#  >  > Non Asia Travel Forums >  >  > Travel the World Travellers Tales Forum >  >  Kenya Safari

## hick

Well, what the hell.

It's fun to share.

I put this thread up on that otter forum and a short time later, it closed.

So, sorry former arjarners, this is a repeat.


In 2015, the wifey and I had signed up for a Kenyan safari and were not disappointed.

Here's the trek:

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## hick



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## hick



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## hick

Kinda' cheesy - I agree.

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## hick



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## hick

Zebras,...ahhh...cool the first day or two, then,.....dime a dozen.

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## hick

Males are total loners most of the year.  Strutting their stuff out in some little backwater.

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## hick



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## hick

The elusive black rhino.  

This shot took over an hour (about 50 snaps) and this is the best I could get.

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## hick

Hungry Hippos

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## hick

Protected...but I'd lay odds they are delicious.

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## hick

2 white rhinos and 2 water buffaloes

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## hick



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## hick

Nile croc

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## hick

Wildebeest migration was going on...

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## hick

Thomson's Gazelle



Klipspringer


Both certainly delicious.

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## hick

Waterbuck's are tough to capture.  Guide said I got lucky.  Meh - bring on the Apex predators.

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## hick

4 wives showing.  Exhausted bugger.

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## AntRobertson

Nice one! Reminds me of my trip to Zimbabwe.

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## misskit

Where did you stay in Masai Mara?

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## hick

Royal Mara Safari Lodge, I believe.

Accoms were all a part of the package, so we just went with the flow and, I gotta' say....each place we stopped was fan-freekin-tastic!  

One night was in "executive tents."

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## hick

Not particularly enamored by our presence.

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## hick

Time for a coffee break.


Our guide (opposite me) was tops.  Full of knowledge about history, people, weather, topography and of course could name every bit of flora and fauna seen and unseen.

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## hick

Pack of young males sleeping it off.

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## hick

Fresh off a kill.  Can still see the tinges of blood around the mouth.

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## hick

Leftovers for the scavengers.

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## hick



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## hick



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## hick

^ Those two had a system.  Guide said she was his latest induction into the harem so he took her away on a "honeymoon," of sorts which was comprised of:

sex
sleep
sex
sleep
she hunts
they eat
rinse and repeat

Most honeymoons last about 5 days or until he's satisfied that she's impregnated.

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## birding

Good one Hick carry on.

Great to see these animals still surviving and being conserved rather than becoming part of someone dinner.

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## hick

Cheers Birding.  Means a lot coming from you - master photographer.   :Smile:

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## hick



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## hick

Guide liked to refer to the wildebeest as the "dumbest animal that's ever lived." 

He's seen them walk right up to a pride of lions before.

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## hick

Saddle-billed stork in the foreground

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## hick

I was really looking forward to get some shots of aggressive elephants....I know....I know....the guide neither.

Anyways, while he did have to hit reverse pretty quickly a few times, nothing got too out of control.

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## Slick

Reminds me of Wilbur Smith novels. 

Pretty cool but looks like it all might get a little boring after a few days?

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## hick

> Pretty cool but looks like it all might get a little boring after a few days?


It really couldn't - at least for me.  Just being in the presence of those massive beasts was...electrifying to say the least.  Any one of the 4-5 resorts we stationed at, I could easily do a week.  That said, the moving around kept it pretty new and exciting.

Next year (or the following) I plan to hit Namibia and do it on my own (meaning: rent a sizable 4x4 with roof camping, etc.)

Should be a blast.

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## hick

Kilimanjaro was pretty shrouded that day.  We were lucky to get a peek at all given the time of year.

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## hick

This is the closest we got to a leopard.  I need a stronger zoom!

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## hick

I'd imagine they've seen some leopards up close and more personal than they cared for em' to be.



Most of you probably know that before lions became protected, the Masai boys would have to go out into the bush alone and cane one of the feisty simbas with a spear before achieving adulthood. 

Now they perform alternative sports in order to be accepted.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.024b54ab6069

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## Slick

What were the day & night temps? 

Trying to decide if I could survive without aircon  :Smile:

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## hick

80 F ~ 60 F   September's a fine month to go.

That 'Saudi Sites' thread (one down) we were averaging 110 F ~ 82 F, ya big girl's blouse.   :Razz:

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## Slick

lol yeah I hate sleepin' when its hot  :Smile: 

Big ole temp sissy here  :Smile:

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## hick

Roger that.  Kenyan resorts were all mods con and affordable.  :Wink: .

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## hick

^ This was the absolute lowest grade room we had in the package and it was comfy (lake Nakura).  

Unless one were to count the "executive safari tent" where we stayed on a windy night near the border of Tanzania / Kilimanjaro - but that was too sweet to discount.  My favorite for sure.  We heard a pack of hyenas through the night, no doubt scoping out the garbage and possibly the yipes of an African wild dog pack further out.  Neither ever presented themselves for a shot, sadly.  The latter is quite endangered at this time.

Air was an option but unnecessary.  It was breezy and cool through the night.  



Grazers out back kept us company.

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## hick

Another successful rogering...

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## hick



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## hick

Wifey was intent on getting on the ground in this locale, grabbed her pack and went hiking.  Much to the dismay and concern of our guide I hotfooted it to get ahead of her.  There was a cool shady spot on top of the hill she had focused on and I was concerned a pride of lions may have made it their home.  All was fine, not a predator to be seen.

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## hick



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## hick

> Anyways, while he did have to hit reverse pretty quickly a few times, nothing got too out of control.


This is about one second before he stomped on reverse!



To the repo comments:  You're very welcome.  Glad you enjoyed the thread.  :Smile:

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## hick

Looking back from the base of the volcanic hill.

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## hick

Determination.  

Too hot for Slick with heat waves forming a trifecta from sun, wind and rocks.

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## hick



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## hick

Payoff

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## hick

Just....birds.

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## hick



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## hick

Some type of hornbill.

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## hick



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## hick



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## hick



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## hick

The dozing security guard at the gate.

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## hick

These '_pigs in shit_' were not nomadic, unlike their cousins.  

They found paradise and stayed year round.

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## hick

The subdued neighbors.



At other times of the year, Kilimanjaro provides a nice backdrop to this park.

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## hick

Damn, damn.....people.  They'll prolly even want to talk.  *sigh*

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## hick

The Africa of my nightly dreams.

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## hick

The fleeting and elusive _Dik Dik_ couple.

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## hick



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## hick

More birds...

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## hick

The terrestrial Secretary bird

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## hick

Osprey

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## hick

I think this is a bustard.

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## PeeCoffee

Great stuff Hick. Memories for a lifetime are made from these special moments. Thank you for sharing.

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## hick

> Great stuff Hick. Memories for a lifetime are made from these special moments. Thank you for sharing.


Thank you very much Pee, very kind of you to say.  :Smile: 



Final overnight

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## hick

Came with quite a nice view from the room.



To the left.

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## hick

Front and center



Staff maintained this waterhole for the local trumpeters....and man did they trumpet their happiness!

Also, they'd put a large slab of meat out at night, turn on some floodlights and advertise the local leopard but he didn't make it on our night.

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## hick

On the drive out and back to Nairobi we saw....

Ornery

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## hick

Curiosity

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## hick

And one more reticent grazer, the Kudu.

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## Chittychangchang

Quality pictures!
Like the tent high up on the pick up, good idea for safety.
Thanks for taking the time to share.

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## hick

Cheers CCC.  That tent set up is standard for do-it-yourself-safaris in Namibia.  
My next African target.

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## hick



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## hick

The local hooch hole.

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## hick

We got the goods.

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## hick

Go away kid, ya bother me.

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## hick

Slum on the outskirts of Nairobi.

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## hick

Wife bartering for some fire-cooked corn.

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## hick



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## hick

Thar she blows.  City-park, Nairobi.

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## hick

We stayed in the Serena Hotel for a day and 1/2 before heading back to the land of sand.

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## hick

The safari was basically flawless.

We were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel.
Picked up the next morning and taken on our safari loop that included stopovers in 
fantastic parks/resorts along the way (see 1st post).

Then dropped at the door of Serena Hotel and picked up once again the next aft. and taken to the airport.

The owner called the guides phone no less than 3 x (beginning/middle/end) and asked to speak with me.  I think he's a Brit.
He basically wanted to know if we needed anything, had any complaints and were satisfied. 

Hardly a complaint other than....

A handful of scheduled stops at warehouses selling tourist goods.
We bought overpriced junk at the first one and didn't really need any more, so we'd use their bathroom, get coffee and say 'no thank you,' the rest of the time.

All part of the experience, I suppose - and we did meet some charming salespeople.

Other than that, it was a solid vaca. and worth the money (I'm coming to that).

If I were to return to Kenya, I'd probably rent a 4x4 and go it on my own as I like to hobnob with the locals more often than the schedule allowed. 

However for a first run, I'd definitely recommend a guide.  It's easy to get lost on the way and of course not that many Masai speak English + you'd have to deal with the tangles of Park rules, regs & fees, reserving rooms along the way and any other inconveniences that may present themselves such as flat tires, engine trouble, etc.  

Visas (for Thai and U.S. PP) were easily obtainable online and safaricom held its signal for most of the trip, offset by resort wifi in the more remote stops.

*7 nights total / incl. 5 nights safari

2 people

$3,150 all incl.*

Shameless plug:
Kenya Safari Tours | Africa Safari Holidays | 2017/2018

Thanks for watching.  :Smile:

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## katie23

Velly nice, hick. Salamat. Green owed.  :Smile:

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## reddog

Hick,nice pics,you are right about Kenyan safaris being well organised.
If anyone has their own car don't make the mistake i did the first time in picking up hitch hiking Masai,a lot of them like rubbing cow shit on themselves,my car smelt like a 
cattle holding yard for days.

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## hick

> my car smelt like a 
> cattle holding yard for days.


Ha!  :rofl:   Ya' don't say?  What year was that?

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## patsycat

I have a soft spot for East Africa and it's people.  My parents lived in Uganda in the 50's till 1965.  My brother was born there.  I spoke Swahili before i spoke English.

We still use certain Swahili words mixed into our day to day conversations.

And of course, feeding and kissing those giraffes at Giraffe Manor is top on my Bucket List.

I've never been on a Safari, apart from a two night stay in the Shimba Hills above Mombasa.  We did see ellies and giraffes.

But would love to do a real safari, perhaps not for a long time - a week maybe.  Not only to say - I've done it, but also to experience it.  Of course, tents with all the mod cons would have to be included and also the hot air balloon at dawn!!

After that - a couple of weeks "on the coast"!!  And I think my recently deceased mother would approve that it would be a good thing for her kids to do with their inheritance...  instead of squandering it away on silly things!!

Great thread.  Got me thinking!!!

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## hick

YES, Patsy!  Get planning.   :Wink: 




> hot air balloon at dawn!!


We did this last year in Cappodoccia, Turkey.  Unforgettable!





Yeah, it'd be pretty awesome over parts of Africa.

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## somtamslap

> Thanks for watching.


 Brilliant - thanks for the effort.

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## yortyiam

The Serena looks top notch! I could stay a week there no problem  :Smile: . I'd love to see all of those creatures in their natural habitat. Amazing thread, Hick, thank you.  Will green asap!

P.S Are these new icons the promised upgrades?

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