Fantastic river crossings

It was fantastic to see this spectacle when I was in the Mara.

The World's Greatest Animal Migration

The sheer numbers of wildebeest and zebra that cross Kenya's Masai Mara every year are hard to describe and photograph adequately. We saw hundreds and thousands. They simply cover the vast plains.

The river-crossings are always the highlight of any trip. The deep, turbulent rivers that cross these huge plains are dangerous. Not only are the currents strong, but they are infested with crocodiles that lie in wait for an easy meal.

The drama of these epic crossings is incredible to witness. You can feel yourself willing on individuals that get into trouble - and of course cheering if they make it across successfully.
I have seen more than 12 river crossings, but this year for the first time I saw two adult wildebeests taken down effortlessly by huge crocodiles.

Zebra are always more cautious than wildebeest when it comes to plunging into the river. I photographed these pausing at the bank as though they were working on a plan of action. Brings a whole new meaning to the word 'zebra crossing'.

Meanwhile downstream of all the action and apparently blissfully unaware I spotted these hippos taking it easy in the sun!
If you want to read more about the wildlife trips that I lead each year and comments from some of the people who have travelled with me please follow this link.

Masai Mara Marvel

I've just got back from a two week safari to Kenya's Masai Mara.

I've been to Africa 10 times in total and have visited six different countries on this vast continent, but I'm drawn back to the Mara again and again.

This time I took a group of 12 people from Yorkshire with me to share my passion for the place.

I had the help of some expert guides, pictured below, whose local knowledge is unsurpassed.

From left to right are: Daryl and Sharna Balfour, myself, Pierre Burton and Phil West.

And of course we saw some magnificent wildlife. We timed our trip to coincide with the world's largest animal migration, when 1.5 million wildebeest, and 100s of 1,000s of gazelle and zebra cross these vast plains in search of fresh grazing and water. And we camped close to the Mara and Talek rivers where we were ideally placed to see the herds cross. These dramatic river crossings are very noisy, exciting events to watch.

The sheer numbers of these beasts as they file out onto the plains takes your breath away.

When spooked by predators, or when a member of the herd gets left behind momentarily, they can really move fast.

I photographed this at a shutter speed of a 30th of a second to get this 'motion blurred' effect.

We had some incredible sightings of Africa's big cats, including this magnificent leopard.

This leopard was hidden deep in thick bush when we first caught sight of her. We waited for about two hours and then just as the sun was setting she emerged and slunk off to hunt.

We watched as she climbed a termite mound, presumably to use it as a lookout before heading off into the growing dark.

As with all wildlife, it just proves that if you are patient, you'll see more.

Just look at those whiskers!