With the sun setting, light clouds hangs over the vast inlet of Lake Magadi. Our visit in November displayed a remarkable amount of greenery—trees dotting the escarpment down to the inlet—suggesting a period of significant rainfall in the weeks prior.
The hippo is a strong and agile animal despite its size, in the water it is quite fast if disturbed or if it senses danger, here it is swimming again a very strong current in the Mara River.
African savannas do burn from time to time, and this is actually a natural and important ecological process where once the rains return, fresh, nutritious green grasses sprout, which grazing animals like zebras, wildebeests, and antelopes depend on. Here is you can see the burnt savanna, it might have been a natural fire, maybe started by lightning.
The juvenile cheetah cub sits hidden in the tall grass, its nose still bloody from eating a fresh kill. Moments earlier, its mother had brought down a Grant’s gazelle, to feed its cubs. Now, with a full tummy it sits quietly in the morning sun. We were lucky to capture this brief moment of life on the savanna and spent some time at our lookout spot watching this small family.
It is quite common for male ostriches to fight for supremacy on the great grass plains, as dominance is closely tied to mating rights and access to females. Here, in Meru National Park, we witness this natural behavior. Meru is also famous as one of the places where conservationists George and Joy Adamson raised Elsa the lioness, later made world-renowned through their best-selling book.
Four juvenile hyena cubs rested near the entrance to their burrow, which lay in the middle of the open savanna. Their mother was nowhere in sight, yet they appeared calm and relaxed, although danger lurks everywhere on the great grass plains.
In the late afternoon, a large group of wildebeests gathered on the far shore of the river. We had been waiting for hours for this moment, and then, suddenly, the herd surged forward, charging straight into the dark waters of the Mara River. Within moments, a great column stretched from one bank to the other—an amazing sight.
The sun rises just above the horizon, casting a dramatic, golden and gray reflection onto the still waters inside the waters behind the coral reef. This breathtaking view lasts for some short minutes before the sun quickly ascends, transforming the sky as it climbs higher.
Hell’s Gate Gorge is characterized by its towering, water-eroded cliffs of red and ochre rock, which soar over 20 meters high. From the gorge floor, the prominent Central Tower is clearly visible. A smaller gorge branches off to the south near the tower, where a path descends to natural hot springs. Visitors should exercise extreme caution, as the surrounding rocks are geothermally heated and can cause serious burns.
Amboseli National Park features underground springs that feed its lakes, swamps, and wetlands, creating a true oasis for elephants and many other animals that forage on the lush grasses. In the image, zebras are traversing the plains in front of the great Mount Kilimanjaro. The base of the massive mountain rises behind them, its base shrouded in dark clouds.
A great view of the massive Mt Kenya and seen from the Chogoria bandas inside the Mt Kenya National Park. You can clearly see the transition from lush trees and vegetation to the moorelands and then to the alpine zone on this fantastic mountain.
Golden light, the arid African bush and two zebras on the way to the waterhole, perfectly framed in the short timeframe where the equator sun sits just above the horizon.
The sky is a mix of deep blue and dark hues, hinting at the coming night. Perched atop an acacia tree stands a Yellow-billed Stork. By day, these birds are usually found wading through shallow waters, swamps, and rivers, hunting with slow, deliberate precision. But this evening, it seems wiser to take to the high ground as darkness approaches
A moody sunset scene is unfolding next to the twin waterholes beside Kilaguni, capturing the spirit of the African wilderness — dusty, rugged terrain stretching to the horizon, framed by large mountains and distant hills. In the foreground, a large herd of elephants gathers, quenching their thirst beneath the expansive red and grey sky.
A male lion stalks through the golden grasses of the Kenyan savanna. Its muscular form moves with quiet intensity under a dramatic, partly cloudy sky. With an strong gaze, the lion surveys the vast plains, a predator in its element.
