Kenya: Our Experiences
Kenya Experience by Alison Waldegrave (Product Manager)
I have cycled, driven and flown through Kenya countless times en route to one of its neighbouring countries but to my eternal shame I have never made the time to visit it’s famous parks and reserves. Shame on me, but I finally remedied this situation in June 2006 when I got the chance to visit three of Kenya’s top parks and reserves.
My trip started in Nairobi, the face of modern Africa, a city I am familiar with. It has a rotten reputation and one that in my opinion is not entirely deserved. Most visitors will find themselves passing through at some stage but it really is worth spending a night or two here, there is so much to do. Nairobi has it’s own National Park, the Karen Blixen Museum, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (where you can visit orphaned elephants and rhinos), a couple of good golf courses, fantastic restaurants and numerous shopping centres. With all its quirks and vagaries Nairobi is truly a city of contrasts. Here you will find Kibera the largest slum in Africa, and the strangely familiar Langata and Karen districts will have you thinking you’ve been teleported to the home counties of southern England. Alongside Nairobi’s wealthiest citizens living with all the trappings of a western lifestyle you can see unskilled workers scraping a living on less than a dollar a day, a reminder of the vast economic divide between Africa and the West. But, Nairobi is buzzing with energy opportunism, aspiration and humour. On one occasion I remember stopping at some traffic lights on my bicycle loaded with camping gear, I was approached by a grinning sales man who offered me a television aerial, well you’ve got to try and we both got a good laugh out of it.
Next stop Amboseli National Park at the foot of Kilimanjaro. This tiny park is worth a visit for the views alone. As ever, my luck was in and about half an hour into the park I saw a lioness hunting, she swiftly brought down a wildebeest. The open plains here make for easy game viewing.
Lake Nakuru National Park is just a couple of hours drive to the north of Nairobi and is one of Kenya’s most visited national parks, with good reason too. The right frame of mind is vital for you to enjoy your visit; it does get busy but remember everyone is there for the same reason as you. Nakuru National Park is accessible; the scenery is beautiful and varied, and you can easily see 4 of the Big 5, along with the dazzling sight of countless flamingos feeding on the lake shore. An afternoon game drive brought some fabulous encounters; black and white rhino, and the ridiculous spectacle of 5 lions trying to hide in the canopy of an acacia tree.
My final stop was the legendary Masai Mara Game Reserve. I arrived just ahead of the migration mentally prepared for a mini van circuit but not so. Don’t believe anyone who tells you that the Mara is a waste of time outside of the migration season, there is plenty of resident game here and even though the grass was high game viewing was an absolute delight. The highlight being a cheetah with 5 cubs who had taken up residence close to the camp. More tree climbing lions, black rhino and who could ever tire of watching elephants?