Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2024/08/05
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I returned a few days ago from Laikipia in Kenya, off the beaten track, and gaining currency in wildlife circles as a place to go for unique encounters with a wild, 3 year old black leopard called Giza. Laikipia is in the North Central part of Kenya, and is a place to go for leopards, (one) black leopard and wild dog sightings - and as it is located in a private conservancy, you can be out till 9pm. Thanks to this, night sightings of leopards are plentiful. Giza, too, did not disappoint, she showed herself in more than 50% of the drives we did, and she had no fear of vehicles, making the sightings really satisfying. The service at the River Camp where we stayed was excellent, and the staff did whatever they could to keep us comfortable. That is the good news.The bad news is that accommodation is rustic/basic and the food was of indifferent quality. A landowner suddenly found that a black leopard cub was visible on his lands, and hastily built a few structures and started charging exorbitant amounts (over US$1000 a day per person) for the experience - which is tailored more towards the general tourist rather than photographers, but it is early days yet, and they will surely learn to cater to photographers in the days to come. The experience is most certainly unique and out of this world, and probably is the only one of its kind available, that I know of, for close encounters with black leopards, but comes at a high cost, especially given the basic quality of the boarding and lodging. The demand is certainly there, though, as they are booked solid till July 2025! On reflection, I am indeed glad that I did go there. A dozen photographic studies of Giza are available here: http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Laikipia/ Please see LARGE Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome. Cheers Jayanand