Darcy is very lucky. She has college friends spread all over the world, which makes vacationing with her two teenage sons affordable and exciting. For the summer of 2015, Darcy decided to visit her friend who was on assignment in Kenya. The friend contacted us first (expats are understandably protective of their visitors) and, having passed the screening test, we began planning the big adventure with Darcy.
I had nine days for the safari and, as with most family groups, the budget was not excessive. We arranged a camping trip to keep the price down, staying at her friend’s house for the nights in Nairobi. The itinerary covered Amboseli National Park, Maasai Mara Game Reserve, Lake Nakuru National Park, Lake Naivasha and ended with whitewater rafting on the Tana River.
Wildlife Getaways in Amboseli
Amboseli was the first stop on their safari and unfortunately the camping location is not the best in Kenya so it was a bit of a jump from the deep end into the Kenyan bush and camp scene. But waking up at sunrise and looking out of the tent at a crystal-clear view of Mount Kilimanjaro makes up for the lower comfort levels somewhat. On their safari they saw ostriches, crowned cranes, a Goliath heron and hippos. But the highlight must surely be the baby elephants playing in the mud. They jostled for position, but once they lay down in the bathroom, they wouldn’t budge for their friends!
Meanwhile, at camp, he was fighting baboons. The largest baboon in Kenya (I’m sure!) came to check out the food boxes that we had thought were safe enough. As he walked on all fours, he appeared to be the size of a lion. Safe deposit boxes were nothing to him. He crushed the top of the balsamic vinegar, but he must not have liked the taste. He emptied the can of coffee, probably not to his liking either. Finally he walked away with the five pack of 2 minute noodles – definitely no explanation for the taste! The Maasai who work in the camp heard my cries as a child and came to help me, but a little late. The baboon disappeared, but he dropped noodles as he left, which the Maasai rescued for me. After that, we put the food boxes in their lockable baboon-proof shed. However, it seemed that he didn’t just have to take care of the babies; the cook’s helper didn’t realize some of the food was ours and almost took my cabbage (I caught it just in time!).
Safari in Maasai Mara
We return to Nairobi for the night before heading to the Maasai Mara. The road was especially rough up the Mara and poor Darcy was a little green when we finally got there. In the afternoon, they took a walk to the cliff with the local Maasai to enjoy a breathtaking view of the game reserve.
Darcy, Faye, and Kelton spent a full day in the park with Francis, enjoying a picnic lunch on the savannah. They saw elephants, hartebeest, buffalo, giraffe and the most amazing leopard sighting ever. He was sitting in a sausage tree, but as they watched, the leopard descended from the tree giving a clear view of this magnificent and elusive creature. They had already seen another leopard earlier in the morning sitting in a leafy tree so they were already having an above average safari but this was a big cherry on the cake.
Rift Valley Lakes in Kenya
Next stop was Kembu Camp for pizza night! There was also a large group from one of Nairobi’s international schools, but Faye and Kelton were a little shy about interacting, preferring to stay cozy around the open fire with Darcy, Francis, and I (which I can definitely understand, as it gets pretty cold there). However, the pizza oven and fireplace aren’t the only reasons we stayed at Kembu; it’s also convenient to get to Lake Nakuru National Park, which we did the next day. Buffalo wallowing in the mud, antelope covered in oxpeckers (birds that feast on the ticks that inhabit the fur of most of Africa’s wildlife), giraffes, baboons and zebras were the highlights of the day. They made it as far as Makalia Falls at the southern end of the park.
That night we arrived at the Fish Eagle Inn on the shore of Lake Naivasha in pouring rain. The appeal of pitching tents in the downpour wasn’t great, so they opted to move into a room. Biking in Hells Gate National Park had been assigned in the planning stages as something they definitely wanted to do and that was the plan for the next day. It is certainly the highlight of many safaris in Kenya!
Bikes were selected and rode the 2km to the gate as we drove to sort out entrance fees. Unfortunately, by the time they got to the gate, Kelton was in a very bad way and continuing through a full day cycle was not going to be pleasant. So we changed it to a drive in the park with a few stops along the way. We first stopped at Fisher’s Tower, where Faye and Darcy tried their hand at rock climbing. Darcy made it to the top! We continued all the way to the gorge where the family went for a walk with the ranger through the gorge. Francis and I found a checkerboard of plastic bottle caps for the ladies on one of the picnic tables. Fortunately, Kelton returned in time to save me from embarrassment when he took my place against Francis.
White water rafting was to be the last activity before heading back to Nairobi. But it was not like that. Kelton wasn’t getting any better and rafting was the last thing he felt he could do. It was a shame because he had been the one who had been the most excited about it in the run-up. So instead we came back early so he could go to the doctor. They still had a trip to the coast arranged and it was generally agreed that it would be much better for him to be able to enjoy his time there, rather than risk it further with a rafting excursion.
Everything ended well and they had a great time at the beach! It was great traveling with Darcy, Faye and Kelton and we hope they will return one day.