2017 Sept. Kenya

Thurs 14th

Taxi came 12pm and we arrived at Heathrow about 3.15

Checked in very easily and found a seat overlooking the planes, as it happened it was right by the gate we needed.

We were late taking of but it was a good flight though very tiring and uncomfortable.

When we landed at just after 5am (3our time), we cleared customs quickly but Bry was not there and we were hassled by men offering us taxis, we were glad when he turned up. It seemed to be the same temperature as home.

 

We got to Bry's place around noon after a hair raising journey with mental traffic on bad roads

 

Surprised to find him in a small gated area with 24hr guards.

We went through the outskirts of Nairobi and the amount of traffic was horrendous everyone pushing in. There seemed to be a lot of rubble alongside the roads and a lot of people walking. As we got into the countryside the roadsides were scrub and small holdings with ramshackle stalls set up on the roadsides, and cows, goats and sheep grazing, sometimes hobbled and sometimes with a shepherd. There were quite a lot of people working the land in primitive ways. 

We stopped at a " resort" for a drink and snack and were amazed to see a tree full of weaver birds and their nests. Bry had to make a call and whilst waiting we were shown around the resort, there was a cabin  and apartments and gardens along side a small river with mango, papaya and banana trees.o

When we got to Bry's he had to go to work so we had a rest.

In the evening we went to a restaurant, le Rustique, it was very nice and the food was wonderful.

Sat 16th

We went to a supermarket, it was in a small mall with security on the gate. Then we went to Bry's base where he showed us where he worked and a bit about what he was doing. There were a lot of weaver birds and nests around.

We then went out into the countryside on very bumpy unpaved roads. The ground was very red and lots of acacia scrub, very sharp prickly trees. We were lucky and saw quite a few birds and animals including - zebra, giraffe, dik dik, elephants, monkeys, baboons, Impala, starling, hamerkop.

Then we went to Trout Tree restaurant which is built in a huge fig tree and has a trout farm. There are monkeys running round trying to steal food, and getting away with it. There was a man trying to run them off, there are also colobus monkeys which are large black and white with beautiful tails, they seemed to encourage those. The man who was scaring the others took me to see the colobus with a week old baby which was tiny and pure white.. 

Sun 17th

Bry took us to his camp and gave us a tour explaining exactly what is going on there

We then went to Fairmont Holtel, Mount Kenya Safari Resort. It was a beautiful place, quite colonial looking. We ad a wonderful all you can eat buffet, made pigs of ourselves! After we went round their animal orphan compound. This was very interesting but it started raining and there was a cold wind, and we got quite cold. Back for a very early night for early start tomorrow. 

 

Mon 18th

Up at 5 and away by 6. We arrived at the conservancy just before 7. We didn't leave til gone 6 and what a day.

It is a vast area of scrub and short trees, mainly acaia, Bry knew where to go along the tracks which were very rough but we saw an amazing variety of animals. Lots of Zebra, Thompson's Gazelle, Impala, Warthog, Cape Buffalo. The most exciting were the Giraffe and Elephants, it was just amazing to see them in natural habitat. There were also Rhinos, fearsome looking close up.

 

We stopped for lunch at a cafe within the area and a warden took us to see Baraka, the only Black Rhino, he is blind and the guide called him and we were able to feed him.

More driving round in the afternoon looking for lions which unfortunately we didn't see. There were lots of birds as well, very colourful small ones and a Heron, a Secretary bird and large raptor.

When we got back, very tired, we had a quick shower and went for a meal at a restaurant, again guards on the gate, the food was superb again. 

The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 90,000-acre (360 km2) not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya's Laikipia County. It is situated on the equator west of Nanyuki, between the foothills of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya. The Ol Pejeta Conservancy works to conserve wildlife, provide a sanctuary for great apes and to generate income through wildlife tourism and complementary enterprises for re-investment in conservation and community development.

Tue 19th

Bry went to work today so we had a quiet day, sat in the sun for a very short while then sat in the shade til it rained. I managed to finish my bag for WI comp.

Wed 20th

Bry went in to work and was back for us to leave at 09.30. A two hour drive to Samburu Intrepids game reserve. We drove over very different terrain, over mountains, the Rift Valley Mountain Range. There were a lot of grain fields and a few small settlements, people had cultivated the roadside verges using them for their own crops, sometimes gleaned from the fields of large farms, potatoes and corn, we saw the patches being worked by hand and also ploughed with oxen. We passed through one town that had a large, busy market then another, Isiolo, that Bry said could be quite volatile with a large Muslim population and gang culture and said not to take photos, it was the most modern looking town we'd seen.

We arrived at the reserve and drove round for a while, the area was quite desert like but there were different terrains, whiteish ground, red sand and brush, spiked acacia trees, palms[the only palm trees to have branches] and taller flat topped trees, lots of rocks of various sorts depending on which area, a river runs through it and it is surrounded by mountains. It was like riding over a ploughed field. It was hot and very windy with dust storms, we were soon covered in sand.

We saw Dik Dik, Water Buck, Elephant and four crocs thrashing about eating a gazelle.

We went to the hotel and had lunch before booking in, the food was excellent with a 7 course menu. We then met "James", his nickname, as his own name is unpronounceable, a Samburu Warrior and guide, a friend of Bry's. He looked splendid in his very colourful traditional clothing.

   Leritiritnkwenyimailiapaloroki AKA James

 

We then set off with James driving, we saw Vultures, Hooded and African White in trees, Dik Dik, Golden Breasted Starling, Reticulated Giraffe, Gerenuk Antelope ( Giraffe Knecked), Elephant, Vulturine Guinea Fowl, Wunderdekin Guinea Fowl, Ground Squirrel, Warthog. I mentioned how green the trees were and James said that they were called the Tooth Brush Tree because that was what they were used for, no animal would eat the leaves which is why they stayed green. James had word that a Leopard had been sighted and we raced to the site, there were quite a few safari vehicles clustered round the tree and we managed to get a space and were able to see the Leopard eating an Impala up the tree.

All the vehicles were considerate and made sure that everyone had a good view. We watched for over half an hour watching. We drove back to the hotel and watched James give a presentation about Samburu culture. This was very interesting,he told us about how their people moved down from the north and settled but separated into three tribes Samburu, Masai and another, the third one died out the Masai moved South and the Samburu settled in that area. He explained how the boys between 7 and 14 watched the animals, cows, goats etc, the animals are the tribe's wealth. At 14 they are circumcised and become warriors and wear the headress, necklace and colourful costume. At 28 they can marry and become elders helping make local decisions, they can have more than one wife. The married women have to build the hut, which are easily dissembled as they are nomadic.

After this we had dinner and off to bed. In the restaurant there was a monkey chaser  in Samburu dress with a catapult.

Thurs 21st

Wake up call at 05.30 with a drink, met James at 06.15 and sset off on another drive. The sunrise was beautiful. This morning we saw White Bellied go away bird, Elephants, Crocodile, and then a pair of Lions, Bry spotted these and we were able to sit about 6ft from them and watch for ages, a really moving experience, they were magnificent and they lay relaxing in the sun the female washing herself just like a domestic cat, they eventually got up and strolled off, obviously a mating pair. We then saw Elephants, Impala, Giraffes, a Goshawk, a Bat Eared Eagle, Ostrich, a Somali Ostrich with Blue neck and legs. We then heard that a Cheetah had been spotted and we saw it carrying a Dik Dik to a bush and settling down to eat it, we watched for ages, I looked at the scenery!

 

 

 

We were very privileged because to see the Leopard, Lions and Cheetah carrying prey is quite unusual. James was pleased.

 

We went back for breakfast, another big meal, then spent a couple of hours by the pool, swimming and sunbathing then went for a light lunch before another drive out with James.

This afternoon we saw, Hornbill, Northern White Shrike, Grevey's Zebra, Oryx, Jackel and Okudu, amongst the usual.

We went back for Jame's presentation, tonight about the Samburu special five, 

1 Beisa Oryx

2 Gerenuk

3 Somali Ostrich

4 Grevey's Zebra

5 Retiulated Giraffe

There are 3 types of Giraffe, Reticulated, Rotheschild and Masai, the Rotheschild is presumed to be a cross breed between the other two. Again a very interesting presentation.

Dinner and bed.

Fri 22ndAnother early start but today Bry drove. We saw, Black Back Jackel, Bat Eared Fox, Ground Squirrel, Elephant, Giraffe, Impala, Gerunek, Dik Dik, Ostrich, Gran Gazelle, Zebra, Roller, Marshall Eagle, crocs, Water Buck, about two dozen circling Vultures, the just as we were leaving Rich spotted four lions which we watched for a while lying in the shade out of the hot sun. Driving this morning we so a few whirlwinds in the dust,it was quite breezy again.

 

 

 

 

Back at Bry's he had to go to work, we did some washing and looked at photos.

Sat 23rd

Bry went to work and we had a lazy day, sat outside most of the day. In the evening James arrived to come with us tomorrow. Bry did a BBQ.

Sun 24th

We were all up early and got away by around 8am. It was a long drive through busy towns and villages and there were some appalling roads.

 

 

 

We arrived at Aberdare Park and drove slowly through looking for wildlife. Within this park is Tree Tops resort where the Queen was staying when she acceded to the throne. It is very different terrane very green, hilly and wooded in  fact we reached 3021m above sea level at the highest point.

We saw Water Buffalo and then a very dark, hairy Warthog which James later found out was a Giant Forest Hog, we saw Water Buck, Baboons and anOgre Buzzard, the region was very forested, not over tall trees but quite jungle like, we saw a type of mistletoe in some of the trees.

We drove on and the terrine changed and was full of bamboo and then eventually came out above the tree line, more or less, and arrived at Chania Waterfall. We walked down quite a hazardous path to the bottom and it was amazing. James, who lives in the desert region of Samburu, was absolutely gobsmacked, just like us when we saw the lions, he just couldn't believe his eyes and was all for going into the pool til he discovered how cold it was.

We carried on and saw a couple of Bush Buck, the animals were a lot more skittish than at the other places we'd been. We then stopped at Queen's Cave and Maguru Waterfall, another dodgy climb down to another stunning sight, there is a cave hollowed out behind the waterfall. As we left there we spotted some elephants on the opposite hill side, quite a way away, they had exceptionally long tusks.

Karuru Waterfall was the next stop, we didn't climb far down but looked from the top where we could see another fall as well which we then went to that viewing platform and looked over to the fall and down into the valley, another amazing sight.

As we carried on going down the other side the terrane changed again, we saw Busg Buck, Impala, Zebra, Suni and Warthog.  

Coming out of the park at around 5pm a short stretch of the road was lined with Cala Lilies, the area had lots of small plots being farmed with maize, greens etc. This road was atrocious, by far the worst one we'd been on, we were shaken about all over the place. We then drove on a main road with very heavy traffic for a blessedly short while, the driving was insane.

We arrived at last at the Rift Valley Lodge, another Heritage Hotel. We booked in and James went to sort out his accomodation with the staff. The lodge was right on the top of the ridge looking out over the Great Rift Valley, a very nice room which was roomier than Samburu with a sitting area and fireplace and Windows all round taking in the view, there was a balcony as well. We had been told that Daniel was giving a talk on birds so after a short rest went to find him. He wasn't about but James went to look and he eventually turned up and set up his equipment and put his talk on just for us! It was very interesting. We then had our meal, buffet style and very nice, shame we couldn't try more things but there was so much variety.

Mon 25th

Up early, a lovely buffet style breakfast, again too much to try. We saw a bird come to the next table and drink out of a juice glass. We met James and were away by about 08.40.  We drove to Lake Naivasha, we drove through the town of Naivasha which seems a bit more Westernised than others with a shopping mall having been built and more building going on with 3 or 4 stories.

At the lake Bry booked us a boat trip and of we went. This was another magical experience on this huge lake that is fresh water and 1890 m above sea level. The driver was very interesting and showed us  a large colony of White Fronted Cormorants, they were so busy nesting and feeding young, flying in and out all the time making a dreadful racket. We saw a Water Buck and Maribou Stork then he took us to the Hippos which were fantastic, a large group with youngsters, then he took us to see the bachelor who lunged at us and we made a quick get away. 

 We watched a Pied Kingfisher hovering and diving then saw quite a few pairs of Fish Eagles, the driver threw a fish and one of the Eagles flew down and grabbed it out of the water, very impressive.  He then drove us to Crescent Island where there were lots of grazing animals, Zebra, Wildebeast, Impala etc. He told us that "Out of Africa" and " Born Free" had been filmed on the island, the animals had been taken there for filming and after they had finished the predators, lions etc, had been relocated and now they just populated the island in peace, it was a lovely scenic area. We went to the end of the island and saw a big Water Buck, Pelican and Stork Spoon Bills. Another new experience for James who was thrilled again.

After the lake back through the Aberdares, facing the awful road again.

We saw Sykes Monkeys, Bush Buck then four armed men, they stopped us and I was a bit worried, one of them seemed to be fingering his gun! James and Bry spoke to them and they let us carry on, seemed to wanted us to look for their colleagues and tell them where they were, they were rangers not army as I'd thought.

As we made our way through the the park we saw Suni and Bush Buck and Crested Mouse Bird, some Sykes Monkeys a couple of Baboons then a tree full of Colobus Monkeys. We came upon a small herd of Water Buffalo three of them were wallowing, the others lying round or grazing. Then as we went on a small bridge for a better look a couple of Coypu appeared eating then swimming off.

Another long drive back and called at Kongonis for a meal before going home for an early night.

Tue 26th

Bry had to go to work, we got up, had breakfast and said goodbye to James who had thoroughly enjoyed his trips with us.

We sat outside for most of the day, mostly in the shade as it was very hot. In the evening we went for a meal at Soames restaurant.

We'd 27th

Bry had to go to work again, I got packed and booked in and we sat outside. Bry came home lunchtime to take us to a souvenir shop and while we were out we had lunch. We had an early night and got up at 02.30 to go to the airport.

Thurs 28th

Got to the airport in good time and flight was on time, we got to Heathrow early but had to wait for a landing slot. Taxi waiting and  were home by 8pm.

We had a fantastic holiday, Bry had so much organised for us and we saw so many animals it was amazing. 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenya is very different to our eyes, main impression is of dusty roads with people walking everywhere wearing bright colours, women with loads on their heads and babies strapped to their backs with shawls.. Each village seems to have groups of men on boda boda which is what they call motorbikes, they have sheds to congregate in, most bikes are very overloaded with anything up to 4 people riding them or heavily laden with anything from hay, firewood, water containers etc, we even saw a goat being carried on one. Even push bikes are heavily loaded.

The roads were unbelievable, a lot of unpaved ones which are like a ploughed field, the tarmacked ones have speed bumps of gigantic proportions at regular intervals.

Being n the equator the days and nights are the same length, so it's light around 6am and dark 6 pm.

On the Aberdares I was surprised to see daisies growing and quite a few recognisable wild flowers, also many I didn't know.