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