Galago (aka Bush Baby)

Habitat: Woodlands and scrublands throughout sub-Sahara Africa.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★☆☆☆

If you’ve spent any amount of time on my website, you know that I’m a big fan of all the nocturnal creatures that come out after most others call it a night. One of my favorites in Kenya is the galago, more commonly known as the bush baby. It’s hard to predict the likelihood of a sighting so I went a bit conservative. If the lodge knows of a nearby resident, then it shouldn’t be too difficult to find. The great thing about nocturnal mammals is that by shining a flashlight from near our eye level, it’s easy to see eye-shine of the animal and therefore locate it in a forest of trees or bushes. New rules forbid night drives in Kenya’s National Parks, but at our second camp, we won’t be in a National Park and a night drive or two will be possible.

Lion Cub

Habitat: Scrub, grasslands and open woodlands of the savanna

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★½

We would be extremely unlucky to not see lions. In fact, historically unlucky, as I’ve never heard of anyone returning from safari and not having a least one or two sightings. Especially in Kenya where they are quite common. And like humans, babies can be born at any time during the year so cubs are also a strong likelihood. Lions are also at the very top of most safari-goers “to see” list so guides are always on the lookout and usually know a sure bet spot or two where they tend to hang out. Lions are social cats and we are likely to spot them in prides of several individuals, but also just as likely to spot lone males out canvassing their territory, or a group of females on the hunt. Seeing a kill in action is the ultimate experience, but I also love discovering a pride at rest. If cubs are in the pride, they will usually be up to all sorts of playful antics while the adults try to sleep.

Rhinoceros

Habitat: Grassy plains of Kenya

Likelihood of sighting: ★★1/2☆☆

Rhinos are one of Africa’s big five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino). And it’s easily the most difficult of the five to see. They exist in the Masai Mara and we have a chance to see them there but it’s rare. On our first day when in Nairobi, however, they are almost guaranteed if we decide to go to Nairobi National Park that afternoon. That said, I’ll keep the odds at 50/50. White rhinos are more common than black rhinos, but both are in Nairobi National Park. Below is a baby white rhino that Karen and I saw back in 2011. It was running around like a playful puppy dog and then started what looked like blowing kisses at us.

Burchell’s Zebra

Habitat: Widely spread throughout treeless grasslands and savanna woodlands.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★★

The Burchell’s zebra, also know as the common or plains zebra is as close to a guarantee as we’re going to get. Well, it is a guarantee. I remember my first visit to Africa and on day one, the guide kept driving right past the zebras as if they weren’t even there. I had to explain to him that I was, in fact, interested in viewing and photographing them. They’re that common. In addition to the Burchell’s, there are two other species of zebra as well, that aren’t quite so common — the Grevy’s and the Mountain zebra. If we’re lucky, we might also see the Grevy’s. The mountain zebra, however, only lives in small pockets of southern Africa.

Aardwolf

Habitat: They can be found pretty much anywhere in eastern and southern Africa, but are very secretive and prefer semi-arid open plains and grassland savannas.

Likelihood of sighting: ★☆☆☆☆

On our last trip we spotted an aardwolf and I was telling our guests how lucky we were because they are very rare to see. Then we proceeded to see five more over the next two days. It was unusual, but that’s the way Africa is. Sometimes you expect to see certain animals and you don’t, but you see others that you didn’t expect. Even after the aardwolf extravaganza of 2023, I rate this a one star likelihood, but you never know. Here’s to continued luck with aardwolves and other rarities in 2024.

Cheetah

Habitat: Cheetah can be found in a variety of habitats including dry forests, grasslands, open plains and desert regions.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★☆☆

Other than lions, cheetah are usually one of the most often seen cats, especially in the Masai Mara. We should have good luck, but you never know. Last trip, we had great luck in Samburu and saw a mother with her four cubs on four consecutive days. They tend to move in and out of large territories, so I’m only giving this a 3 out of 5 star probability. That said, I do love the babies when they still have white backs and resemble a honey badger from a distance. It is thought that this might be an adaptation to keep them safe. This young cub was curled up in its mother’s lap one late afternoon in the Mara. Also, check out the video below that I posted last week to my general blog. Image is from the Mara when Karen and I first visited. The video is from Samburu last June.

Hippopotamus

Habitat: Along, and inside rivers and lakes throughout sub-Sahara Africa.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★1/2

Hippos are one of our favorite animals to see in Africa. Karen, in particular, loves listening to them “laugh” at night while in our tents. They have a well-deserved reputation for being fierce and dangerous. This is because they are highly territorial and enter and exit the water using the same pathway every day. When locals place themselves in the middle of that pathway (usually when washing clothes in a river in the early morning) it can be a problem. We won’t be washing any clothes down by the river, so no worries. We’ll just observe their behavior from a safe viewing distance, and I’ll be attempting to capture the big yawn shot that displays those giant teeth. Even with those teeth, however, hippos are strictly vegetarian and eat grasses in and out of the water. Their skin is very susceptible to sunburn so they spend their days in the water, generally only coming out at night, so most of our viewing will be while they are partially submerged.

Black-Backed Jackal

Habitat: Savannas and woodlands throughout east Africa.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★☆

Jackals look a lot like coyotes and their behavior is very similar as well. They are great scavengers and can often be seen trying to pester a lion off a kill (assuming it’s just a single lion). We are very likely to see one of these guys. They are actually a lot of fun to watch as they test their luck trying to snag whatever food they can. In this case, it happens to be the leg of a gazelle.

Gerenuk and Somali Ostrich

Habitat: Scrubland throughout Samburu National Reserve.

Likelihood of sighting gerenuk: ★★★★1/2

Likelihood of sighting Somali ostrich: ★★★☆☆

Here’s a look at two of the local specialties in Samburu, our third camp. Up top we have the gerenuk, aka the giraffe-necked antelope. These guys are fairly common throughout Samburu. The money shot is to see one on its hind legs, reaching for leaves high on a bush. The below shot is the male Somali ostrich. These guys aren’t quite as common, but we should at least see one or two. The females are less spectacularly plumed and more of a uniform grey color.

African Bush Elephant

Habitat: Usually in savannas, grasslands, and forests but can be found pretty much anywhere, including deserts, swamps, and highlands in tropical and subtropical regions.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★★

I’m going to just go ahead and guarantee elephants (even though there are no guarantees when it comes to wildlife). I don’t think I’ve ever gone two days in a row on safari without seeing at least one. They’re not good at hiding. And we can usually get very close. Reach out and touch them close, although that is not recommended. At all. We’ll likely even see them walk through our camp in Samburu. And, of course, we’re going to an elephant orphanage to interact with captive and rescued elephants.

Grey-Crowned Crane

Habitat: Grassland and wetland areas of the savanna in both Kenya and Uganda

Likelihood of sighting: ★★★★☆

I’ll be surprised if we don’t see a few of these well ornamented birds. I’ve seen them in both Kenya and Uganda and they can be spotted pretty much anywhere, even in and around villages. I’ve also seen mothers with chicks so here’s hoping we have the same luck come April.

Leopard

Habitat: Leopards are very widespread and can be spotted just about anywhere. That said, they can be very elusive.

Likelihood of sighting: ★★½☆☆

Leopards are at the very top of most safari-goer’s wish lists. They are relatively common, but because they are solitary and can be incredibly secretive, they can be difficult to see. That said, I’ve had very good luck in the Masai Mara as well as Samburu (two of the three areas we’ll be visiting). Samburu, in fact, has produced multiple sightings of leopard the last two times we’ve visited, including this image from January of 2020. That said, I’m going to play it safe and give us a 50/50 shot. Here’s hoping luck is on our side. I’m still after my first baby leopard so that will be at the top of my personal wish list.