Love at First Sight in Kenya (page 2 of 5)

Hi Alain, thanks for your feedback. I suspected it was the same leopards, too. Have a great day, Jacques

Hi, this new travel journal is really nice.

Hi Sylvie, big fan of your expertise on this destination—thanks for the encouragement! By the way, I’ve been revisiting your travel journals lately because we’ve fallen in love with the country, and other parks like Meru and Aberdare could easily pair with Samburu. What we’re missing are some nature/hiking stops to stretch our legs and break up the long safari days. Jacques

Meru and Aberdare can definitely be combined with Samburu since they’re a very reasonable distance apart. Aberdare is great for hikes (waterfall visits and Mount Satima—Dragon’s Teeth, too).

Otherwise, in the Laikipia region, there are private reserves like "El Karama" where walking safaris are possible. A few years ago, prices were affordable, but they’ve gone up a lot since... we decided not to go back, but we still have amazing memories from our visits there.

There’s also Ngare Ndare Forest Park north of Nanyuki.

Right now, we’re looking into Mount Kenya for a similar stop on our next trip.

Ben and I can’t wait to hear more about your adventures! 😉

Thanks Didier!

Thanks Sylvie! I also saw that you can do a partial ascent of Mount Kenya with a round trip in a day. In any case, we’re counting on you to share the story of your upcoming trip! Jacques

Hi Jacques,

Absolutely, you can easily combine Méru and then Samburu. That’s exactly what we did in 2021. We saw huge herds of giraffes in Méru. Looking forward to the rest of your travel journal. Take care, Loïc

- January 20th This morning we set off at 6:30 AM with breakfast. The sunrise is stunning, and we head out in the morning cool—though it’s relative since it’s at least 20°C at the coolest hours in Samburu, which is quite different from the safaris we’ve done in Namibia, Botswana, or South Africa during the coldest season. Today, Alfred’s clear goal is to spot cheetahs, so we’re heading toward the reserve’s plains. The first animals we see are dik-diks, the smallest antelopes in existence, which are particularly skittish and hard to photograph. Pretty quickly, we come across another vehicle stopped near a tree. We figure it must be a leopard, and sure enough, one of the two young leopards is in the tree with perfect exposure and lighting for photos. Even better, it moves around on the branch, giving us the chance to snap some shots.



Aside from this great start, the morning’s sightings are generally fewer, except for a few gazelles and oryxes, and our attempts to find a cheetah turn out to be unsuccessful. Mid-morning, we stop by the reserve’s hot springs for breakfast. It was about time for Juliette, who’s been having serious digestive issues with Malarone, even though we take it with meals and probiotics. We continue on our way back to camp. It’s already 11 AM, and we think our morning safari is over, but Alfred’s motivation and tenacity surprise us—he announces there are elephants nearby, once again close to the river. This place is truly magical and teeming with wildlife, including ostriches, oryxes, giraffes, a group of baboons heading toward the camp and finally, the famous elephants. Two male elephants engage in an impressive fight before one of them gives up.

This group of elephants in the lush vegetation is stunning.





It’s almost noon when we arrive at the camp, and Anny makes it just in time for her massage, which she booked the day before after hearing the girls rave about the masseuse’s skills. Meanwhile, we hang out by the pool, which has gone back to its normal color—yesterday it was a pretty uninviting green for a swim. Just before our afternoon safari, we spot a gorgeous lizard near our tents, and it’s happy to pose for photos. As I rush to grab my camera, I forget to close the tent door in my hurry. Suddenly, I hear Juliette scream—a vervet monkey took the opportunity to sneak inside, but it bolts right back out, probably scared off by Anny, who was still in the tent. At 4 PM, we head out for another game drive, the last one at Buffalo Springs. Alfred tells us there’s a surprise planned for the end of the day, with a sundowner in the wild. Right after we leave, we return to the area where we saw the elephants earlier in the morning. A new group, this time with little ones, is about to cross the river toward us, and we have the whole scene to ourselves for what feels like ages.

We then continue our journey in search of animals, through stunning landscapes.

The late afternoon is pretty calm, though we still spot a few animals here and there. At the end of the day, Alfred takes us to the top of a hill overlooking the entire reserve—a perfect spot for an aperitif and watching the sunset. We absolutely love these moments of sharing, far from everything. The Siri Ya Kenya agency surprised us with a little gift bag containing souvenirs and a bottle of sparkling wine to enjoy with our aperitif. Even after being jostled all afternoon, the bottle opened without a hitch and without spraying everyone.

We spend some time savoring the moment, chatting with Alfred about various topics.

Another amazing day comes to an end at the camp, starting with another aperitif (Murubi had set aside a bottle, and we couldn’t say no...), followed by a meal where the entire camp staff breaks into song and dance to celebrate one of the guests’ birthdays. At the end of the day, after a chat with Rosario from Siri Ya Kenya, we decided to change our local flight on the last day, as the time before our international flight seemed too tight—especially considering our experience arriving in Nairobi.

To wrap up our Samburu experience, here’s a glimpse of the birds we spotted during our stay in Samburu (we also saw bustards and secretary birds). Starting with the ostrich I mentioned earlier, which spent its time brooding. Also worth noting: the roller below is the only one we came across during our trip, even though it’s usually a pretty common bird.

Gorgeous Samburu... And the photos are amazing!!!

- January 21st It’s with regret that we’re leaving this camp and reserve, which will leave us with unforgettable memories. Sure, the drive from Nairobi is long, but it’s totally worth it—it also means only the most motivated travelers make the trip, so sightings like the leopards on our first day are truly exceptional. We’ve got a 3.5-hour drive ahead of us to the Ol Pejeta private reserve. At the camp, we agree to give a Kenyan a lift to the nearest town. We arrive at Ol Pejeta in late morning. The entry formalities are more involved than elsewhere since each of us has to register individually at the gate. We haven’t even finished signing in when we spot two rhinos wandering near the barrier—by the time we’re done with the paperwork, they’ve disappeared. The rest of the day doesn’t make us regret that fleeting first sighting too much. Given the time, we have enough daylight to visit the chimpanzee sanctuary, a rare chance to see these animals, which are only found in the wild in a few places worldwide. Unfortunately, it’s the hottest part of the day, and the chimps are inactive and lethargic. We catch a glimpse of two in the distance—one at the edge of their enclosure and another on a platform a few dozen meters away. It’s a bit disappointing, but we didn’t expect much either. After the visit, we head to our camp, Sweetwaters Serena Camp. Along the way, we spot buffaloes,

cobes, zebras, bubals and our first hyena. The landscape doesn’t quite compare to Samburu, but for a start, it’s still pretty great! The camp tents are really spacious and overlook a watering hole where different animals come to drink. At lunch, our server notices Charlotte’s tattoo of four elephants on her arm and jokes with her about it. The vibe here is just as friendly, and that feeling sticks with us throughout the whole trip.

We’re meeting up with Alfred in the mid-afternoon for new adventures. The goal of this safari is to observe rhinos, which are very common in Ol Pejeta, as we’ll soon realize. Throughout the afternoon, we’ll see several groups of rhinos one after another, including a mom with her baby. Nowhere else have we seen so many—even Hluhluwe in South Africa didn’t compare.

















We also visit an enclosure to meet Baraka, an old blind rhino who’s been there for several years, unable to survive in the wild on the reserve. Even though it lets us get really close on foot, it’s still a bit sad.

...

Another old memory coming back: that Sweetwaters camp... for us, it was about thirty years ago!!! The vegetation has really grown around the tents since then!!. Do they still slip a hot-water bottle into the beds at night? 🙂

Thanks.

...

Hi Alain About the hot-water bottles, just a little patience—you’ll find out soon enough.. Jacques

Apart from those rhinos, the reserve is actually quite rich, and we spot zebras one after another, antelopes,



giraffes,

buffaloes, and a few birds: a Kori bustard and a magnificent crane at the end of the day. After watching a stunning sunset, we head back to camp once night has fallen. A few hyenas are lurking around. In the evening, the outside temperature here is quite chilly (probably just over 10 degrees), since the park reaches nearly 1,900 meters in altitude. The camp staff even comes by a little before dinner to put hot water bottles in our beds—something we really appreciate at bedtime. During dinner, we meet a French woman who’s a regular in Kenya and is traveling with a former Kenyan guide. She shows us photos of a lioness on a branch with her cubs, spotted that morning in the reserve. What luck!

I can't wait to hear the rest—Ol Pejeta is where I saw the most aardwolves.

Hi Didier, We’ve never seen one on several trips either. At the start of the trip, it was on our shortlist of animals to see, along with the serval. If you follow the travel journal to the end, you’ll see we checked off both—but really in poor conditions. Have a great day, Jacques

Your photos are stunning—they make me want to go back to Africa! Besides safaris, did you visit anything else in Kenya? I’d love to hike Mount Kenya.

Hi Carmen, Yes, we split the itinerary into two parts as you’ll see later. After the 4-day safari, we did 3 days with a slightly different program, which let us stretch our legs a bit—because, let’s be honest, you don’t get much exercise during safari days. More of the itinerary to come this weekend. Jacques