The view from the flight was breathtaking, ranging from the magnificent coastline on one end to the to the green lush landscapes revealing the vast savannah, this, east African country seemed like a green paradise. We rubbed our hands in excitement, eagerly waiting for the flight to touchdown and the journey to begin. After passing through a smooth immigration process, we hired a cab to take us into the heart of Nairobi city, where our hotel was located. While certain areas of the city bustled with activity, the others were calm where the precious wildlife ate and rested in their semi natural habitat (safari parks). Finally, we arrived at our homestay, which was certainly a ‘home away from home’, where we spent a pleasant night and headed to famous masai mara next morning.
The road trip to masai was very scenic revealing the abundance of grass and trees through both the windows. It was quite a battle between the cloudy weather which was trying to sing us a lullaby and the bumpy road which was keeping us awake.
On arrival at our comfortable tented camp, we quickly packed our binoculars and digital camera and headed for an exciting game drive. The drive indeed turned out to be one of the best drives where we witnessed a variety of wildlife such as pride of lazy lions, zesty zebras, graceful giraffes, intriguing impalas, hungry hyenas, gentle gazelles, cryptic cheetahs, lonely leopards to name a few. As the fauna laid or moved on the grass in reaction to the gentle breeze, they seemed perfectly comfortable at home in the wilderness, carrying on their daily chores. The day ended with a quiet meal in the cozy restaurant of our tented camp. Next day we set off to an early game drive at dawn, to catch sight of the bright rising sun, among the lethargic mountains and the wildlife. The highlight of the trip was viewing the great migration of 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelles from Tanzania (Serengeti) to Masai Mara in search of greener pastures. We considered ourselves fortunate for having witnessed this grand spectacle. It was an unforgettable sight at the Mara – Serengeti border to watch the mass movement of these wild beasts running towards us, queuing up in an orderly manner to reach their destination. Indeed a wonder and a valuable lesson for the humanity.
We then moved on to a lake full of hungry hippos and cunning crocodiles, as we sat and nibbled on our packed sandwiches.
The trip in Mara ended with a visit to the masai village, which was adjacent to our camp. The masai people welcomed us with their customary dance, which mostly comprised of the masai men jumping high on that stick. And ….. of course, I thoroughly enjoyed the dance with the masai women :):) We also learnt about their lifestyle, food and culture. It was amazing to hear that at least 200 masai villages coexist with the wildlife with mutual respect, inspite of the vast inter-species differences.
Following the visit, we were en-route to Amboseli, the land of elephants. It was yet another long road trip, where we were forced to keep ourselves entertained with some games and music. The night stay was in a classy lodge with spacious rooms, offering a view of the Mt.Kilimanjaro on the side. Next morning, we started our expedition to get a glimpse of the gigantic African elephants. We were lucky enough to witness an elephant duo engage in a friendly battle in their swamp. In addition to these large eared creatures, we also spotted beautiful feathered wonders such as egrets, herons, crown cranes, pelicans and flamingos, which is a bird watcher’s paradise. At midday, we hiked to an observation point which offered a panoramic breathtaking view of nature. We rested at the top , inhaling the soft breeze and had a sumptuous meal in the lap of nature. Furthermore, as we followed our safari trails , we caught sight of baboons , wildebeest, hippos , wild buffaloes which seemed amused by the weather and relished the resources offered by the gracious Mt Kili .
Thereafter , in order to have a change of scenery, we jumped on a train and left to Mombasa, which lied on the the east African coastline. The train ride was spectacular presenting a wide range of scenery , coupled with the flora and fauna.
On arrival at the historical Mombasa, we did a quick tour of the Fort Jesus and then headed to the beach. The beach was surrounded by widely planted coconut trees which offered a cool breeze which battled the humid weather. We sat in the moonlight sipping our drinks and ate our delicious meal , reminiscing our grand safaris from the previous days. Post sunrise , we bid goodbye to the beautiful beach and flew back to Nairobi. In the flight, we caught a glimpse of Mt kili which seemed the perfect way of ending a great trip.
Wonder blogs ;) 