Our Safari Experience

Thursday 30th March 2006

Flight London-Heathrow to Nairobi (8.00pm) with Kenya Airways - 'The Pride of Africa'.

Friday 31st March 2006

Arrival Nairobi airport (6.15am). Transfer to Naroibi Serena Hotel - took 2 hours due to the heavy traffic in Nairobi. Day spent in Nairobi

Saturday 1st April 2006

Travel from Naroibi (8.00am) to Samburu (4.30pm)
Half-way through the morning, we asked our guide, Muteti, to stop to buy some bananas... This was a whole new experience: as soon as the car slowed down, we were assaulted by some 20 people holding bags of fruits (bananas, passion fruits) and veg (French beans) as well as other goods. They all wanted us to buy their goods, clinging to the door and windows. We handed 200 Kenyan shillings to Muteti who secured a couple of bunches of bananas... and we had to start driving away slowly before the crowd let go and we could be on our way again!
Stop for lunch at 'Tree-Trout Restaurant'.
We drove approx 150 miles and passed through many towns and villages.
We reached Samburu National Reserve towards the end of the afternoon and drove through the reserve to get to Samburu Serena Lodge - our hotel.
Our first sightings of giraffes, impalas, lions, 'big pigs', baboons...

Sunday 2nd April 2006

Morning safari in Samburu National Reserve (6.30am)

Afternoon: African dance

Afternoon Safari in Samburu (4.00pm)

Monday 3rd April 2006

Drive from Samburu to Mountain Lodge (Mount Kenya) (7.45am - 1.30pm)

Afternoon spent at Mountain Lodge: water bucks, buffalos, Malibu Storks... coming to drink at the waterhole (behind the Lodge)

Tuesday 4th april 2006

Drive from Moutain Lodge to Nakuru Lake National Park (8.00am - 12.30pm)
Again we drove through many villages - 2 stops:

• Equator Line
• Thomson's Falls

Just before arriving at the Lodge, in Nakuru park, we saw a family of rhinoceroses, grazing just a few yards away from where our vehcile had stopped.

Afternoon Safari at Nakuru Lake: zebras, baboons, buffalos, jakals and then a lioness with her 3 cubs feeding on a zebra carcass, flamingoes, the lioness who had mislaid her bus and was anxiously looking for them, a lions, 2 more lionesses being tantalised by a group of zebras 'playing chicken'(?), a fish-eagle, more rhinoceroses and buffalos.

Wednesday 5th April 2006

A very long drive in atrocious muddy conditions - our driver was a champion! - from Nakuru to Masi Mara (7.00am - 2.00pm)
Many villages, slippery muddy tracks... and when we arrived in the Masai Mara National Reserve, we were thrilled when we spotted some elephants.

Afternoon Safari: 4.00pm. We only had time to see a few zebras and impalas when the heavens opened: torrential rains forced us back to the Mara Lodge.

Thursday 6th April 2006

Morning Safari:6.30am
Impalas, zebras, jackals and their young ones forced out of their flooded den... and 2 cheetahs!

Mid-Morning Safari:10.30am
Our guide, Muteti, kindly gave us an unscheduled safari session: he feared the advance of the rainy season would mean another drench in the afternoon... with few animals to spot - as previous evening.
We saw 2 young male lions (brothers) playing together... while a buffalo - mesmerised... or mad (?) was calling a mere 200 metres away! By the river, sleeping crocodiles and hippopotamuses... 3 more lionesses... zebras and impalas

Afternoon Safari: 4.00pm. Torrential rains on Masai Mara... but we delayed and still went out at 4.30pm. Few animals were out... the hippotamuses refused to come out of the water... but we were lucky to spot a cheetah and were able to approach him quite closely.

Friday 7th April 2006

A very long and 'muddy' drive from Masai Mara to Nairobi - 7.00am - 2.30pm

Nairobi Airport - flight to Heathrow: 11.50pm

Saturday 8th April 2006

Heathrow - 6.45am