Saturday, October 5th 2002

Day 3: Masai Mara National Reserve

As I mentioned in my post about day 2, the alarm went off at 5:15. It was quite early, but it was (again) totally worth it.

Our first game drive started this day at 6:30. As soon as the sun is up, the park is open for it’s visitors from all over the world. So we went out again, under guidance of our perfect guide Gideon, looking for the big 5!

The first thing we saw wasn’t an animal, it was a tree. A sausage tree. The sausages are not eatable though!

We went on looking for the wild life. We found female lions (where were the males?) first.

Friday, October 4th 2002

Day 2: travel from Nairobi to the Masai Mara National Reserve

We got up very early and took a shower. After that, we packed our bags and went to have some breakfast. Breakfast was at 6:00, so quite early. But we had to get used to it, because the morning game drives are early too!

 

 

At 7:35 the real safari began! We were on our way from Nairobi to our first big park, the Masai Mara National Reserve.

We passed the Rift Valley, well, a small part of it.

 

When we were on our way, it was a bumpy ride. The roads in and just around Nairobi were do-able (though I really had to get used to the Kenyans driving on the “wrong side” of the road). But further along the ride, the holes in the road were sometimes so big, everyone was driving besides the real road…

Thursday, October 3rd 2002

Day 1: travel from the Netherlands to Nairobi, Kenya.

The first day started very early. We took the 6:50 am train to be at Schiphol Airport (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) in time. Our plain (see picture) was supposed to leave at 11 am. We had a KLM flight (KL 565), which meant, we could travel by train to Schiphol for free (back then, the NS had an agreement with KLM: you fly with KLM, you travel to Schiphol for free with the train).

This was the journey we were about to begin

We arrived packed and ready to go at Schiphol at 8:25. Time to check in and get something to eat. We had to start our Malaria tablets this morning, so we needed some food and drinks.

Our flight took off from gate E7, where we could board from 10:00.

 

 

 

A nice view on the mountains and their (ever lasting?) snow. We’re still above Europe here.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re out of European air space, since this is the African coast line.

 

 

 

After the arrival at Nairobi, we had to pick up our bags and meet our guides and other travelers. We were brought to our (very luxurious) hotel, on the outer brim of Nairobi.

A lot of us took a quick bath or shower and met up in the bar downstairs to get acquainted. But not for too long, because we had to be up and ready at 7:30 am next morning to head for the Masai Mara National Reserve. Which meant, get up at 6, dress up, eat breakfast, get your stuff and try to get all of it in the minibus.

Kenya 2002

Back in October 2002, George and I travelled to Kenya for a week of safari’s and 11 days all-inclusive at the beach in Mombasa. I have tried to create a nice website about it, and after 8,5 years, it’s still not done. So I decided I would dedicate a part of my blog site to it. And that is where you are now: the beginning of a journey through Kenya.

We started in Nairobi. From there we travelled to the Masai Mara National Reserve. From there we went to Lake Nakuru National Park. Then all the way to Amboseli National Park, with a lunch break in Nairobi at the Carnivore. From Amboseli we went to our last park, Tsavo. In Tsavo, our safari came to an end and we were brought to our final destination in Mombasa.

Please be patient with me concerning the speed of the updates here (well, updates… after so many years I could just call it blog posts). It already took me 8,5 years so…

Amboseli from the air