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Written by Deborah Hudson
Deborah did a four week safari with us to Kenya in October
2005. Here is her diary from the trip, along with
some of her photographs (above and right).
All photographs © D Hudson
BACKGROUND
I promised my nephews, Will and Oliver, that as soon as they
got old enough, I would take them to this wonderful continent
that is so deeply ingrained in me. My brief to Safari Drive
was to organise a trip to include camping in the bush, animals,
tribes’ people and lots of activities for Will and Oliver
who, at 17 and 15, are much the same age as I was on my first
safari.
THE TRIP
Fifteen nights under canvas. Followed by four nights at a
luxury lodge, four nights on a camel trek and three nights
on a lake. Transfers by light aircraft kept the long drives
down to a minimum.
THE DIARY
We lost the first day owing to Nairobi Airport being closed.
It was not an auspicious start. We met Billy, our guide/driver,
and his two staff at 0630 to drive to Meru National Park.
I felt relieved that we were on our way, elated to be back
in Africa and very tired due to lack of sleep. A total eclipse
of the sun cast a ghostly quality over the landscape as we
neared the park. We camped at Chuma, (the Swahili word for
iron) an excellent, centrally located site by the river. After
a couple of days full of good animal sightings and no one
else seen on game drives, I decided to stay in this lovely
park another day.
| Highlight |
A young leopard, on the
road, in full sunlight. The best I have ever seen and
the first Billy has seen here in 7 years. |
| Lowlight |
Tsetse flies to which I am allergic.
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On to Samburu National Reserve and another great camp on
the river. A family of 9 elephant in the same glade of trees
came into camp during the night and ate the bushes round our
tents. Will and Oliver’s first close encounter from behind
canvas! Something had dragged an antelope across the road
leaving two parallel lines in the dirt from the horns. We
scouted round until we found three small dense bushes and
beneath them, in a hollow, was a lioness, her cub and the
untouched kill. Good game drives with many elephant close
to the vehicle and we avoided most of the tourist minibuses.
| Highlights |
Brilliant cheetah and
cubs. A single old bull buffalo, which crept into camp
after dark to graze on the riverbank, without any of
us seeing it! |
On to the Kipsing. An area deep in the Samburu trust lands.
Hundreds of people and thousands of goats. Also, donkeys,
cattle, shoats, sheep and camels. The best way to describe
camp was absolute chaos for four days, but it was great fun!
A term of endearment is useless blanket and the Samburu we
met are useless blankets of note.
| Highlights |
The Samburu. The massive storm as we put
up camp. An enormous puff adder 30 yards from camp. |
Our last three nights camping with Billy were at Lewa Downs,
the game conservancy. We saw black and white Rhino, elephant,
Grevi’s zebra, lion, cheetah and lots of secretary birds.
| Highlight |
Crowned cranes displaying
and pairing up. A pair of ground hornbills in camp were
nearly tame. |
| Lowlight |
Camping at 5800 ft. After the heat
of the Kipsing, it was cold and windy. |
A short flight to Loisaba and a gentle touch down took us
to this lovely, peaceful oasis for four nights of R&R.
Well that was my plan! Will and Oliver dashed from one activity
to another whilst I stalked the tauntingly elusive Hunter’s
sunbird in the garden.
| Highlights |
The Marico sunbird, a trip to the Rhino
reserve at Mugi and finding a big Leopard tortoise. |
Our camel trek started at Sabuk. We rode the camels straight
into a cloudburst. Our Samburu guides donned lightweight,
dark blue, raincoats, incongruous over their blankets. Over
the next four days we camped by the Waso river, each day moving
to a new site. The camels are real characters and you get
to know the one behind you better than the one you are riding,
as it’s head is much closer to you. Our camels had a bad day
each with Wills’ doing the double. They stop and refuse to
move for no apparent reason. The Swahili word for ‘get going’
is ‘twendi’ and we used it a lot.
| Highlights |
The camels and the river – a perpetual
playground. |
A half hour flight over the hills and down the escarpment
to Lake Baringo. A couple of miles by road and then by boat
to Samatian. This place is lovely. We spent our time here
in or on the water. Will and Oliver swimming in the pool,
lake, doing wake-boarding and canoeing and I tried to get
pictures of the six pairs of Fish eagles that live around
the lake.
| Highlights |
Fish eagles, all things watery and the
stunning scenery. |
CONCLUSION
Northern Kenya is full of wonderful people and places. It
is possible to get away from hoards of other tourists and
enjoy seeing lots of game without being surrounded by mini-buses.
Will, Oliver and I had a great safari.
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Samburu Camp no. 1 - © D Hudson
 A
gerenuk in Samburu - © D Hudson
A woman by the waterhole in Kipsing - ©
D Hudson
 An
elephant in Samburu - © D Hudson
 A
pair of cheetah in Samburu - © D Hudson
 White
rhino at Lewa - © D Hudson
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