I finally have a little time to start updating our daily adventures. It’s been a whirlwind of emotions as we have seen more of Gods magnificant creatures. Our hearts are filled with joy and gratitude with this amazing opportunity. I would love to come back if that is in Gods plan. We have immersed ourselves in such beauty, nature and culture, I cant imagine anything being better than this.
My plan was to take notes every day but we are realizing our bodies and minds need more rest than we want to provide and I just cant do much more after copying all photos and videos over and backing them up and then formating cards to get ready for the next day. But, its all good. With Chucks help, I’ll get it all in here. I dont want to forget a thing about this amazing adventure!
We started this African safari with a flight from Seychelles, after some much needed R&R, to Nairobi. Landing late and getting checked into the beautiful Villa Rosa Kempinsky hotel was seamless but our wake up call was 5 am and getting to bed at midnight meant only 5 hours sleep before our first game drive.
I can’t begin to tell you how excited we are to be on this safari. One of our dreams was to visit Africa after hearing all about how wonderful the animals and people are. Stories from my sister in law Susan, who taught as a missionary in Kenya as well as stories from our world traveling friends Jessica and Tom at worldwidewaftage.com, who are partially responsible for us traveling the world for as long as we can.
After an amazing breakfast at this 5 star hotel, we loaded into Jeeps 5 people at a time. We have 20 people from our cruise ship on this safari. At first I thought it would be too many but we all share the same excitement so its been great! Our joy was quickly escalated before we could even get into the van when we saw our first baboon walking around the van and seeing a giraffe out in the fields. I knew then we were in for the adventure of our dreams.
Our tour company provided us with some great swag. Including a safari hat and custom water bottle we have to keep filled. Oh, and toilet paper for those times we aren’t at the hotel.
The company, Tembo Wild, has an owner of 7 years, Paul Chenge, that has been with us every step of the way. He’s a native African in Nairobi and is just so calm and wonderful! Our safari on the first day was short and we saw a few animals. The worst part was the ride. There had been horrible rainfalls this year and it’s washed ruts into the road. The ride was killing our necks and backs.
How quickly we forgot when we saw 5 hippos in a pond just after we entered Nairobi National Park. We could count their heads because that was all we could see. I tried my best to get some photos but they weren’t haven’t it. It was just so hot, they were immersed in the mud to keep cool. The signs of life were the flicking of their tiny little ears against that massive body. So Cute.
We saw so many impalas and a few ostriches. Did you know a kick of an ostrich could easily break your neck? We will watch the behavior and don’t get close.
We spotted a black rhino off in the distance but he only wanted to show us his butt so we moved on. A few birds and a Hyrax were poking around looking for food. The hyrax is the cutest little animal that looks like a guinea pig but is actually a mammal called a rock rabbit. They stayed by our doors in the mornings or on the roofs. Very quiet and when you walk by they scurry to a hiding place out of the way. I wanted to take one home!
Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a lifeline for orphaned elephants in Kenya. Dedicated SWT teams tirelessly locate and rescue these vulnerable calves, often victims of poaching, who are left traumatized and alone. At the orphanage, the calves receive specialized care, including a unique milk formula mimicking their mothers’ milk. This safe haven provides the nurturing they need to grow strong and healthy. Ultimately, the SWT aims to reintroduce these elephants back into the wild herds of Tsavo National Park. Through careful preparation, the SWT empowers these orphans to rejoin their own kind and thrive in their natural habitat.
We ended our first safari and made our way over to the David Sheldrick Elephant orphanage. It is a remarkable example of wildlife conservation. They don’t just rescue elephants, they play a vital role in protecting them and their future in Africa.
There are two rhinos and 32 elephants in this orphanage. When the animals are healthy and ready, they will be returned to the wild if possible. One story we heard is about an orphaned rhinoceros that is blind. He won’t be able to make it out in the wild so he will be at the orphanage until he dies.
A short drive down the street is the Giraffe Centre. Here they are breeding Rothschild giraffes to keep them from extinction. Founded in 1979, the Giraffe Centre is dedicated to protecting these magnificant animals. Through their breeding program, they’ve successfully reintroduced giraffes into Kenyan national parks, ensuring their survival for generations to come. At the moment, there are only about 10 giraffes in the center.
We fed them nuggets from our hand. If not careful, they would take the entire bucket. The guides said they are greedy and will get fat so only feed them one at a time. We enjoyed our interaction with these animals. We even saw a little baby giraffe. Once the babies are old enough to start breeding themselves, they are put in the wild so there is no inbreeding.
We headed back to our amazing hotel for lunch and a nap before the evenings activities. We had a very long drive to our dinner, which wasn’t that far but the pouring rain and horrendous traffic proved challenging. Along our drive we saw an area called the slums that would make Mumbai’s’ slums look like someones backyard. It was unbelievable! While stopped in traffic many panhandlers from the slums were knocking on the vans. One guy even had machete’s he was trying to sell. A little scary I would say!
Our amazing culture show was scheduled to be outdoors but they did a great job in imrovising and bringing it in. The show and meal was about the 4 regions of Africa. With this we had 4 courses, 4 dances and 4 shots of local alcohol and beer. We gladly passed our alcohol to the next person.
Our meals were Chicken, Fish, Steak and roast beef of sorts. We were all stuffed with so much food and the entertainment was delightful. Loved learning about the African culture. I’ll try to add in some information we learn about Kenya/Africa along the way. It’s only day one and I’m in love with Africa.
God has truly blessed us and we will never be able to repay the extraordinary life on earth he has graced us with.
May He bless you always!
Chuck and Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 