Looking Back: My African Safari

8 years ago I went on an African Safari with my best friend, Megan. We were reminiscing about the trip recently and it came up that the trip feels like it happened yesterday, but also a lifetime ago. A lot has changed in those 8 years. We have both had different jobs, I got married, Megan moved around some and in the past year, we have both settled a bit. She moved back home to Illinois and I moved onto the forever property with my family.

But those memories from 8 years ago are what makes it seem like it happened yesterday. Following the guidelines of spraying all of our long sleeve clothing and pants with mosquito repellent, packing non-roller bags for easier transportation of our luggage in safari vehicles and the zillion other tips followed, only to show up and see that our two travel partners (retired teachers from Canada) had done the complete opposite; packed only shorts and t-shirts in carryon roller bags luggage. Amazingly, whether overprepared or underprepared, we all had a once in a lifetime trip together.

How it started

Megan and I have been travel partners basically since we became friends. We both have the desire to travel almost anywhere, are fairly easy-going when it comes to travel and have the annoying ability to plan a trip in no time flat once the words “we should travel here” are spoken.

A trip to Africa had come up multiple times as a pie in the sky, some day we should do this thing. And as I was getting closer to my 30th birthday, a coworker mentioned that they had done some travel through Groupon and were really surprised how much they liked the travel packages. Now on multiple occasions I had looked into Groupon travel packages, but wasn’t quite sure what to expect. So a 30th birthday extravaganza with my best friend seemed like a great opportunity we couldn’t pass up.

What we got

Through my Groupon search, I found an 8 day/6 night safari in Kenya. This included airfare, visits and stays in 3 national reserves, an English speaking guide and almost all our meals. I am the one more willing to “rough it” in this travel relationship, so when Megan saw that we would be staying in tents she was a little hesitant. But no worries because while we stayed in tents, they were some of the nicest accommodations I have ever had while traveling.

The Itinerary

Days 1 & 2 (1/10 & 1/11): Traveled from NYC to Frankfort, Germany and then on Nairobi

• I had traveled internationally before this trip, but never with a layover internationally. So I was pleasantly surprised when making our way through the Frankfort airport half awake that we are suddenly at a security checkpoint with very stern agents and were promptly padded down.
• But, we also managed to have our first German beers at 8:30 in the morning in the Frankfort Airport, so it all balances out.
• When we got to Kenya, we stayed at the InterContinental Nairobi for the night before meeting the rest of our group the next day. And to be honest, we had no idea how many people would be on this trip with us.

Days 3 & 4 (1/12 & 1/13): Traveled from Nairobi to the Samburu National Reserve

• In the morning, we met our guide, Peter and our two fellow travelers; Linda & Blanche
• We crossed the equator, I saw my first camel on this drive and we learned to be cautious at the gift shops because they definitely know to mark up their prices for tourists.
• But on the other hand, I saw some of the most amazing artistry during this trip as well.
• Our safari vehicle was different that I expected. It wasn’t the jeep or land rover type vehicle that you see in the movies, but a van with a roof could be opened and pushed up. So when we saw animals, we could stop and extend the roof up, so we could stick our heads through and capture photos.
• We visited a local village. Fun Fact: when one of the villagers offered to take photos of us with fellow villagers, they held down the photo button on our phones and left us with over 100 photos of the same pose.
• Accommodations: Ashnil Samburu Camp

Day 5 (1/14): Traveled to Lake Nakuru National Park

• This was the park we were most excited to see because it was supposed to be filled with so many pink flamingos that you wouldn’t even be able to see the water. Unfortunately, due to the water level being too high, which caused the water to not be salty enough for the algae that the flamingos feed off of to grow, there were very few to see.
• While we didn’t get to see as many flamingos as we had hoped, this lodge offered a dinner show with native dancing and singing, which was a joy to see.
• Accommodations: Sarova Lion Hill Lodge

Days 6 & 7 (1/15 & 1/16): Traveled to Maasai Mara National Reserve

• Fun Fact – This is where much of the movie Out of Africa was filmed
• We completed our search for the Big 5 while visiting this reserve: Leopard, Lion, Buffalo, Rhino & Elephant
• Accommodations: Ashnil Mara Camp

Day 8 (1/17): Traveled back to Nairobi

• While our travel partners didn’t seem to heed the same travel tips that Megan and I had, they came in clutch with realizing we would have some down time in Nairobi before our flights. This meant lunch at a local restaurant, Makutano Grill and visits to both the Giraffe Centre and the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.
• The Giraffe Centre is a sanctuary for Rothschild Giraffes. You have the ability to feed them and walk along paths on the property to see them, but beware of head butts.
• The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust: Elephant Orphanage is where they rehabilitate elephants that have been orphaned or injured in the wild. On the tour, you get to see them call the babies in for meal time and it is one of the most incredible things to experience. You also have the ability to adopt an elephant, which Megan and I did during our visit.

Our Safari Viewings (Who knew there were so many types of antelope)

• Baboon
• Cape Buffalo
• Cheetah
• Eagle
• Elephant
• Gerenuk – also known as a Giraffe Gazelle, long-necked medium size antelope
• Masai Giraffe – irregular, ragged brown patches
• Reticulated Giraffe – smoother brown, orange patches
• Rothschild’s Giraffe – white from the knees down
• Hawk
• Hyena
• Jackal
• Lion
• Monkey
• Ostrich
• Black Rhinocerus
• White Rhinocerus
• Stork
• Vulture
• Waterbuck – large antelope
• Blue Heron
• Dik Dik – small antelope
• Eland – savannah and plains antelope
• Flamingo
• Hippopotamus
• Impala – medium sized antelope
• Leopard
• Mongoose
• Oryx – large antelope
• Reedbuck – antelope
• Topi – antelope
• Warthog
• Wildebeest

Looking Back

It’s amazing the things you remember and the things you don’t when you look back on a trip. I made the smart decision to keep a journal for a majority of this trip and dug it out today and read back through it. I read about us being equal parts excited and nervous while waiting to depart NYC. I had completely forgot about the mechanical failure and delays in Frankfort trying to get to Nairobi, but I did remember the security pad down in Frankfort accurately.

I’m proud of myself looking back that I truly tried to be present on this trip and not always stuck behind my camera or my phone. While I love the pictures I do have, going back through the journal today brought back those moments more vividly than the photos do.

So if you are thinking about going on safari or taking a trip to Kenya… Do It! It was a trip that I will truly cherish forever.