Jambo!

The day I booked my flight tickets from Mumbai to Nairobi was one of the most exciting days of my life (the actual trip was even more exhilarating – read on to know more!) I’m not exaggerating when I say that I couldn’t control my eagerness to get to the locations that I had seen only in the media (long live Discovery and National Geographic!) One thought kept circling my brain over and over – Masai Mara, here I come, at last!!!

Do you want to share my excitement? Then what are you waiting for? Dive into my (day-wise) trip report and prepare to be absolutely blown away by the beauty that is Kenya.

Day 1: Nairobi- Masai Mara ( 1 hour flight)

We landed at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta airport. After the arrival formalities were completed, we were transferred by our ground travel agent to Wilson airport for a scheduled on Air Kenya flight to Masai Mara. The aircraft was much smaller than regular airplanes and had an open cockpit. The small aircraft was more like a bus picking up and dropping passengers off to and from various parts of Mara.The friendly pilot even chatted with us and kept us nervous flyers amiable company through the short flight. The plane was not flying at very high altitudes (due to its small size) and this turned out to be awesome for us. Why? Well, because this gave us our first glimpse  of the picturesque African Savannahas and the Rift Valley!

Our destination in Mara was the Olare Motorogi conservancy, the location for  Kicheche bush camp. After landing at Olare Olok airstrip (in the middle of the jungle!), we were greeted by the sight of an open safari jeep driven by a colourfully-dressed local Masai driver. Such a unique reception made us – jaded city-dwellers that we are – feel like pampered royalty!. The Masai driver was also going to be our tour guide and all-round Man Friday for the next three days. He greeted us with cheerful “Jambo” (Hello)  and introduced himself as Patrick (I found out later that his original Masai name is ). So now I have a ‘Pratik’ and a ‘Patrick’ with me in the same car (nope, no confusion at all between the husband and the driver LOL!! 🙂

As Patrick starts driving towards the resort, his walkie talkie starts warbling (no cell phone reception here – duh!). After a quick fire conversation he turns around – excitement writ large on his shining face – and asks us if we are interested in seeing a real live leopard!!!!!! I couldn’t believe my ears, and from the expression on my husband’s face, neither could he! We both squealed in anticipated exhilaration (sounding suspiciously like our kids!) yelled out in unison “Heck yeah, Patrick! Step on it”.

After bouncing around in our seats (which had more to do with our excitement than the rough forest ‘road’!), We finally reached the location where the leopard was napping. Most if its magnificent body was hidden by the thick shrubbery bushes so we could only just see parts of it  here and there. We were so awed even by this small glimpse of nature’s beauty that it took us a few minutes to realise that  ours was not the only vehicle in the area, and we were not the only awe-struck humans waiting to see more of this majestic creature. Not very far from Patrick had parked, another  vehicle – this one carrying an elderly couple – kept silent vigil with us. Unable to contain my curiosity but unwilling to break the spell the leopard had managed to weave around us simply by existing, I finally asked Patrick in a whisper how long we’d have to wait for would it take for the animal (such a tame word for such a splendid creature!) to wake up from its afternoon siesta and come out?. Sotto voce, He replied “It’s hard to say Madam. Wild animals don’t run by human schedules after all. It might come out in the next 5 minutes, or 10 min or 30 minutes, or it might decide to stay where it is and never come out at all!” I knew my eyes were as round as saucers by now, but Patrick the pro continued straight-faced: “Among the big five creatures of Africa, leopards are the most shyest, and there’s nothing you or I can do about it.” He was absolutely right. Sometimes  we know that we have to be patient, but when the moment of reckoning (such as it is) finally comes upon us, we tend to become impatient. This is as true of me as it is about humans in general – flawed mortal beings that we are. Following Patrick’s (gentle) rebuke, I told myself “Enough with the impatience! You’re here in Africa to soak in nature’s beauty for the next 7 days, and don’t you dare spoil it with unnecessary chatter or typical ‘human’ questions” Resolution firmly in place, I settled down to wait. Finally after about 20 minutes, the leopard decides to come out of its refuge. Smart (and perhaps curious) animal that it is, as it emerged out of from the bushes, it noticed the human ‘baggage’ in its space and started walking straight towards our (yes ours, not the elderly couple’s!) jeep.

Brain freeze!

Me: “Umm, ok Patrick, we’ve seen what we came to see. Can we go now?”…Patrick (admirably restraining his amazement at his unpredictable and hitherto impatient customer’s sudden about-face): He replies ” Wait Madam, please! You’ve waited this long to see it from up close! It will come closer. And don’t worry! I brought you here for an experience of a lifetime, and I promise you, you’ll get it. All you need to do is be still and unmoving.

20 minutes ago, I was desperate to see the leopard (and all of it!) from up close,  and now when my wish was so close to being fulfilled, all I wanted to do was to run away as far as I could (sounds stupid and irrational, I know!). It dawned on me that we encounter similar feelings in the path of life too.

However, after hearing Patrick’s gentle but stern rebuke, my sudden panic receded as quickly as it arrived. I settled down to a quiet wait, determined to remain I was as still as a rock for however long it took. My husband later teased me that it was the quietest he had ever seen me, the rogue! LOL.

And you know what? Patrick was right! The leopard did come out of the bushes and walk right up to our jeep!  In fact, it was so close that it could’ve gotten right in with us if it were so inclined. Patrick’s lecture notwithstanding, I was still glad that it didn’t though! I later learned that wild animals in Africa are quite used to seeing jeeps populated by ignorant, panicky humans, accepting (probably grudgingly, but hey, that’s just my opinion!) both as a part of the natural ecosystem. Therefore, they hardly ever attack, and even when they do, it’s rarely to kill. I wish I had known this before my irrational panic attack.

Finally after following the leopard for a fair distance (it’s much more interesting than it sounds, believe me), we left for our camp. On the way, we happened to crossed some  shallow ponds populated by a band of hippopotamuses (I will never forget the god-awful stench of those giant animals as long as I live!). We even saw a few elephants. I realised then that baby elephants are cute irrespective of whether they’re Asians or Africans.

When we reached at the camp, we were greeted by the hosts . You can read more about the camp in the review here

If you are ever in Masai mara, make sure you take the time to check out the bird life here. The area near our tent was home to a huge variety of birds, and we were lucky to enjoy regular visits from suparb starlings.Watching the birds at my leisure from my tent on lazy afternoons (in lieu of a nap!) was a beautiful experience in itself.

After lunch, Patrick was our guide on another exciting afternoon game drive. This time around, we saw herds of elephants, giraffes and ostriches.

Back at the camp at sundown after our exhilarating ride, we enjoyed some pre-dinner drinks. I know I’m repeating myself but I really can’t help it; Africa can do that to you! I will never ever forget the experience of  sipping away languidly at my favourite wine (Chardonnay, what else?!), with a jaw-dropping African sunset blooming setting on the near horizon (I swear I’ve never seen the sun so big – I felt like I could touch it if I just reached out!) And the love of my life was but two feet away – what more can a (hopelessly romantic) girl ask for?! Oh – and we were serenaded by groups of and topis and giraffes moving languidly about in the near distance, foraging for food and gathering their young ones into the family fold for the night. It was so peaceful that we almost didn’t want to move – even for dinner! We did eventually get up  and joined our hosts and Patrick for a wonderful dinner  around the bonfire. Our African friends regaled us with stories about the savanna. We couldn’t decide between laughter and amazement – each story was more fantastic that the one that came before it! Finally our friends took pity on us -wiped-out city folk that we were – and sent us off  to bed. So this is how Day 1 ended – curled up on a bed in a tent with only each other, the animals and stars for company – no traffic, no fumes, no buildings and no people. Bliss!

 

Day 2: Masai Mara

The alarm goes off at 5.00 AM. It didn’t take us long – tired though we were – to realise that today was the day for an early morning safari. As soon as the thought crossed my time, I was more excited than my kids on Christmas day!

On this safari, Patrick drove us around a part of the jungle populated by herds of zebras, wildebeasts and I was floored yet again. My husband still teases me about my wide-eyed- kid-in- a-candy- store-look.By 10.30 am AM, we returned to camp for breakfast and prepared for small jungle short trek  to a nearby hill nearby. Now, I’m no novice when it comes to trekking, but the whole idea of walking in through the untamed African jungle surrounded (in a way)  by wild animals around was absolutely thrilling (if not outright terrifying!).. By 11, we set off  with our guide, and almost immediately drew our attention to one of the ‘small five’animals of Africa- the rhinocerous beeatle!

I was very anxious on the trek. You can imagine why as there was a ranger with fully loaded gun and a local masai to protect us while we walked throught wild African jungle!

And we were accompanied on our  walk by a pair of curious (and strangely unafraid) giraffes. 

And I grab the rangers arm… Prati wants to go closer to the giraffes and we walk towards them to my dismay!

When we reached the top of the hill, I was out of breath not because of the steep climb, but because of the stunning African jungle.

We returned to our camp for lunch and another afternoon safari. Lunches at the camp were fun conversation with other guests in the camp.

We then went again for the safari. This time again we saw many animals. I was jumping with joy each time we spotted an animal.

Then again table was set by Patrick for sundowner. It would have the snacks we preferred along with our favorite poisson 😉 Cheers

Day 3: Masai Mara

The alarm again goes off at 5.00 AM, reminding us that today was the day for another early morning safari trip and no, it wasn’t a repeat of Day 2! Today, our hosts and guide had we had bush breakfast planned a lavish ‘bush breakfast-cum- picnic’ for us with sandwiches, boiled eggs, seasonal fruits, hot tea, coffee and biscuits packed and loaded in our jeep. The cooking staff makes every effort to meet your nutritional requirements (I’m vegetarian myself) as long as you let them know one day in advance. After our safari drive, the guide Patrick parked pulled the jeep near a shallow pond, and set the table for us (yes,they thought of everything!).

So here we were, having enjoying a leisurely bush breakfast with beautiful birds and the frolicking (or so it seemed) hippos for company!

After breakfast we went to visit a masai village. According to Patrick, each masai boy is taught to be a warrior since childhood. He further said that they were not afraid of lions and that the lions were scared of them ( LOL). Ya ya ! Jokes apart they still live in the tradional way and I was surprised at the kind of life they lived in this age. Some of it is now fading away by modernisation but still a long way to go.

After the masai village cisit we went for another safari and yet again Masai Mara doesnt stop to excite us. Animals here Animals there, Animals everywhere!

By now, I wanted to stay here forever, and if it weren’t for my kids waiting for me back home, I would have!

Day 4: Masai Mara – Lake Nakuru ( 6- hour drive)

Our day 4 was Lake Nakuru. It was time to leave Masai Mara. I didnt want to leave the place – in all its untamed rawness and unchanging beauty – was, peaceful, untouched, and as close to heaven as you can get on earth (in short, damn near perfect!). The outside world was waiting for us however.

After alighting at Wilson airport in Nairobi, we drove towards Lake Nakuru.This lake was famous for its migratory flamingo population. After we reached Nakuru game lodge, we had lunch and set off for a game drive. This national park was unlike Masai Mara. it consisted of a single paved road and no other sign of ‘civilisation’.

Safari and the jeeps were not allowed to go off the paved road. This meant that we would be able to see only those animals that came close to the road. We were disappointed when we heard this, but quickly got over it, when we saw a lion and a lioness languidly strolling (do lions stroll? LOL!) near the edge of the road.

This is what we call Lion crossing’

As we drove down to the lake proper, we were delighted to see hundreds of birds gliding over the water like a company of ballerinas.

Day 5: Lake Nakuru – Mount Kenya National Park

After an early morning safari where we saw many colourful birds, we drove towards Mount Kenya National Park. We were booked in for two days at The Serena Mountain lodge –  a gorgeous tree hotel raised on stilts near a waterhole. Since it is elevated above ground, it provides a number of vantage points to observe the abundant wildlife without disturbing the animals (or as is more likely with us paltry humans – annoying!).

After dark, the hotel staff turns on a floodlight over the waterhole (again without disturbing the fauna) so that guests can also observe their night-time activity.We were able to see whole herds of There were many water bucks and buffaloes. The hotel has a remarkable ‘alarm system:  you can set an alarm to warn you when ‘your favourite’ animal approaches is seen near the waterhole at night. We couldn’t choose one single animal so we set the alarm to notify us if any of the big 5’ or elephants were in the vicinity. We then went to sleep, but were woken by the alarm around at 2.45 AM. Lo and behold – we see a herd of thirsty elephants. Yet another unforgettable experience (and beautiful memories!)!

Day 6: Mount Kenya National park – Sweet waters tented camp Nanyuki

We checked out of the lodge and drove towards Sweet waters tented camp. You can read the review here. We stopped for a  short while at the equator where the locals people had set up some ‘ so called magic’ for tourists , scientifically known as coriolis effect!

While having lunch at the camp  we saw a few animals at the waterhole. On the evening safari, we saw some amazing reticulated giraffe and grevy Zebras. We also went to see the chimpanzee conservatory. On the  night safari, we saw a group of jackals chasing their prey an animal(nowhere is ‘survival of the fittest’ more true than in Africa!).

Day 7: Sweet waters tented camp to Nairobi

We went for the morning safari and the experience was bittersweet in more ways than one.

Now this is an actual Zebra crossing. LOL

Later in the day we reached Nairobi and explored the downtown area. We stayed overnight at Hotel Sarova Stanley. You can read the review here.

Day 8: Nairobi – Mumbai

The last day had arrived. For the first time in the entire trip we could wake up a little later than 4.30 am ! LOL No morning safari today. Was I happy to be back home? Well, the jury’s out on that one..

Will I ever go back to wild, untamed, breath-taking Africa? Hell, yeah!