Babies Galore: Kenya in April
Jun 9th, 2017, 04:35 PM
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Babies Galore: Kenya in April
After our original spring break plans were changed, we ended up deciding upon Africa. After doing research and figuring out logistics, we decided to spend the entire visit in Kenya. Family includes me, surfdad, and the kids (DD1 is 16 years, DD2 is 15 years, and DS is 13 years). A great age to travel! The trip report was written while in Africa, so it may ramble a bit...
day 1 - Friday - arrive in Nairobi
After uneventful flights, we arrived in Nairobi. We had not done the e-visa in advance and I'm not sure it would have saved any time (lines looked to be moving at similar speeds). After waiting about 45 minutes, we were finished with the process and met our agency rep. We walked outside and waited about 10 minutes for the driver to pick us up.
We had decided to stay close-by - at the Eka Hotel. It worked out great. We got checked in, while the kids showered, we ordered room service, and were all in bed pretty quickly.
happy to be on the ground!
day 1 - Friday - arrive in Nairobi
After uneventful flights, we arrived in Nairobi. We had not done the e-visa in advance and I'm not sure it would have saved any time (lines looked to be moving at similar speeds). After waiting about 45 minutes, we were finished with the process and met our agency rep. We walked outside and waited about 10 minutes for the driver to pick us up.
We had decided to stay close-by - at the Eka Hotel. It worked out great. We got checked in, while the kids showered, we ordered room service, and were all in bed pretty quickly.
happy to be on the ground!
Jun 9th, 2017, 04:38 PM
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day 2: Giraffe Manor, Nairobi
What a great day.... after a nice buffet breakfast at the Eka Hotel, we were picked up and delivered to Giraffe Manor. It is a house built in 1930 based on a Scottish manor. Ivy covered and all. Really neat! We walked around a bit and had lunch about 1:00.
Lunch was a starter of hummus and bread, and a lunch of sesame chicken; dessert was cream cheese and lime sorbet. We walked over to the Giraffe center (part of the same complex) and fed the giraffes, learned about the species, and then took a nature walk. An interesting fact was holding the leg bone of a giraffe - surprised at the weight. We learned about some indigenous plants and trees and then walked back to the hotel.
The driver picked us up at 4:15 for a trip to the Elephant Orphanage. At 5, we watched all the elephants come into the orphanage from Nairobi National Park. They were led to their pens and had dinner waiting for them. We enjoyed watching them eat and the girls each selected one for adoption. They will get emails and updates for the next year as the elephants grow. The orphanage takes the babies whose moms have been injured or killed and nurses them until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. There is also one Giraffe and one rhino and a few warthogs running around. The rhino is blind and they thought they could do an eye operation on him, but cannot, so since he could not defend his territory, he is kept at the orphanage.
At 6, we were taken back to Giraffe Manor and since there were scones leftover from tea, we sat on the porch and had a snack. The giraffes came up to the manor, so we fed them there. They eat pellets that are compressed of dried grass and molasses.
By then, we had a few minutes to freshen up and then dinner was served. Since they were full in the main building (we are in the Garden Manor building attached), we ate in the study of our building. We were served dinner by candlelight - arancini appetizer (rice and cheese in a ball deep fried) and then beef and chips for dinner. Dessert was chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream. We are all full!
Tomorrow is an early wake up call - we can feed the giraffes from our room before breakfast ... about 6:30, then breakfast at 7, and picked up at 8 to head to the airport and Samburu.
What a great day.... after a nice buffet breakfast at the Eka Hotel, we were picked up and delivered to Giraffe Manor. It is a house built in 1930 based on a Scottish manor. Ivy covered and all. Really neat! We walked around a bit and had lunch about 1:00.
Lunch was a starter of hummus and bread, and a lunch of sesame chicken; dessert was cream cheese and lime sorbet. We walked over to the Giraffe center (part of the same complex) and fed the giraffes, learned about the species, and then took a nature walk. An interesting fact was holding the leg bone of a giraffe - surprised at the weight. We learned about some indigenous plants and trees and then walked back to the hotel.
The driver picked us up at 4:15 for a trip to the Elephant Orphanage. At 5, we watched all the elephants come into the orphanage from Nairobi National Park. They were led to their pens and had dinner waiting for them. We enjoyed watching them eat and the girls each selected one for adoption. They will get emails and updates for the next year as the elephants grow. The orphanage takes the babies whose moms have been injured or killed and nurses them until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. There is also one Giraffe and one rhino and a few warthogs running around. The rhino is blind and they thought they could do an eye operation on him, but cannot, so since he could not defend his territory, he is kept at the orphanage.
At 6, we were taken back to Giraffe Manor and since there were scones leftover from tea, we sat on the porch and had a snack. The giraffes came up to the manor, so we fed them there. They eat pellets that are compressed of dried grass and molasses.
By then, we had a few minutes to freshen up and then dinner was served. Since they were full in the main building (we are in the Garden Manor building attached), we ate in the study of our building. We were served dinner by candlelight - arancini appetizer (rice and cheese in a ball deep fried) and then beef and chips for dinner. Dessert was chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream. We are all full!
Tomorrow is an early wake up call - we can feed the giraffes from our room before breakfast ... about 6:30, then breakfast at 7, and picked up at 8 to head to the airport and Samburu.
Jun 9th, 2017, 09:25 PM
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Thank you for this Surfmom.
Question: since you also went to the Giraffe Center and fed giraffes there (I recall the elevated deck, which puts you at giraffes' mouths level, as great fun) would you recommend also staying at Giraffe Manor for the experience. It was way above my budget at the time, but I wondered if we missed something by not staying overnight. If you think it was worth the cost, in addition to both the Giraffe Center mouth interaction
and your sightings of giraffes on safari, I'll consider it a worthwhile splurge for next time!
Thanks for starting the report; can hardly wait to read more!
Question: since you also went to the Giraffe Center and fed giraffes there (I recall the elevated deck, which puts you at giraffes' mouths level, as great fun) would you recommend also staying at Giraffe Manor for the experience. It was way above my budget at the time, but I wondered if we missed something by not staying overnight. If you think it was worth the cost, in addition to both the Giraffe Center mouth interaction
and your sightings of giraffes on safari, I'll consider it a worthwhile splurge for next time!Thanks for starting the report; can hardly wait to read more!
Jun 10th, 2017, 04:02 PM
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Hi CaliNurse!
Good question. I thought about it and asked the kids and they all say, "stay at Giraffe Manor". Honestly, we wished that we hadn't gone to the Elephant Orphanage that afternoon, because we didn't want to leave. We loved the house - the hotel - our room. We checked in about 11am - when you can - and immediately fell in love with it. We were able to send our traveling clothes out to the laundry (they came back that evening), so that also helped heading out on safari the next day. I just wanted to find an hour to curl up in a chair and sit and ready... but we were busy getting settled, eating, etc. It is also pretty neat to wake up at 6am and watch the giraffes come across the lawn heading for an open window
Good question. I thought about it and asked the kids and they all say, "stay at Giraffe Manor". Honestly, we wished that we hadn't gone to the Elephant Orphanage that afternoon, because we didn't want to leave. We loved the house - the hotel - our room. We checked in about 11am - when you can - and immediately fell in love with it. We were able to send our traveling clothes out to the laundry (they came back that evening), so that also helped heading out on safari the next day. I just wanted to find an hour to curl up in a chair and sit and ready... but we were busy getting settled, eating, etc. It is also pretty neat to wake up at 6am and watch the giraffes come across the lawn heading for an open window
Jun 10th, 2017, 04:05 PM
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Day 3 – off to Samburu -
Busy day! We were up at 6am and the giraffes were waiting as they opened the gates from the wildlife area to the manor house. The kids came upstairs to the adult room and fed the giraffes from the window. We then went downstairs and had breakfast - and Kelly, the Giraffe, leaned her head in to join us. They eat pellets of dried leaves and molasses. We headed for the airport at 8 and when we got there, realized we weren't on the 9:15 Air Kenya flight, but the 10:20 SafariLink flight. So we hung in the lounge and waited, read and kids hopped on wifi.
The flight was 6 people - us and a German guy. Small prop plane. We landed on the airstrip - a dirt track - and the car was waiting for us. We met our driver, Julius, and were off. On the way to camp, we made a few detours to see animals. Saw giraffes, elephants, lions, impalas, dik-diks, oryx, zebras and some others.
We are staying at Elephant Bedroom Camp - a tented camp next to the river. There are about 12 tents - and the camp is pretty full. We are split into two tents - boys (king bed) in one and girls (2 queen beds) in the other.
Got to camp about 1pm - got settled and had lunch. Kids had noodles, I had beef lasagna, and surfdad had fish. After lunch, we had a break, so the kids used the plunge pool (refreshing!) and we hung out. We met again at 4:00 for the evening game drive. We had two women from the UK join us and saw many animals but this time also saw a leopard. We then stopped at the river for a sundowner – drinks and snacks and watched the sunset. This sundowner was set up for the entire camp - all the vehicles came here and there were hot appetizers as well as a variety of drinks.
We drove back to camp in the dark and when we arrived back at camp, we had to use the back way since an elephant was in camp. Luckily, he was near the other tents so we could still go freshen up at ours. We had to be escorted to our tents and then were escorted back for dinner. It was lemon grilled chicken for most of us. We retired (escorted) to our tents for showers, charging devices, and bed. We have electricity from 6:30-11pm which is nice. And then again in the morning before we go out.
Wake up is 6am with tea and biscuits and we leave at 6:30 for the drive. We are also visiting a Samburu village tomorrow.
Busy day! We were up at 6am and the giraffes were waiting as they opened the gates from the wildlife area to the manor house. The kids came upstairs to the adult room and fed the giraffes from the window. We then went downstairs and had breakfast - and Kelly, the Giraffe, leaned her head in to join us. They eat pellets of dried leaves and molasses. We headed for the airport at 8 and when we got there, realized we weren't on the 9:15 Air Kenya flight, but the 10:20 SafariLink flight. So we hung in the lounge and waited, read and kids hopped on wifi.
The flight was 6 people - us and a German guy. Small prop plane. We landed on the airstrip - a dirt track - and the car was waiting for us. We met our driver, Julius, and were off. On the way to camp, we made a few detours to see animals. Saw giraffes, elephants, lions, impalas, dik-diks, oryx, zebras and some others.
We are staying at Elephant Bedroom Camp - a tented camp next to the river. There are about 12 tents - and the camp is pretty full. We are split into two tents - boys (king bed) in one and girls (2 queen beds) in the other.
Got to camp about 1pm - got settled and had lunch. Kids had noodles, I had beef lasagna, and surfdad had fish. After lunch, we had a break, so the kids used the plunge pool (refreshing!) and we hung out. We met again at 4:00 for the evening game drive. We had two women from the UK join us and saw many animals but this time also saw a leopard. We then stopped at the river for a sundowner – drinks and snacks and watched the sunset. This sundowner was set up for the entire camp - all the vehicles came here and there were hot appetizers as well as a variety of drinks.
We drove back to camp in the dark and when we arrived back at camp, we had to use the back way since an elephant was in camp. Luckily, he was near the other tents so we could still go freshen up at ours. We had to be escorted to our tents and then were escorted back for dinner. It was lemon grilled chicken for most of us. We retired (escorted) to our tents for showers, charging devices, and bed. We have electricity from 6:30-11pm which is nice. And then again in the morning before we go out.
Wake up is 6am with tea and biscuits and we leave at 6:30 for the drive. We are also visiting a Samburu village tomorrow.
Jun 10th, 2017, 08:36 PM
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Thank you, Surfmom! I love that for an opinion, you went to the resident experts--your kids!! It adds a whole new dimension to get the teen take! I was lucky on last safari trip to be with then almost-17 yr old grandson, so I know having your kids with you made the trip even more wonderful!
Ah, Samburu memories!!!! Very special that you saw a leopard--they are particularly elusive in the hills of Samburu, according to our driver/guide. Did you see the "giraffe gazelles"--the gerunuk that stand on their hind legs? Part of "The Samburu Five" (vs "The Big Five").
Keep the stories coming!! Continued thanks for sharing your great family trip
Ah, Samburu memories!!!! Very special that you saw a leopard--they are particularly elusive in the hills of Samburu, according to our driver/guide. Did you see the "giraffe gazelles"--the gerunuk that stand on their hind legs? Part of "The Samburu Five" (vs "The Big Five").
Keep the stories coming!! Continued thanks for sharing your great family trip
Jun 11th, 2017, 04:54 AM
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Thank you surfmom. I'm following along too and very much enjoying your report. Giraffe Manor sounds like a unique experience. What vehicles did you use at Samburu? Your own or a guide's? Did you see several other vehicles at the animal viewings?
Jun 11th, 2017, 06:20 AM
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@calinurse, yes, we did see the gerunuk.... it is a little freaky how they stand like that!
I will post a photo. email me at surf_mom @ live . com and I will send you my photos... I have just started posting
@tripplanner - at Samburu we were in an open canvas safari vehicle. I think it sat 8 people? two rows of individual seats and then bench seat across the back. I think when we were with the 2 other ladies, I sat in the front seat next to the driver so we could spread out. Looking back on it, that was the only time that we were with anyone else - I think camp was just full.
At Elephant Bedroom Camp, we used their guides - so the one that picked us up from the airstrip is the one we were with the whole time. We liked him, but later on - when we had *fabulous* guides, we realized he was probably only good, not great. He gave us less background information about animals and behavior. Of course, we were just getting acclimated and that would have probably been overkill.
At the animal sightings, we did see other vehicles. Samburu was the most 'crowded' in that sense. For example, we were watching lions eating a zebra and there were about 4 or 5 vehicles circling around. We were in a 4 wheel drive vehicle - so went wherever, but some of the others were vans with the pop up roofs and they stayed on the roads. They had everyone cramming in the opening to see. Our guide told us that the rule (unwritten maybe?) is 5 vehicles per sighting and if someone else comes up, they wait a bit away until one of them leaves. The only time we saw multiple vehicles like that was watching the lions eat a fresh kill and at the leopard sighting - and that was maybe 3 vehicles total?
I will post a photo. email me at surf_mom @ live . com and I will send you my photos... I have just started posting
@tripplanner - at Samburu we were in an open canvas safari vehicle. I think it sat 8 people? two rows of individual seats and then bench seat across the back. I think when we were with the 2 other ladies, I sat in the front seat next to the driver so we could spread out. Looking back on it, that was the only time that we were with anyone else - I think camp was just full.
At Elephant Bedroom Camp, we used their guides - so the one that picked us up from the airstrip is the one we were with the whole time. We liked him, but later on - when we had *fabulous* guides, we realized he was probably only good, not great. He gave us less background information about animals and behavior. Of course, we were just getting acclimated and that would have probably been overkill.
At the animal sightings, we did see other vehicles. Samburu was the most 'crowded' in that sense. For example, we were watching lions eating a zebra and there were about 4 or 5 vehicles circling around. We were in a 4 wheel drive vehicle - so went wherever, but some of the others were vans with the pop up roofs and they stayed on the roads. They had everyone cramming in the opening to see. Our guide told us that the rule (unwritten maybe?) is 5 vehicles per sighting and if someone else comes up, they wait a bit away until one of them leaves. The only time we saw multiple vehicles like that was watching the lions eat a fresh kill and at the leopard sighting - and that was maybe 3 vehicles total?
Jun 11th, 2017, 06:31 AM
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I know my verb tenses are all messed up, but I am too lazy to go back and fix them... I have taken this trip report from a series of emails that I sent home to grandparents. They like to follow along, so this was written as the trip went along.
Jun 11th, 2017, 06:38 AM
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Day 4 – Monday - Samburu
We were woken up by tea and biscuits at 6am - and left on the game drive around 6:30.
Quick description of camp: we are in two different tents - boys in one and girls in the other. They have a balcony outside with two chairs and a little plunge pool (bathtub sized). Tents are on raised platforms since they are next to the river. Camp has electricity (generator) from 5-6:30 am and then again at night from 7-11. There are hot showers during that time also. Meals are outside by the common tent area - breakfast was 4 kinds of fruit, various cereal, hot food like bacon, sausage, beans, tomato, crepes and donuts. They also had an omelet station. I am writing this while sitting on my balcony and the monkeys are going crazy - a dog from a nearby community just ran through. There are guards stationed around camp and at night, you summon one to leave your tent. The tent has running water which is great! The monkeys are all around and very smart - you lock your tent with a lock closing the zippers when you leave so they don't get in. Apparently they have figured out zippers without locks! The camp borders a river and we can see an elephant across the way.
This morning, we saw many animals - the leopard is more elusive and harder to find so it is good to see him again. We saw elephants (and babies), giraffes, zebras, a pride of lions - including two cubs, and a leopard. It was a good morning. We left about 6:30 and returned around 9.
We got back to camp about 9ish, had breakfast, and will be heading out to a Samburu village about 10:30. (I am writing this throughout the day so it is a bit of a running commentary).
It took us about 30 minutes or so to get to the village - it was a good visit. They are nomadic and only move villages if searching for water ... or need grass for grazing .... or if someone dies. When someone dies, they don't bury the body, they leave it a bit away from the village for animals to eat. That way, the person is in all the animals around. If animals don't eat it within 2 days, they kill a black sheep and smear the fat from it all over the body. The body must not have been eaten because it did something bad. By smearing the fat (or blood, I don't remember), the person is forgiven.
We were given a traditional welcome with singing and the boys had to do the traditional jumping. We saw a house - and how it is made, and then watched two boys make fire. They just used two sticks and rubbed them until heat and a flame. Makes us feel pretty pathetic when we can't light the grill with a flame thrower! The girls selected bead bracelets and the boy, a keychain. (They sold them of course). We had brought a kickball, so the kids played with the tribe kids. We were there over an hour. Came back to camp and it had rained in camp, so we are eating on the deck instead of outside on the ground. During lunch, the elephant walked through camp again.
For lunch, we had glazed pork chops and vegetable pizza. And then a small break and back out at 4 for another game drive.
During our afternoon game drive, we saw the normal animals - elephant, giraffes, zebra, oryx, impala, grant gazelles, lions. We never found the leopard, but did see a Kudu climbing up a hill and a big fat tortoise. We first saw the lions and they were eating a zebra. We circled back and they were still digging in - the cubs had their entire heads in the body of the zebra. They popped out and faces were covered in blood. We could also hear them as they were ripping apart limbs and growling while eating. While graphic, it was fascinating in a train wreck way.
After return, we cleaned up and had dinner. Kids had turkey medallions and adults had beef tournados. Eclairs and fruit for dessert.
I can hear the monkeys jumping around outside as I write this. They use the tent roofs like a trampoline and bounce off them, we also saw one curled up on the edge in a nap.
This ends Monday. Tomorrow we fly to Nanyuki - near the equator for a visit to Ol Pejeta.
We were woken up by tea and biscuits at 6am - and left on the game drive around 6:30.
Quick description of camp: we are in two different tents - boys in one and girls in the other. They have a balcony outside with two chairs and a little plunge pool (bathtub sized). Tents are on raised platforms since they are next to the river. Camp has electricity (generator) from 5-6:30 am and then again at night from 7-11. There are hot showers during that time also. Meals are outside by the common tent area - breakfast was 4 kinds of fruit, various cereal, hot food like bacon, sausage, beans, tomato, crepes and donuts. They also had an omelet station. I am writing this while sitting on my balcony and the monkeys are going crazy - a dog from a nearby community just ran through. There are guards stationed around camp and at night, you summon one to leave your tent. The tent has running water which is great! The monkeys are all around and very smart - you lock your tent with a lock closing the zippers when you leave so they don't get in. Apparently they have figured out zippers without locks! The camp borders a river and we can see an elephant across the way.
This morning, we saw many animals - the leopard is more elusive and harder to find so it is good to see him again. We saw elephants (and babies), giraffes, zebras, a pride of lions - including two cubs, and a leopard. It was a good morning. We left about 6:30 and returned around 9.
We got back to camp about 9ish, had breakfast, and will be heading out to a Samburu village about 10:30. (I am writing this throughout the day so it is a bit of a running commentary).
It took us about 30 minutes or so to get to the village - it was a good visit. They are nomadic and only move villages if searching for water ... or need grass for grazing .... or if someone dies. When someone dies, they don't bury the body, they leave it a bit away from the village for animals to eat. That way, the person is in all the animals around. If animals don't eat it within 2 days, they kill a black sheep and smear the fat from it all over the body. The body must not have been eaten because it did something bad. By smearing the fat (or blood, I don't remember), the person is forgiven.
We were given a traditional welcome with singing and the boys had to do the traditional jumping. We saw a house - and how it is made, and then watched two boys make fire. They just used two sticks and rubbed them until heat and a flame. Makes us feel pretty pathetic when we can't light the grill with a flame thrower! The girls selected bead bracelets and the boy, a keychain. (They sold them of course). We had brought a kickball, so the kids played with the tribe kids. We were there over an hour. Came back to camp and it had rained in camp, so we are eating on the deck instead of outside on the ground. During lunch, the elephant walked through camp again.
For lunch, we had glazed pork chops and vegetable pizza. And then a small break and back out at 4 for another game drive.
During our afternoon game drive, we saw the normal animals - elephant, giraffes, zebra, oryx, impala, grant gazelles, lions. We never found the leopard, but did see a Kudu climbing up a hill and a big fat tortoise. We first saw the lions and they were eating a zebra. We circled back and they were still digging in - the cubs had their entire heads in the body of the zebra. They popped out and faces were covered in blood. We could also hear them as they were ripping apart limbs and growling while eating. While graphic, it was fascinating in a train wreck way.
After return, we cleaned up and had dinner. Kids had turkey medallions and adults had beef tournados. Eclairs and fruit for dessert.
I can hear the monkeys jumping around outside as I write this. They use the tent roofs like a trampoline and bounce off them, we also saw one curled up on the edge in a nap.
This ends Monday. Tomorrow we fly to Nanyuki - near the equator for a visit to Ol Pejeta.
Jun 11th, 2017, 08:52 AM
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Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, surfmom. What you are describing very much resembled our first and only trip to Africa (to South Africa and Botswana) last year. I was bitten by the safari bug and have thought about going back; Kenya is high on the list for consideration. Is this your first visit to the continent as well?
Jun 12th, 2017, 10:55 AM
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More great memories from reading this. Thanks again, Surfmom! The Samburu village (the one we saw was sadly, very dry and impoverished)the crunching and snorting from the animals at feeding time, so much more.
LOL "fascinating in a train wreck way." It's interesting to see and hear them enthusiastically chow down, but I've no desire to see an actual killing. It was hard (at least for me) to watch the Mara river crossing deaths, which were fortunately few. (A collective "hurray!" went up from the assembled jeeps when a zebra escaped after a near-miss with a croc!) Interesting what each person most enjoys. Some especially love and search out "kills." I love the "awww" moments of animal family play time. What did you and your family most enjoy?
LOL "fascinating in a train wreck way." It's interesting to see and hear them enthusiastically chow down, but I've no desire to see an actual killing. It was hard (at least for me) to watch the Mara river crossing deaths, which were fortunately few. (A collective "hurray!" went up from the assembled jeeps when a zebra escaped after a near-miss with a croc!) Interesting what each person most enjoys. Some especially love and search out "kills." I love the "awww" moments of animal family play time. What did you and your family most enjoy?
Jun 12th, 2017, 11:43 AM
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surfmom, keep the report coming. we too are taking our teens (dd 15 and ds 13) on our first 2 week Kenyan safari and we leave in 8 days so hurry with report!!
what were favorites for kids? any helpful hints?
what were favorites for kids? any helpful hints?
Jun 12th, 2017, 12:37 PM
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@tripplanner... our first visit to Africa and definitely safari bug has bitten! I'm already trying to figure out when we can get back, but with kids a year away from college, not looking good in the near future 
@Calinurse - we loved watching the baby lions play. There was a pride in Masai Mara that was about 15 - of various ages. Had some older sisters, with some teenagers (2 years-ish), and then little babies about 2 months old. They would jump on each other and "rassle", chase each other around, and just generally be like watching a family of little kids. We saw them multiple times - one time they were chasing each other around with a wildebeest tail - we called it playing capture the flag.
@plambers - have a great trip! your kids will love it! One fun thing we did was to take a journal with us and label each page for an animal. As we learned fun and new facts, we filled in the page. Gave us an activity at night to remember the fun facts we learned during the day.
I just asked my oldest for her favorite thing... and I got "everything". I guess one piece of advice is don't be obsessed with any certain kind of animal. We wanted to see leopards in Masai Mara ... and went into a nearby conservancy to find where they usually are. And saw way fewer animals (and were correspondingly somewhat bored) than if we hadn't specified that. We all wished we had let the driver take us somewhere else.
Also, the kids can be good spotters - a few times they found things before the driver and/or guide.
I asked my husband... and he said his favorites were the unexpected things. Seeing a lion get an eagle from the air as it was flying away because the eagle was trying to get their kill ... watching the grey crowned cranes dance around after the driver played a app with their mating call was hysterical ... seeing all the babies and especially the nursing ones.... seeing the pregnant lion settling in the bushes and checking on her each drive to see if there were cubs yet (and seeing her sister there to assist with hunting, etc.)... seeing a cheetah (unsuccessfully) hunt and chase a gazelle...
We liked the Eka hotel - we would stay there again. We ordered room service for dinner and it was relatively fast (20 ish minutes) with only a small service charge (500 Kenyan shillings?) - it was a great way to quickly get everyone fed and to bed.
Where are you guys going?
@Calinurse - we loved watching the baby lions play. There was a pride in Masai Mara that was about 15 - of various ages. Had some older sisters, with some teenagers (2 years-ish), and then little babies about 2 months old. They would jump on each other and "rassle", chase each other around, and just generally be like watching a family of little kids. We saw them multiple times - one time they were chasing each other around with a wildebeest tail - we called it playing capture the flag.
@plambers - have a great trip! your kids will love it! One fun thing we did was to take a journal with us and label each page for an animal. As we learned fun and new facts, we filled in the page. Gave us an activity at night to remember the fun facts we learned during the day.
I just asked my oldest for her favorite thing... and I got "everything". I guess one piece of advice is don't be obsessed with any certain kind of animal. We wanted to see leopards in Masai Mara ... and went into a nearby conservancy to find where they usually are. And saw way fewer animals (and were correspondingly somewhat bored) than if we hadn't specified that. We all wished we had let the driver take us somewhere else.
Also, the kids can be good spotters - a few times they found things before the driver and/or guide.
I asked my husband... and he said his favorites were the unexpected things. Seeing a lion get an eagle from the air as it was flying away because the eagle was trying to get their kill ... watching the grey crowned cranes dance around after the driver played a app with their mating call was hysterical ... seeing all the babies and especially the nursing ones.... seeing the pregnant lion settling in the bushes and checking on her each drive to see if there were cubs yet (and seeing her sister there to assist with hunting, etc.)... seeing a cheetah (unsuccessfully) hunt and chase a gazelle...
We liked the Eka hotel - we would stay there again. We ordered room service for dinner and it was relatively fast (20 ish minutes) with only a small service charge (500 Kenyan shillings?) - it was a great way to quickly get everyone fed and to bed.
Where are you guys going?
Jun 12th, 2017, 12:43 PM
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Day 4 – Tuesday – Ol Pejeta
Woke up a bit later today - 6:45. Got packed up and breakfast at 7:30. We had to get up and move in the middle of breakfast because the elephant wandered through camp (we were sitting outside). We left at 8:30, and saw animals along the way to the airstrip. The most exciting thing was two male lions. They are new to Samburu and our guide expects them to challenge the males and take over another pride.
Before the incoming plane could land, our guide had to shoo some zebras away. There was a herd dangerously close to the airstrip. Our plane flew into the airstrip and at 10, we were off. Our pilot was an American who spent most of her life in Alaska before moving to Kenya to fly planes. We flew low - and could see the animals and farms easily. We even saw camels from the air! (We didn't know they were in Kenya). We arrived at Nanyuki at 10:45 and our guides were waiting. We left Nanyuki and headed to Porini Rhino camp.
Porini Rhino is in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. It was originally founded as a cattle ranch, but now just a small portion is for cattle and the rest is an animal sanctuary housing endangered rhinos and other animals. There are 3 Northern White Rhinos here - the only ones left in the world. They were mistreated in a Czech zoo and brought here in 2004. They have been trying to breed them but unsuccessful. As a trivia point, Ol Pejeta was once owned by the arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
Our drive took us almost two hours from the airport - we crossed the equator 3 times and stopped and took pictures (and did cartwheels on the equator). We saw animals on the way to our camp - it is the far end from the gate we came in. After arrival, we dropped bags and had lunch - beef kabobs and naan and cucumber and tomato salad. Little apple pies for dessert. We had a few hours rest and then at 4, we went out on a walk with Masai warriors. We learned about trees and bushes along the way and they demonstrated their jumping and spear throwing. The truck followed us and we went on a drive. Saw lots of animals - some new ones include jackals, water buffalo, eland. A male elephant we passed by was slightly angry and not friendly, so we kept driving. (The guide commented that he was "in musk" and wasn't a good time to be potentially angering him or doing anything he may interpret as challenging. I was interested that we didn't stop right away - we got past him a little bit and then stopped and watched him cross the road where we were driving).
We stopped for a "sundowner" - drinks and snack and watching the sunset from the plains. We could hear the lions roaring nearby, so we packed up quickly to try and find them (they weren't close enough to be dangerous but we wanted to see them). We didn't have any luck, but it was fun driving as the darkness approached and we returned to camp in the dark.
We all showered - the girls managed to make one bucket shower work for all of us while the boys had issues (they left the lever open, so when the bucket was poured in, the water ran out before someone was in the shower... oops?). We enjoyed the campfire while they were finishing dinner and then ate. Dinner was lentil soup, then chicken teriyaki, crispy potatoes, grilled vegetables, and spinach. Dessert was a honey and chocolate eclair.
We were escorted to our tents and are happy to find hot water bottles in our beds. It is much cooler here - we all pulled out fleece. In Samburu it was in the 80's - we are on the Laikipia Plateau and a much higher elevation, so cooler. We had a few minutes of rain on the drive, but it never impacted anything.
Tomorrow, we are being woken at 6:00 for a drive at 6:30. We will take breakfast with us on the drive. We are the only ones in camp - there are 7 tents total. They will close for 7 weeks after we leave for maintenance and staff annual leave.
Woke up a bit later today - 6:45. Got packed up and breakfast at 7:30. We had to get up and move in the middle of breakfast because the elephant wandered through camp (we were sitting outside). We left at 8:30, and saw animals along the way to the airstrip. The most exciting thing was two male lions. They are new to Samburu and our guide expects them to challenge the males and take over another pride.
Before the incoming plane could land, our guide had to shoo some zebras away. There was a herd dangerously close to the airstrip. Our plane flew into the airstrip and at 10, we were off. Our pilot was an American who spent most of her life in Alaska before moving to Kenya to fly planes. We flew low - and could see the animals and farms easily. We even saw camels from the air! (We didn't know they were in Kenya). We arrived at Nanyuki at 10:45 and our guides were waiting. We left Nanyuki and headed to Porini Rhino camp.
Porini Rhino is in the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. It was originally founded as a cattle ranch, but now just a small portion is for cattle and the rest is an animal sanctuary housing endangered rhinos and other animals. There are 3 Northern White Rhinos here - the only ones left in the world. They were mistreated in a Czech zoo and brought here in 2004. They have been trying to breed them but unsuccessful. As a trivia point, Ol Pejeta was once owned by the arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi.
Our drive took us almost two hours from the airport - we crossed the equator 3 times and stopped and took pictures (and did cartwheels on the equator). We saw animals on the way to our camp - it is the far end from the gate we came in. After arrival, we dropped bags and had lunch - beef kabobs and naan and cucumber and tomato salad. Little apple pies for dessert. We had a few hours rest and then at 4, we went out on a walk with Masai warriors. We learned about trees and bushes along the way and they demonstrated their jumping and spear throwing. The truck followed us and we went on a drive. Saw lots of animals - some new ones include jackals, water buffalo, eland. A male elephant we passed by was slightly angry and not friendly, so we kept driving. (The guide commented that he was "in musk" and wasn't a good time to be potentially angering him or doing anything he may interpret as challenging. I was interested that we didn't stop right away - we got past him a little bit and then stopped and watched him cross the road where we were driving).
We stopped for a "sundowner" - drinks and snack and watching the sunset from the plains. We could hear the lions roaring nearby, so we packed up quickly to try and find them (they weren't close enough to be dangerous but we wanted to see them). We didn't have any luck, but it was fun driving as the darkness approached and we returned to camp in the dark.
We all showered - the girls managed to make one bucket shower work for all of us while the boys had issues (they left the lever open, so when the bucket was poured in, the water ran out before someone was in the shower... oops?). We enjoyed the campfire while they were finishing dinner and then ate. Dinner was lentil soup, then chicken teriyaki, crispy potatoes, grilled vegetables, and spinach. Dessert was a honey and chocolate eclair.
We were escorted to our tents and are happy to find hot water bottles in our beds. It is much cooler here - we all pulled out fleece. In Samburu it was in the 80's - we are on the Laikipia Plateau and a much higher elevation, so cooler. We had a few minutes of rain on the drive, but it never impacted anything.
Tomorrow, we are being woken at 6:00 for a drive at 6:30. We will take breakfast with us on the drive. We are the only ones in camp - there are 7 tents total. They will close for 7 weeks after we leave for maintenance and staff annual leave.
Jun 12th, 2017, 01:19 PM
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surfmom, I love the idea of the journal with the names of the animals and then fun facts. also, I will remember the leopard story.
we go to ol lentille in lakipia north for 4 nights, then kicheche laikpia for 3 (near porini rhino) and on to kicheche mara for our last 4.
was a fleece enough to keep you warm? packing is causing me angst!
did you do the rhino sanctuary? did everyone like it? we have a private visit at sheldrick's on our departutre day.
sounds like a wonderful trip so far.
we go to ol lentille in lakipia north for 4 nights, then kicheche laikpia for 3 (near porini rhino) and on to kicheche mara for our last 4.
was a fleece enough to keep you warm? packing is causing me angst!
did you do the rhino sanctuary? did everyone like it? we have a private visit at sheldrick's on our departutre day.
sounds like a wonderful trip so far.
