Fulfilling A Dream – Week 3: Kenya

The flight to Kenya was only a few hours, but it felt never ending to me! Shortly after arriving in Johannesburg, I started to get a sore throat (gotta love airplanes!). It disappeared when we arrived in Victoria Falls (yay) but was replaced with a brutal cough that quickly developed into a major chest infection (yuck!). So I spent the whole flight from Zambia to Nairobi trying to hack my lungs out as discreetly as possible. When we finally landed, we again needed to secure Visas so I was preparing myself for a long wait and very late night. As we joined the end of a lengthy queue, an airport staff member walked over and asked us where we were from and if it was our first time in Kenya. When we said yes, he waved at us to to follow him, then brought us directly to the front of another line, and made some hand signals at the immigration officer. He then walked away. We were both a little bewildered and unsure of what was happening, Rob apologised to the people behind us now, but next thing we knew, the immigration officer called us up, gave us our visas, stamped our passports and welcomed us to Kenya. I was so happy to be able to head off to the hotel and get some sleep! Even better, our hotel was only a short walk to a shopping mall that had a chemist, so I was able to get some antibiotics first thing in the morning. 

After leaving the chemist, Rob and I headed off for some more close encounters with animals. First stop was the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. Similar to the sanctuary we went to in Victoria Falls, the focus of this orphanage is conservation. They take in elephant calves who have become orphaned, usually because of poaching.

The babies stay at Sheldrick until they are about three years old, where they are fed up to 36 litres of a milk-based formula each day. It is during one of these feeding times that the public are welcomed into the park to see them (only for 1 hour a day).

Once the elephant calves are finished eating, they have a little time to play…

And cool off in the mud.

After the age of three, the calves are transitioned to another part of the sanctuary where they are introduced to a herd of elephants with the aim of integrating that calf into the herd, a process that takes about five years. 

Only a short drive away, is the famous Giraffe Manor. I’m sure everyone has seen those videos and pictures online where people are enjoying their morning coffee in their rooms while giraffes poke their heads in waiting for treats. What you don’t see is that is right outside the hotel, is the Giraffe Centre. The Centre was formed to breed the Rothschild giraffe, and endangered species of giraffe that is known for its white ‘boots’. All other giraffes have spots all the way down their legs. It was at this Centre where we had the opportunity to feed and pet giraffes.

We followed up our adventures in Nairobi with a meal at Carnivore which includes all kinds of meats including ostrich, ox and crocodile, all cooked over charcoal.

Unlike similar restaurants we have gone to in Canada, there was no fabulous salad bar, so I managed to eat at least a respectable amount of meat. Once you’re full, the white flag must be raised to declare defeat! We could have used some help Ms. Ava!

After a day of much needed rest day, we were off on another safari. First stop was Lake Nakuru. What a magical place!

As we travelled through the National Park there, we saw a number of Rothschild giraffe

At Lake Nakuru, we saw rhinos that hadn’t been dehorned.

We even saw some rhinos mating. Rob actually thought they were rocks when we were first approaching them (Translation: they don’t move when mating).

Before leaving the park, our driver pulled up to the edge of the Lake and said it was safe to get out and wander the shoreline and take pictures.

It’s impossible to describe what this experience was like. In front of us, was this gorgeous lake, with flamingos and exotic birds…

… while beside and behind us were zebras, buffalos, and giraffes. So surreal!

The next morning, we left Lake Nakuru for Masai Mara. The driving in Kenya is fast and chaotic and I swear people spend more time in the passing lane (on a 2-lane highway) than in their own lane. Just when you think you’re going to hit oncoming traffic, the drivers dart back into their own lane, cramming their way into existing, heavy traffic. And no one gets annoyed with one another! I still can’t believe we didn’t see a single accident! We did see tons of these little motorbikes though carrying all sorts of interesting things…goats, live chickens, PVC pipe (at least 15 feet long), a couch, 4 adult men, an electric piano….you name it, they managed to balance it on a motorcycle. 

Our accommodations at Masai Mara were large canvas tents tucked under a makeshift structure that included a roof and back walls so you had a toilet and shower in your room. Thank goodness! There are no fences around game parks and we were literally camping up along the bushes that lined Masai Mara, so I was relieved to not have to leave my tent in the dark of night. There were native Masai Warriors who guarded us each night as they sat around a fire outside of our tents with guns, just in case.

Masai Mara was breathtaking. While the areas of South Africa and Zimbabwe we visited were experiencing massive drought, the rains had already started in Kenya, so everything was lush and green. Instead of the hilly landscape of South Africa, Masai Mara was never-ending plains and sky and sunsets.

Truly stunning! And I couldn’t get enough of these trees.

Masai Mara is famous for migration of buffalo and wildebeest. We didn’t get to see that but did see a lot of both.

We saw every kind of antelope possible I think while in Masai Mara – Impalas, Water bucks, Elands, Hirams, Gazelles, Grand Gazelles, Topi and the list goes on!

And every other animal too, even the elusive leopard.

We were excited to come across these two female lions up close.

While I was still smiling from seeing those sweet little lion cubs, our driver pulled up to some trees to this…

Part way through the day, we came across the Kenya/Tanzania border, which separates Masai Mara National Park from the Serengeti National Park. 

Then one of the park rangers took us for a walk along the river so we could see families of hippos. Although there were numerous families living in this river, they don’t intermix and even have their own pathways in and out of the river. Quite interesting animals!

We started the next day with a visit to the Maasai village located right next to our camp. The village is made up of small huts held together with cow dung, with a roof of sticks and brush. The Maasai people are recognisable by their beautiful Shukas, a colourful piece of cloth that they wrap around themselves in various ways.

They welcomed us and shared some of their local customs and culture with us, including making fire and their traditional jumping dance. 

Lamar, one of the few men who spoke English, talked about their daily customs and explained that each morning started with prayer next to their sacred tree, and each evening ended with a village meeting where the assignment of the next day’s tasks and chores was decided. It was interesting learning about their way of life. 

 And then we were off to Amboseli National Park which is famous for its views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Unfortunately, this was the clearest view we had during our two days there.

We saw a lot of different animals at Amboseli

And came across this gorgeous causeway. It was so peaceful! I could picture sitting there in a lawn chair for hours.

One of the most amazing things we saw while at Amboseli, was a massive herd of elephants travelling together. I lost count after I hit 100. What a phenomenal sight. No picture could come close to capturing it.

And just like that, our safari experiences were over and we were on our way back to Nairobi for a final night in Kenya before beginning the long trip back to Australia. We fully enjoyed the hot showers and drinks by the pool! 

This truly was a lifetime experience, and one we will always carry with us!