12/17/2024 was entirely a free day – there were no group activities scheduled at all (although we did sit with others in the group if we happened to run into them when we ate meals). I made it a goal to take a great sunrise picture, so I woke early only to find that the clouds were too dense to see the sun at all….
12/16/2024 was a bitter-sweet day. It started with a visit to the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant and Rhino Orphanage, which is within Nairobi National Park. Elephants only eat their mother’s milk for the first two years. If for some reason the elephant becomes orphaned during this time, it cannot survive. Since 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust has been providing a haven for these elephants (and…
12/15/2024 was probably the least exciting day of the trip. We left Maasai Mara and drove back to Nairobi. We got to four wheel the same river and pay the same kid to move his stick to let us pass. The drive was boring and uneventful (except for when I overpaid for a bag plums and never heard the end of it). We did take…
Riding in hot air balloon was never on my bucket list, but when offered the opportunity to do a sunrise hot air balloon ride over the Serengeti, how can you turn it down? That is why 12/14/20204 started VERY early for Amie, myself, and several other members of our safari group. We entered the basket while it was on its side, then they tipped it…
We started the day of 12/13/2024 by checking out of the Lake Naivasha Sopa Resort and driving to our boat tour. Here are some parting pictures that I took before leaving the resort: We loaded into small boats like this: We saw lots of hippos: They are very territorial, so once they slip their heads under the water, it is best to move to a…
On 12/12/2024 our schedule got switched around. We were supposed to visit Lake Elementaita, do a boat ride on Lake Naivasha, and have the option to visit Hell’s Canyon (using the resorts drivers if we chose to). The boat ride was going to happen first but, at the last minute we changed to visit Lake Elementaita first. Lake Elementaita is called a soda lake, which…
On 12/11/2024 we checkout out of the Sweetwaters Serena Camp in Ol Pejeta and drove to Lake Naivasha. The drive was long and boring, and the first hour was entirely on unpaved roads. The drive took us through Thompson Falls, which was nice, but the vendors were so aggressive that it ensured that we did not buy anything. The previous places we had stayed were…
On 12/10/2024 we started our game drive early, for reasons which soon became clear. As any photographer knows (I am not a real photographer, but I’ve talked with a few), early light is the best light and everything just looked better. We got back at 8am to eat breakfast and to relax. At 10am we left to visit the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary (Chimpanzees are not…
12/9/2024 was the day that I was most looking forward to because we got to meet Baraka the black rhino. I’ve always had a special interest in rhinos and there is exactly one rhino in the entire world that you can get close to and pet (and live to tell the tale). Baraka is blind in both eyes and is unable to survive in the…
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…
