A Safari in Kenya

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"I had a farm in Africa, at the foot of the Ngong Hills." This is the famous opening line of Karen Blixen's (pen name Isak Dinesen) book Out of Africa, made even more famous by the lush and romantic film adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford. Kenya also has a romantic allure for anyone, such as myself, who has read the short stories of Ernest Hemingway, a fervent lover of Africa. Having already traveled to the African countries of Morocco and South Africa, I finally arrived in Kenya in mid-August 2023 for a private 10-day safari (which means "journey" in Swahili) that was organized by the travel company Adventure Life. The first stop on the itinerary was at Karen, a well-to-do suburb of Nairobi where Blixen's farm was located. Her home and some land around it have been preserved as a museum, which I highly recommend visiting, regardless of whether you have read the book or seen the film. And hovering in the distance are those Ngong Hills, where Blixen's lover Denys Finch-Hatton is buried. We also visited a nearby animal rescue facilities for elephants and giraffes that have been orphaned for various reasons, but primarily because their parents had been killed by poachers. The people who work at these preserves are doing excellent work in raising the animals and then reintroducing them into the wild.



After staying in Karen for two days, our private guide/driver Oscar drove us north from Nairobi about 120 miles to our accommodations at the Sweetwater Camp, located in the shadow of Mount Kenya. There, my family and I stayed in luxury tents with all of the modern amenities. Our tents overlooked a watering hole where all varieties of animals would congregate peacefully to find fresh water. It was not uncommon to see elephant, rhinos, and water buffalo serenely drinking together. We also took several drives in our Toyota Land Cruiser out into the bush were we spotted gazelles, zebra, giraffes, lion and, even the rare cheetah, which was a particular thrill since cheetah are hard to find because they are solitary hunters. We even had a rhino charge our vehicle, which gave everyone an adrenaline rush. Fortunately, the charge was a bluff and the rhino stopped a few feet short of our truck.



From Sweetwater Camp, we traveled several hundred miles southwest to Lake Nakuru, where the terrain was very lush, as opposed to the dry savannas near Mount Kenya. Our lodge was set on a steep hill with a stunning panorama of the the lake and forest beneath us. At Lake Nakuru, we encountered baboons and monkeys for the first time, as well as many different types of water fowl, which had made their annual migration from points south to the lake. The dense acacia forests in the region were especially entrancing.



Our final stop was the Maasai Mara region of southern Kenya near the border with Tanzania. We stayed in tents again at the Fig Tree Camp. "Mara" in the Maasai language means "spotted plains," which refers to the few acacia trees that grow amidst the vast dry grasslands. In the Mara, we spotted wildebeest and more cheetah, as well as many lion families. We also took a dawn hot air balloon ride over the plains, which was a spectacular experience that I recommend anyone who goes there should try. We concluded our trip with a visit to a traditional Maasai village, where approximately 260 villagers live in small houses made of straw and cow dung and that are arranged in a circle for protection against wild animals attacking their precious cattle. Even though they live traditional lives, they have made some accommodations to 21st century living, such as having solar panels on their houses to generate electricity. There is also a nearby school where children are taught English.



What I found most exciting about this trip to Africa was experiencing the geographic variety of Kenya, which is a vast and beautiful country. The trip exceeded my expectations. The landscape, the people, and the wildlife will forever be embedded in my mind.

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