A Good Place to Leave

The main, if not the only reason to visit Nairobi, is that Nairobi is the start and end point for Kenyan safaris. People go to Nairobi for safari, not to see Nairobi. True, there are some things to see in Nairobi, but unless you have unlimited time and money, plan a trip that maximizes safari time and spend as little time as possible in Nairobi.

On our first trip, as soon as we had checked in to our hotel, we went out the front door and negotiated a mutually acceptable deal with the first taxi driver in line to spend the rest of the day in Nairobi National Park, located right on the edge of the city.

Back in the city, to give you an idea of how limited Nairobi is in things of touristic interest, Nairobi’s top sight is the home of Karen Blixen. What? You have no idea who that is? Then go on safari and see what you came for.

We went to the National Museum which has, or so I’m told, a most impressive collective of pre-historic artifacts. These mostly look like stones. That is because they are mostly stones, but two or three million years ago, some proto-human ancestor whacked one stone against another and invented hand made tools. There is also a collection of proto-human remains, including as I recall, “Lucy”, the most famous of the lot. Every person on Earth today is descended from this small pile of broken pieces of bone, which actually is kind of impressive.

The Snake Zoo, next door to the National Museum, was well worth the visit. We also visited the Animal Orphanage, which is at the entrance to Nairobi National Park. This is good chance to lots of young animals up close. Never try to get this close to little ones in the game parks or Mom will have you for lunch.

The Norfolk and New Stanley Hotels are classics of the Colonial era. The Thorn Tree café at the New Stanley may be the most famous meeting place in Africa. Messages were posted on the thorn tree, and everyone passing through checked their mail there.

What I wish we had done in Nairobi was to sit in on some classes at the city’s most famous educational institution, Waiter University. This probably won’t make sense until you have experienced dinner at one of the game.

Quick Tips:

Tembo is the Swahili word for both beer and elephant. Tembo is good.

Giraffes are twiga.

Forget the image of bloody Africa you get from National Geographic specials. After going for days and seeing nothing more violent than gazelles bounding across the plains, I asked our guide how often he sees a kill? About once every month of safari. Odds are you will only see the Peaceable Kingdom.

The distorted view of Africa gained from the National Geographic and such also leads tourists to a totally wrong view of what the dangers from wildlife really are. The most dangerous animals are hippos, Cape Buffalo, Mother elephants, and rhinos. The Big Cats pose little danger. To really score points with the cognizetti, don’t look for kills. Catch a glimpse of a Bongo, and you are big time.

Crime is a problem in Kenya. Check with the US State Department and the UK’s Foreign Office for up to date reports on just how serious.

Best Way To Get Around:

Nairobi is almost half way around the world from the USA. This is a long flight. There is something to recommend stopping for a day or two on the way in London, Paris, Athens, or Rome to break the journey.

On one of our return flights, the airplane blew an engine over the middle of Lake Victoria. We got to see up close and personal some places that were not on our itinerary. These things happen, and no harm done as I’m here today recount it.

You can rent a car and safari yourself. I don’t recommend it. Too much risk of crime and getting lost. Otherwise, you travel by van or by air, the most expensive way. You might pay a little bit more, but it’s worth it to take a van tour that limits the number of passengers so everyone has a window seat. Also be sure your safari vehicle has a door in the roof. We came on a pride of lions. Our driver stopped and raised the roof. We all stood on our seats, sticking up out of the top of the van, and watched the lions study our van, no more than five feet away from us. I don’t have space to explain why this is safe, but your driver will tell you.

The game reserves are all located near the Equator but on the Kenya Highlands, a vast plateau about a mile above sea level. This combination produces year round spring like temperatures, unless you descend to the hot humid tropical coast. There are three seasons, the Long Rains (March-May), the dry season (June-October) and the Short Rains. This poses a problem for when to Safari. The most animals are found near the end of the Long Rains when the Wildebeest migration reaches the Masai Mara, but travel on the muddy, flooded dirt roads in the game
reserves is problematic. The problem is, do you go when you can get to the animals, even though they are fewer, or do you go when there are lots of animals but you may not be able to get to them? It is worth consulting a safari experienced travel agent or tour company on this.

Taita Hills is a privately owned game park on the edge of Tsavo West National Park. For all practical purposes, it is an extension of Tsavo. Taita Hills has two lodges, Salt Lick Lodge and Taita Hills Lodge, and two camps. We arrived late in the afternoon at Salt Lick Lodge after safari runs in Tsavo. The rooms at Salt Lick Lodge were a set up as a several clusters of four circular two story high towers set on stilts about 15 feet above ground. Each cluster connects to the next and ultimately to the dining room/bar/lobby by a bridge so that game can pass right under the hotel going to the nearby water holes. Most rooms overlook a water hole.

Most of the lodges where we stayed were at water holes. During the dry season, animals have to visit water holes for water because the streams mostly dry up. The lodges are effectively set beside wild animal magnets, and do they come! One night at the lodge in Tsavo East, we decided to count elephant– 62 came to drink in about two hours.

A day at a game lodge begins around 8am with a full British style breakfast buffet. At 10am, a game run– everyone piles into their vehicle and sets out into the park to see the day time wildlife. Around noon, back to the lodge for a formal buffet lunch served by waiters in tie and tails at a table set with a lifetime supply of silverware. After lunch, off for the afternoon game run, and then the trip to the next lodge. From Salt Lick Lodge, we had a short trip to the next
overnight stop, Taita Hills Lodge, about two miles away, but very different in atmosphere and in wildlife.

The high point of our visit came after diner. Salt Lick’s claim to fame is a semi-underground tunnel that runs out to a bunker at the edge of the water hole. Game viewing was from open widows in the bunker, so close to the animals that at one point we reached out the window and rubbed an elephant’s knee. He seemed not to notice.

Rooms at Salt Lick Lodge were game park standard– extremely pleasant and comfortable and attractively decorated with a variety of native arts and crafts, understated luxury in the wilds of Africa. Beds came with a surrounding mosquito net tent. When you find that, use it. Don’t take chances with malaria, even though you are taking the anti-malaria drug.

Guests at Salt Lick can use the swimming pool at Taita Hills Lodge. Salt Lick will run you over in a van. However, when were there in late June, the water was far to cold for swimming, which is something I don’t understand doing anyhow when there is wild game no see.

We have never been to a game reserve not worth a visit; some are worth more than others. The best:

[1] The Ngorongoro Crater, an extinct volcano crater 12 miles across, home to the greatest concentration of big game on the planet. The crater’s steep walls, rising 2,000 feet, benefit the animal population by providing security, no outlet for migration, and a good year-round water supply. Ngorongoro is in Tanzania, not far from Kenya’s Masai Mara, so it is an easy addition to a safari leaving from Nairobi. Ngorongoro is the place not to miss.

[2] Masai Mara, the northern extension of the Serengeti Plains, is the last place on that great range to dry up in summer. We saw lots of animals in mid-June in the Mara, but then, traveling south across the rest of the Serengeti in Tanzania, dried up grasses and less wildlife. Although we had technically missed the great wildebeest migration, we nevertheless passed columns of wildebeest stretching for miles across the Mara. Our guide assured us this was nothing compared to the main show. If you want to chance the Long Rains, put Serengeti at the top of the list.

[3] Lake Manyara, if the elephant population has recovered. The most popular part of the park is the thin forest at the
north end of the lake, which was, when we were there, loaded with elephant. The lake is home to lots of shore birds. Lake Manyara is home of the famous tree-climbing lions, which require luck to see.

[4] Tsavo’s water holes assure a good parade of animals, even in the dry season. Tsavo East features lion and elephant. Tsavo West is home to Mizma Springs, where an underwater viewing room provides some sightings of fish, crocodiles, and hippos.

[5] Amboseli features large elephant herds with Mt. Kilimanjaro for the backdrop. The mountians attract rain, so the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro are more lush that the parks on the plains, making Amboseli a safe bet in the dry season.

[6] Tatia Hills, Salt Lick Lodge, which has a ground level viewing blind right at the edge of the water hole connected to the lodge by a tunnel. Here, we reached out the window and rubbed an elephant’s knee. Well, actually, we pounded on it to see if we could get his attention. No dice. We were less noticeable than the bacteria on your fingers.

We’ve also been to Taranjire, Asrusha, Aberdare, Mt. Meru, Samburu, Buffalo, Lake Nakuru, Lake Baringo, Lake Naivasha, Crescent Island, and Mt. Kenya. As I said, all worth a visit, but not quite as much as the first group. Mt. Kenya and Aberdare are forest parks, very different from the plains parks. The lakes can be most impressive if the flamingos are in residence. Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha is unique–I arrived by rowboat and walked among the animals. Watch your step–the ground is well fertilized by the grazers, and never get between a hippo and water.

Traveling in the dry season, we quickly crossed the vast Serengeti Plain, a flat brown expanseof shriveled grass lands with sparse animal population. The vast migrating herds that populate the Serengeti in the rainy season had moved north and dispersed around the shores of Lake Victoria, where they find reliable water in the dry season. After a stop at the Olduvai Gorge, successfully promoted by the archeologist, Richard Leaky as the place where man was born, we moved on to arrive later in the afternoon at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, perched right on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater. Stepping out on the balcony of our room gave the impression we were hanging in the air, high above the floor of the vast caldera. The only disappointment was that, nearly 2,000 ft above the crater floor, we were too far away to make out any of the myriad of animals grazing or hunting or just resting in the afternoon shade below.

The Crater, the world’s largest intact unflooded volcanic caldera*, about 12 miles across and 2,000 ft deep, is located in highlands, and the weather was cool, almost cold, and cloudy, looking like rain was due any minute. The frequent showers generated by the Crater top’s high attitude provides a year-round supply of water to the Crater floor whose streams and lakes are fed by rainfall running down the interior walls of the Crater. All this water supports lush grasslands on the Crater floor, and the grass supports a large number of animals, the most concentrated animal population we saw on any of our safaris. The animal population is estimated at 25,000-30,000 and includes the rare black rhino, which our driver found easily enough.

Next morning after breakfast, we piled into Jeeps to descend the steep, rough road to the floor of the Crater and spent the morning driving among the animals. Unlike the previous evening, with its clouds and drizzles, the day of our trip into the Crater was sunny with blue skies.

While rainy season visitors to East Africa’s plains may see a larger number of animals, thanks to the great migrating herds, nowhere else did we see so many animals of so many different species in such a small area. The most unusual animal we saw were baby rhinos, the only place we saw them.

The Ngorongoro Crater was the high point of our East African safaris. This is the one place you should be sure is on your itinerary.

After a lurching trip back up the crater wall for a late lunch at the lodge, we transferred to nearby Lake Manyara National Park, home of the tree climbing lions, for the night.

* A caldera is the pit left behind by a big volcano that blew its top. Compared to true calderas like Ngorongoro, Crater Lake, and Yellowstone, the dent in one side of Mt. St. Helens is a mere pot hole.

Two of the most famous safari lodges, The Ark and Treetops, are near each other in the Aberdare Forest. Animal spotting in the dense forests on the slopes of 17,000-foot Mt. Kenya is very different than on the savanna, where you can see for miles. In the forest, trees are always in the way except at these two unique hotels built beside water holes. Nevertheless, it is worth a visit, as the forest dwellers cannot be seen on the savanna.

Black and white Colobus monkeys swinging overhead are the most likely forest animals to be seen outside the water holes. Watching these was a treat. Do not stand directly underneath monkeys, they have no bladder control.

Our guides told us that, in the Aberdares, we might see the Bongo, the most beautiful of the antelopes, and one of the least likely of all African wildlife to be seen by the visitor. Seeing a Bongo is so rare that the guides invariably called them “the elusive Bongo.” We came to believe “elusive” was the Bongo’s first name. Finally though, we did see the elusive Bongo, three or four of them, at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.

At night, the water holes are illuminated by spotlight. Both The Ark and Treetops had a buzzer system in the rooms that worked like this: a staff member sat up all night, watching the water hole. Before going to our room for the night after tembos in the lounge, we signed up for the night time animal watch for the “Big 7" animals, including leopard, lion, elephant, Bongo. Each animal was assigned a certain number of buzzes. Let’s say leopards were three buzzes. If a leopard showed up, the game watcher would buzz the rooms of all the guests signed up for leopards three times, waking us up and telling us there was a leopard at the water hole. If nothing more, you should sign up for leopards and the elusive Bongo. You won’t see many leopards on safari, and you will never see the Bongo except here. Take advantage.

After our night at the Ark, we traveled though the forest to the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, higher up on the slopes of Mt. Kenya. The Mt. Kenya Safari Club was the most luxurious place we stayed, but it is not too good for game watching, being mainly devoted to creature comforts and golf.
Still, there were pheasants, Crowned Cranes, and other birds roaming the grounds, quite unafraid of people.

Any good safari should include either The Ark or Treetops, but they are Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Visiting both isn’t necessary. As for the Mt. Kenya Safari Club, the only reason to stop here is if 1] it’s included in your tour package and you are stuck with it, 2] you want a day of rest and pampered relaxation instead of game viewing or, 3] you want to play golf on the Equator in an African forest.

We left Nairobi on our second safari on a highway running along the fenced boundary of Nairobi National Park. A few miles down the road, I said to the guide, "12 ostrich on the right." He said, "15. You missed three in that bush." The four people in the van setting out on their first safari said, "Where? Where? I don’t see anything. Shouldn’t we stop?"

There are several lessons about safari here. (1) At first, the animals are hard to see. Mother Nature made them that way, camouflaged in their native habitat. Our first stop on our first safari, the driver pulled over to the side of the road and said, "There are 22 giraffes eating trees in that woods," and we all said, "Where? Where?" We stared and stared, and gradually, some of the trees turned into 20 ft tall animals. It takes some practice to learn how to see the wildlife at home. Luckily, humans learn fast.

(2) 15 ostrich in the wild is not worth bothering with. This is a clue about the numbers of animals to be seen later on. One evening after dinner at the Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East National Park, we sat on the veranda and counted 62 elephant that came to drink at the water hole just below the lodge. That was worth a stop.

(3) Your guide sees things you won’t, even with practice. That is his job. One of our guides seemed to specialize in birds. Diving down the road, he would reach down to the seat, picked up his book on East African birds, hand it to one of us, and say, "Under the baobab tree on the left, a Crowned Crane. Page 248." We would look at the picture on p.248, and then, sometimes, spot the critter pictured where he said.

At the Masai Mara Serena Lodge, the veranda was 8-10 ft. above the ground, supported by a brick wall. After diner, we were sitting there with a tembo when a tembo came right up alongside the wall, eating the shrubs below, it’s back and shoulders sticking up 2-3 feet above the top of the wall. We asked the staff, "Can we touch it?" With a few cautions, the answer was yes, and we took turns gingerly patting a wild elephant on the back.

One day we had a flat tire out on the Serengeti Plains, no sign of humanity as far as the eye could see. No towns, no farms, no other vehicles in sight. The driver said, "Get out and stretch." We did. He read a book. In a few minutes, another safari van pulled up, the driver got out, and changed our flat tire.

Questioning our driver, we learned that the vans out in a park each day go off in different directions, but follow routes that cross paths. At these rendezvous, the drivers exchange reports on where the animals are, adjusting their course accordingly. When a van misses a meeting point, the other drivers double back on the missing van’s route until they locate the laggard. Etiquette requires the driver of the first van to arrive on the scene change the flat tire. I asked, "What happens if nobody comes by and you have a mechanical breakdown?" Our guide said, "Then I leave you here and I walk back to the Lodge". Someone asked, "Aren’t you afraid of lions?" He said, "No. Lions don’t like the smell of humans. They stay away from us." Then he explained why the rare man eater would not be out in the plains.

The dangerous animals in the wild are, #1, hippos. Hippos have very bad eyesight when they are on land. If they are out of the water, water being safe at home, they will immediately charge and run over any creature great or small that gets between them and their water because their eyesight is so bad they can’t tell the difference between friend or foe. #2. Cape Buffalo are just plain mean. #3 Rhinos. Not as blind as hippos, not as mean as Buffalo, but a touch of both. #4 Water borne parasites. Never let your skin touch a lake, stream, or river. Nasty things live there, and crocodiles are the least of the problems. How would you like a three foot long worm crawling out of your kneecap?

From time to time, we encountered elephant herds on the road. The driver would pull into the herd and shut off the engine, so as not to startle them, while we watched the elephants eat. One day, we drove up to the edge of a herd and stopped, but he kept the engine running because there four babies with the group. He explained that while the adults were normally peaceful, mother elephants can be set off by anything and to protect their child, intruders get trampled. If one of them raised her head and extended her ears, we were out of there as fast as we could get out.

The Masai, with their long red robes and colorful necklaces, are most photogenic of the native tribes. However, their religion teaches that the camera sucks their soul out of their body. So strongly is this belief that photographing Masai is illegal. However, a proffered dollar or two produces instant conversion to some other religion and full approval to take pictures of them and their kindred.

We still haven’t decided if our visit to a Masai village was the high point or the low point of one safari. The Masai measure their wealth by the number of cattle they own. The Big Cats like to eat cattle. During the day, when the cattle are out grazing on the plains, the Masai protect their wealth by sending nine year old kids out to keep the lions away with a stick. It works– people smell bad. At night, the cattle are brought into the village compound, which is encircled by a fence made of brush and branches to keep the lions out. That too apparently works, but what you have in the village is several herd of cattle and the Masai both living in small area. Cattle poop a lot. Poop draws flies, so many flies that the Masai don’t even notice them, as was demonstrated by the infant we saw nursing at its mother’s breast and not even twitching as a fly crawled up inside its nose and disappeared.

I don’t know where the Garden of Eden was, but I do know where God lives. We saw God’s place across the plains of East Africa, the cloud shrouded peak of Odengolengi, known to the locals as ‘The Mountain of God’, the home of the Creator in their religion.

The Safari Lodges in the Game Reserves were a big surprise. This are near luxury level resorts. Each was a self contained little city with its own electric generating plant and water treatment system... The lodges use a lot of local stone and wood and weer almost all very attractive buildings. Rooms were mostly large, comfortable, and very quiet– there is no traffic noise, but one night were awakened by the sounds of large heard of Zebras, illuminated by moonlight,  grazing in the field behind the hotel.

Meal time was a surprise and another treat. Kenya was a British colony, and well done British food is very good, contrary to the popular stereotype. The Lodges do meals very well in a surreal atmosphere. Van loads of scruffy looking tourists, dusty from a few hours of bouncing across the plains on dirt roads, arrive for lunch and are met my a serving staff deck out in tuxedos and white gloves. Lunch was generally a buffet, with a central table covered in white linen and bowls and platters heaped high with attractively presented choices. And the food was good, too.

Dinner was even more spectacular. Crystal water goblets, wine glasses, beer mugs, the full spread of silverware, and polished full scale Russian service. And then one evening, walking back to our bungalow, we passed through the staff housing are, and there were the waiters shirtless and wearing scruffy shorts, cooking their diner in a pot over an open wood fire.