Venturing Abroad by a Family of Four – Grandparents, Mom, Teenage Daughter
“If you can only visit two continents in your lifetime, visit Africa – TWICE” – R. Elliot
And we couldn’t agree more, although it would take more than one lifetime to experience what the great continent had to offer, specs in the universe that we were. We were keen to visit the great outdoors of Kenya after our first visit to Africa (Egypt – 2 years earlier) in 2017. Schools shut down for the summer in India, and we shaped up for an African safari in April 2019, a few months before the pandemic brought all travel to a grinding halt.
The pre-requisite for our travel, including flight and hotel bookings, was the yellow-fever vaccination certificate for all who wished to enter Kenya. The four of us went to the vaccination centre near the Mumbai international airport in the appointed day and hour and found, to our amusement, that only my daughter and I could get vaccinated; Amma and Appa being ‘too old’ for the same. We then took an appointment for them at the JJ Hospital in Byculla and received the certificates from the doctors after a smooth vaccination procedure. Delighted we could now all travel together, we began to make preparations for our 8-day trip. I tend to book flights directly with the airline of choice with one-stopover as it brings down the cost of air travel. We needed 4 round-trip tickets whenever we travelled abroad.
And so it was we left for the Mumbai international airport at 11:30pm on a Thursday night on 18th April, 2019. Our Ethiopian Airline flight was scheduled to leave at 4am and after check-in formalities were completed, we sat at comfortable chairs near the massive glass windows of the lounge and sipped on hot coffee, waiting for boarding time.
We were excited as always. There is something in the air, a scent of the unknown, the unexpected, an adventure to be experienced, when one sets out on a journey, be it by road or by air. My daughter, then 12, sat close to her beloved grandmother, hanging on to her arm. We boarded our flight and a few hours later landed at the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport in the Ethiopian capital. We had a four-hour stopover before the next flight, so we had a breakfast of omelette, croissants, English tea cakes and coffee at the airport and my daughter had her favourite drink of hot chocolate.
Our next flight landed at the Jomo Kenyata International Airport at Nairobi, Kenya. We were met by our Safari Trails contact at the airport and our driver and guide John, in the huge, olive-green 4X4 Toyota Land Cruiser that was to be our vehicle for the entire trip. It could accommodate 7-8 passengers comfortably but fortunately we had it all to ourselves. Our first halt, even before checking in to the hotel, was the Giraffe Centre, 20 kms from the centre of Nairobi, where visitors could interact with the graceful animals. We were given packets of pellets and my delighted daughter fed 4 of them, including her immediate favourite, Salma. We then drove to the oldest hotel in Nairobi, Fairmont The Norfolk, for our overnight stay.
The next morning after breakfast we drove out to Amboseli National Park, a 3 ½ journey by road, closer to the border with Tanzania. It took longer than expected as we had a minor problem with the vehicle. It was soon repaired though. Looking out the window as we drove, the one striking image that came to mind was ‘vast’. Deep, rolling spaces on either side of the long-winding, black, tarred road broken by shrubs and trees in the distance. A soothing sight for tired city eyes.
We reached our place of stay, Amboseli Sentrim Lodge, located near the border of the Amboseli National Park near the Kimana gate. We unpacked in two, luxurious tents adjacent to each other. The tents were large, airy, equipped with mosquito netting, cupboards and attached bathrooms. And some beautiful wildlife paintings of the Big Five. Gorgeous! After lunch and a brief rest, we left on our first game drive. Our guide popped-up the roof of the Land Cruiser and, visibly excited, we drove out of the camp.
What an amazing experience! We drove through the huge expanse of the park with dry grasslands and swamps. The breeding season had just ended and we saw herds of elephants with their young ones crossing our tracks to the forests beyond. Both male and female had tusks, unlike the female elephants in India. They were also much larger in size. Thompson’s gazelles, Grant’s gazelles, cape buffalo, ostrich, wart hogs, zebras, wildebeest were all in view as we drove quietly by. The guide said the animals considered the safari vehicle another animal, so remain unconcerned by its presence. But should one of us step outside the vehicle, it would raise alarms and we would be easy prey for predators.
And now for the piece de resistance! We came across a pride of lions sprawled in the grass. Suddenly, a lioness emerged from the bushes and began crossing the road, right between the parked safari vehicles. A large, black-maned male stood up and began following her, trailed by other lionesses and teenagers. They didn’t throw us a second glance. It was a thrilling sight! After 2 ½ hours, we drove back to camp, amazed by all we had seen in their natural surroundings. After dinner we lay in bed. Late that night, Amma, Appa and I heard the deep roar and sigh of a lion in the distance. A memory to carry with us till the end of our days! My tired daughter slept right through it.
Our second day at Amboseli and we drove out at 6:30am after a cup of coffee on our next game drive. We were hoping to catch a view of Mt. Kilimanjaro before the clouds settled in. We drove for a while with the mountain to our left, my daughter hopping up and down, eyes glued on the clouds. Suddenly, she gave a shout and we stopped the vehicle. The clouds had shifted and there she was, the great Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa, now flattened after past volcanic eruptions. The early morning sun glowed on the snow-topped mountain, and not a single cloud marred the sight. It was a perfect ending to our morning drive.
We drove back to our camp for breakfast. My daughter took a dip in the swimming pool.
After lunch and rest, we set out again at 4pm for our final game drive in Amboseli. We drove to a marshy area with small water bodies ablaze with colour. It was a bird watcher’s paradise! There were pink flamingos, crested cranes, white pelicans, Marabou storks, cranes, ducks, herons, and a magnificent fish eagle perched on a dry tree stem. The swamp itself had high colour due to rich mineral content. Elephants drank from pools and lazy hippos sank into the slushy mud. Suddenly a large herd of wildebeest and numerous zebras rushed across the water body, giving us a glimpse of what the great migration across the Mara would look like. Fortunately, because of a slight shower in the afternoon, the clouds had disappeared and we could see Mt Kilimanjaro in the evening sun in all its glory. As dusk fell, the animals all moved away from the swamp and made their way back to the forest at the base of the mountain. We returned to our camp too, filled with amazement at all that we had seen and experienced.
The next morning, 22nd April, we left for Lake Naivasha, the highest lake in the Kenyan Rift Valley. The Great Rift Valley is a series of contiguous geographic trenches, approximately 7,000 kilometres that runs from Mozambique in Southeast Africa to Lebanon in Asia, cutting through Kenya. It is in the process of splitting the Africa plate into two. It was thrilling to be standing in the middle of this geographical phenomenon, after having read and studied Wegener’s theory on Continental Drift in school.
We occupied 2 lovely cottages at the Lake Naivasha Country Club. We were to go on a boat ride on the lake after lunch, but the weather was inclement. It was raining and the water, choppy. In 15 minutes however, the weather turned sunny and the reception called us to hurry to our boats. Amma and Appa were already resting, so my daughter and I clambered in. It was calm and serene. Hippos lazed in the lake and Cresent Island could be seen in the distance. We saw (and heard!) colonies of noisy, breeding cormorants. We missed Amma and Appa not being with us on the boat. But they were waiting for us when we landed, and together, we relaxed on the lawns with water bucks for company, then went for an early dinner. We were in bed when we heard a knock on our door. A hotel staff enquired in a whisper if we wanted to watch hippos grazing in the lawns. We tip-toed out and saw a family (mamma, papa and baby) contentedly chewing grass a few feet from our cottage. What a sight! My daughter wanted to stay there all night.
On the morning of Day 6, we left for Masai Mara after breakfast at the Country Club. It was a 5-6 hour drive covering around 250kms. We drove up to the other side of the Rift Valley, and closer to the South West border of Tanzania. The roads were rough and patchy and there were a few road-side inns that sold Masai handicrafts. We stopped at a curio shop and saw some stunning carvings in wood and couldn’t resist buying a few. At last, we reached the famed Keekorok Lodge in the Masai Mara. We checked into 2 beautifully appointed cottages and later walked to the restaurant for lunch.
The Masai Mara. The ultimate place for wildlife viewing. We must have watched hundreds of documentaries in the National Geographic channel on this great stretch of Savannah and the legendary Masai tribe, but actually being there was a thrilling experience. The Keekorok lodge was located in the heart of the game reserve and completely open with no fencing. Wild animals could stroll close to the lodge, so we were advised never to come out alone in the dark. There was a Masai stationed outside the cottages to escort anyone to the restaurant if need be. The lodge was equipped with a swimming pool and a large hippo pool where tens of hippos waded and cooled in the mud. They tended to stroll into the lawns near the lodge for fresh grass and it was advisable not to disturb them!
At 4pm that afternoon, we left for our first game drive in the Mara. Appa was thrilled. He was a wildlife enthusiast (among his many other interests) and as excited as a young lad on his first lion sighting. We drove through vast stretches of grassland that rolled on and on as far as the eye could see. The air was fresh and all the wildlife we spotted looked at peace with their surroundings. What a heavenly feeling! I did not want to ever leave! We came across 3 lionesses lolling lazily in the grass under the sun, cape buffaloes munching away, giraffe trotting gracefully in the distance, heartbeest and topis feeding on grass. The highlight of the drive was a pair of male cheetahs hunting a young wildebeest. We watched as the brothers planed the hunt, each approaching the young one from different directions. The older wildebeest sounded the alert and began running in a zig-zag pattern to confuse the cheetahs, all the while protecting the young one. Even though they were the fastest runners in the world, the cheetahs could not get near their target and had to give up the chase. They sat down and nuzzled each other affectionately. We returned to our lodge at 6:30 for a bath followed by dinner.
After dinner a group of Masai tribesmen in their distinct red outfit and jewellery came to the lodge. They invited guests to leap in the air with them. My daughter accepted the challenge and did her best to beat a tribesman. When he smiled and nodded in appreciation, she was thrilled!
After an early breakfast the next morning, we went on a long 4-hour game drive in search of the big five. We had seen the elephant, cape buffalo, cheetah and lion, but the two-horned black rhino evaded us. They were few in number and very difficult to spot. We came across a family of hyenas with their distinct laugh. The parents were extremely affectionate and fussing over their litter of cubs. We tracked a cheetah in the high grass and spotted a black leopard resting in the high branches of a tree. Only his tail swung lazily back and forth. Babboons, ostrich, elephants, giraffe, saddle-beaked stork – it was all spectacular!
It was our final game drive in the evening and we saw a pride of lions sprawled in the grass, less than 20 feet away! Two big males were resting behind a bush with lionesses around. We were waiting for the males to get up and walk, but they refused to oblige. They just yawned and looked away. What a sight! A perfect ending to a glorious safari.
We left the Mara the next morning for the airport at Nairobi. After thanking our wonderful, experienced, guide and driver, we boarded our flight back to Mumbai via Addis Ababa. My smiling brother was there to greet us. A great trip with unforgettable memories. We talked about it for days. As always, Appa went to the Ganesha temple and broke a coconut in gratitude for our safe return.
Leave a Reply