On a previous visit, I had met fellow keen photographer Martin van Herwaarden and wondered if he might be interested to have a joint adventure. After, much discussion and planning, the time for our trip arrived and we set off at the end of February. I don’t know which of the three of us was the most excited!

We arrived to a lovely refreshing drink and very warm welcome with the whole Mattikoko Safari Camp team there to greet us. Mattikoko Safari Camp has been very cleverly designed to blend in with the surroundings. My tent had a very comfortable bed (with a lovely hot water bottle placed in it each evening) and a partitioned off area for showering and washing.

After settling in, it was soon time for a delicious lunch and a little more relaxation before our first sunset game drive.

For the whole trip, Moses was also our guide and driver. His knowledge of tracking, the names of the myriad of different species, getting us to the best locations and positioning the jeep in the optimal way for the time of day and the light, meant that the only thing which restricted our photography was our ability (and sometimes the long grass after so much rain!) Every day was different both in terms of the weather a mixture of sunshine, torrential rain, thunderstorms but also our experiences.

We saw an absolute wealth of different wildlife species and some really spectacular sightings such as Nan’gurro or ‘half-tail’ the female leopard which we saw less than a mile from the camp (this was due to Moses hearing jackals barking and hyenas whooping nearby and then taking us to investigate). We saw very young lion cubs, baby elephants, a large herd of giraffes, many different species of birds and so much more. In fact we didn’t need to leave the camp at all for some of the wildlife to come to us. From the mess tent, we watched herds of elephants, saw zebras, giraffes and various antelopes and gazelles. At night we listened to lions roaring in the distance, hippos grunting and after the heavy rains, a whole cacophony of frogs and toads!

The food was not only plentiful at Mattikoko, but it was also delicious. Not being a meat-eater, I enjoyed every single meal each different and with great variety.

Nearing the camp at the end of a game drive, Moses contacted the staff in advance of our arrival and there were always some of the team to greet us with warm towels and the offer of help with our heavy camera bags. There was a real and genuine depth of friendliness and helpfulness every single day. Nothing was too much trouble. After our meal one evening, all the men, dressed in their traditional Maasai clothes, came into the mess tent danced, sang and performed their Maasai jumping dance. I have to say my eyes were quite moist at the end. And it wasn’t the only time for moist eyes, as the team also sang us a song of farewell as we departed.

You can probably gather, this won’t be my last visit to Mattikoko. I feel very privileged to have been involved in the inaugural trip and can’t wait to go back!