February 25, 2010

My childhood friend Mary Jane and I decided on a “Winged Safari” where we would fly to at least four of our destinations. The roads in out-of-the-way parts of Africa are unpaved and therefore uneven and rutted. This makes for a jarring ride. After boarding the plane in Chicago we flew to Frankfort, Germany, from Frankfort we flew all night and just after dawn landed in Nairobi. After passing through customs, our guide, Charles met us and accompanied us to the Norfolk Hotel. The Norfolk has been the starting point for Safaris since the days of the big-game hunters. After checking in and consuming a hearty breakfast Charles introduced us to the other four members of our group, and went over our itinerary. The balance of the day was spent sightseeing, shopping, getting acquainted with our fellow travelers and visiting the National Museum. In the evening we are invited to cocktails and dinner at the home of the Safari Company owners. The chef, twenty-five years in service with the family is renowned for his expertise in Continental, Indian and Kenyan cuisine. This is a unique opportunity for us to experience Kenyan hospitality.

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The next morning we boarded our flight to Amboseli.  Amboseli is known for its dramatic views of Mt. Kilimanjaro and easily approachable wildlife.  Amboseli is also home to the legendary Maasai tribesmen. The Maasai are tall and athletic; they live by and for their cattle. Livestock represents status wealth and livelihood to these ancient people.  The traditional Maasai food is blood, drawn from a cow’s jugular vein mixed with milk.  During our three day stay we will visit a Maasai village learning about their tribal social systems and customs.  The Maasai live today much as they have for centuries.  In the afternoon a game run is planned. Tomorrow we return to Nairobi.

After breakfast we fly back to Nairobi for two days and proceed to the Mountain Lodge Tree Hotel perched on the slopes of Mount Kenya, an extinct volcano.  The Lodge’s balcony overlooks a saltlick and waterhole which are frequented by a variety of animals including the elusive bongo and leopard. There is also an underground viewing area that gives direct access to the water hole for a close-up view of the local wildlife. The animals come so close I am tempted to tap one on the nose. 

Today we drive to Kenya’s northern frontier wild and rugged Samburu.  We will spend the next three days here.  Samburu is also one of Kenya’s most protected areas and home to species only found north of the equator, the Reticulated Giraffe, Grevy’s Zebras and Beisa Oryxes. We will be visiting the Shaba Game Reserve. The Sarova Shaba Lodge where we will be staying is situated in a tranquil oasis also famous for the crocodiles that live in the Uaso Nyiro River. I was told by our guide that some of the crocodiles grow as big as cows.  Thankfully I can not confirm the truth of that statement. Guests have the opportunity to see these reptiles from the safety of a viewing platform overlooking the river within the lodge’s grounds.  Samburu is also known as “Born Free” country. Joy and George Adamson both conservationist are best known through the movie Born Free and the best selling book with the same title which is based on the true story of Elsa the Lioness an orphaned lioness cub they raised and later release into the wild. There is a plaque at the entrance to the Shaba Game Reserve dedicated to Elsa’s memory. A morning and evening game run is scheduled for each day.

Our next stop is again in the Mount Kenya region where we will be staying at the Mount Kenya Safari Club for three days. The founding members of the Safari Club were the late actors William Holden, Clark Gable and John Wayne. William Holden loved Africa and made Kenya his home for over twenty-five years. The actress Stephanie Powers had a relationship with William Holden and following his death became President of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. Here we will be visiting a Rhino Reserve where the animals are given sanctuary from poachers.  The poachers are hunting these animals to extinction in order to sell their horns. There is a shoot to kill order on the reserve because of this so we must be back before dark.  This luxurious club has its own airstrip, golf course, bowling green, riding stables, trout streams, swimming pool, health club and sauna. Over the years the club has been a second home to many internationally renowned members and guests. Sir Winston Churchill, the Duke of Manchester, numerous American presidents and Lord Mountbatten have all enjoyed the clubs fine dining, and gracious hospitality.  Peacocks wander around the club along with many other exotic birds. Tonight we will be having dinner in the formal dining room; a jacket and tie for men and a dress for woman is required.  At the end of the evening diners are asked if this tradition of dressing for dinner should be kept or discontinued.  Unanimously everyone voted to keep the tradition alive. Tomorrow we fly to the 700 square-mile Maasai Mara Game Reserve often considered the finest game sanctuary in the country.

This morning we are on our way to the Maasai Mara for four days. We fly over the 30 mile wide scenic Great Rift Valley which stretches from Lake Baikal in Russia, through Lebanon, the Red Sea, and ultimately to Zimbabwe in southern Africa. The Mara shares a savannah with the legendary Serengeti. Below us is a country of rolling grasslands, dense thickets and groves of acacia trees.  The Mara is home to an incredible variety of wildlife. Deep forest grows along the Mara River where many hippos and crocodiles bask in the sunlight. The largest populations of Black Mane lions are found here.  Herds of elephant often block the roads. We will be sleeping under canvas tonight at the Mara Safari Club, a luxury tented camp bordered on three sides by the Mara River. Many of the tents decks offer a view of the hippos, lazily sprawled on the river bank.  Each tent has its own bathroom with flushing toilet, running hot and cold water, a shower and electric lights. Crisp bed linens cover the beds and colorful carpets are scattered on the polished floors. Game runs are scheduled for morning and evening each day.   Tomorrow we fly back to Nairobi and will visit Karen Estates and the Giraffe Centre.

After breakfast we fly back across the Great Rift Valley to Nairobi.  We are having lunch at the Grand Regency Club and will then visit Karen Estates. I am looking forward to this since it is the home of Lady Karen Blixen who, as Isak Dinesen was the author of the book Out of Africa.  The home of the owner of the Safari Company where we dined our first night in Africa is in Karen Estates which is now one of Nairobi’s most exclusive residential areas.

Karen Blixen portrayed by Meryl Streep in the movie lived in Africa from 1917 to 1931 and farmed six hundred acres of coffee.  The farm was her life. She learned to plough, picked coffee alongside the workers, tended the sick, and opened a school.  She believed that the Karen Coffee Company would one day bring wealth to all concerned.  It never did. Repeatedly the farm lost money until finally, in 1931, it was sold.  The same year, her lover, Denys Finch-Hatton (Robert Redford) was killed in a plane crash.  Thus Karen Blixen was forced to return to her homeland Denmark.  If you have never seen the movie or read the book I highly recommend both of them.

We continue on to the Giraffe Centre located on the grounds of Giraffe Manor.  This elegant two-storey manor is only eight miles from the centre of Nairobi and rest on 120 acres of forested land.  The house built in 1932 has been dedicated to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife (AFEW).  The manor is the home of the endangered Rothschild giraffes that are lovingly cared for and eventually transferred to Kenya’s National Game Reserves. Tonight we will be dining at the Nairobi Safari Club after dinner we will check in to the Norfolk Hotel to freshen up and then head to the airport for the start of our journey home.