Taking on cattle raiders with a Macbook Pro

One of my reasons for coming to Kenya was to visit Tango Maus, the farm of Spectator ‘Wild life’ columnist Aidan Hartley. I’ve read so much about this mystical place —the skirmishes with the local elephant population, the troublesome livestock, the Gunga Din-like farm manager — that I was dying to see it. And having spent last weekend there, I’m happy to say it doesn’t disappoint.

First, there’s the drive. When Aidan describes the farm as ‘remote’ he’s not exaggerating. I don’t think I’ve ever travelled through more inhospitable terrain. The last part was the worst — a 100-mile crawl along a track that’s so threadbare it frequently disappears altogether. This is in the heart of the African bush, mind you, so at any moment you might be charged by a rhino or mauled by a lion.

To add to my anxiety, Aidan had gone on ahead in a different vehicle, leaving me with some cursory directions.