This is my first view of a Pied Kingfisher. They are massive compared with the Common Kingfishers we see in the UK. We’re lucky that it turns briefly and I can see its breast pattern. Otherwise I would only have seen it from the back. What a special bird.
There’s a fast antelope called a Topi here. They often like to stand on hillocks, looking like sentinels. The only previous photographs …
No sweat. That’s the problem with being a bird. Humans have sweat gland which act to produce water which cools the body …
Here at Mara Ngenche Safari Camp the luxury is embarrassing. A beautiful two-room tent with outside shower and private plunge pool, fabulous …
I’ve already had the experience of a male Lion getting uncomfortably close to me on this safari. This time it’s a Lioness …
In the distance, through the heat-haze, from a moving vehicle, wearing dirty glasses, the first thing I think is that those large …
Masai Giraffes are tall. There are four species of Giraffe and this one is native to the Masai Mara. I love the …
It’s my first view of Spotted Hyenas. What strange animals. They have such short back legs and long front legs. I’m sure …
There’s a Lion in the Masai Mara and we’re on safari to see it. Four of us are in an open-sided vehicle …
There’s a corpse in the long grass. We think it’s the remains of a Buffalo. That means Hooded Vultures, Necrosyrtes monachus, are …
There is a small family group of Elephants in the distance. Seeing them in the landscape is something new for me. I’ve …
We’re out on a safari drive in the Masai Mara in Kenya. Our guide and driver, Gladys, is an expert at spotting …
Animals with hooves are either odd-toed or even-toed. The odd-toed ones are horses, rhinos and tapirs. The even-toed ones are cattle, antelope, pigs, giraffes, camels, sheep, deer, and hippos. …
Here at Mara Ngenche Safari Camp, in the Masai Mara in Kenya, the luxury is slightly overwhelming. When I booked on a …
We’re in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. I think it’s an indestructible Toyota Land Cruiser. Gladys is our local Kenyan guide for four of …
The twelve of us who have been volunteering in Kenya for Kenya Connect for the past eight days have been whittled down …
It’s been a hectic week volunteering on a literacy programme in Kenya for Kenya Connect. I’ve had little time to process all …
Muthoki Country Lodge has been our home in Wamunyu for the week, with luxurious tents and fabulous food. We have four-poster beds …
We’re out in Kenya Connect‘s Institution Bus on a road trip for the Reading Road Rally. It’s part of my volunteering in …
Before I came to Kenya, my colleague Liz told me she had been to a special school on her last trip. She …
To many of the children here, being a superhero means carrying heavy jerrycans of water back to their home to help their …
While we are volunteering in rural Kenyan schools we return to the headquarters of Kenya Connect each day for lunch. It’s meat …
The morning starts with an early Institution Bus ride to Kenya Connect‘s headquarters and we transfer to a four-wheel drive vehicle. Eventually …
There’s just time before sundown to visit the lake a few hundred metres from my tent. One of the most common birds …
Our volunteer literacy programme with Kenya Connect today is for a group of parents with children from 0 to 5 years old, …
We’re heading to Wamunyu Market on our way back to Kenya Connect’s headquarters building. It’s clearly an experience our Kenyan partners want …
It’s the evening after a busy day volunteering in Kenyan schools for Kenya Connect. We have dinner together at Muthoki Country Lodge …
My colleague Liz suggests I might like to read to the literacy class today. I’d love to. If only I’d had chance …
There’s very little daylight left after a full day volunteering in Kenyan schools, but I intend to make the most of it. …
My English name is David, but everyone here needs to have a Kamba name. We’re amongst the Kamba tribe here in one …