East Africa 2012 - Lake Nakuru

East Africa 2012 – Photo Safari to Kenya and Tanzania

February 2 – 4, Lake Nakuru National Park

Sarova Lion Hill Lodge

This day we left Nairobi in our five Micato Safari vehicles (all Toyota Land Cruisers) to drive northwest along and into the Great Rift Valley, which cuts north/south across Africa from Israel to Mozambique. The road is paved and is a pleasant drive through the country.

Colobus Monkey

Soon after we entered the park we were treated to a rare sighting of a Black & White Colobus monkey in the trees along the lake’s shore. With its large lake and numerous ponds, as well as the forests, this area is home to over 450 species of birds. Everywhere there was water there seemed to be large flocks of flamingos, pelicans, storks, and herons among others. There were a few avid birders in our group who had a great time.

White Rhino

The area is a Rhino Sanctuary and we were able to see a number of both the black and the rare white rhinos on our drives. We were also able to see the endangered Rothschild giraffe.

Rothschild Giraffe

The drives were always pleasant in the pop-top vehicles. They provided good stable support for our cameras at just the right height. We only had four people per each six-passenger vehicle, so there was plenty of rooms to move around and to keep our cameras close by. It was always fun to be in the middle of a group of animals as they moved from place to place, mostly ignoring us.

Cape Buffalo

While driving back to the lodge on the last evening at Lake Nakuru, the setting sun was particularly striking as the light touched the groves of yellow acacia trees. We just had to stop for more pictures.

Each evening before dinner a local group performed songs and dances. The end always involved some audience participation. The first night, I just couldn’t say no to the nice young man who talked me through the dance routine; a real aerobic workout!

The morning of February 4 we said good-bye to our driver guides at the airstrip and boarded two planes to continue our adventure at Little Governor’s Camp in the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

 

That's it for now. Grace and Paul

East Africa 2012 - Samburu

East Africa 2012 – Photo Safari to Kenya and Tanzania

January 29 – February 1, 2012: Samburu National Reserve

Larsen’s Tented Camp

Birthday in Kenya

Our 2010 Photo Safari with Jack and Rikki Swenson (orchestrated by Lindblad and Micato Safaris) was such a great experience we decided to repeat it. We knew there would be changes in locations and conditions so it would still have surprises. This year we went with a great group of 20 people.

On our way to Nairobi we stayed in Amsterdam for two days to help with the time adjustment. We arrived in Nairobi January 28 and overnighted at the Norfolk Hotel. In the morning we flew northwest to the Samburu Game reserve.

Reticulated Giraffe and Grevys Zebra

January 29 – what a fabulous way to spend my birthday. After the short flight in our two Cessna Caravans, we had a long game drive to Larsens Tented Camp where we spent three nights. During the morning and late afternoon drives we saw three of the four unique animals in the area: the reticulated giraffe, the Somali ostrich, and the gerenuk antelope. My birthday started with some cake for breakfast and ended with dinner on the deck along the Oaso Nyiro River and another cake with candles. The day almost seemed to last an eternity because it was packed with so many exciting things.

Anniversary lunch

January 30 was our 41^st Anniversary, which we celebrated quietly with a morning game drive. The really exciting part was a leopard spotting, as leopards are very illusive.

In the afternoon we watched a group of young Samburu dancers perform their traditional dances and the young men demonstrated their skill at jumping straight up in the air from a standing position. Their clothing and necklaces, bracelets and head-wear was very colorful.

On January 31 there were again morning and afternoon game drives. Every time we left our tent we had to be sure that all the flaps were securely zipped tight because there were many vervet monkeys around and they knew how to unzip the flaps, get inside and raise havoc.

The morning of February 1 we were sorry to leave the camp, but on the long drive back to the airstrip we finally saw the fourth unique animal, the Grevy’s zebra, with its furry ears and a white belly. A complete list of the animals we saw would be too long, but it did include elephants, common zebra, impala, Grant’s gazelle, oryx, dikdik, another leopard, lions, crocodiles and many kinds of birds.

Back in Nairobi we went directly to the home of Felix and Jane Pinto for lunch. They are the owners of Micato Safaris. We had the privilege of having dinner with them on our 2010 trip; they are lovely people. Their company, which Jane started many years ago, is still an award winning, first class safari company.

After lunch there was an opportunity to visit the Giraffe Center where the staff cares for and rehabilitates injured and orphaned giraffes. I went while Paul returned to the Norfolk. It was a fun experience feeding them and watching a long giraffe tongue come out and wrap around the small pellet I was holding.

After the night at the Norfolk we were ready to head out for our next adventure, Lake Nakuru.

 

That's it for now. Grace and Paul