July 9, 2023 - Africa Wrap up

Our trip to Kenya and Tanzania was amazing! It's hard to believe it has come to an end. We traveled with Jenman African Safaris and covered 1580KM - 981 miles plus the game drives.

We enjoyed our guides and the people in both countries. All of the staff at the hotel in Nairobi as well as the camps and lodges in both countries were amazing and helpful.

The exchange rates were approximately 140 Kenyan shillings to 1 USD and 2400 Tanzanian shillings per 1 USD. In Kenya we used our credit card for most purchases because they preferred shillings and we hadn't exchanged money. In Tanzania, US dollars were widely accepted.

We tried to learn a few words in Swahili and tried to use them correctly!
Jambo - hello
Asante - thank you - the response is Karibu
Asante sana - thank you very much
Karibu Sana – “You're Very Welcome”
twende - let's go

It was interesting to see the women carrying huge loads on their heads as they walked down the roads (for miles!) and the men (and some women) transporting mattresses and live animals on their motorcyles. They work hard! The markets along the roads were busy almost every day. 

I'm sure most of you know that a group of lions is called a pride, but did you know the others?
bloat of hippos
dazzle of zebras
leap of leopards
float of crocodiles
troop of babboons
committee of vultures - should be easy to remember - just think of politicians!
crash of rhinos
wake of buzzards
cartload of monkeys

A few other words in Swahili:
simba - lion

duma - cheetah

swala - gazelle

tembo - elephant

twiga - giraffe

crocodile- - mamba

boma - community

Everyday loading the vehicle with seven suitcases was a challenge, espcially since the camp staff wanted to help. After the second day, WE knew what order they needed to be loaded in order for everything to fit! Arriving back in Nairobi this would be the last time we unloaded all the bags.



The following are some of the other videos from the trip.

June 25 - Nairobi Daphne Sheldrick Animal Orphanage (three videos)
Baby elephants coming in to be fed https://youtu.be/EK4LtKDnqYM
Elephants playing https://youtu.be/jce7CrlbFEE
Baby hippo getting "dusted"   https://youtu.be/St_5RJp74kw

June 26 - Giraffes walking along https://youtu.be/swDhwQlC-O0
Gazelles butting heads https://youtu.be/8PzD56VBBds
Elephants in the swamp - Amboseli National Park https://youtu.be/WhKBZlmzc4Y

June 30 - One of the bumpy roads https://youtu.be/QRm-kaEYa1A
Jimmy the warthog https://youtu.be/bPbUOTx4QjY

July 1 - Hippos https://youtu.be/uDvoj7NCLws
Hyenas - https://youtu.be/J47UrWmoxDA

July 2 Leopard video https://youtu.be/L6wpcCIicQw
Wildebeest running https://youtu.be/9C3YYE0qrMA

July 5 - Lake Victoria - Masai canoe boat welcome song https://youtu.be/g-Ad1Em4uZM

We hope you enjoyed the trip with us so until next time "Kwa heri!" (goodbye)

July 7, 2023 - Mara Eden Camp to Nairobi, Kenya

We were loaded and in the vehicle departing Mara Eden Camp by 7:20 this morning - in the rain. The dirt trails leading out of the camp were slick and rutted. We were slip-sliding and spinning. It was like driving on ice! I didn't even try to take a picture while we were making our way out of there because I was too busy praying we wouldn't get stuck! As we got closer to the gate, the rain stopped for a little while and we saw so many vehicles parked and wondered what they had spotted. We were thankful that we hadn't encountered this many tourist game drive vehicles yesterday!
It was almost 10 by the time we finally reached the gate from camp and Anthony went to get us checked out. Local women came to the vehicle trying to sell us some of their craft items.Once outside the gate, the road didn't improve and the rain started again.
We pulled over to allow one of the hot air balloon baskets to pass us. I told Tobey we have to come back because I didn't have a chance to take a balloon ride over any of the parks. Another thing to add to my bucket list!
We continued on to Nairobi with a stop along the way for lunch with a stop for our final look at the Rift Valley as we climbed out of it. The lookout view was from 7100' elevation but because of the rain and clouds, it's hard to describe!

The mountain road was two-lane and packed both directions with trucks and cars. Every time there we small breaks in traffic, everyone was passing anyone that was slower than them. It often felt like we were playing "chicken" before we pulled back into our lane!
Seven and one half hours and 175 miles later we were back in Nairobi! We stopped at the Kazuri Beads Centre and workshop for a short tour. Our guide, Beth, explained that the center started in 1975 to help single women and women from the slums to earn an income. Before COVID, they employed 340 women; now they have 55 women back to work. Part of the women work in a covered, but open-air room doing everything from molding the beads from clay which comes from Mount Kenya to painting, firing, quality control checks, and making the finished products.
Wendy modeled one of the beautiful bracelets. We both said it was too bad that neither of us really wears much jewelry because everything was so beautiful!


This woman had a good job today because the kiln is under a roof, but outside. She said appreciated the warmth today.
Some of the finished products.

The women gave us a cheerful sendoff before we left. https://youtu.be/yQ6C05E9EPA

After the bead center we headed back to the hotel for a couple hours before going to the Carnivore Restaurant. It was a huge restaurant which specializes in meat, meat, and meat. They come around to the tables and carve it onto your plates. If you have been to a Brazillian style restaurant you will know what I mean. Because the restaurant was so large, it was loud and we had trouble hearing the servers tell us what we were eating. Lots of choices - lamb, ostrich, crocodile, beef, chicken and who knows what else!

Yes, there was meat, meat, and more meat.

It was almost 10pm by the time we got back to the hotel, but we get to sleep in - yeah! Unfortunately, our flight tomorrow night isn't until 11:15 PM and we have to check out of our rooms by noon. It will be a long day hanging out at the hotel before our 7pm transfer to the airport. It has been an amazing trip and we will be going on to Germany before heading back to Colorado.

July 6, 2023 - Masai Mara National Park Game drive

We headed out about 7:30 this morning for a full day game drive. Our first guide, Simon, is staying at the same camp and he led his group, as well as another vehicle and ours through the park. After hearing the hippos down by the river during the night, we had an opportunity to get up-close and personal! There was a spot along the river where we could "safely" get out of our vehicle to see hippos and crocodiles.

When we pulled up they were scattered around the Mara River, popping in and out of the water. Adult hippos can stay submerged about five to six minutes while the babies only about 40 seconds.


After we were there for a while it was really funny to look back at them. They all turned facing us and stayed mostly submerged, in a line, keeping an eye on us. We weren't sure if they wanted to charge us but I'm pretty sure it was a defense mechanism.

Yes, that is one big crocodile!

From the river headed out in search of lions and we were not disappointed! We came upon the "Chinese" pride which had killed a hippo earlier this morning. There is an observation lodge where mainly Chinese stay that overlooks this part of the park, so that is where its name comes from. Lion prides usually maintain about a 15 mile territory. We were able to spot five females and one male who were feasting on the hippo. The hippos come out of the water in the early mornings to feed on the grass and one of them was unlucky today. You can see how muddy the lions legs and faces are.

The male was snoozing in the tall grass, resting after the hunt and feeding.

This spotted hyenna was up a small hill overlooking the lions and hippo, trying to decide if it wanted to take a chance at having bit of the hippo. It came closer and closer, but eventually moved away when the male started to get up.

We could see several scars on this guy's back when he got up.

He finally got up and wandered away from the group and settled back in at the top of the hill, near where the hyena had been!
This female made her way from the group back to the hippo. If you have a sensitive stomach, skip the next couple pictures and video.
Morning feeding on the hippo kill.

The video is of the female lion feasting on the hippo. There were three other hippos still in the water next to this kill, keeping an eye on the lions!
Lion video https://youtu.be/TiZT0zu5fu0

We watched as hundreds of zebras were running near the river and thought we might see them crossing, but at the last minute they turned back and ran the other way. Our guide said it could have been that they spotted the crocodiles and were frightened. The zebras are heading toward the river to meet the migrating wildebeest. We were in the third vehicle and stopped to watch as several zebras crossed in front of us.

Even though the "roads" are hard to see sometimes, it is against the rules to go off-road. Another vehicle came behind us and did just that hoping for a better look. Unfortunately, for him, there was a ranger coming our direction and saw him and stopped him! The ranger is in the smaller vehicle. The drivers can be fined up to $200.


The hyenas also followed the zebras. We even spotted two traveling together, but the lighter one looked much younger.


A large group of zebras is called a dazzle. They roll on the ground "dusting" themselves in an effort to keep the bugs off. It always looked like they were having a good time!

Most of the giraffes we saw today were off in the distance, but still fun to see.

We also spotted several eland. They are so large and their horns have an interesting twist to them.

The hyenas were everywhere in the park! Some of them seemed to pose for pictures and one of them seemed to be enjoying a mudbath!


Continuing on, we finally got a chance to see a cheetah up close! This was the first sighting.

We pulled closer and watched him for quite a long time while he was resting in the shade.

He eventually got up and wandered down the road.

Watching him walk, we could see that one of his back legs looked like it might have an injury. This is a video of the cheetah. https://youtube.com/shorts/Vs-GKIRkNF0?feature=share

We came up to the "Marsh" pride and there was a vehicle that was filming a documentary. They have to get special permits to be able to travel "off road."

The vehicle was equipped with a special pullout where the woman had her cameras set up.

The Mara River is about 170 miles long and flows into Lake Victoria. Nicknamed 'the river of death', the Mara River is known for its infamous role in The Great Migration. Each year, over two million wildebeest, zebra and other herbivores charge across Mara's steep banks into the perilous waters below. The wildebeest must evade a swarm of lurking crocodiles as they scramble to reach the other side.
We had a wonderful view of the savanna as we made our way back to camp. It is characterized by grasses and small or dispersed trees, along with a diverse community of organisms that interact to form a complex food web.

As we headed back to our camp, we spotted several Cape Buffalo. The yellow-billed oxpeckers were all over them, eating bugs that were on their backs, in their ears, and even in their noses!

We also spotted several pied kingfishers on our way. This species of water kingfisher is widely distributed across Africa. Pied means that it has two different colored feathers. Males have a double black band across their breast. Females have a black chest that is often broken with a white stripe in the middle. We enjoyed seeing many of them along the river.

We also spotted an African wattled lapwing (or Senegal Wattled Plover).
Back at camp we had time to freshen up before dinner which has been served very late (for us, anyway) everywhere we have been - starting at 7:30 pm! For the most part, the food has been really good on the trip. It is usually buffet style. We had homemade tomato soup and rolls, rice, teriyaki cabbage, pork chops, curried chick peas, a type of African bread that is similar to tortillas (but more flavorful!) and desserts! Tonight there was a chocolate cake, mango crepe, fruit and a chocolate cup with peanut butter and strawberries.
Tonight the wait staff were dressed in traditional Masai clothing and sang and danced for everyone. Singing/dancing video https://youtu.be/PYciPsD7IQI 


We have a 7am departure tomorrow morning, so it will be a short night. We head back to Nairobi tomorrow so this trip is quickly coming to a close.