James Family Trip to Kenya

Naboisho Conservency, Maasai Mara, Kenya

We flew to the Maasai Mara on a beautify sunny Tuesday morning. It was nice and smooth and we landed just in time short a short game drive on the way to our camp. Naboisho is a conservancy that was created by 500 Maasi tribal families to preserve nature and wildlife. They moved all of their villages outside of the area but are still allowed to graze cattle if they like. We saw more herd animals and saw our first Wildebeest of the trip. Such funny looking animals. They look like God had a bunch of part left over and just stuck them all together. We arrived at Naboisho Camp and settled into our “tent” It really was unlike our other accommodations and more like a tent; however, we had both indoor and outdoor showers, hot and cold running water, electricity and all the modern day facilities. Bret even had his own side tent.

First Game Drive — 1.36225S, 35.28416W

Tuesday afternoon we set out on our first ever Mara game drive. The terrain is much different than Samburu and Lewa, much more like what I had envisioned Kenya to be like. It threatened rain which was much needed due to the severe drought. We saw a really large herd of Bat Eared Fox, Cape Buffalo, Jackels and LIONS.

Second Game Drive — 1.36225S, 35.28416W

Sunrise on the Mara!

We were greeted with the amazing sunrise on Wednesday morning. The photograph doesn’t do it justice. More lion cubs and lioness post hunt. The lower images show them gnawing on a zebra skull and bones. The crunching was a little unnerving. The just ignored us, it was very weird being so close to them and hearing their soft grunts and snarls when someone stuck a toe out of line. No males in this bunch this morning, probably sleeping off a zebra coma in the brush.

On our way to our bush breakfast we saw several Maasai giraffe grazing in the trees. Its so funny that you see one and the next thing you know there are 5 or 6. in the same area.

The strange thing about hippopotami is that you smell them before you can really see them.

Lyle, Lyl … no Nile Nile Crocodile. Big ones!

Bird life is abundant too. In front of the crocs is an Egyptian Goose, African Fish Eagle and Marabou Stork.

One of the highlights of our morning drive was to see a newborn Wildebeest. It was just getting up on its legs when we found it. It jumped around and had a little fun before he settled in to nurse. The afterbirth was still attached to mom. Nearly all Wildebeest calves are born at the same time of the year. Hope you make it little one.

More to come!

Lewa Conservancy, Meru, Kenya

Early this Sunday morning, we flew from Sasaab to our next port of call which was Lewa Wilderness. We had a private chartered small 6 seater Cessna and I got to sit next to the pilot for the trip. I hadn’t been in a plane that small since I went flying with my Dad when I was about 6 years old and it was so much fun. We flew about 10000 feet above the earth and the flight was relatively smooth and you could see how the terrain changed below us. Our pilot was Leon and he did an excellent job during the short 20 minute flight.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by Karamoosh(Moosh) the manager of the lodge and our driver Emmanuel, we had a game drive on the way back to Lewa Wilderness for lunch. Lewa is a sanctuary for Rhinoceros and a blending of other species between the Mara and Samburu. We started seeing different species not far from the air trip. We saw Waterbuck and Impala which are fairly ubiquitous in both areas. We got to see our first Common zebra, this species differs from the Grevy’s zebra in the distance between their stripes and the size of their ears. I have a side by side where you can see the differences. We again saw Reticulated giraffe, African crowned cranes and our first sighting of a rhino. There were Sacred Ibis, which have been found mummified in Egyptian tombs and we encountered a migratory flock of Tawny eagles. There were at least 100 of them circling and landing in a small dry pond. Tawny eagles migrate from the steppes of Russia to the continent of Africa. We also saw a small herd of African or Cape buffalo. We later learned that a large part of the herd had been lost due to the extreme drought.

Lewa Wilderness is a much different feel from Sasaab. Everything is very green and the lodge is the Craig family home with cottages built around the perimeter. The cottage we had looked out onto a beautiful garden with a nice flat lawn. We then had a wonderful lunch which was served more family style and then back to our cottage for a little rest and regroup before our next game drive.

First Game Drive — 0°12’00.0″N 37°25’00.0″E

There was a lot to see this afternoon as the terrain was was different from where we left this morning. It really began to sink in how marvelous God’s world is and the way it all works together. All of the animals have their purpose and it all seems to balance out. We saw large herds of zebra, some giraffe and more elephants. We topped off the day with our first encounter with some White Rhinoceros. They aren’t really white but when English speakers heard Afrikaans speakers call them WIDE Rhino because of their mouth they thought they were saying “white” and the name stuck. They really are just gigantic lawn mowers and the largest of the two species of rhino we would see. We then worked our way back to our lodgings where we were welcomed by a warm fire in our cottage and a wonderful dinner together with other guests from around the world. We had Americans, Argentinians, British and of course Kenyans all at the same table.

Second Game Drive — 0°12’00.0″N 37°25’00.0″E

Woke up to another crystal clear morning with an awesome view of Mount Kenya. It is an extinct volcano and many of the ridges and and hills around Lewa are ancient lava flows. We tracked another leopard this morning and Andrew and I got a glimpse of it as it jumped from a tree. They really are illusive animals. We also got to have one of our first encounters with a Spotted hyena. Disney has really given them a bad rap and they are really an important part of the overall ecosystem. We got treated to our first Lewa lions and Black Rhino. Typically White and Black rhino don’t hang out together but we had some that were sort of being confrontational with each other. Had a bush breakfast in the midst of a troop of Baboons and saw many more herd animals.

Third Game Drive — 0°12’00.0″N 37°25’00.0″E

We tried to track our Leopard again without success. This afternoon we went to the Lewa Conservancy operations center and learned how the conservancy is operated and the measures that are taken to monitor and preserve the rhino. On our way back to Lewa Wilderness we encountered a den of Spotted hyena, they had lots of cubs and were pretty cute. The darker the cub, the younger it is.

The next morning it was time to say goodbye to Lewa. It was so much different from Samburu and really was a mixture of the two. Our driver Emmanuel was top notch and our hosts Moosh and Natalie made us feel most welcome and took care of our every need. Off to the Maasai Mara our final stop.

Kiambethu Tea Farm

Tea is one of Kenya’s main exports. Visited a tea farm today and learned how it is grown, manufactured, and brought to market. They pick the top 3 leaves off the plant every 2-4 weeks. The workers are paid off of the weight at the farm and the farmer is paid by the weight at the factory. It then goes through a drying and oxidizing process to turn it into something you can drink. Ms. Fiona the owner’s grandfather, came from England in the colonial period and was instrumental in starting the tea industry in Kenya.

Limuru Children’s Centre

No amazing pictures just yet. Today we went to an orphanage here in Tigoni, Kenya. We spent time holding the smallest babies of which there are 15. They were so sweet and the workers there obviously loved on them as well. No pictures allowed inside but we saw the living areas for the older children ranging in age from 4-18. The on-site Mom showed us around and we brought small gifts for the workers. We also brought crayons, markers, paint, and sketch pads for the older children and bubbles and a bubble machine for the younger ones. The biggest blessing though was getting our hearts stolen by the littlest and most vulnerable ones.

Tonight we were privileged to have dinner at the home of the Conway’s. They have been in the mission field in Kenya for many years. We enjoyed their stories and the company. Their son is a safari outfitter and will be guiding us on that part of our trip.