A Family Safari in Kenya
The Adventure Continues. . .
by Vicki Chesler

The Family Adventure Travel Directory has connected with a family of four who have just returned from an around-the-world trip. On this trip were Vicki Chesler, Matt Kovner and their two children, Melissa (age 13) and Kelsey (age 10).

Africa--the word itself sends a tingle down the spine. Also known as The Cradle of Civilization or the Dark Continent, Africa evokes mystery, drama, and a world of exotic cultures and wild beasts. As it turned out, nothing I had read or seen prepared me for the raw beauty of the place: cool mountain forests, endless grassy savannahs, snow-capped mountains, and every kind of wild animal imaginable. Our two-week Kenya safari was one of the most memorable and unique travel experiences we have ever had, surpassing all of our expectations. And because we had booked our own safari guide, we had the flexibility to make changes in what would have been a much too strenuous travel schedule for our family of four.
It had taken months of research and planning to confirm our safari, which originally included both Kenya and Tanzania. Through the Kenya Tourism Office in New York City, we had found a locally-based safari operator in Nairobi, who could put together a customized trip at a much more reasonable cost than the pre-packaged safaris I had read about. My husband and I and our two daughters, aged 10 and 13, would be met at the airport in Nairobi, and escorted by our own guide in a private safari van (a spacious vehicle with a pop-up roof for game viewing) for the whole two-week trip.
Our safari began with a visit to Mount Kenya, several hours north of Nairobi, in the cool forests of the mountain foothills. Camouflaged in green wood and set among the trees at 7,200 feet in the lee of Mount Kenya, which rises to over 17,000 feet, the Mountain Lodge is a game-viewing sanctuary. We were welcomed by a staff of ten and ushered into the lobby where a picture window overlooks the lodge’s protected water hole. It was filled with water bucks, the males with horns sticking up about 18" or more. As we watched, water buffalo arrived, the elders sporting horns that traversed their foreheads and curled upwards like huge flip hairdos. We went downstairs and walked through the underground tunnel, which opens into a small viewing room where you can peer out at ground level through open barred windows and view the animals from a few yards away. A group of bush pigs arrived and ran after each other in circles. A huge maribou stork settled on the limb of a nearby tree. Playful monkeys jumped onto the balcony of our room and peered in our windows, grabbing at the louvered glass to try and find their way in.
We were thoroughly enchanted from the first day, and none of our ports of call disappointed us. After a night at the Mountain Lodge, we drove to Lake Nakuru, dodging our way for hours over a maze of rutted dirt roads. Along the shores of the lake, which lies tucked into a lush green valley, thousands of flamingoes painted a pink wash across the sand. On our way to the beautiful Lake Nakuru Lodge, we saw zebras, giraffes, white rhinos, impalas, water bucks, water buffalo, monkeys, baboons, and all kinds of colorful birds. It was awesome.
The lodge’s dining room features a big outdoor verandah, which overlooks rolling green meadows, acacia forests and hills, while off in the distance lie the rock cliffs of the Great Rift Valley. Antelope, impala, and baboons graze on the meadow, and one morning we saw lions sleeping in the distance. The setting is absolutely spectacular.
After one night at the lodge, we headed off to the Masai Mara, on the southern border of Kenya. But even before we reached our tented camp, we were quite sure that we’d planned more driving than we would be comfortable with. We left Lake Nakuru after breakfast, and when we stopped at noon, we were only about half way. My liaison at the Tourism Office had given me driving time estimates, but they were half what the trips from one game reserve to the next were actually taking us. What might take an hour in the United States could be a bumpy four-hour drive in Kenya, where there are few paved roads. We decided to sit down with our driver and make some alterations to the itinerary.
At the Masai Mara game preserve we checked into the Mara Sarova Tented Camp, a beautifully landscaped safari lodge, which holds up to 200 guests. The property is centered around a swimming pool and large dining room, and the rooms are cozy and quiet "tents," fully furnished with canvas roofs, attached bathrooms, and comfortable beds--a quintessential Kenya safari experience! Our afternoon game drive revealed, among other things, an ostrich and three cheetahs playing in the grass. The ostrich was incredible. He was so huge and regal, and capable of running up to 50 MPH.
After dinner that night, we sat down with our driver, Bundi, who had become a trusted friend and great companion, and studied the map of Kenya and adjacent Tanzania. We didn’t want to miss out on seeing Mount Kilamanjaro, and we had planned to travel down to the Ngorongoro Crater and Lake Manyara in Tanzania. But each leg of the trip would take five hours or more, and we knew that was too much travelling for our family. Instead, we decided to stay for two nights at the Masai Mara, then visit Elsamere, former home of Joy Adamson, of Born Free fame, and then drive south to Tsavo West and Amboseli where we could see Mount Kilamanjaro before heading back to Nairobi for our last night.
One of the wonderful things about the Masai Mara, in addition to the endless sweeping savannah, the lions hiding in the grass, and the pool where dozens of hippopotamus spend their days, is that it offers the opportunity to visit a Masai village. The Masai people are one of the few tribes in Kenya that have maintained their traditional way of life. These nomadic herdsmen wear blankets in a variety of red plaid patterns, draped over their shoulders, usually belted, and carry a sword and a stick. Many wear colorful beads around their necks, their legs, or hanging through elongated earlobes. The houses are framed with olivewood sticks and covered over with cow dung mixed with mud and water. Each village is surrounded by a stick fence to keep the lions out, and to protect the cows and the community at night.
Elsamere, which we had learned about from some fellow intrepid travellers that we met on our way to the Masai Mara, turned out to be a wonderful addition to our itinerary. The lodge and conservation center overlooks Lake Naivasha, which is home to thousands of beautiful birds as well as several herds of hippos. Afternoon tea is served on the spacious lawn under trees filled with colobus monkeys. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are served family style, offering a wonderful opportunity to get to know your hosts and the interesting and varied guests. But the biggest excitement of the day came when it was time to return to our cabins for the night. We had been warned not to walk around outside alone after dark because the hippos, which are very territorial (and weigh two tons!), graze on the lawn. We found our way blocked by several Volkswagen-sized hippos chomping away and had to wait with the guard until they sauntered off into the woods. Then we made a dash for it, and all night long we could hear them not ten feet from our room chewing away and snorting. What an experience!
By the time we reached Tsavo West, we had seen pretty much every African animal we could have hoped to see. The Kilaguni Lodge was beautiful and the views of Kilamanjaro breathtaking. We stayed for two nights, going on dawn and dusk game drives, enjoying the pool, and watching the buffalo herd come and go at the lodge’s watering hole. We also saw baboons, marabou storks, a jackal, a jennet cat, lots of antelope, waterbuck, birds, and zebras from the spacious dining room and verandah.
The drive from Tsavo West to Amboseli offered beautiful views of Kilamanjaro--huge and snow-capped, just like in the pictures, rising more than 17,000 feet above the plains--and took us across dreadfully bumpy and dusty roads, which filled the van with red dust and covered everything, including our clothes. We also passed a huge black lava flow and drove through many Masai villages of dung huts with grass roofs, with red-cloaked warriors and little children herding cattle and goats. As we entered Amboseli, our ten-year-old daughter spotted a lioness sleeping in the grass. During our evening game drive we went back to find her yawning and stretching and getting ready for the twilight hunt. The Amboseli Serena Lodge featured lovely landscaping and a beautiful pool with playful monkeys swinging in the trees--perfect for a hot afternoon.
After a night at Amboseli we drove back to Nairobi for our last night and a farewell dinner with our safari hosts. Our two-weeks in Kenya had been a remarkable adventure, and had opened our eyes to the amazing abundance of wildlife that still inhabits this pristine land. We certainly hope to return one day to continue on and reach those destinations that were too much for this trip. Next time, we’ll know more about the distances and driving conditions, but once again we’ll be sure to plan to have our own guide and vehicle to allow us the flexibility and personal attention that we enjoyed on this amazing journey.
Ms. Chesler has just returned from a nine-month round-the-world trip with her husband and two daughters.