Liberty Nichols

Liberty’s final Kenyan ‘hurrah’ – Liberty packed her car and went on a ‘Tour de Laikipia’ to see friends at lodges and say her goodbyes. Here, Liberty stayed with friends at Sosian, going on the most amazing sunrise ride on a horse she’d trained and sold to them a couple months prior. Then, she went up to Tumaren Camp, walking with Gabriel, the most amazing Samburu guide. There, they managed to track lions back from the water hole just outside camp to their kill, which was only a mile or so away on foot. Liberty then drove up to Ol Malo where she managed to fit in a short helicopter flight and another morning ride. Then she snuck in an over-due catch up in their famous bar – in which they were just installing beer on tap!

“It is hard to pick just one, but a heart-in-mouth moment in Tsavo takes the crown: getting charged on foot by a protective lioness. Something I could never forget! 

While scouting new camp sites for work, Jack (the guide) and I dropped down into a dry riverbed (lugga) for a stroll, unknowingly stumbling straight upon a lioness resting on the opposite bank with her cubs. She exploded into a bone-rattling roar and charged the edge. Armed with zero weapons, Jack immediately raised his arms, shouting at the top of his lungs, to lock us in a tense, frozen standoff.

She surged forward with another roar, and a cloud of dust rose behind her at the top of the bank. It looked as though she was crouched to pounce. Jack, usually the most laid-back guy on the planet, turned to me, looked me dead in the eye, and said: “Run.”

We both ran backwards trying hard not to turn our backs, scrambled up the bank and legged it to the car, while she thankfully held her ground. It was an adrenaline-fueled lesson in respecting the bush.”