On 12/8/2024, we checked out of the Samburu Sopa Lodge and drove to the Ol Pejeta Conservancy. On the way, we stopped to visit the Samburu tribe and to learn more about their culture.

They welcomed us with a welcome dance, gave us jewelry to wear (which we later had the option to buy), and then they started explaining their culture. Some highlights are:

• They have a big circle where then men over 25 meet to discuss tribal business. Women aren’t allowed in the circle.
• The men herd the cattle and women do everything else, like raise and educate the children, prepare food, and even build their houses.
• They practice polygamy, but there haven’t been any recent marriages because the brides are bought using cattle and a severe famine hit Kenya in 2022 which killed all of their cattle.
• Their dress is amazing!

They live in houses like this:

This is their school. The children sang us the alphabet song and we were given the opportunity to donate to their school.

We then walked the gauntlet as women sold their various wares. It was a very hard sell, and some members of the safari group were overly intimidated by it (and ended up giving them lots of money to leave them alone).

I’m glad that people are able to maintain their culture, but I personally believe that not all traditions are worth keeping (but that’s purely my opinion).

The drive from the Samburu tribe to Ol Pejeta wasn’t too far, although the last 45 minutes was on a bumpy dirt road.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is 90,000 acres of private property with the primary goal of preserving the rhinoceros population.

• It has the largest number of black rhinos in Eastern Africa.
• It has 44 southern white rhinos.
• It has the last two northern white rhinos.
• They have a small army to fight poachers and utilize planes, drones, and dogs.

We took the following picture moments before arriving at camp:

We checked into the Sweetwaters Serena Camp just in time to eat lunch. We technically sleep in tents, but I wouldn’t call it “camping” because:

• The tents are huge (approximately 15′ x 30′)
• They have the largest king size beds that I’ve ever seen (about half again as wide as a normal king size).
• Each tent includes a full bathroom with a shower, toilet, running water, etc.
• Each tent has electricity and carpeting.
• There is a structure built around the tent such that no water ever hits the tent.
• They have housekeeping and do a nightly turndown service.

This was our tent:

And this is where we ate our meals:

The best part about the sweetwater camp is that it is built around a watering hole that ensures an endless parade of animals. There is a small electric fence between the watering hole and the camp to keep the wild animals out.

We didn’t have an afternoon game drive, so we spent the afternoon sitting around the camp and took the following pictures:

The camp provided the option to do a nigh time game drive, where they spotlight animals. We went, but we did not see very much (partly because the driver went too fast, the spot lighter was only able to cover about 30% of the terrain, and they wouldn’t stop or backup when I saw something). It really made me appreciate the great job that our regular drivers do. We did see the following animals, however:

The one thing I learned from the drive, however, is just how terrified the animals are of the night time (when the cats are the most active). Herds of gazelle would kneel down (not sleep) and each face a different direction keeping watch. Other animals would team up to take advantage of their relative strengths. For example, some animals have better eyesight, while others have better hearing.

I slept very well in my tent that night. It was a little cooler in the tent, which helped me sleep.

Running tally of the animals seen so far:

• Big five: 3 (Elephant, Rhinoceros, Water Buffalo)
• Ugly five: 4 (Hyena, Vulture, Marabou Stork, Warthog)