If you have a passion for both animals and traveling, your dream can most definitely come true with an African Safari to Kenya. This incredible country in eastern Africa is considered the best place on earth for wildlife safaris. In fact, the very word 'safari' comes from Kenya. It's Swahili for journey. And what a journey it is.
Upon arrival in bustling Nairobi, promptly head out of the city and into the surrounding countryside. Before long you'll be rolling along beside landscapes that look just like what you might imagine. Golden savannah dotted with acacia trees meeting the pure bliss sky along an endless horizon. You will be giddy with delight at your first sight of wildlife. Herds of zebras everywhere in a dizzying mix of stripes. You might also see graceful impalas and gazelles prancing swiftly across the plains. And then you say to yourself 'This is it,' 'I'm really here.'
If you're going to Kenya in search of wildlife, your best bet is to take a game drive through one of the national parks or reserves. These tours and led by experienced professionals who know the lay of the land and the best times and places for spotting the various animals. Most visitors come with hopes of seeing the 'Big Five': elephant, rhino, lion, buffalo, and leopard. The elusive leopard spends most of the daylight hours napping in the branches of the sparse trees.
A game drive in Amboseli National Park, where the landscape is dominated by the dusty-purple silhouette of Mt. Kilimanjaro, is, in a word, 'exceptional.' Start in the early morning hours in a rustic, open-air jeep that redefines your notion of a 'bumpy ride.' With butterflies in your stomach and your camera poised, hold on to the roll bar as you will be bumbling across the plains with excitement.
The animals you are most likely to come upon are giraffes. Forget the camera and sit open ' mouthed, staring in awe at the leggy creatures, so graceful and strange with their gorgeous spots and black tongues. Like most people, you've probably seen giraffes at the zoo many times before but it is a completely different experience to see these animals in the wild, unfettered by fences or human interaction. Your next discovery, a sizable herd of elephants, ambling along together, eating and enjoying their day. You are able to drive close enough to see the dust on their weathered hides. Their massive size and seemingly gentle disposition is nonetheless incredible.
Take a game drive through the vast Masai Mara, an extension of the famous Serengeti Plain that is home to the best game viewing in all of Kenya. This is due in part to its position along the path of the great annual wildebeest migration. The season to witness this amazing spectacle passes here between July and October.
One of the interesting features of this reserve are the large termite mounds that dot the landscape, some as tall as four feet, which serve as perfect perches for cheetahs and other animals scanning for prey. You'll be delighted to see tubby black rhino grazing lazily. A special treat considering their endangered status. But your most thrilling moment of all might be when you come upon a pride of lions. Spot them lounging in the tall grasses and drive with your guide remarkably close to them. They must be accustomed to this because they wholeheartedly will ignore you and continue their lazy sunbathing, looking like majestic overgrown house cats.
As awe-inspiring as the lions are, however, nothing will make an impact on you as the Sweetwater's Chimp Sanctuary. Chimpanzees aren't indigenous to Kenya, but this facility takes in injured and orphaned chimps that have been victimized by logging and poaching in other parts of Africa. At the sanctuary they are cared for and taught to fend for themselves in an environment that closely resembles their natural habitat. Visitors can observe the adorable chimps by boat on the Uwasi Nyiro River, which flows through the sanctuary. It is so touching to see these incredible human-like animals interacting with each other and enjoying their new home.
You should also consider visiting spectacular Lake Nakuru, the famous 'soda lake' where as many as two million flamingos gather. It is absolutely mind-boggling to see so many of these beautiful and delicate creatures in one place. The wiggling sea of pink will provide you with some of the most beautiful photographs of your trip.
Of course, Kenya isn't just wilderness and wildlife. It's also home to some of the world's most interesting tribal cultures. Do not miss the opportunity to meet and learn from these warm, wonderful people. During your visit be sure to see Turkana dances performed by tea-pickers in Subukia, chat with a Masai warrior in Knysna, and make priceless memories interacting and trading with local villagers. You will never forget the smiles of the Masai children, swathed in their ruby-colored robes and rainbow of beaded jewelry. It is these and countless other experience that will cause you to look back on your time in Kenya as not merely a vacation but as a journey toward deeper understanding of your place in this great big world of ours.
