weather and natural disasters’).
I am living in Hoedspruit and I can say the water is reseeding... however KNP was hammered. I wouldn't plan any trip to KNP for at least another 4-6 weeks if not longer.
Yes we were at Haenertsburg (west of Kruger) in December...and until about the 10th weather was fine (a bit of rain). Starting the 15th, after we left for the USA, the deluge began. We received a note from the Air BnB owner they the area had received about 60 cm of rain (24 inches) in a few days time. It was bad she said - but not as bad as the flooding of 2000.
Broederstroom River in So Africa after 60cm of rain in mid to late December 2025
I’m starting planning for an early December 2027 trip to Kenya. This thread has been amazing, thank you to everyone who has contributed! I plan to spend time in Samburu, Lewa, and the Mara conservancies, and will pay extra for a private vehicle (photography vehicle where available).
My question to those who have done the Mara conservancies, which two would you recommend pairing between Olare Motorogi, Naboisho, and Mara North? I would like to do 3 nights each in two of them, and am leaning towards the Kicheche camps, but can’t decide because they all look amazing. Thanks!
Tim D. wrote:
I’m starting planning for an early December 2027 trip to Kenya. This thread has been amazing, thank you to everyone who has contributed! I plan to spend time in Samburu, Lewa, and the Mara conservancies, and will pay extra for a private vehicle (photography vehicle where available).
My question to those who have done the Mara conservancies, which two would you recommend pairing between Olare Motorogi, Naboisho, and Mara North? I would like to do 3 nights each in two of them, and am leaning towards the Kicheche camps, but can’t decide because they all look amazing. Thanks!
You can't go wrong with any of the three Kicheche camps there but I would suggest staying at the Mara North camp first and then driving through OMC to transfer to the Valley Camp in Naboisho. It's a nice drive between those two camps passing through the OMC. You can't go wrong with the Bush camp either though, so toss a coin I guess or let availability decide that for you. These camps are the epitome of a top notch safari experience, especially with getting your own private vehicle.
I would also look into staying at Tortillis in Amboseli for the elephant experience instead of going to Samburu or Lewa.
artsupreme wrote:
You can't go wrong with any of the three Kicheche camps there but I would suggest staying at the Mara North camp first and then driving through OMC to transfer to the Valley Camp in Naboisho. It's a nice drive between those two camps passing through the OMC. You can't go wrong with the Bush camp either though, so toss a coin I guess or let availability decide that for you. These camps are the epitome of a top notch safari experience, especially with getting your own private vehicle.
I would also look into staying at Tortillis in Amboseli for the elephant experience instead of going to Samburu or Lewa....Show more →
Alan Kefauver wrote:
Samburu and Lewa are two of my favorite places.
Everyone has their preferences. Up north looks like home too much for me (California) although Mt Kenya can be a cool backdrop. If going on a bucket list safari, I don't know of many other places in the world where you can experience a massive herd of elephants walking toward you on the lakebed in Amboseli, with Mt Kili to add as another backrop . Of course, if you can afford to visit all three regions then great I would highly suggest it, but I would never lose out on the elephants of Amboseli if I had to choose between the two regions. But since OP is going in December and weather patterns are not very predictable nowadays, in Dec '27 the lakebed could ether completely flooded, dry and dusty from a drought, or anything in between. I prefer the very dry/dusty Africa conditions whereas other people love the lush green wet look.
Tim D. wrote:
I’m starting planning for an early December 2027 trip to Kenya. This thread has been amazing, thank you to everyone who has contributed! I plan to spend time in Samburu, Lewa, and the Mara conservancies, and will pay extra for a private vehicle (photography vehicle where available).
My question to those who have done the Mara conservancies, which two would you recommend pairing between Olare Motorogi, Naboisho, and Mara North? I would like to do 3 nights each in two of them, and am leaning towards the Kicheche camps, but can’t decide because they all look amazing. Thanks!
Hi Tim. This sounds like a great trip you're planning.
All three of the conservancies are very active, you can't go wrong. I've stayed at Kicheche Bush and had a great time. It was probably the best camp I've stayed at for density of big cat sightings. Lots of lions and lots of cheetah and a few short leopard sightings. The camp is very comfortable and I appreciated the permanent power for charging gear and the strong wifi for checking in on work/family. I also loved the pizza oven for lunch!
I'm booked into Kicheche Mara this fall and am excited to check it out. I've also seen lots of great sightings these days coming out of the Kicheche Naboisho camp too. I would suggest staying in neighbouring conservancies just to cut down on the transfer time. They say you'll game drive on the way, but I never find that's entirely true as your guide is under pressure to get you to the next camp in time. And with three nights in each you want to maximize quality game drives.
Samburu and Lewa will be incredible as well. The Northern Five and rhinos! Happy planning.
VKM2F wrote:
I would suggest staying in neighbouring conservancies just to cut down on the transfer time. They say you'll game drive on the way, but I never find that's entirely true as your guide is under pressure to get you to the next camp in time. And with three nights in each you want to maximize quality game drives.
I'm not sure where you had that experience but in regards to the specific Kicheche camps being discussed above you will actually maximize your time in the bush by getting an extra game drive over the lunchtime hour that you would not normally be getting at camp during lunch. I've done this exact drive between Kicheche Mara North and Kicheche Mara Valley (Naboisho) and there was no rush to get there. We got an extra 2-3hrs of shooting in for a drive that I think only takes an hour if you are not stopping. It was on this drive where I saw a herd of giraffes laying down in the grass which is not too common in the area. The transfer is during hot light noon hours of course, but I'm all about maximizing the shooting time as you mentioned, even if during the lunch hour. Plenty of time to get your morning and afternoon game drive in on the same day of transfer.
I agree driving can often waste time when transferring between other camps/regions, but definitely not the Kicheche camps we are discussing here as you actually get an extra game drive in. Note, this was in a private vehicle, so maybe it's different if you are packed in with a bunch of other people headed to different camps.
artsupreme wrote:
Everyone has their preferences. Up north looks like home too much for me (California) although Mt Kenya can be a cool backdrop. If going on a bucket list safari, I don't know of many other places in the world where you can experience a massive herd of elephants walking toward you on the lakebed in Amboseli, with Mt Kili to add as another backrop . Of course, if you can afford to visit all three regions then great I would highly suggest it, but I would never lose out on the elephants of Amboseli if I had to choose between the two regions. But since OP is going in December and weather patterns are not very predictable nowadays, in Dec '27 the lakebed could ether completely flooded, dry and dusty from a drought, or anything in between. I prefer the very dry/dusty Africa conditions whereas other people love the lush green wet look. ...Show more →
I went back and forth on this a lot. I do love the amazing elephant photography that Amboseli produces, but I decided that I'd prefer the variety of species and landscapes that Lewa and Samburu will provide. I really wanted to photograph rhinos, and I will still see elephants throughout the trip (although I understand it won't be in such large numbers as in Amboseli).
VKM2F wrote:
Hi Tim. This sounds like a great trip you're planning.
All three of the conservancies are very active, you can't go wrong. I've stayed at Kicheche Bush and had a great time. It was probably the best camp I've stayed at for density of big cat sightings. Lots of lions and lots of cheetah and a few short leopard sightings. The camp is very comfortable and I appreciated the permanent power for charging gear and the strong wifi for checking in on work/family. I also loved the pizza oven for lunch!
I'm booked into Kicheche Mara this fall and am excited to check it out. I've also seen lots of great sightings these days coming out of the Kicheche Naboisho camp too. I would suggest staying in neighbouring conservancies just to cut down on the transfer time. They say you'll game drive on the way, but I never find that's entirely true as your guide is under pressure to get you to the next camp in time. And with three nights in each you want to maximize quality game drives.
Samburu and Lewa will be incredible as well. The Northern Five and rhinos! Happy planning....Show more →
Thanks! It sounds like I won't go wrong with whatever I choose. It seems like Mara North will be more open plans and more scenic landscapes that would be good for sunrise/sunset silhouettes, and OMC and Naboisho might be more about density and getting up close to the cats (and hopefully some cubs). So I think Mara North + OMC could be a good choice, at least that's the direction I'm leaning at the moment!
Tim D. wrote:
Thanks! It sounds like I won't go wrong with whatever I choose. It seems like Mara North will be more open plans and more scenic landscapes that would be good for sunrise/sunset silhouettes, and OMC and Naboisho might be more about density and getting up close to the cats (and hopefully some cubs). So I think Mara North + OMC could be a good choice, at least that's the direction I'm leaning at the moment!
One of Kicheche Mara's guides, Tinka Jimmy, is active on Instagram. Give him a follow if you'd like to follow along with everything he's seeing in Mara North these days. Also, one of Kicheche's owners, Graham Wood, is a very talented photographer and he shares content from all the camps. I traveled with him to Mana Pools and he's a great guy.
Tim D. wrote:
I went back and forth on this a lot. I do love the amazing elephant photography that Amboseli produces, but I decided that I'd prefer the variety of species and landscapes that Lewa and Samburu will provide. I really wanted to photograph rhinos, and I will still see elephants throughout the trip (although I understand it won't be in such large numbers as in Amboseli).
I hear you, I went up north originally because I wanted to photograph the rhinos as well but found they are pretty boring to photograph. You'll see plenty of Rhino up there, along with reticulated giraffe and grevys zebra that you won't see down in the Mara. It's definitely a change of landscape up there and I suggest it, but since Lewa and Samburu are very very similar I would still try to twist your arm and swap out one of those for Amboseli, unless you plan on going back again some other time. As for the Kicheche Mara camps, the best sightings can change weekly between all three camps, but I've had the best luck at Mara North with Cheetah, Leopard, Lion and cubs. But you should see all at each camp, and they'll all have local prides, so you could have alternating "best weeks" between all three camps, depending on which week/year you are there. So you really can't go wrong with any of them as you'll likely be searching for leopard at all three. Anyway, you'll see plenty of everything everywhere except for maybe leopards, but IMO it's tough to beat the rush of standing face to face with big herds of elephants, especially when the matriarch decides to mock charge you from 20ft away as seen here in the 3rd screen shot. Pucker moment:
VKM2F wrote:
One of Kicheche Mara's guides, Tinka Jimmy, is active on Instagram. Give him a follow if you'd like to follow along with everything he's seeing in Mara North these days. Also, one of Kicheche's owners, Graham Wood, is a very talented photographer and he shares content from all the camps. I traveled with him to Mana Pools and he's a great guy.
Thank you for the follow suggestions, I will do that!
artsupreme wrote:
I hear you, I went up north originally because I wanted to photograph the rhinos as well but found they are pretty boring to photograph. You'll see plenty of Rhino up there, along with reticulated giraffe and grevys zebra that you won't see down in the Mara. It's definitely a change of landscape up there and I suggest it, but since Lewa and Samburu are very very similar I would still try to twist your arm and swap out one of those for Amboseli, unless you plan on going back again some other time. As for the Kicheche Mara camps, the best sightings can change weekly between all three camps, but I've had the best luck at Mara North with Cheetah, Leopard, Lion and cubs. But you should see all at each camp, and they'll all have local prides, so you could have alternating "best weeks" between all three camps, depending on which week/year you are there. So you really can't go wrong with any of them as you'll likely be searching for leopard at all three. Anyway, you'll see plenty of everything everywhere except for maybe leopards, but IMO it's tough to beat the rush of standing face to face with big herds of elephants, especially when the matriarch decides to mock charge you from 20ft away as seen here in the 3rd screen shot. Pucker moment:...Show more →
That must have been an exciting moment
With your experience in Amboseli, did you find yourself photographing anything other than the elephants there? That place definitely delivers epic pictures of the herds crossing the dry lake, but as you pointed out, that could be full of water when I'm there. If I dropped something up north, it would probably be Samburu, but then I wouldn't see some species that aren't going to be anywhere else. And the terrain in Samburu seemed like it would yield different looking images from the other locations. You felt like it was very similar looking to Lewa? I know time of year makes a difference, and I will be there in a green season.
Getting from Lewa to Amboseli means another flight/transfer day instead of a game drive transfer between Samburu and Lewa. This is my first trip, but I don't expect it will be my last.
