Blogs from Masai Mara NP, Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa - page 3

It’s an awesome experience spending the night in a tent in the African wilderness. It’s around 9:30 pm and not a human soul close by…. it was semi-darkness outside the tent…silver droplets from the moon silently dripping down over the bushes and trees. You start imagining the shadows of the bushes as animals ready to ambush. Cuddled inside the sleeping bag, I closed my eyes in the darkness of the tent. Hardev and John were sleeping on my opposite side in their net-cabin. I could hear the hyenas and zebras barking not too far from the tent. I could hear the baboons screaming with a shrill sound. An owl hooted close by. It felt surreal.... listening to the animals and the night creatures while trying to sleep. I slid inside my sleeping bag deeper feeling cozy ... read more

We left Nakuru on the morning of the 21st and continued our southeasterly trek towards Nairobi. It was less than a hundred miles to Lake Naivasha, however the highway suddenly vanished and we spent most of the journey bumping along on a rough, dirt road. Chris informed us that the roads were all under construction from here to just outside of Nairobi and to prepare ourselves. We.arrived at Marina Camp on the banks of Lake Naivasha and immediately concluded that 'tenting it' was again our only option - the upgrade price was way too high. This is the weekend holiday spot for most of Nairobi's residents. With its shores fringed in papyrus and yellow barked acacias, snorting hippos rolling in the shallow waters, a symphony of twittering and screeching birds and a favourable climate, it is ... read more

As you probably know by now I decided to cut short my time in Mozambique. I realised early on that the internship wasn't for me, and that diving is much less fun when you're working and having to keep an eye on everyone. Finding myself at a lose end I found a dragoman trip to do instead. I had a couple of weeks between quitting the dive job and starting my chosen trip in Nairobi, in which I made the most of not working, and read many books at the beach, made new friends, and generally relaxed in Mozambique. The trip I've chosen runs from Nairobi all the way to cape town, with many exciting inclusions along the way. My trip did not get off to the best start, upon arriving in Nairobi on a very ... read more

To make the most of our last bit of time in the Maasai Mara, we had an early morning drive. During the night however, it had rained, and rained, and rained. Pretty much constantly throughout the night, and it was still raining while we ate our breakfast (the breakfast area is under cover with open walls on the sides). By the time we got into the park with everything packed, it was just after sunrise, and surprisingly cold in the wind, but luckily the rain had reduced to just a drizzle and soon stopped completely, so it was nice to see the Mara in the early morning. One of the first things we came across was a large group of Spotted Hyaenas. There were a few along the road just in front of the car, a ... read more

So we dropped off a few peeps and picked up 16 more early this am. We got on the road apprehensively as our first impression of the new people was slightly askew (oldies and no one cool looking lol). About 30 minutes down the road we got a call and stopped the truck to wait for two people we forgot to pick up. HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Our tour leader didn’t even count everyone when we all left! So then two more Aussies came in a taxi and we proceeded down the road. We stopped at a view point of the Great Rift Valley and snapped a few candids on the way to the Masai Mara. After a super long and bumpy ride with this new truck (it had no power going up hills) we arrived at a campground ... read more