I awoke on the first day of the safari (12/6/2024) feeling sick as a dog and I had no idea how I’d manage to drive in a vehicle all day – I actually contemplated skipping the safari altogether. Fortunately, my body naturally (and violently) expelled most of my intestinal contents and with the help of Imodium, I felt well enough to risk the ride. I sat in the front seat and spent most of the ride in a sleepy haze.

The drive is just over 200 miles, but it took around 7 hours due to traffic, bathroom breaks, and poor road conditions.

The last 45 minutes was entirely on unpaved roads. I do not remember much about the drive until we saw our first ostrich. I must have seen ostriches at the zoo, but seeing one next to the land cruiser made me realize that it was around 9’ tell and looked nothing short of a murder machine (I later learned that they can kill a lion with a single kick).

When we arrived at the Samburu Sopa Lodge, I was feeling a little better, but still sick enough that I skipped the afternoon game drive. Instead, I slept for 14 hours straight.

The Samburu Sopa lodge is interesting. It is in the middle of the bush, with no walls or barriers to keep the wildlife out. The public areas are entirely open air, so theoretically you can be attacked by wild animals while eating at the buffet. Apparently, the human activity keeps the predators away during the day and the lights keep them away at night. But they shut off the generators between 1am and 5:30am, so you should not leave your cabin during that time.  On our first night, a lion attacked a baby elephant between two cabins, but it was chased off by security (I should mention that security people at these lodges carry no guns, so I hope that they are paid well).