KENYA.....The Ultimate Safari Experience

Discussion in 'Travel' started by Mindian, Aug 7, 2014.

  1. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    A Kenyan safari has been on our wish list for quite some time now, and we wanted to make it in July-August, timing it with the great Mara migration.
    We flew to Nairobi and were met by our tour operator, who introduced us to our tour guide/driver for the safari. We started early next morning with our first halt being Amboselli National Park. In safari language, each visit to the safari park is called a game drive, and the Big Five are the lion, elephant, leopard, cape buffalo and the rhino. We saw plenty of the big four except the leopard which turned out to be really elusive despite the keen eyes of our tour guide.

    Amboselli is GREEN, and in two game drives we saw giraffes, zebras, lions, herds and herds of African elephants,wildebeests, impala, hyena and birds that I have never seen before.The park also offers spectacular views of Mt Kilimanjaro(though it is in Tanzania) the highest free standing mountain in the world.

    Our next drive was to Aberdare National Park. Aberdare Country Club was beautiful with peacocks roaming around the gardens. It was the base hotel for The Ark Lodge where we would stay for our night safari. This was different in the sense that animals came to visit us and not the other way around. The hotel is situated next to a water hole where animals come to drink at night. It being a very cloudy misty night we could see only herds of elephants,and it was an awesomely eerie sight at night.We almost saw the mating of two elephants in the sense that they were courting each other but the poor male was just rejected. Looked like the female of the species just liked to tease :)))

    On our way to our next attraction which was Samburu National Park, we had lovely views of Mt Kenya, the highest mountain in Kenya. We had another three game drives there. Samburu’s topography was entirely different and it was very thorny and bushy. We wondered whether we would spot any animals but could see so many. We saw cheetahs with their kill and wonder of wonders, the mating of two lions. It is also home to the Oryx, the Somali ostrich, and the reticulated giraffe (a giraffe was a giraffe and a zebra was a zebra, right? Never knew up until this holidaythat there were varieties amongst them :))

    Our next halt was to Solio Ranch to see rhinos. The Solio Ranch, one of the finest wildlife parks in Africa, is a privately-owned wildlife conservancy geared towards rhino conservation. The park plays a major part in the protection and breeding of black rhinos in Kenya.I have always thought them to be huge scary creatures but to see them running away from us was one of the cutest things I have seen. Besides having the world’s largest population of white rhinos and nearly hundred black rhino, the Solio Reserve is also inhabited by different other wildlife, such as buffalo, zebra, giraffe, Oryx, antelope, Thompson’s gazelle, impala, waterbuck and warthog, lions leopards and cheetahs.
     
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  2. Srama

    Srama Finest Post Winner

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    Awesome awesome Mindi! Bummer you didn't get to see the leopard but what an impressive gang of animals and at such close proximity! Thanks for sharing the information...may be some photos will help us see the safari, virtually!
     
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  3. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    On our way to our next leg, we stopped by Thomson’s waterfalls a 74 m scenic waterfall on the Ewaso Ng'iro river, which drains from the Aberdare Mountain Range and is near the town of Nyahururu in central Kenya. The kikuyu tribe was all dressed up and waiting to dance for us.

    We then proceeded to Lake Naivasha, a beautiful serene place, where one can go for a boat ride which leads to Crescent Island, a game park without any predators. So Visitors can walk freely and enjoy the wildlife and tranquil environment. It was our ‘walking safari’. Animals we saw are giraffe, zebra, Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, water buck, eland, and a lot of birds.

    Our final game park was the much hyped Masai Mara. In fact if you mention that you are visiting Kenya, people usually ask “Oh, Masai Mara?” Well, I am glad we did it the last. It is a park to be enjoyed in leisure and is situated in Narok county,Kenya which is contiguous with the Serengiti national park in Tanzania

    One of the main reasons we had chosen to visit in peak summer was to see the Great Migration.Millions of zebra Thomson's gazelle,and wildebeest move from Serengitti to Masai Mara from June to October. It is amazing to see these animals walk one after the other in enormous herds.We were lucky to witness this.Animals are choosy; they may or may not chose to cross on a particular day so it just depends on luck...the whole landscape is filled with animals and one is truly transported to a very different world.

    We also visited the Masai village, where we were greeted by the chieftain’s son who very casually mentioned that the chieftain, his father, had fifteen wives so they all lived as one big family in those circular row of cow dung-thatched houses. He then asked all of them to come out of their huts and they danced and sang for us. It was one of the most bizarre shows that I had ever seen, but I was very amused by the way they all came running to us and led my hubby and me to dance with them and encourage my daughter to take pictures. Made it seem like a scene from some Bollywood movie LOL.

    We concluded our safari with a hot-air balloon ride so that we could have an aerial view of Masai Mara and its inhabitants. The ride starts along with sunrise, lasts for an hour and concludes with a champagne buffet breakfast right in the middle of the wilderness. It is quite an experience after which we drove back to Nairobi with splendid views of the Rift Valley on the way.
     
  4. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    What makes the Kenyan safari an unforgettable experience?

    I learnt so much about the animal kingdom. For instance, although animals of the same breed flock together, there were lots of instances where zebras and giraffes grazed together with the wildebeests and deer. I felt this behavior was so similar to humans too. We tend to look out for Indians whenever we shift to a new place but I always like to meet new people and not stick to any one crowd. No wonder I loved the landscapes where different species grazed together. I felt they were more accepting of others hahaha.

    There is so much unity in the animal kingdom. For instance it is amazing that the migration takes place almost in a single file. It was very nice to see the animals follow some law and order :)

    They also share. We saw scenes wherein the leaves of upper branches were eaten by giraffes and those of the lower ones by zebras. The lowest ones are for the deer. How sweet is that!

    Many people advised us to be ‘careful’ in Kenya.But right from our tour operator to the hotel attendant we did not meet any shady characters. The hotelstaff in particular was very sweet and accommodating and in fact, in some of the places they took the trouble to make roti sabzi for me just because I had mentioned I was a vegetarian. Even those trying to sell their handicrafts were pleasant and smilingly refused to accept the prices I bargained for.

    The Masai tribe: I am not sure how poor they really are. Their conditions are terrible low; literally a hole for a house but every visitor who visits them pays in dollars. I wondered what they do with all that money. Yes they did show us a school with basic amenities but I did NOT see a clean bathroom or drinking water anywhere near the abode.

    The main source of revenue for Kenyans is tourism, and yes,safaris ARE expensive. But we had the time of our life experimenting with different types of accommodation from camps tents to lodges and bungalows. And they were all very clean and nicely maintained with some really great interiors.

    We are one of those people who never miss any zoo in any country we visit,at least until a few years ago when my daughter was still young.:) I am so glad that we did this safari in the end, otherwise it would have robbed us of all the fun we had on those trips, which now seem so staged. The ultimate experience is seeing the animals in wild.

    In short a safari in Kenya is every animal lover’s dream, wild-life lover’s enthuse and a photographer’s delight.:)
     
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  5. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    My dear Sabi,
    If it were not for your immediate LIKE, I might have abandoned this project...that of posting this blog here. I am NOT able to post pictures nor am I kept logged on enough to edit my post. Maybe because I have logged in after a very long time ?? :)))
    I shall try to post the pics later :)
     
  6. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    dear friends,
    generally I would have liked to post the pictures along with the related post but that is not to be for I just came to know that posts cannot be edited later than one hour. I have written my travelogue in three parts and hence will post pictures in three parts :)
     

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  7. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    pictures for the second post
     

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  8. DKI

    DKI Platinum IL'ite

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    Mindian,

    THANK YOU SOOOOOO much. Brought back so many wonderful memories :)

    I grew up in Kenya, and even though its been many years since I left the country, when somebody praises its beauty, I always feel happy. Just to see if my memory serves me right - is the first picture you posted - of the elephants at the Ark?
     
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  9. Mindian

    Mindian IL Hall of Fame

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    yes, DK1 your memory is perfect :) It is at The Ark.I have lovely video clippings which I would have loved to share but unfortunately nothing more than 2 mb is accepted :(
     
  10. Nitha J

    Nitha J IL Hall of Fame

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    Mindian, Beautiful Pics. Thanks for sharing.
    DK1, you are lucky!! To grow up in such a wild and beautiful place; you must have great memories. After reading Alexander McCall Smith , I was very impressed with whole of Africa, the people, culture , landscape etc.
     

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