Photo Safaris in Kenya (page 6 of 18)

Buffaloes get their ears cleaned for free by oxpeckers.



Oh yes, we're definitely in Africa—elephants are also present here despite the altitude, and they’ve adapted well.



The martial eagle and the silvery-cheeked hornbill also thrive in this environment.



To stretch our legs a bit, we went to see one of the park’s many waterfalls.



A few clearings in the dense forest where buffaloes and baboons roam.



Indeed, Aberdare Park is different from other Kenyan parks, but spending 2 days and sleeping 3 nights at this altitude gave me severe headaches and nosebleeds. Yep, a heads-up for those sensitive to altitude sickness—this should’ve warned me before my trip to Peru in 2022.

On the feline side, we spotted a tail that looked like a leopard’s, but no other big cats, and definitely no melanistic ones 🤪.

More here

This park is indeed very different from the others, but being cold during vacation... 🤪 (a matter of taste, of course—I’m thinking of Diamina 😉).

My only memory dates back to 1988 😇, on a package tour at the time. All I remember is the watering hole lit up at night where buffalo and elephants would come (and also that my ex-husband left his passport there without realizing it, which led to quite a few adventures on the way back 😏... The passport eventually turned up in our mailbox a few months later!)

Indeed, 1988... a few years ago now 😉 That lit watering hole—maybe the Ark Lodge further north in the park? But there must be others. Wow, the trip back must’ve been wild 🤪, I always stress about losing my passport.

Oh Virginie! You're putting the pressure on me The rest is coming, but slowly since I need to write and dig up the info—I didn’t take any notes 😕

No pressure at all! Everyone goes at their own pace 😎 But yeah… I’ve already finished my travel journal on Iceland 😉

Aberdare Park is surprising. I wasn’t expecting such lush landscapes in Kenya. Even less so waterfalls. It’s great—it lets you mix things up between the mountain scenery and the Rift Valley.

As for the black serval, I had no idea that even existed! And I had to look up what "mélanique" meant

For the cold during the holidays, we got caught off guard in the Drakensberg. We knew it wouldn’t be warm (thanks to Marati and Pir971’s travel journals), but we ran into a cold snap (negative temps) with a place in Golden Gate that had a broken window replaced by cardboard. And of course, no heating! We drew straws to decide who’d shower first Though that was only in the evenings—mornings, the pipes were frozen, so no water at all! Still, it makes for great memories 🙂

Oh yeah! When you go to Southern Africa in summer, it's winter and it gets cold 🥶 When we were preparing for our trip to Namibia in 2019, the cold was really my biggest worry because we slept in a tent on the roof of the 4x4. But with a good sleeping bag, it works out—especially since the daytime temperatures are really pleasant 😊

That’s why I went there 90% in summer. 😛

Besides the cold, the landscapes aren’t great in winter either...

That said, even in the southern hemisphere summer, it’s not exactly warm in the Drakensberg highlands. 🤪

Yeah, but as long as we’re not on vacation all year round, we unfortunately won’t have much choice about the season 😅

I can't wait for vacations all year round! 😛

Meru

In 2023, following Sylvie’s advice, the first park we visit with our friends Cathy and Laurence is Meru National Park. Just like in 2021, Félix picks us up at 8 AM from the hotel—we’re really happy to see him again. Ikewa Camp, where we’re staying near Meru National Park, is located 300 km northeast of Nairobi, and it takes us over 7 hours to get there.



Ikewa Safari Camp is really well situated, just 2 km from the park entrance. The tents are spaced out in the middle of dense vegetation. They’re luxurious—the floors and bathrooms are solid, and only the bedroom is canvas. The food is excellent, really—I highly recommend this accommodation.

Little anecdotes:

Our tent is next to a watering hole, and our first night was lulled by the croaking of frogs. We didn’t sleep much—African frogs have just as many voices as French ones, I swear 🤪.

On the second evening after dinner, as we’re heading back to our tents, we hear the laughter of bush babies (galagos). We don’t see them because they’re in the trees and it’s dark, but we really get the impression they’re mocking us. Actually, they’re just chatting among themselves 😉.

Lots of cats roam the camp—about thirty, apparently to keep snakes away... well, that’s reassuring 🙂.



These photos were sourced from the web

Meru National Park, like Aberdare, isn’t one of the classics like Amboseli or the Maasai Mara. But starting with a park where there are almost no 4x4s is important for a first-time African safari, and that’s what I wanted for our friends.



During our first outing in the park, Laurence is so moved by seeing giraffes up close that she has tears in her eyes. Cathy wants us to pinch her to make sure she’s not dreaming when she sees a herd of elephants. Yep, that’s the magic of Africa! 🙂



Despite its low visitor numbers, this park is very rich in mammal diversity—elephants, giraffes, zebras, buffaloes, antelopes, gazelles...

Elephants are really fond of weaver bird nests.



The Big Five are all here (lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants, and buffalo). Big cats are still quite rare, though—just this gorgeous lioness in the setting sun.



The park’s various watering holes are a real treat for crocodiles and hippos.



What also makes Meru Park special is its sanctuary for black and white rhinos.



You’ll also find species that only live in arid parks and reserves, like the reticulated giraffe, Grévy’s zebra, and the gerenuk (giraffe gazelle).



Nowhere else had we seen these animals: the four-horned buffalo, the two-headed giraffe, or the two-trunked elephant. 😏

Ah! The frogs at the Equator! They kept me up too . . .well, at least the first night—by the second, I must’ve gotten used to them

Meru National Park is home to over 400 bird species. Among them, the grey-headed kingfisher, the lilac-breasted roller, the hornbill, and the secretary bird are the most visible.



If you know the names of the other birds in the photos, feel free to share!



We encountered many more—this park is truly a paradise for birdwatchers.

Next up for Samburu is here

Hi Isabelle,

Love the African travel journal! I see you’ve been really busy since the post-Covid years 😊 Amboseli is so photogenic 😍

I’ve wanted to go to Kenya for a long time, but it’s far from Botswana… maybe when I get year-long vacations

Hello Isabelle,

Lovely African travel journal! I see you haven’t been idle during these post-Covid years 😄

Hi JF, I’m so happy to see you on this journal... oh yes, Africa, once it gets you, doesn’t let go ;), and I’m not the one to tell you that 😉. Yes, apart from 2020 when we stayed in France, from 2021 onward, we were able to travel again. Surprisingly, Kenya was one of the first countries to reopen its doors, much to our delight .

Amboseli is really very photogenic 😃

Yes, Amboseli is a park with beautiful landscapes that offer a nice change from the savanna. When Kilimanjaro decides to show itself, it’s a real asset as a backdrop.

I’ve wanted to go to Kenya for a long time, but it’s far from Botswana... maybe when I have year-round vacation

True, from Botswana, it’s quite a trek if you’re thinking of going with your 4x4 . Well, I see you’re like us—waiting for more time to enjoy each trip even more 😛.

As usual, your photos are stunning, Isabelle—thanks for sharing them! You mentioned there are no 4x4s in Meru, so how do you get around there? And I can’t believe the elephants eating the weaver birds’ nests!! Is it for the eggs? Or are they eating the chicks 😱😂? What about the parents? Those elephants are gonna drop in my estimation if this keeps up 😆

As usual, your photos are stunning Isabelle, thanks for sharing them.

Thanks

You said there are no 4x4s in Meru, but how do you get around there?

No, I might have expressed myself poorly... we get around by 4x4 like in all the other parks 😉. When I said "there are no 4x4s," I meant... except for us 😛. Actually, in this park, we hardly ran into anyone

And I’m blown away seeing the elephants eating the weaver nests!! Is it for the eggs? Or are they eating the baby birds 😱😂? And what about the parents? The elephants are gonna drop in my esteem if this keeps up 😆

No, no, don’t worry, the nests are unoccupied—they’re eating the dry grass that makes up the nest 🙂.

Oh, I thought you had a van like we did in Tsavo 😄. It’s a dream when there’s no one around. I was really worried about the "traffic jam" effect, but we barely ran into anyone in Tsavo either—it was a nice surprise (though we were there in November, which probably explains it 😅).

Thanks for the explanation about the nests. I guess their occupancy must be seasonal.

Looking forward to the rest, Isabelle

Samburu

Samburu National Park is located 130 km from Meru National Park. As you’ve gathered, we don’t take just 1 hour to reach Samburu Riverside Camp, our next accommodation—it’s a good 3 hours. In 2021, we came from Aberdare, 210 km away, and sadly dropped off David, our cook for the past 5 days. We’d really gotten used to his excellent meals, but the rest of the trip didn’t require his services.

Samburu Riverside Camp is run by the local Samburu community. The tents are comfortable, with bathrooms at the back and a space in between featuring a safe to store our belongings. It’s not luxury, but it’s a charming little camp—just watch out! There’s no fence around, so if you want to take a walk at night, the guards will escort you. Meals are simple, and we enjoyed dinner by a lovely campfire.



Samburu National Reserve borders the banks of the Ewaso Ng'iro River. It’s adjacent to Buffalo Springs Reserve, where we’ll head next in 2023.

The landscapes in Samburu are very arid, with scrubland and small acacia trees. Animals gather near the river, and big cats—lions, cheetahs, and leopards—are all present.



Some beautiful wildlife moments: a little cuddle between two lion brothers, vervet monkeys kissing, a hoopoe offering a gift to its mate, and Somali ostriches mating.

A female cheetah raises her four cubs—Félix calls her "brave mother" when you consider how hard it is for cheetahs to survive. The year before, she had raised five to adulthood. We ran into the little tribe several times; they even passed right by us 🙂.



Several rare species populate this less-visited park: the Grévy’s zebra, recognizable by its thin stripes; the gerenuk; the Somali ostrich; the reticulated giraffe; the Beisa oryx; and the vulturine guineafowl.

The main “issue” is the high concentration of elephants, which is destroying the already sparse vegetation.



You’ll also spot classic animals like the impala, the topi, Burchell’s zebra, a not-so-happy Grant’s gazelle, and the adorable dik-dik.



Around the bend, a very young lioness, a large male leopard lounging on the rocks, fleeing in the distance, bat-eared foxes—this park is nothing but beautiful surprises.