African Safari Leg 2: Kenya, The Great Migration and Nairobi National Park (part a)

Aug 9 – 13

Hi All,

Hmmmm….the curse of digital photography….arghhhhhh!!! We took 5485 pictures just in Kenya (Kathy’s Canon point and shoot, John’s Canon Rebel and iPhone 12, plus 64 videos!!!!! And, there are some really, really good pictures and videos. It has taken me almost 2 weeks to sort it all out…whoa! So, I’m going to break up the blog into 2 parts (a & b) and produce a best-of-best gallery for each blog but make several galleries with lots of pictures as well. The galleries give you a more complete viewing but it is a lot of pictures so it will take some time to view!!

Part A: Nairobi (House of Waine) and Days 1-3 of the Safari (at the 1st mobile camp):

We had a very delightful flight on RwandaAir from Kigali to Nairobi….excellent food and service….yea!!! We arrived ~8pm (one hour time change from Rwanda) and were met by a NH representative that quickly whisked us through the health agents, customs, baggage claim and immigration. We then met Virginia and Brian our NH Kenya coordinators. They drove us about a half hour to our hotel. The House of Waine is a “boutique hotel located in the quiet residential suburb of Karen on the outskirts of the city. This area at the foot of the Ngong Hills is named for Danish author Karen Blixen, also known by her pen name Isak Dinesen, who wrote the famous memoir Out of Africa, chronicling her life on a Kenyan coffee plantation in the early 20th century..”

https://www.houseofwaine.com/

We had a free day the next day and Virginia quickly coordinated a half day of activities, but first we had a luggage weight issue. We read from some papers Virginia gave us that the baggage restriction was now 33 pounds pp versus the 44-lbs we prepared for….ugh. The next morning our’s and the hotel’s attempts to reach Virginia were a no go as all the phones were down. The hotel manager would try to find a scale so we could repack. Later that morning we were met by Brian who would drive us for the day’s activities and he somewhat confirmed the 33-lb restriction…..hmmmmm and ugh. To complete this story, later that night we packed into one bag and would leave the other bag with Nat Hab in Nairobi….yes, folks, Kathy indeed shared a suitcase with me…ODG:))) When we met with Virginia the next morning she said, oh gosh, you don’t need to do that, NH bought extra seats on these small planes so your baggage limit is indeed 44-lbs pp (which is supposed to include your carry-onas well). As it turned out in both Kenya and Botswana, all they weighed was the big checked luggage, never weighing our back packs so all the worry and repacking was really for naught….arghhhhhh!!!! BTW, in Botswana we went back to separate suitcases:))))

We had a very delightful day with Brian…..visiting the Giraffe Center, the Karen Blixen farm and two marvelous wood carving and art souvenir shops where…..yep, Kathy fell in love with 2 rather large giraffe wood carvings….gee, John, perfect to frame our fireplace….but, can’t fit in our luggage…oh, not too worry sir, we can ship straight to your house and we guarantee no damage or your money back….hmmmm, not their first rodeo….so after some fun and arduous bargaining….we taught Sebastian the concept of a BOGO….we were proud owners to be of two large, ~3.5′ giraffe Rosewood carvings:)))) And, as I write this blog on the 20th, the giraffes were delivered….about 13 days after we got back and 20 days from Nairobi!!!!

Giraffe Center: “In 1979, the Giraffe Center, a nature sanctuary for visiting and including wildlife conservation education for urban school children, was started by Jock Leslie Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish Earl, when he and his wife Betty captured two baby giraffe to start a program of breeding giraffe on their Langata property, site of the present Centre. Since then the program has had huge success, resulting in the introduction of several breeding pairs of Rothschild Giraffe into Kenyan national parks.” We enjoyed this center immensely, actually fed the giraffes a treat of pellets made from molasses, yep, their tongues are like sand paper but very gentle!! This was our first activity of the day…..and has led to a special bonding with giraffes and of course, planted the seed with Kathy to buy the wood carvings later that day!!

Karen Blixen’s Farm: Before we left, we both re-watched the movie “Out of Africa” and I reread the book. The house has been preserved as a museum and the hour long tour filled in many of the gaps/incongruities with the book and movie. It certainly helped explain how she became so beloved by the local tribes and what a force she was in the white, male dominated world in 1914-1931.

Later that night over dinner we met our Expedition Leader, Paul, and the other 3 participants, a younger couple from LA and a single woman. After a good night’s sleep and a full on breakfast, we went to the airport and boarded our first small bush plane!!! “Transfer to the airport for our flight to the Maasai Mara. Our first safari destination is a vast private conservancy offering unparalleled access to wildlife viewing. Nat Hab’s own mobile camp offers bush luxury in classic canvas tents, surrounded by all the natural wonders of the Maasai Mara ecosystem without the crowds. The conservancy model has been a boon to the region’s legendary wildlife, creating buffer zones and protecting migration corridors while providing economic benefits to local landowners through responsible safari tourism. From this private reserve, we experience the Mara’s spectacular wildlife in peaceful seclusion, and our camp is one of just a handful of located within its bounds. Strict limits on guest numbers mean unprecedented wildlife viewing without crowds, especially of the wildebeest migration that occurs in close proximity. The conservancy serves as a migration corridor for several hundred thousand animals between the Maasai Mara National Reserve and the Loita Plains to the east. A multitude of species flourishes here: Great herds of antelope dot the grassy, rolling plains while stands of acacia woodland shelter prolific birdlife. Rich volcanic soils nurture a verdant landscape where we find more lions per square mile than anywhere else in Kenya. Impressive herds of elephant, giraffe and zebra are also at home here. Our activities make the most of our unrivaled access to pristine wilderness. In addition to daily wildlife drives, enjoy guided walks, bush picnics, off-road safaris and night drives in search of nocturnal wildlife—pursuits not permitted in the national reserve.”

Ever since I read the Wilbur Smith African books, I have always wanted to see the Great Migration and the large herds of Wildebeest and Zebras. This safari far exceeded our expectations and we were just in awe most of the time. We had 7 days of game drives. We stayed in two Nat Hab mobile camps (3 nights each). Paul our expedition leader: “Paul has worked as a photo safari guide in Kenya, northern Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda for more than 25 years and is one of just 30 Gold Level (highest-ranking) guides in Kenya. He has also received “Best Guide of the Year” recognition from Eco-Warrior Awards in both 2016 and 2017 for his outstanding leadership in safari tourism.” Paul asked us what we wanted to see and we answered, we want to see everything and anything and we will feel happy and blessed for what we do see. Paul was a wealth of knowledge and he patiently answered our gazillion questions. And, yes, Kathy and I were just so full of awe, exuberance, enthusiasm…..so many wow’s, so many firsts!!! Later in the week Paul complimented us for our enthusiasm and love of life and in fact, saying it was contagious for him and Jacob (the driver) as well….you know that rookie enthusiasm inspiring the old-timers:))))

https://www.nathab.com/guides-and-staff/guide-bios/paul-kirui/

The Great Migrations is indeed a marvel of nature. Over 2 million animals make this yearly migration….1.5MM wildebeests and 500k zebras….all in search of greener grass and water. Of course, they are also food for the many predators on this 2000 mile circular migration. “One of the most sought-after experiences for wildlife and nature enthusiasts, the Great Migration is the ever-moving circular migration of over two million animals across the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem. The constant movement of columns of wildebeest, joined by a host of companions, follow an age-old route in search of grazing and water. After calving in the southern part of Tanzania’s Serengeti near the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the animals journey through the Serengeti up and around in a clockwise direction towards the Maasai Mara in Kenya, before returning once again near the end of the year. Along the way, high drama is always present, as thousands of animals are taken by predators and thousands more are born, replenishing the numbers and sustaining the circle of life.”

Kathy especially bonded with the Wildebeest, often described by being put together with spare parts. “The wildebeest is a peculiar, awkward looking beast and is described in Africa as the “Spare Parts” animal – The tail of a horse, the horn of a juvenile buffalo, the sloped back of the hyena, the stripes of a zebra, the rump of the Maasai donkey, the beard of a Billy goat, the brains of . . . well, a small rock, and the face of a grasshopper. The large head and heavy front end are out of proportion to the slender hindquarters and spindly legs..horse mane and tail, goat goatee, and face of a grasshopper. It’s also considered one of the “ugly five” – hyena, warthog, marabou stork, vulture and wildebeest.” We also saw this “five” but we object to the description….they all were unique, quite a study and all seemed to have a purpose in Mother Nature’s design!!!

What intrigued us the most was the herd behavior of the Wildebeest. They often marched single file and we saw these trains go on for miles. We often watched the dominant male gather his small herd. And then came the river crossings….they would gather for hours….nervous, gathering their courage, approaching the edge of the cliff/river, lose their nerve only to be replaced by another wildebeest or a zebra, and repeat for hours, then one brave soul starts and then a few others and before you know it a stampede of animals. The noise of the crossing is deafening….thunderous, water slapping, neighing of the zebra, mooing of the wildebeest….

https://www.asiliaafrica.com/great-wildebeest-migration/

Day 1: We left the small bush airport around 11:30am for our first game drive, ~2+ hour, to our 1st camp. We had lunch, a brief rest and back out ~4 – 6:30ish, a short break where Kathy and I had cocktails around a campfire, then dinner and stories until 9ish. I will always remember seeing our first wildebeest and herd, zebras running wild, majestic giraffes looking stoic, wild elephants chomping away, Thompson gazelles, impalas, Elands, jackals, hyenas, so many birds, ….and the list goes on. During the late afternoon drive we saw our first leopard….a young 1-year old hiding in some bushes….wow what camouflage…I could really only see it when it moved!!!

Day 2: The nights were chilly, but our hot water bottles kept us warm throughout the night….but it was cold getting up for sure in our tents….temps in the low 50’s*F. And, we had animals in the camp through out the nights….zebras, hyenas, buffalo, and who knows what else. The camp hired several local Maasai guards for security at night and you could often see their flashlights as they chased some animal away!!! Got up at 5:30ish, coffee and small bites/cakes at 6am and out by 6:15-6:30am!! We went by the spot where the young leopard was and she was still there…..and this time only us around and it finally came out for a good view….awesome!!! And then our first lion sighting….a pair of mating lions….in fact two pairs…whoa….we sat and watched for quite a while as they were mainly napping and I just so happen to be taking a video when the female got up, gave a bit of a growl, then the male gets up and yep, lion porn….ODG….didn’t last too long but then a quick growl, and back down for another nap. Per Paul, this mating ritual may go on for a week with ~300 couplings….whoa, you da man!!!!

We had traveled quite a distance so Paul decided to make a full day of it and the Camp met us for a nice, big picnic lunch on the savannah….of course, this was after we had stopped for a full on picnic breakfast….I guess they think you burn a lot of calories riding in the Land Cruiser and bending every-which-away looking at all the critters. And, these are pretty rough roads or off-road. The first two rows on the truck are not too bad, but the top row is right over the rear axle and well….a woman on the Botswana safari described as “a ping pong ball in a clothes dryer”…..yep, the visual is pretty accurate!!! It was a very long day….from 6:30am until 5:30pm….but worth every minute!! We certainly enjoyed cocktails around the campfire that night with some lightning in the distance. Sunset was around 6:15-6:30ish!!

Highlights: Leopard, mating lions, Elands, Tsessebe, Eagle w/hare

Day 3: Up early again, pretty chilly and out by 6:30am!!! This was a “normal” day….a morning game drive until noonish with a breakfast picnic with hot tea/coffee, lunch outdoors at the camp, then a nice rest when we took showers….they fill up the overhead shower tank with hot water, lasts about 5 minutes so have to be quick and do a navy shower….then an afternoon game drive, back for cocktails around the campfire, dinner then to bed around 9ish!!! We found the migration…wow. It was just a small section heading west to NW but oh so impressive. We got some great pictures and videos but they just don’t do it justice. We also saw our first cheetah….a mom and 4 young cubs……they were just walking on the road and later on after breakfast we found them again….but unfortunately about 5 other trucks did as well so we didn’t stay very long. Then late coming back we encountered what we called a giraffe memorial. ~40 giraffes gathered to pay respects and trying to understand what happened to a fallen comrade….it had been dead for several days and pretty much just a well eaten carcass remained, but still had that decaying odor. Paul (and Jacob) had never witnessed this behavior in his 30 years, although he had heard about it but actually seeing it was very rare indeed. Each giraffe came close to the carcass, bent down, saw and smelled the carcass, some reacted quickly backing out, but most just stood stoically at the carcass. We observed for ~45 minutes and only 2 giraffe left but still others came. A quick Google search also returned very few instances and a lack of scientific research.

Paul decided to shake things up as one woman really wanted to do a night game drive. Paul sort of discouraged it thinking it would not be so good as there were no large predators near the camp, but…. After our break we did a 1 hour “bush walk” on the savannah which was a lot of fun with the local Maasai guards joining us. It was nice to get in some exercise after some long days in the Land Cruiser. We saw many skeletons, some aardvark dug holes, and various plants and birds. We left for the night drive around 6:30ish for an hour or so and yep, pretty much a bust. We did see a few small animals….hares, jackals, bushbaby….and a giraffe….but all were pretty stressed by the high intensity spot light and ran away quickly.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/is-this-mother-gira=ffe-mourning-her-dead-baby-29645135/
https://www.edwardselfephotosafaris.com/do-giraffes-mourn

The Plan: We go to Sitka to check on Mystic 10/6-22. Our oldest son and his family will be here for a YB clan visit on 10/1-5 so we will busy. Hopefully I will get the “part b” Kenya blog posted in the next few days as well!!

Hope all is well!!

John

Best of Best pictures: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/kenya-maasai-mara-migration-best-of-best-days-1-4/

Gallery 1: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/kenya-maasai-mara-migration-days-1-4

Gallery 2: https://www.mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/kenya-maasai-mara-migration-days-1-4-part-2