Samantha S.

The first part of every trip is the preparation of it. Although it may seem an unimportant
Stage, it is not, because the result depends on that preparation. In my case, in addition, it is the stage that I approach with more enthusiasm, the most lasting in time and it provides me with lots of satisfaction. Very happy!

Thanks to this stage I met this TripAdvisor forum that has been very useful for this and other trips. We wanted to see the crossing of the Mara and our trip depended on the
Right dates and it was here, in this forum where I obtained the necessary information for it and I was able to choose the most suitable dates.

Once the dates were chosen, the next part came: itineraries, agencies, photographic equipment, vaccinations, visas, currency and even the right clothes to go. The truth is
That I looked at all kinds of websites, blogs, etc. and so I contacted Daniel at African Sermon Safaris who organized the trips. We liked the reviews on Tripadvisor and we decided to make the trip with Daniel, he organized everything except the flights to Nairobi, which I arranged on my own. I traveled with KLM and chose the flight that arrives in Nairobi in the evening via Amsterdam.

The final itinerary was to visit Nairobi, Amboseli, Samburu, Naivasha and the highlight
Being Masai Mara. In total 10 days with transfers between stages by plane except Samburu-Naivasha-Masai Mara-Nairobi. Also included were safaris in a private 4x4 vehicle.

We started preparing the trip in the month of February and we left in December. During all this time I kept mail by mail with Daniel who solved many of our doubts and
Explained that in Mara we would have the opportunity to see "in situ" the school and visit the Masai people. It was a trip prepared with such enthusiasm

Finally we began our journey carrying the uncertainty of what we would find on arrival,
Especially feared that there was no one waiting for us, but our fears did not come true and in Nairobi they were waiting for us to drive to our hotel. We stayed at The Fairview Hotel, a very decent, clean, good food and great attention.

When we arrived
At the airfield to take our plane to Amboseli, we still had our doubts that
Everything was in order, but it was unfounded and we had no problem to take the
Plane to the park.

My first impression of Africa was light. A light different from anyone I've seen before,
Intense, almost brutal. From the window only a small piece of fluffy clouds, small and its shadow on the ground, an unreal landscape and all immersed in that particular light is covered.

I remember perfectly that the first animal I saw was an ostrich, and then giraffes and
Elephants followed.

We landed without problems and there was the vehicle of the company (James) to pick us up and take us to our accommodation, Ol Tukai Lodge.

As soon as we got on the jeep, Albert asked us if we would have inconvenience to arrive a little later to the lodge, because a group of 3 lions had been sighted near the
Airstrip and could take us there before going to the hotel. Of course we had no problem. I was enthusiastic, I had hardly finished setting foot in Africa and we were about to see a lion.

When we got to the point there were already other vehicles watching the show: two young lions had fought over a female. The lions were brothers, one of them was injured and a couple of meters away from him was the couple. They explained to us that we
Should not worry because the wounds of the poor "bachelor" were superficial and, in addition, these unions between lone lions lasted about 3 days and then the lioness would go their way and the brothers would come together as if nothing had happened and all so happy.

We were looking at the lions when I saw how the lion rode the female, it was so fast that I could not help asking, have I seen what I think I saw? They told us that yes, that the mating between the lions is very fast, lasts only seconds, but, yes, in the few days that the female would be with the male this would occur many times a day. I cannot put photos of the event here.

Then we went back to the lodge or, at least, we tried because the path was taken by a huge herd of elephants that had settled in between and it was not a matter of
Bothering them. The driver explained that in the park the owners are the animals and we are the humans we should wait, so we stayed there to wait until they wanted to leave and we took the time doing a lot of photos. I was even able to photograph the moment when a baby elephant breastfed. I could not wish for a better way to start our trip!

We finally got to the lodge and there they gave us only 30 minutes to leave our bags and clean up if we did not want to miss the morning safari. So we left the things in our
Room and ran to the meeting point, they were not going to leave us on the ground. It was a wonderful safari where we contemplated all that pile of animals that one sees in the documentaries and they were there, within reach of our goal, almost within reach of our hands. A dream!

When we returned to the lodge we could enjoy the room and the facilities, take a bath in the pool, eat, sleep... From our room we could see the savannah right there, only
An electrified fence separated us, and through it, we could see elephants, zebras, wildebeest, hippos... We even saw a zebra that had slipped into the garden, was inside the fence, eating the juicy grass with pleasure.

In the afternoon we did another safari and I was captivated by Lake Amboseli. It was a real hotbed of birds of all kinds, herons, cranes, ibises, storks... so much so that the first thing I did when I returned to the lodge was to buy a book of animals to identify them. I wrote down the birds I saw and when I returned to home, my trip somehow was prolonged since I searched in Google for the Latin names and read more about them.

Another thing that impressed me about Amboseli was the amount of tornadoes that were everywhere, they call them devils of wind and they form because the earth is
Too hot.

We also visited a Masai village, which I like it very much, it seemed very natural, less
Touristy and I had the opportunity to photograph Kilimanjaro from the village
As well as the arrival of the Masai cattle. Meanwhile I took the opportunity to
Take some photographs of the village and its inhabitants.

Do not forget the Kilimanjaro. In this park your presence is constant, where ever you go you will distinguish its impressive silhouette presiding.

On the morning of our third day in Kenya, they came to pick us up to the flight to Samburu with stop in Nairobi. We got the driver, John, waiting at the airport in a 4x4
Jeep which also saw us make a short safari.

We arrived at the lodge with barely 1 hour before lunch after which we had siesta. Then we did our first safari while driving through the park. On our first safari tour in Samburu, we saw a leopard, reticulated giraffe, Grevy's Zebra which was great! Thereafter we were worn out, we retired to the lodge to have a shower, dinner and rest.

The hotel is famous, Samburu Lodge, because it is located on the banks of the Ewaso River and crocodiles come by and you can see them from the bar, which is called the
Crocodile bar. Unfortunately there was a tremendous drought and the river had
No water, it was completely dry, so much so that you look at one of the Lesser
Kudus that we photographed walking along the riverbed.

The facilities and rooms were good but the food was buffet style at midday and at night and it was little varied, it would not have been of an inconvenience.

The next day we dedicated the whole day to safaris and we could expect to see the native species of this park: the Grevy's Zebra, which is smaller and more stylized,
Has a white belly and the stripes are finer, and the reticulated giraffe that
Has the spots as if it were a network, delimited by a white line:

We also saw a couple of cheetahs that were walking through the savanna

In this park we saw a lot of different antelopes and also many birds including starlings. One of them I took out by chance, I took a picture of an acacia full of weaver nests and when I checked it in the lodge I realized that I had also photographed the tenant.

The next day we went to Naivasha in the same 4x4 that had brought us. The trip was comfortable and we stopped to see some waterfalls near the town of Nyahururu. We stopped on the way to eat in a very nice restaurant that had a fish farm and they served
You freshly caught grilled fish and we also made bathroom stops.

I was very astonished by the number of markets that were everywhere, in the sun and in the shade; anywhere 2 or 3 people met and they set up a beach bar selling things,
Mainly fruit, but also soft drinks and others. In every town or village we passed there was a bustling market, full of life, but it did not occur to me to ask them to stop us by the markets.

Here in Naivasha, It is not the only animals that can be found in the garden, you can
Also find buffalo, leopards and even lions, in addition to the usual antelopes,
But these do not constitute any risk.

Crescent Island: As we had time we also visited the Crescent Island. The truth is that it was

The least interesting part of the whole trip, but it has the charm of being able to walk among the animals because on this island there are no predators and you can get close to the giraffes.

The day after our arrival at Lake Naivasha we visited Lake Nakuru on a full day safari.
Although I had read a lot about the lake and had also seen many photos, reality
Surpassed everything I had imagined. The view of the lake full of flamingos and
Pelicans is impressive as is the sound that many birds make. We saw many other
Animals, giraffes, buffalos, jackals, hyenas... But the one I was very excited
To see was this little mammal known as the elephant of the rocks the rock
Hyrax. It is a species of shrew that lives among the rocks instead of making
Nests and has diurnal habits, but it is very difficult to observe.

And finally the turn comes to the ultimate reason for our trip: the MASAI MARA PARK, and I put it like that, with capital letters, because this distinction really deserves
Applause. It was a long trip in terms of hours going to Masai Mara, we knew this from the onset of the planning stages, which was the trip highlight.

The truth is that the accommodation was very good, a large tent on a wooden platform and with its porch to dine, read or simply contemplate the landscape. Inside it had
A huge bed with its mosquito net, wardrobe, chest, another table with its
Chair, carpets and full bathroom.

We liked the camp, in general; It was located in a flat area with scattered
Acacias and, taking advantage of them, they had placed the stores under its
Shade, thus achieving a double effect, on the one hand they gave shade to the
Shops and made them more cozy and, on the other, they hid the shops to the look
Of the other guests so the feeling was that you were alone in the middle of the
Savannah. The only living beings that were seen were the Masai warriors
Because, being in an open area, they could go through the camp elephants,
Buffalos and any other animal, so there was constant vigilance.

After the agreed time we went to the common area and there they showed us the
Facilities: kitchens, dining room, lounge, large stores for groups or families
And a work they were doing for a new community room. The truth is that the
Facilities we liked a lot because they even had a water purification system so
That they could consume the water from the Aplausos camp itself.

During the next days in Masai Mara, we decided to dedicate it to try to see
Many animals as possible. So we went to the Mara River and we could contemplate
This herd of hippos bathing in the river. It is curious to see them all
Together: some are seen in their entirety, others like giant stones stranded in
The river, others look exclusively at the eyes.

It was where we visited the wildebeest crossing point, a great experience it must have been.

When we started the second day of our stay

After having seen the crossing point which had been my greatest wish fulfilled, we went back to the camp and a few meters from the crossing, the 4x4 stopped and alas, a
Cheetah had just made a kill.

When I remember my stay in Masai Mara, a color comes to my mind: gold. I remember perfectly the wide horizons covered with tall golden grass, swayed by the wind, dotted with dark green acacias and, in between, all sorts of animals in such a large
Quantity that they appeared as spots on the horizon. A clean sky, blue,
Furrowed with clouds.

Our first Masai Mara safari was the discovery of the park, its colors, smells,
Animals, plants. Also that of our guide, very kind who made us very pleasant
Safari trips. The best way to explain what it is is to tell what happened on
Our first safari. We were in the 4x4 on a dirt game viewing trail and, in the
Middle of it; Albert stops the car because he has heard a lion roar. Then he
Says that there are two lions roaring at each other about 2 km away. And there
We go, stopping from time to time and changing direction. Finally we stopped
And I ask, what happens? Albert points me to the other side of the car, and
There, within reach of my hand, is the most impressive lion I have seen during
The whole trip. Hidden among the foliage, a true king of the jungle, majestic,
Looking in our direction and posing as a true model.

During the 3 days we were in Masai Mara there were many animals that we
Spotted, wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, topis, elands, elephants,... But there
Were no less birds that we saw, I was especially struck by this heron sitting
On the top of a tree.

On this trip we made two visits to different Masais villages, one in Amboseli
And another in Masai Mara. I found it more appropriate to join them because
There is a lot to see and experience in terms of culture.

This was a trip of a lifetime and still remains so fresh on my minds that I keep asking myself, when is the next one. I recommend planning your trip with Daniel and Albert the
Best expert guide you can have in Kenya.