Blogs from Rift Valley Province, Kenya, Africa - page 2

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Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP November 2nd 2022

Back on the road after lunch, we moved more slowly as we entered the private North Mara Conservancy, where fenced farms were not allowed. (Conservancies allow unfenced farms; National Parks do not allow any farms.) Lots of zebras were immediately obvious, then warthogs, distant rhinos, gazelles, and many more Topi. Far towards the horizon, giraffes became apparent, sometimes resembling sticks because they were so far away. To my surprise, I began to catch sight of the animals on my own. Thomson’s Gazelles were easily identified from the distinctive curved black line on their sides. We were slowly climbing a towering escarpment out of the Rift Valley. The road led to the lowest end, steadily rose, then took a sharp turn to go all the way up. The Mara West Camp parking lot was busy when we ... read more
Dusk Mara West
Mara West Camp
Lunch just off the roadside

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Lake Naivasha November 1st 2022

The past two mornings have been camping cold – shivering out of bed to the alarm clock and shrugging on a fleece jacket. Overnight was warm in bed, because the room steward put two very heavy water bottles between the sheets that were still warm in the morning. They might be filled with something other than water because they were almost too heavy to move. The bed was also covered with a thick blanket and a heavy duvet. The grass turned spring green with the short rain we had yesterday during the game ride. Everything looked fresh as we started the journey to and through the Aberdare Mountain Range . Near to the Conservancy gates were three schools, children dressed in uniforms. The important town of Nanyuki was where the drivers stopped to increase the tire ... read more
Nyhaururu
TransAfrica Highway
 Cape Buffalo

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Lake Naivasha November 1st 2022

Instead of a boxed lunch (thank heavens!), Lucas brought us to an upscale local restaurant for a lunch of Kenyan foods. We were asked to wash our hands at an outdoor tap and sink before entering. The buffet lunch included mashed-potato-corn-greens, chicken pieces in a peppery tomato sauce, goat, ugali (similar to polenta), steamed shredded cabbage and carrots, triangles of chapatti, and small deep-fried potatoes. On the table was a sweet sauce and a mild chili sauce. My favourites were the tender goat, potato-corn-greens, and the small potatoes. Potatoes in Kenya are particularly good. I had black tea afterwards – I really like this Kenyan Gold tea, both black and green. We drove for another hour on the highway, until reaching Lake Naivasha , one of seven lakes in the Kenyan part of the url=https://www.cs.mcgill.ca/~rwest/wikispe... read more
Grounds of Lake Naivasha Lodge
Waterbuck at dusk
Ibis high in the tree


Day 2, we woke up fairly early, had an.... interesting breakfast. The Galaxy Resort definitely tried and they were so, so friendly, but the food was strange. The resort in general was memorable for being so different. We then had a good 90 minute drive, back past Nairobi, heading north towards our next destination: Hell's Gate National Park. Great Rift Valley First though, we drove down a mountain road where you had incredible views of the Great Rift Valley. As a geologist, this is one of the things we learned about way back in University. We did not dwell on it much back in the US, but it was an area of interest for me. There area actually multiple segments on what has been known as the Great Rift Valley and we were in the area ... read more
Meeting the Masai
Rift Valley Overlook
Rift Valley overlook

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province November 10th 2021

We had a very exciting morning game drive! We saw lots of zebras, an elephant herd with several baby elephants, lions mating, and a big group of hippos! We enjoyed a very nice breakfast our lovely camp (they have fruit, little pastries, cereals, an egg station, and hot accompaniments plus excellent coffee). It was another lovely sunny day, but with a cooling breeze. We headed out on our morning game drive at 8 am. We saw lots of zebras first, then an elephant herd in the distance, with several baby elephants. They are so cute! We also saw various antelopes including Thomson’s gazelles, Eland, and Topi. We drove quite a distance up to the lookout in the Maasai Mara. It was really nice to get out of the jeep and stretch our legs, as the roads ... read more
Our fabulous tent
Burchell’s zebras
Burchell’s zebras

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP November 9th 2021

We have arrived in the fabulous Maasai Mara! Last night I woke up about 3 am and looked outside our room to see if there were any hippos grazing on the lawn, and I saw two! It was pretty amazing. We enjoyed a nice breakfast at the Lodge, then headed out at 8 am for our 5 hour drive to the Maasai Mara. The road was paved, and so much smoother than the drive yesterday! It was an enjoyable, very scenic drive. We had a nice view of a Mount Longonot (a volcanic mountain), and there were many lovely vistas to admire along the way. At the start of the drive there were lots of trucks and at one point we saw the aftermath of a bad accident, with two trucks on their sides in the ... read more
Our fabulous camp - Ilkeliani
Bridge from where the jeeps are parked to the camp
Our beautiful tent

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Samburu NR November 4th 2021

Greetings from the Samburu Game Reserve! We have had a fantastic first game drive. Our day started quite early. After a very nice breakfast in our hotel, we headed out at 7:30 for the long drive to the Samburu Game Reserve. We had a couple of stops, the first for a short break just outside Karatina for a bathroom break and shopping at the “curio shop“ if we wanted, and a walk in the adjacent gardens. We didn’t think we would buy anything, but we ended up getting a few things (one a batik print which I’ll get framed and put in my home office). The so-called curio shop is a cooperative selling many different locally made handicrafts. The drive from Nairobi to Samburu was very bumpy! There was a lot of roadwork going on, plus ... read more
Roadside scenes
Roadside scenes
On the road

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Amboseli NP January 26th 2021

We are back at home after few weeks on the road. I know, this sentence may look very special in 2021! What a world we are living today! Hopefully by the end of this year all this will be a far gone nightmare for the world. I just had a look at few other travel bloggers posting...I'm impressed by the resources, able to blog about times long gone, just to celebrate the fact that one day not too far from now, the world will be once again a small place. There is today an ethical point about traveling or not. If you are sitting in Europe, it's pretty simple....either you moved away months ago...or you sit nicely at home. Everything else doesn't make much sense. Europe today is a no go....Asia is closed to outsiders....if you ... read more
We saw a total of 10 lions during our 17 hours driving around...
The super famous Amboseli view...
Love this one!

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP February 18th 2020

Up a bit earlier today and leaving camp with Wilson at 6:50am to get to the park gates soon after 7am for a full day in the Mara. We spent much of the morning driving to and fro across the Mara following sightings of a leopard. The first we missed so had a brief detour to the river where we saw a baby crocodile and the stone marking the boundary with Tanzania (we didn’t stop for a photo as leopard!) - then shot off back to the other side of the Mara where a leopard had recently made a kill (wild dog Simba said). We passed lots of vans going the other way so were a bit worried it would have gone but there was still one van there who pointed out to us the bush ... read more
Leopard
Nile monitor
At the river

Africa » Kenya » Rift Valley Province » Masai Mara NP February 17th 2020

Slept very well, up & ready to leave for the Maasai Mara at 7:30am with a packed lunch and joined by Wilson who was going to help Simba find us a leopard! On the way out of camp we passed a dik-dik and once in the park we saw: Black rhino Elephants (incl. more babies) Cheetahs (a single one in the grass then a group of 5 in the shade under a tree) Vultures Great bustard Secretary bird Shrike Warthogs Ostrich Baboons Buffalo Impalla Topi Gazelles (Grant’s & Thompson’s) Hartebeest Hippos Lilac-breasted roller Maasi giraffe Vervet monkey Although I think Chavaunne spotted more than out two guides! Lunch was eaten under the shade of an acacia tree keeping a close eye on a nearby herd of elephants in case they decided to come our way! ... read more
Black rhino
Black rhino
Maasai Mara




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