Kenya

Kenya: The Land of the Lion King Dream! 

Team Animal Conversationist!

Animal conversationist or so says my little boy he wants to be when he grows up. From saying no to palm oil to hours and hours of studying about endangered and rare animals - we as parents saw the zeal in him. Though honestly, his obsession was the orangutan and its homeland, Indonesia. But, with Kenya (the land of Lion King) offering a much larger variety of wild animals - it emerged as a stronger and clear winner. My daughter was sure a lion would eat her; only to later learn they prefer zebras and giraffes over her. 😀 In many ways, this trip had an extra dash of being special as this was the first time all the 3 grandparents were joining us and it was a big gang of 7 traveling together. 😍

PS - jump to the bottom of this page to find some FAQs. 

Day 0: Up, up & away 

If you've read any of my other international travel blogs, you would know the first day is usually just traveling - hence, I choose to call it day 0. We left home early to drive to LAX. Soon we were checked in and having lunch at our usual Sammy's Pizza & Panda Express outlets. 7 year old Abesh was too excited and it was like a watching an animal channel with no stop or mute button on the remote. 😂 With a Scooby-Doo movie and some mac-n-cheese check marked, both my kids went into deep slumber. We chose Qatar airways for our journey to Nairobi via Doha. 

Happiness!!

Day 1: Back to Africa

It was late night when we reached Nairobi. The airport at Nairobi welcoming us was a shack of a room with a few kiosks, which honestly disappointed us a tad. Nonetheless, we were excited to be back in Africa (Egypt being the first back in 2018). We chose a safari touring agent for the entire trip - an all inclusive airport pick to airport drop off. Right Choice Tours & Safari came with recommendation from a friend who'd done the very safari & as the days unfolded they indeed proved to be a very right choice. My father had reached our airbnb at Nairobi ahead of us and welcomed us. Chatting over some tea and light snack - we called it a night at about 2 am - the kids' first post midnight 'stay up late' as they call it. 

Suggestion: I would strongly recommend carrying a small bug spray or mosquito repellent patches to be deployed asap when you get to the airport. 

Day 2: Now That's Called Shopping - Phew!

My liar of a husband had promised this day to be a rest day. 😊 Before I knew I was convinced to cook a breakfast of instant noodles, tea and getting ready to go check out Nairobi - the capital of Kenya. 

Our first stop was at a gift center in Nairobi. There are plenty of the same and just tell your driver and they will willingly drive you to one. The things are tempting and beautiful and so we (PS my father, husband and son) shopped heaps. And then started the game of bargaining & boy oh boy, you have to bargain mighty hard. It was so new for both my kids that Rupkatha scuttled away with her paternal grandpa, while Abesh who hung with us started crying seeing his parents and maternal grandpa 'fight' with a shopkeeper for our own stuff. 😀

Mamma feeds me, I feed the giraffes ~ Abesh! 

We had lunch at the restaurant next to the gift shop. I was fairly surprised to see very strong influence and inclusion of Indian food in the Kenyan cuisine. From usage of ground cumin & coriander to dal, chapati being on the menu in the Kenyan lunch buffet. But, there was Ugali (steamed maize or corn flower), Mukimo (sautéed & steamed pumpkin leaves & maize), Kenyan fried cabbage (which I found to be so delicious, I had it every chance even later) and local beef stew and chicken stew. 

Tummies full we drove to our next stop - the Giraffe Conservation Center, conservation efforts for preserving the critically endangered Rothchild's giraffes. Enter to wash your hands, be handed a coconut shell full of grass pellets and walk to the balcony with giraffes leaning their long necks in to be hand fed the pellets. Thick long purple sandpaper is what the giraffes' tongues felt like. There were times when they would just eat your hand. 😂 Kids, parents & grandparents - all were very excited. We even saw some Pumbas (warthogs) at the convention center. 

Information: the day trip around Nairobi was not included in our trip. But, a mini van + driver-cum-guide is a flat $100 per day. All other entrance fee are additional as well. The entrance fee for the Giraffe Conservation Center is $10 per person. The lunch buffet too was $10 per person & $5 per child.  

With our driver!

Post that our driver took us for a ride around the city showing us the busy streets of Nairobi, the Presidential house & its sprawling gardens, Nairobi University, the expensive & posh living district  - Karen and then the contrasting Kibera (the slums of Nairobi hosting more than 1,00,000 persons per square feet) and little road side food joints where meals are $1 per person. Soon we were back to our airbnb where the owner's cook had come and prepared a dinner of rice, cabbage fry & a chicken curry. There was plenty of food to go around - all of it including the cook's service for just $30. Wow! 

Day 3: Jet lag!

Now Day 3 literally started as the clock struck midnight. My severely jet lagged kids were up when Cinderella got home and were buzzing with all the energy in the world. Ate, played and then tried to go back to bed - mission failed. Ate, played and bed - mission failed again. This time we simply decided to dress up and start our drive of the day. 

Suggestion: jet lag will happen and no point fretting over it. Best to go along with and if possible makes plans around them. And traveling east ward makes jet lag worse. 

Jambo Ken!

Soon we were lugging our bags into the big safari trailer and saying Jambo to the big burly cheery Ken (Kennedy Ouma) - our driver & guide for the next few days. We were going to drive 5 hours all the way to Masai Mara National Park - home to the big five and many many more. The kids snored away to glory the entire drive and after a drive down the Kenyan country side we were at the entrance gates of Masai Mara and then started all the fun - countless zebras, impalas, thomson's gazelle, giraffes & cape buffaloes welcomed us as the kids (who had woken up by now) were screaming with joy. Soon we were welcomed with refreshing wet towels & juices at the Mara Serena Safari Lodge. We enjoyed a scrumptious lunch buffet. Post that my father, Rupkatha and I decided to stay back and rest. We sat chatting in my father's room sipping tea when a beautiful gazelle and chittering mongoose decided to give us company. And a special mention to the very tame rock hyraxes which lived near the pool and accompanied people on strolls around the hotel. 

Simba and Mufasa!

The rest of the team went ahead for a game drive to check out lions, etc. They visited the Kenya Tanzania border where Masai Mara becomes Serengeti National Park. It started raining later in the afternoon and we experienced what is called the short rains in the Masai Mara region. Dinner was African special with ugali, sukuma wiki (kale with tomatoes), nyoma choma (bbq-ed pork, fish & beef) and kiamati (something like donut balls just a lot less sweet); not to mention heaps of foods from other parts of the world (oh yes, Indian too 😉). 

Day 4: Big Five - well, almost!

The next day started early in the morning with quick tuck ins at the buffet breakfast. Soon we were all piling into our safari car once again to embark on a day full of animals and surprises. Our day started with the usual zebras, antelopes and gazelles and soon we were driving only a few steps away from cape buffaloes, elephants and a lioness. We stopped at the Mara river to see the sun bathing crocodiles and chilling hippos. We drove across a hillock where a hippo stood alone. It was close - very close. It stood minding its own business until it started running towards our car - what seemed like the infamous hippo charging. Rupkatha started crying with fear. Luckily the hippo had other plans and just made its way down back to the river to join its friends. 

The Great 'Great Migration'!

I of course have to speak to the fact which defined the timing of our trip - the Great Migration. Thousands and many many more of wildebeest crossing across the Mara river in look for green pastures. The whole landscape turns polka dotted with black as the wildebeests take over the entire park. Disciplined as they are, it is quite a sight to see thousands of them lined up one after the other as they travel. 

Together!

We saw lions, packs of lions a fair few times - what started with a lone lioness prowling on a hillock looking for a kill soon gave way to  a slumbering lion peaceful with its giraffe kill next to it (no refrigeration required), two male lions sun soaking on a hillock and once a pack of lionesses and their cubs. It's like Lion King - only real and wild and right there for you! 

The drivers have let's say 'slightly' loud walkie talkies where they constantly communicate where which harder to sight animal was seen. Honestly, that is something that needs a little regulation coz helpful as they were - the volume needs a strong regulation there. 

When Life and Death Joined Hands

Before long, Ken was asking us to look at a beautiful slender lethal cheetah on our left - and there it stood. Suddenly, Ken went quiet and said the cheetah is going for a kill. It was epic what we witnessed next. The cheetah slowly moved in the long golden grass - a perfect camouflage for itself towards a non suspecting mother and child impala. They did realize of the impending danger and tried to make run for it, but, the cheetah beat the kid and within a flash of a second it lay dead in the cheetah's mouth. In many ways, of course it was sad to see the young one being hunted right next to its mother but, then that's the real wild for you! 

Lunch was a packed to go picnic in a clearing in the jungle with zebras and giraffes at the back. Not something one does everyday now, right! 😉 Soon news came about a sleeping leopard and we drove to see it laying deep within the bushes. Not the very best way to see an animal especially after all the happenings earlier that day, but, hey we can always say we saw the leopard too. 

Look who dropped in to say Jambo 

Driving back home, the weather gave way to grumbling grey clouds and it was beautiful all around. For those who willingly or simply had to see the Lion King movie a good few times would remember the scene where Simba was being declared king and the light comes out from behind the clouds in straight lines. It was exactly like that all around us. We stopped to see some elephants up very close with baby elephants too. Soon a mamma elephant scolded a young one trumpeting loudly at it for reasons unknown - mothers, they are all the same. 😀

We were back at out hotel in good time to relax and sip the Tusker (Kenyan beer which I would strongly recommend - Tusker Malt is what my father and I mostly drank) as we relaxed.  A warthog and baboon outside our french window welcomed us back. The cherry on the cake was fresh after a hot bath, sipping Kenyan tea and seeing two giraffes dancing in the rain slowly making their way across the landscape into a clump of trees beyond - in one word it was magical. And who says giraffes can't dance, eh?! 😀

Masai warriors with my li'l warriors!

Dinner was followed by a Masai dance with tall men in red drapes and brightly colored beaded jewelry. It seemed we were the only excited family and soon all of us were looped into their circle of jumping and moving with the beat. It was truly a blissful moment as not only the two little ones enjoyed and jumped but, also the grandfathers jumped and all had a marvelous time. Life is hard for the Masais but, yet they go about it with a smile - something indeed to learn.  With such happy memories and hopes to make some more, we all called it our final night at the no-words-can-describe Masai Mara. 

Day 6: Big Five - yes, done! 

The next day was yet another drive and this time we visiting the Lake Nakuru. This particular drive is worth a mention as it is thru a very green country side with fields and villages flanked on each side - a eye soothing contrast to otherwise dry and dusty (but equally charming let me tell you) landscape. We reached our hotel, Sarova Lion Hill Lodge a little after one, giving us enough time to eat, relax and swing at the little park before meeting Ken for the game drive later in the afternoon. By this time, we'd gotten used to the usual pampering of being being welcomed with towels, juices and porters grabbing our bags. 

Pink is the Latest Hot!

Our first stop was the lake in itself which was laced pink with all the - yes, you are right - flamingos! I've seen plenty of flamingos but, never ever in the wild and not so many in number. They were all there huddled together in the distance making the horizon a very pretty pretty pink! Back to the dirt road, we saw a clump of cars all parked together with long camera lenses pointing in one direction - and yes, of course which meant the rhinos!! We saw a family of white rhinos with a baby or two even. There is something about baby rhinos - after all the killing and poaching, they are the glimmer of hope of a better tomorrow. The rhinos had been mud bathing and seemed pretty black and momentarily we were confused if we saw the elusive shy black rhinos. But, black or white or even rainbow - rhinos are rhinos! 😊

A Glimmer of Hope
for a
Better Tomorrow!

Next we saw an entire tower of giraffes or as my son identified Rothchild's giraffe - the difference lying in something to with the spots and legs being white inside. Bless him! 😊 Soon we drove next to setting sun on the lake with pelicans (African pelicans are very large compared to our west coast American ones) and baboons giving us company. Back in our hotel, we all freshened up and sat on the front porch giggling over you know, just life. Soon the drum beats of the African dance performance reached our ears and we beelined to the little amphitheater. It was OK especially after the Masai dance from the previous evening. Soon we were all enjoying dinner and live music with a guy crooning peaceful songs as he strummed his guitar. It is a different emotion listening to the Lion sleeps tonight knowing there are many lions sleeping very very near you tonight! 

Day 7: I Is For Ibis When My Book Had Read

My DH went for an early morning game drive at 7 am to get some better rhino pictures - lucky him and lucky the rest of us as we got to roll in our beds a little longer. Nonetheless, we were all at the safari car door at 8, sharp and awake to embark on the 7 hours long drive to our next & final destination - the Amboseli National Park. Traveling with 2 kids and 3 elderly folks, we'd decided to give the drive a few breaks on the way. 

Babies and some more!

Our first halt was at the Lake Naivasha - home to the hippos and very many birds. A little over an hour away from Lake Nakuru, I would strongly recommend this stop. It's just $20 per person for an hour's boat ride + the guide. We were welcomed by birds like the Ibis (Rupkatha really wanted to see the Ibis and there they were in plentiful), African fish eagle and pelicans. Near the banks stood a mother waterbuck with its just 4 day old bambino. It was such a sight seeing the little one suckling from its mother. Bless nature! Some more meandering on the lake and then there were - a whole of family of hippos with babies and an alpha hippo as well. Apparently, the largest is the alpha male but honestly they all looked huge to me. 😀 

We drove around the Crescent Island (named after its shape) to see a large number if African fish eagle. That's when the show began - the guide took out a tilapia fish, swung it across his shoulder close to where perched an African fish eagle. The bird took its moment to ponder, suddenly lurched batting its wings, dived in full might and grabbed the fish for its brunch for the day. It even hooted back a thank you note to your guide. 

Suggestion: Remember to take your sun hats and shades coz even in the winter it sure was sunny!

Information: Crescend Island boasts of the fact that the movie, Out of Africa was shot here. 

Soon we were back at the banks, rested a little at the open gardens next to the lake and were back on the road thru the country side towards Nairobi. Not to stretch matters, we had decided to skip lunch at the hotel and planned to halt at Nairobi for lunch. Ken parked at a Kenyan pizza chain - Pizza Inn (we ordered pizza toppings with Kenyan names only to get chicken-cheese & bell pepper-corn-meat pizzas 😀) Nonetheless, it was nice to be a part of the modern contemporary local Kenyan life! Tummies full take out coffees in hand, we were once again back on the road. 

The Solitary Mountain of White! 

After a drive, drive and yet some more drive we were finally at the Amboseli National Park, where DH suddenly let out a whoop as he spotted the Mt. Kilimanjaro waving back at us with a necklace of clouds. We saw some Masai shepherds who were so shy that the kids ran away from us when I offered them some candies. Crossed a ghost town of a hotel (very very creepy), some elephants at a distance and were soon parking at out hotel, Serena Amboseli. Refreshed after our bath, we were soon tucking in dinner and listening to yet other guitarist-singer singing soft numbers. 

DH and I decided to chat a little at the porch behind our room and saw a huge of herd of thomson's gazelle crossing over just outside the hotel fence. We kept saying we'll go as the last one goes; and trust me we had to wait quite a while, so large was the herd. 

Day 8: From One Tusker To Another!

Haathi mere saathi!

The morning was kind of laid back as we started on our short game drive to find all the tuskers (biggest elephants on earth with huge tusks bull & mommies alike). And boy, oh boy did we see or what. From the tiniest baby elephants seeking cover under their mothers legs to massive bull elephants with huge gleaming tusks. So many of them. Ken said there are over 2000 elephants in Amboseli - thankful! The elephants crossed from in front of our car, came very close, stopped, put its trunk on a tusk and just stared before deciding we meant no harm and moved on. Ken said that putting the trunk on the its tusk meant it was smelling us and contemplating if we were dangerous or not. Thankfully, it decided on not dangerous; as there was this particular bull elephant which turned towards us and seemed to be giving us a very suspicious look. 

Your never quite get enough of the beauty around, but, time ticks on and we moved to our next stop - the Observation Hill. A 5 mins hike up to the top gives a 360 degree view around of the elephants, hippos and just life down below - calm, quiet and untouched! Driving on we saw a hilarious sight of about 7 or 8 marching ostriches in a very straight line. Now, I feel cartoons aren't just always nonsense! One thing I must say is that across all the parks, the animals have gotten used to these strange creatures which come speeding towards them, stand around them in numbers, perkier things inside them jump around and before long they are gone - humans in our safari cars. 

Information: this was the only place in our entire trip where there was a restroom inside the jungle. Else, everywhere it is what is called the "bush toilet". 

The warrior... Masai or not!

We decided to add a halt at the Masai village. Priced at $30 per adult & $20 per child, it's interesting. But, is it a must do - I would say not. They have learnt that tourists are a way of milking easy money and now it's a very very commercial practice. They do show things like how they make fire, huts, medicinal practices, overall day in a life, school and the children - but, they are in a constant race to sell you things and that kind of left a bad taste in the mouth. 

Suggestion: it is a good idea to carry some candies, cookies or even basic school stationary for the Masai kids. We carried candies (from the States) and cookies we'd bought locally. 

You will also come across plenty of street children to share with, but, check with your driver before doing so. Ken kept guiding us on that.

With that, we drove back to our hotel for lunch and to spend the entire afternoon and evening lazing around the hotel. DH went back on a game drive soon with his father, the kids hit the pool and the rest of us just hung around soaking in the beautiful sunset with elephant silhouettes illuminating the horizon. The hotel is filled with vervet or black faced tiny monkeys, naughty and ready snatch things from you. The hotel has Masai warriors with catapults constantly chasing the monkeys away. Quite a sight. Rupkatha was not too happy when a monkey snatched away cookies from the table next to ours; bless the Masai warrior who taught her to use the catapult as after that she didn't look so unhappy after all. 😀

Information: The Amboseli Serena hotel is beautifully located with swamps just a little further down from the hotel lobby. If you just call a day in as a rest day, you'll be happily rewarded with elephants bathing and cooling in the swamps or simply strolling around. Sometimes a laid back day is all you need! 😊

Dinner, Tusker (this time the beer) and a homely chat around the bonfire, we decided to call it a night - our final night in Kenya, at least this time on. 

Day 9: Curtain Fall

The shopper and the benefiter!

No take out breakfasts this time, we all had breakfast together at the restaurant. After some customary group picture clicks, we started on journey towards Nairobi where goodbyes awaited. My father by then had become the favorite person for all Masai women selling wares - from Masai figurines to little necklaces to what nots. He would talk to them, click pictures with them, buy from them, bargain and have a laugh with them. Goodness alone knows how much extra stuff we all carried back thanks to these little adventures. 😀

Ken stopped at a gift shop-cum-coffee shop for a little while. But, DH, Abesh and my dad were past their due plundering, so we just had some coffee and started again on our journey. Passed local schools, villages, little shops, vegetable markets and made it straight to the airport to drop the paternal grandparents off. We even saw huge batteries of domesticated camels on our way back - something we absolutely did not expect. 

My father was flying the next day and was staying at an airbnb nearby. We all went there as the 4 of us showered, rested, stretched our backs and soon piled into a local taxi for our final ride. It was almost like going to a different airport - coz this one was a regular international one just a little smaller but, has pretty much everything you need including Duty free shops. 

And so was Kenya - the land of Lion King, where as my 7 year old Abesh said - his dream came true. 

His First Dream As An Animal Conversationist - check! 

A Light Moment: A Portland Timbers Fan, John in the bustling alleys of Nairobi 😀

Yet Another Light Moment: So is the Influence of Indian Food in Kenya! 😀

Some facts to help: 

• Qatar airways flight from LAX to Nairobi round trip was $1000 per person in 8/2023.
• LAX to Doha - 15 hours
• Doha to Nairobi - 5 hours
• Things to expect in each National Park/Lake:
• Masai Mara: zebra, giraffe, cape buffalo, lion, hippo, crocodile, hyena, impala, gazelle, elephants, cheetah, leopard (and so much more)
• Amboseli: tusker elephant, ostrich
• Lake Nakuru: rhino, rothchild giraffe, flamingo, leopard, lions
• Lake Naivasha: hippo, ibis, African fish eagle
• Great Migration in Masai Mara: happens ONLY in certain weeks in July & August. Plan accordingly if you wish to see it!
• Learnings from our trip:
• 3 days in Masai Mara is recommended (against our 2 days)
• Masai village trips can be skipped
• available for a visit at both Masai Mara National Park & Amboseli National Park
• Optional visit to Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi - an effort to save orphan baby elephants
• please book in advance if you plan visit this (we couldn't find a slot & they were booked 3 months into schedule)
• Kenyan visa: 
• For US Citizen:
• Adult - $50 single entry valid for 3 months
• Child - free
• Vaccine required:
• Yellow fever (we were checked when we landed in Zanaibar from Naibori)
• Covid (however, we were not checked)
• Right Choice details
• https://rightchoicesafaris.com/
• ask for Ken (Kennedy Ouma) if you want the same driver-guide as ours (though I am sure others would be great too)
• Price range: $1400 - $2000 (depends on number of days, persons, whether you stay in resorts inside the jungle or outside, number of rooms per night, etc)
• Tipping Culture:
• Kenyan shilling, pound, euro & dollar are accepted
• $20 per day for the driver-guide (so we tipped $150 for our 7 days tour)
• $1 (or 150 KSH) for porters, waiters, etc.
• Drinking water:
• bottled or filtered water only 
• bottled water was provided by the agency all thru the safari
• filtered water was available at both airbnbs we lived in