Thursday, August 15, 2019

Kenya 2019 - Nairobi - Amboseli - Lake Nakuru - Maasai Mara


   
                                                                        Kenya is Calling

July 30 – Today is the day we head to Nairobi.  The trip has been booked for almost a year with 18 travelers in our team: Jim W/Mary W/Heather W/Lisa W/Tom M/Vera M/Jim G/Vivian G/Terry F/Mary F/Jackie W/Jaclyn W/Mark G/Scott G/Sheri G/Lynn C/Carolyn M/Ken M).

The 3 from Cedar Rapids (Mark G, Lynn C/Carolyn M) met us in Minneapolis and we all took off for the first leg of the journey on Delta #42 at 423PM.  Our Florida team (Jackie/Jaclyn) would be meeting us in Paris for the 2nd flight of our trip.


July 31 –  The travelers coming from Minneapolis arrived in Paris at approximately 700AM and we had a 4 hour layover in Paris.  Jackie/Jaclyn had just a little over an hour to make the connection and then we would be on our way to Nairobi.

July 31 – We arrived at the Nairobi Airport at 1215PM, gathered our luggage, found an ATM to exchange money for the Kenya Schillings and located our contact from the Sheraton Nairobi to transfers us to our accommodations.
The Four Points Sheraton Nairobi Airport was a beautiful hotel and very welcomed after 2 – 8 hours flights.   This would be our home for the first 3 nights of our trip.   We settled in and then went in search of their restaurant for some dinner.


August 1 –
800AM – Today we were picked up from the Sheraton to begin our first day of adventure.  Our 3 jeeps operated by Nicholas, Sammy and Lenny took us to the Nairobi National Park.   Everyone was pumped to catch their first wildlife in Africa.  At first, we saw impalas, warthogs, eland, Thomson’s gazelle, striped skunk, but they were all a little farther from the road than I would have preferred.  I had just gotten used to the idea of seeing the wildlife from a slight distance and then things changed and we were able to see zebras, giraffes, striped skunk, jackal, hippo and male agama lizard, close to the road and could easily capture great photos.   For lunch, we planned a stop at the Nairobi Tented Camp.  I assumed this would be a simple picnic lunch style with sandwich, apple, chips, but no they had quite a nice hot meal planned for us in their tented dining room.  While we were there, Astra invited us to tour the tented camp and take time to relax and enjoy our surroundings at the camp.  At 3PM, we were back on the trail in our jeeps searching for the next wildlife sightings, as well as mistaken sightings (also known as an “ALT” - animal like thing).   We were able to see a white and a black rhino, ostriches doing their mating dance, crocodile and wildebeest along with numerous, but beautiful giraffes and zebras.











At 600PM, we headed out of the Nairobi National Park and headed off for dinner at the Carnivore Restaurant.   This was a very large restaurant and was packed with many tourists or those diners of Nairobi that are true meat-eaters.


Animal Note: The black rhinoceros weighs in at 2,000 - 3,080 pounds, with a height of 5ft. 8 inches and a length of 10 ft. 6 inches.  In 1960 there were estimated 65,000 black rhinos, but today we have less than 2,500 in the wild.  The rhino has been killed for its horn, which is considered to have super healing powers.   A group of rhinos are called a “rhino crunch”.

Tidbit:  Nairobi – means cool water / Kenya – means male ostrich

August 2 –
800AM was the start of our day heading to the Giraffe Centre (100 acres) where we were able to feed or KISS the giraffe.   The Rothschild’s giraffe is on the endangered list and the Giraffe Centre was started to help preserve them and provide information about Giraffes.  Giraffes use their legs (solid bone and very heavy) to kick off their enemies.  They do not talk, but use their ears to communicate to each other.  We would also be able to find these giraffes in Lake Nakuru National Park (one of our travel stops in our itinerary).




Our next stop was to the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage where they take care of the orphaned Elephants.  We were able to watch them feeding the elephants and we were able to stand around the perimeter of the fenced area and if they came close to us, we were able to touch them.  The guides told us each elephant’s name and their story.    In many cases they were orphaned due to humans, but some lost their mother due to drought.   They do provide the opportunity to pay $50 per year to adopt an elephant and support the cause.




We made a quick stop at a local art market for the shoppers in our group.   The woman loved it and the men hung outside by the door.  Check – shopping done for the shoppers!  Well, maybe……

The Talisman Restaurant was a recommended lunch spot where we had a reasonably priced lunch, as well as time to relax in a great atmosphere.   We had to skip dessert to be able to get everything in!

Our next stop was to Ocean Sole, which is an organization that collects plastic flip-flops from the ocean and recycles them into beautiful animals (elephant, rhino, turtle, dolphin, giraffe just to name a few).  They purchase the flip-flops from those that collect them and provide local jobs to make their products.  The scraps are made into mattresses and donated to the community.  They are currently in the process of opening up a store in Florida to sell to the US market.   They are also working to open up a factory in Haiti to provide jobs and clean up their environment.   Check them out on the web!




















We also visited and toured the Kazuri Beads Factory that has been open since 1975.   The Kazuri Beads Factory employs 350 women and they make beads from a special clay.  The beads are molded, shaped and painted and made into necklaces, bracelets and earrings.   Their gift shop sold other items as well.   These beads are sold around the world and for information you can check out their website (www.kazuri.com).  Kazuri means “small and beautiful” in Swahili.

Shoppers were happy!

Our last stop after a very busy day was to the Karen Blixen Museum.   Karen Blixen was from Denmark and she moved and bought a farm just outside of Nairobi.   Her life story was made into the movie, “Out of Africa” starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford.  Yes, we had a couple of “super fans” and  this was on their bucket list.  Karen became a famous Denmark writer (penned under Isak Dinesen), but to Nairobi she was a very strong woman who supported the local tribe in providing jobs, health care, and education.




Animal Note:  The Rothschild’s Giraffe is found in open grasslands and thinly wooded areas.  It can be distinguished from the Masai giraffe by its paler, less jagged coat pattern and the legs are usually unmarked below the knee.  

August 3 –
800AM – We departed the Four Points Sheraton Nairobi Airport and headed to the Amboseli Serena Lodge located in the Amboseli National Park.   The drive from Nairobi started out on their busiest road that took you in the direction of Mobasa.    The road into the park was long and like a washboard. As we bumped around in our jeep, the guides told us this is our “African Massage”.  Our drive into Amboseli National Park provided us with some wildlife viewing.  We arrived in time for a beautiful buffet lunch and checked into our room and relaxed before our evening game drive.  Our rooms at the Amboseli Serena Lodge were very nice, monkeys were numerous so we were warned to be sure our door was locked to keep them out.

At 4PM we took off for our afternoon game drive.  Amboseli is like a desert and it is very dry and dusty, which made for an interesting game drive.   Our goal was to be able to view Mount Kilimanjaro and better yet to get a Big Five animal in the picture as well.  We left armed with our hats, buffs, sun glasses and they were all very important items to have.   The jeeps (and animals) kicked up the dust so much that you had to be very careful that your eyes were covered as much as possible.   What an amazing park with sightings of Elephants, Warthogs, Wildebeest, Giraffes, Ostrich, Hippo, Cape Buffalo, Zebras, and a bonus was a viewing of the Cheetah, as well as a family of lions skirting around a pack of Zebras





Animal Note: The leopard is mostly solitary, and it is difficult to know how many are in each park. They mainly hunt at night, and drag their kill into the canopy to eat. The black panther is also a leopard, and is more common in Asia than Africa.

Tidbit: The Big Five – Elephant, Rhinoceros, Cape Buffalo, Lion and Leopard

The Ugly Five – Vulture, Maribou Stork, Wildebeest, Hyena and Warthog

The Little Five – Elephant Shrew, Buffalo Weaver, Leopard Tortoise, Antlion, Rhino beetle


August 4 –
Early morning game drive (630AM) in search of the big game in Amboseli National Park.  Amboseli National Park is the second most popular national park in Kenya and is located 150 miles southeast of Nairobi.  It is home to leopard, lion, cheetah, wild dogs, buffalo, rhino, giraffe, large herds of elephants and much more. 









Between game drives we had the opportunity to visit a Maasai Village, Nature Walk or relax at the hotel.



The afternoon game drive provided us with a beautiful view of Mount Kilimanjaro with herds of wildlife.



The elephants were plentiful and fun to watch sloshing around in the marshes, sweeping in the grasses with their trunks.  The Hippopotamus also enjoyed those marshes and hung out there.   Our highlight was to watch one Hippo sneak up on another Hippo and there was a chase to defend territory.  It happened so quickly and those large hippos on their short legs could move pretty fast.





Animal Note: The lion generally eats zebra, buffalo, and antelope in Kenya. Females are generally the hunters although males may get to eat first. Mating takes place over three days before a male and female rejoin the pride. Males are eventually kicked out of the pride while females stay with the pride. They are most active at dawn and dusk, and are very social. A female will care for her cubs for several months before introducing them to the pride.

Tidbit: Groupings of Animals –

Parade of Elephants, Pride of Lions, Tower of Giraffes, Congress of Baboons, Troop of Monkeys, Crash of Rhinos, School of Hippos, Gang of Cape Buffalos, Leap of Leopards, Sounder of Warthogs, Coalition of Cheetahs, Confusion of Wildebeest and Zeal of Zebras


August 5 –

After breakfast, we collected our picnic lunch from the reception and headed back towards Nairobi and continued driving through Kenya’s Great Rift Valley.   This drive would be approximately 7.5 hours depending on traffic.   We stopped for a picnic lunch at Lake Naivasha, where we saw that people were taking boat rides to see the hippos, cows and goats were enjoying the grasses, and some native folks were out there swimming.  Our leftover lunch items we were able to hand off to the staff at the park so that nothing went to waste.



Lake Nakuru National Park was created to protect the lake and its large flocks of Flamingos.   The national park is inhabited by over 50 mammal species including, hippo, black & white rhino, Rothschild’s giraffe, buffalo and eland.  A bird watcher’s paradise, as the park is home to over 450 bird species.   The afternoon game drive took us into the park and around a part of the lake.  We were able to see the flamingos at a distance and the rhinos were there too.  We then went in search of the Rothschild’s giraffe and we were not disappointed.   They were off a little in the distance, but they were there. 



At 630PM, we headed to our the Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodge for our dinner and overnight.  The lodge was beautiful and the room were tiered along the hillside.  Unfortunately, we arrived at dark and we would be leaving right away in the morning.   This would have been a great spot (especially for birders) to take an extra day and just relax, but time and money is always the concern.


Animal Note: Cheetahs hunt during the day, and generally only eat fresh meat. When finished, they leave their kill for hyenas or other animals to finish. Males can form coalitions of two to three brothers although there is a group of five in Maasi Mara called the “Fast Five.” Females are mainly solitary except when rearing cubs. Cheetahs can live from 6-12 years in the wild.

Tidbit:  Most Kenyans speak 3 languages: English, Swahili and their local tribal language (44 tribes in the area).  The official language of Kenya is English.


August 6 – 

We had an early morning breakfast and left from Lake Nakuru (5-6 hour drive) to Maasai Mara National Reserve, where we will stay at the Keekorok Lodge.  Large prides of lions, elephants, giraffes, gazelles and eland can also be spotted in the reserve.     The roads, as usual, provided us with a bumpy road and this time one of our jeeps (Nicholas’s jeep) took a bounce wrong and busted a shock absorber.  Lenny’s jeep was ahead and they continued on and waited at the Maasai Mara gate, while Alan’s jeep was able to assist.  Nicholas sent Alan off in search of a rope so that we could tie the shock absorber up as a temporary fix.   Several drivers stopped to see if there was anything they could do.  The game drivers are a close-knit network and really watch out for one another.






We checked into the Keekorok Lodge in the late afternoon.  We settled in and relaxed until 4PM when we headed out for our afternoon game drive in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.  Our 3 jeeps headed out in search of the cats.   This was our first game drive in the park and we were all very excited.  The park is home to 3,000 lions (250 Prides) and 70 leopards and 34 cheetahs (we saw 14 cheetahs by the end of our stay).   











Animal Note: Zebras each have a unique pattern, and are a very adaptable animal because of the stripes. These stripes help a zebra regulate their body temperature, and are one of the only animals that you will find out around noon when most animals are in the shade. The baby zebras have the same length legs so that it is hard for predators to identify them when several zebras are standing together.

August 7 – 

Today we had planned a full day game drive within Maasai Mara National Reserve with plans to go to the Mara River where the Wildebeest cross the river.  We knew from our guides that the Wildebeest had made the crossing the week prior, but we still could possibly see some wildebeest or zebras making the crossing.

Our first sighting was a fresh kill and numerous vultures fighting to get a piece of the meat.  The noise they made and the numbers of them that were there for the feast was incredible.

The Mara is vast and we bumped along the roads in our jeep with views of the huge wildebeest herds, zebras, giraffes, waterbucks, Thomson’s gazelles, impalas, hyenas and more.  Amazing!

We stopped for a wonderful picnic lunch under a tree, but the flies (brought by the wildebeest) drove us crazy.  It was soon time to move on out!



It was now time to head to the Mara river where we saw zebras thinking about crossing several times, but very skittish and so we never did see them cross.  There was a huge crocodile waiting for them in the water and if they would have crossed there would have been a take down by that croc!  Not today!   In the Mara, we also saw the Hippopotamus hanging out and enjoying the coolness of the river.



We headed back towards our lodge taking in the animal viewing and late in the day looking for the cats again.

We stayed in the park trying to get a good sunset picture with the acacia tree.  Then we went back to the Keekorok Lodge for dinner.


Animal Note: Masai Giraffe – giraffes can gallop at speeds of up to 35 mph.  Males can get to 18 ft and females 16 ft and they can weigh 2,400 pounds to 1,500 pounds respectively.

Tidbit:  There are 3 levels of safari guides.  There are 7,000 plus bronze guides, 700 silver guides and 33 gold guides.  It is a 7.5 year process with years of experience and tests, as well as research for the gold guides.   They provided us with information on the animals, birds, insects, plants, the tribes and their country.

August 8 –

Today was our final game drives and a chance to try to see what we could see.  The desire was to find the leopard and any other cat we could find.   We left the lodge at 630AM, with our jeeps heading in different directions to enhance our chance of finding the elusive leopard.   There are 70 known leopards in the park and we searched and searched and it was not to happen; however, we did happen upon the “Fast Five Cheetahs”.   They looked thin and the guides thought today would be the day they would be on the hunt.  We snapped our photos and waited patiently for some action.  We saw some Impalas in view (they seemed skittish), but the cheetahs seemed in no rush and eventually settled under a tree for shade.  Our morning game drive was coming to an end at 1130AM, so we had back to the lodge for lunch, pool time, hippo bar and relaxation.




At 4PM we were all ready for the afternoon drive and wanted to check back on the cheetahs to see if they were still there and if they had already completed their hunt.   Wow!  They were still in the area and they had not had their kill.    A research vehicle was in the area also to monitor the cheetahs.  It wasn’t a long wait and soon the cheetahs were up and starting to slowly wander towards a herd of wildebeest.  They spaced themselves out in a line formation and slowly crept towards the wildebeest.  They actually used the jeeps as a hiding place and crouched down until they were ready to pounce.  Once the decision was made, they took off quickly towards their intended wildebeest.  Two of the cheetahs took down the target and the 3 others were there if needed.   Then the feasting began…..

Animal Note: African Elephant has a lifespan of 60 years and they can weigh up to 13,200 pounds with a height of 9-10ft.  A cow elephant gives birth every 4-5 years.  The calf remains close to Mom for the 1st year, but continues to suckle for at least 4 years.

August 9 –  

The morning started off with a hot breakfast and today we transfer back to Nairobi.  We left the Keekorok Lodge at 800AM and arrived at the Eka Hotel around 2PM.    We checked in for our day room at the Eka Hotel and then had a late lunch at the hotel.
One last shopping trip at the mall across the street and then time for a rest and shower before heading to the airport.   Our guides (Lenny, Nicholas and Alan) were with us until the end!  At 830PM, we were transferred to the Nairobi Airport Hotel for an 1150PM flight on KLM #566 to Paris.  We gave hugs and thank-you to our wonderful guides that took us on amazing game drives to see the animals/birds in their natural environment.   We leave Nairobi with a little more knowledge of the country and its people and a desire to go back.







Asante Sana Kenya!


























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