This is a continuation from Safari to Kenya – A Day at the Masai Mara where we visited the famed Reserve while staying at Porini Cheetah Camp on Sunday, March 13. It is also the last post in the series of 11 posts on our Kenyan Safari.
Recap: On Sunday, March 13, we spent the day in the Masai Mara National Reserve. We had experienced the majesty of the African Savanna, one of the last remaining major grasslands on the planet. We had a great sighting of a Leopard, the last of the Big Five that had remained elusive till then, and we had seen Lions, Elephants and Buffalos, in fact all the Big Five except the Rhino.
Ol Kinyei and Naboisho Conservancies – The morning (Monday, March 14)
We woke around 0600 and were off on our final Morning Game Drive by 0620. The plan was to spend most of the morning in Naboisho Conservancy. Between about 0630 and 0700 we were treated to another breathtaking sunrise. Soon we spotted an adult female Elephant, with younger Elephants of varying ages, all out on their morning graze. Right after that, we saw a Giraffe and then, another set of Elephants with another baby. This one struggled to keep up with its mom as the herd moved over the grassland. As we approached the border of Ol Kinyei with Naboisho, we saw a Dik Dik that peered at us curiously; then a Hyena sniffing the ground for some reason known only to itself. Right near the airstrip in Naboisho Conservancy, we spotted another 4×4, a rarity for us in this area – both Ol Kinyei and Naboisho Conservancies had very few visitors.
A little after that, we spotted a few lion cubs. A couple of these rested while the others played in the bushes. A Lioness from the pride, a cub near her, watched indulgently over them under the shade of a bush. We drove on and passed a family of Pumba and then came upon the same Hippo pool we had seen a couple of days earlier. The weaver birds were back in force, chittering away while building their nests. The Hippos, probably back from a night of browsing, lounged in the pool.
We stopped for breakfast, another affair with fresh fruit and the ever-present baked beans. I like Baked Beans but not as often (which is to say daily) as Kenyans seem to eat it! We set off again, soon spotting a small herd of Buffalo, one of which had a small bird sitting on its head that seemed to be pecking at the corner of the Buffalo’s eye! Phillip explained that the bird, a Yellow-billed Oxpecker, hitched rides on Buffalos to eat insects. In turn, the Buffaloes received free eye and ear-cleaning services, a perfect symbiotic relationship! After another 20 or so minutes of driving, we spotted another pride of lions, four cubs this time, on grass plain. Two of these were gnawing on what appeared to us to be the remnants of a Wildebeest’s horns right where it attaches to the skull! One of them stared intently at a herd of Gazelles in the distance, likely not hungry but just curious. In another direction, a pair of Pumbas watched the pride before walking away.
We drove off again, headed back to Ol Kinyei. On Naboisho, about a half-mile from Ol Kinyei, we spotted a large herd of domestic cattle perhaps numbering 300. These were being escorted by four Masai men with walking sticks. Phillip said that Naboisho allowed these herds on their land in specific areas. In this case, there was a small village on the Conservancy border and the villagers used this land some of the time to graze their cattle.
Close to the cattle, we spotted a large herd of Eland and then a hyena which slunk away in alarm when it spotted the cattle heading right for it. Soon we were back at the Naboisho Airstrip and watched a plane come into land while a man on a motorbike cleared the airstrip of animals. We then spotted a Juvenile Augur Buzzard atop a tree. It flew away as we approached. Back on Ol Kinyei, we drove past a herd of Zebra and then spotted a pair of Masai Ostriches, a female and a male.
Shortly after that we reached Camp, thus ending our last Morning Game Drive. We repaired to our tent, freshened up and relaxed till about 1pm. Nirmalya and Jui joined us for lunch and we enjoyed a good meal and pleasant conversation. After a cup of tea to wind up lunch, Iris picked up some magazines to read from the lounge tent, and we went back to our tent to relax.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy – The evening (Monday, March 14)
About 4pm that evening I headed back to the Lounge Tent. Iris was tired from many days of morning and evening game drives – she had held up remarkably well for someone prone to heat exhaustion and a marked aversion to direct sunlight. The sky was overcast. We had debated what to do and had decided to go for a later Evening Game Drive than usual. As it turned out, it began to rain for the first time on our entire trip. We knew instantly that it would be very hard to navigate the tracks in the Conservancy despite the 4×4. Numerous areas would have turned to mud, and fording some of the streams would have become quite difficult. The rain didn’t last long – perhaps a half hour. After chatting with Phillip and Joel, we decided to drive a few minutes from camp to an elevated area where we could enjoy our last sundowner, minus the actual sunset since it was cloudy! We did just that, spotting a few monkeys and the usual herds of Impala, Wildebeest and Zebra.
Back at Camp, we went for a leisurely camp shower (well, 5 minutes’ worth!) and then to dinner. At dinner we chatted with Nirmalya and Jui and decided to hike up the White Rock formation the next morning before sunrise. We met the newly arrived Camp guests from the UK, both in their seventies. They were old Kenya hands having lived here before Kenya attained Independence! It was interesting to hear about their experiences on past Safaris and their time in Kenya before Independence, though this was a brief conversation. We then headed back to our tent and went straight to bed for our last night in Camp after Iris’ usual cup of tea.
Ol Kinyei Conservancy – The morning (Tuesday, March 15)
We were up early again. One of the Masai staff brought over coffee, tea, and a jug of hot water for washing up. I was ready before Iris and, camera in hand, walked over to the firepit. Just as I reached the firepit, I heard many alarm calls from monkeys and from Impala. I looked around but didn’t see much as it was still quite dark. I asked Edward what it was, and he said that the alarm calls indicated that there was probably a leopard around, very likely on the White Rock formation that we were about to climb within the next 30 minutes! Well, that was exciting! Soon, Iris came over and Phillip and Joel, Iris and I walked back to our tent. Apparently, that was the way up the formation. By about 6:30am, the alarm calls had subsided, and we began the climb. The climb itself was easy with plenty of room. Thankfully, the rocks were not wet and slippery from the rain the prior evening. Soon we were about 50 feet up looking down on our tent. Another 10 minutes and we were almost at the top and could see the entire camp. Just then, Phillip said, “Leopard kill!”. We looked and sure enough, off to our right was the remains of a baby impala. Clearly, the leopard had stalked and killed the poor creature and then dragged it up the formation to get a peaceful meal. We had disturbed it and the leopard had fled but was probably not too far away. I asked Phillip if we should leave so that the leopard could finish its meal, but he said that it was fine to go up. We were planning on about a half hour atop the formation post which the leopard could restart its interrupted breakfast! A minute later, we had reached the top of the White Rock formation.
What a view! We could see the entire camp below us. Further out, beyond the trees that grew next to the stream that bordered the camp, we could see patches of grassland all the way to the hills bordering the Conservancy. The sun was on the verge of peeking over the hills, and it looked to be another breathtaking event.
We walked around the hilltop and took some pictures. After 10 minutes, the sun was visible, and I took some photos of the sunrise. On the eastern side of the hilltop, we spotted our Rock Hyrax. It looked like an overgrown squirrel.
Phillip said we should get going; so, we regretfully retraced our steps down the formation back to our tent, hoping to see the leopard. Predictably, it was nowhere to be seen which, from its perspective, was the most prudent thing it could have done!
Soon we were back at ground level and Phillip guided us to the back of the camp beyond the manager’s tent. Here we saw a bunch of solar powered lanterns ready to be charged, then the owner, manager and staff quarters and a large array of solar panels which was the main power source for the camp. We walked out the back entrance to camp past another vehicle that was Jui and Nirmalya’s personal vehicle.
Once outside Camp, we found ourselves in a large flat space. Joel said that the staff sometimes played football there! It was certainly large enough but clearly many animals crossed over it as I could see Elephant, Wildebeest, and Impala droppings – having had a lesson on identifying these back in the Porini Amboseli Camp.
We went down the track that led away from Camp while Phillip educated Iris and me on the plants we could see. He then asked us if we would like to try a wild carrot to which we said “Of course!”. So, he pulled on a plant with some pink flowers that sure enough had a root that looked very much like a carrot. However, it was brown more than orange colored. He then used his machete to clean it off and skin it. Iris and I both tried it. It was quite tasteless and not sweet. Part of how we breed carrots for human consumption, I suppose.
After a half hour of walking around, we turned to head back to camp. A brisk 10-minute walk brought us back to the back entrance and, with that, our final safari in Kenya came to an end. We went back to our tent to pack up before breakfast – we were to depart camp for Naboisho airstrip at 9:30am – as it was already 0745. Since most of our luggage was in Nairobi, this proved easy, and our Duffel bags were all packed in 15 minutes. We then headed to the Dining tent for our last breakfast at Porini Cheetah Camp.
Breakfast was even better at camp than the Bush breakfasts of the past few days. Replete with fresh fruit and a wonderful cup of coffee, I sat down to make my entry into the guestbook for Camp while Iris went back to the tent to do some last-minute packing. Afterwards, I chatted with Nirmalya to ensure I could give the staff a good tip – being short of cash, I arranged to pick up cash at an ATM at Wilson Airport in Nairobi and to give it to the Gamewatchers person managing our transfer; meanwhile Nirmalya would give the staff the agreed upon amount. With that critical detail worked out, I breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the tent to check on Iris. By 0925 we were ready to go. We went back to the Manager’s tent and managed to get a photo of us with Jui and Nirmalya.
We then walked over to the front entrance, and I looked back at Camp one last time (at least in 2022!). We said Goodbye and Thank You to Edward, Kevin and the other staff members gathered there. Phillip and Joel were waiting, and we hopped on.
Joel started the vehicle, except it didn’t! He tried again; no luck!! Clearly, something had been left running and the battery had drained. Nirmalya called for more help and then about 10 or so of the staff pushed the vehicle (and us – they told us to stay on) till the engine started up. Clearly, Porini Cheetah Camp didn’t want us to leave as much as we didn’t want to leave! After some last waves to the team, I looked at Joel and said – don’t for heavens sake turn it off until we get to the airstrip. He grinned in his usual nonchalant manner, and we bumped over the by now familiar dirt track towards Naboisho.
On the way to the airstrip, we saw our usual contingent of Wildebeest, Impala, Zebra etc. As we left Ol Kinyei, I took a photo of the sign bidding us Goodbye, with a sudden catch in my throat. The Conservancy and the Camp had become our home-away-from-home over the last few days.
Of course, Joel had to turn off the vehicle while we stopped to see a chameleon on a rock! He even gave me a glance while he did it. Typical!! I kept my cool, looked at the chameleon and then prayed silently as he turned the key. Thankfully, the engine caught immediately, and we were off again to Naboisho airstrip.
We reached Naboisho airstrip by 10.30am, which was well in time for our 11.00am flight.
We saw two other 4x4s parked under the shed beside the airstrip. In one of them was Kaitlyn and her mom Kyle (we had met them at Amboseli)! We said “Hello!” and chatted with them. A few minutes later, another pair of 4x4s arrived. I tipped Phillip and Joel and thanked them profusely for the wonderful experience we had had over the past few days. Iris gave them a gift too. A Safari Link plane came into land and then taxied back from the end of the runway close to our parking area. Another plane came into land, and I started to get worried about getting on the right plane (I can be silly like that)! Thankfully, it was some other airline. Phillip dropped off our bags at our plane and after saying goodbye to Joel, we walked over. The pilot checked off our names on his iPad (nothing to worry!) and we boarded. Around 11.10am, he set off for the end of the runway and then accelerated quickly down the strip while I watched the parking area. We were airborne shortly thereafter, and I looked down trying to spot Camp unsuccessfully. It wasn’t a long flight, maybe an hour. We passed over a part of the Great Rift Valley and farmland and I looked out the window, always fun in a small plane that doesn’t go much over 20,000 feet.
Back in Nairobi (Tuesday, March 15)
Soon we could see the skyscrapers of Nairobi and came into land on the runway at Wilson Airport. We taxied to the terminal building and disembarked. A lady from Safari Link came over and escorted us to Arrivals. Our bags followed us in a large cart.
At the building, we picked up our bags and I walked out looking for an ATM (I had to withdraw cash for the staff back at Porini Cheetah Camp). As I was looking for the ATM, a rotund man came up to me with a Gamewatchers board. Clearly, he was part of the Transfer team. I said “Hello!” and he walked Iris and me to the vehicle waiting for us under a tree. Here we were reunited with our bags that David had taken from Porini Cheetah camp to Nairobi four days prior! The rotund gentleman then walked with me to an ATM which unfortunately refused to dispense any cash! We chatted a bit and agreed to go over to a mall where I could withdraw the cash and hand it to the driver.
A minute or two later, a man arrived with a medical bag at our vehicle. This was for our Covid test. He pulled out the usual paraphernalia for the test. Iris went first and me next. He promised to get the results to us through Gamewatchers by the next morning – our flight back home was the next evening.
We then said goodbye to the rotund gentleman and settled in for the ride to the mall where I would hopefully be able to withdraw cash. On the way to the mall, in chatting with the driver, whose name I unfortunately don’t remember, he suggested we stop off on a souvenir shop on the way. We had originally planned to shop later, but the use of the vehicle made this far more convenient. So, we stopped off at the interestingly named Love Birds Community Gift Shop! There, we purchased gifts for friends and relatives, some T-Shirts, and some curios for back home. It was a nice little place. We bargained and were able to bring down the price by about 40-50%.
We then drove to the mall we had been to on day 1 (March 4) and I was finally able to withdraw cash. I handed most of this over to the driver and texted Nirmalya. That obligation fulfilled, our driver drove us to the Eka Hotel. After passing through a metal detector (these are ubiquitous in Nairobi malls and hotels), we checked in. Our driver came with us and helped us through the formalities. By now, it was past 2pm and we were famished! There was a restaurant right off the lobby with a buffet. So, having dropped off our luggage in the room, we headed back down and got ourselves a table. There was a varied buffet with salads, Kenyan, Indian, and Continental food and a table stacked with a variety of desserts. I washed my lunch down with a glass of some orange soda. We then headed back up to relax for the afternoon.
After a nap, we woke around 5pm. I walked down to the little coffee shop off the lobby and picked up some tea for Iris and a welcome cup of coffee. After signing for it, I went back up. Iris and I chatted a little bit in the room and then decided to see to unpacking (we weren’t comfortable checking in the duffel bags, unsure if they’d make it in one piece through the airline baggage systems, owing to their flimsiness). We also decided to get Pizza for dinner!
Around 7pm we ordered Pizza from the local Dominos which happened to be in the Nextgen mall, right next to our hotel. Strangely, it took a while for them to deliver but turned out to be delicious and just what we needed after many days of rich dinners. Satisfied, we turned in early to bed.
Nairobi (Wednesday, March 16)
After a good nights’ sleep, I woke early around 0615. Iris was up shortly thereafter, and I was deputed to bring tea and coffee.
When I went to the coffee shop downstairs, it was still closed. I looked around and found they had coffee and tea at the lobby restaurant with the staff setting up the breakfast buffet. After the staff checked that I was a hotel resident, I was able to pick up a cup for Iris and went back up. After enjoying our beverages, we showered and went down to the lobby restaurant for breakfast, opting this time to sit outdoors overlooking the hotel pool. After a satisfying breakfast, we headed back up to plan out the rest of the day.
We wanted to pick up some Kenyan coffee and tea for ourselves before heading back home. Luckily, the Nextgen mall adjacent to the hotel had a Carrefour supermarket. We also had to get the results of our Covid test from the previous afternoon and, of course, pack for the flights back home. Somewhere in there, we needed to get lunch. The previous day, when we had checked in, we had arranged to pay extra (half the daily rate) so that we could check out after 6pm. But we needed to get transport to get to the airport. Having a clear idea of what to do for the rest of the day, we decided to finish up our shopping first. We headed down again. In chatting with a hotel employee at the front-desk, it turned out that the hotel offered car service to the airport for a reasonable fee. We signed up for that and then cut across the property, crossed the road and were at the entrance to the mall. There, we entered Carrefour and picked up bags of coffee and tea. We spent a little time at Carrefour and the mall. As we walked out, it was past noon and we decided to grab a light lunch at the food court outside the mall. There were many restaurants, all interesting and serving a variety of cuisines including Kenyan, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, and Chinese fare. I opted for some Thai food while Iris decided on Chinese. We ordered and found a table. Shortly, our meal was served at our table. We ate as much as we could (portion sizes were large!) and then headed back to the hotel.
Back in our room, I called the Gamewatchers representative we had met the previous day – the rotund gentleman who greeted us at Wilson Airport – to ask about our Covid tests. He promised to follow up and get us the results quickly. In the meantime, we started packing. About a half hour later, we were mostly done, minus our hand luggage. Just about then, I got an email and WhatsApp message with the Covid test results, thankfully negative. After a chat with a hotel employee at the front-desk, I forwarded this to him for printing. We were all done with packing by about 3pm. So, I walked down and picked up the Covid paperwork and reconfirmed that we would have a vehicle at 6pm that would transport us to the airport.
Later, in the room, we relaxed and listened to African music on Iris’ MacBook – nostalgia already setting in, I suppose! We then watched some news, being woefully out of touch with the situation around the world, most of all with the war in Ukraine. I checked our flights out and satisfied myself that the inbound flight was on schedule. By then it was about 4.30pm and time for a cuppa! So, off I went downstairs to pick up some tea and coffee for us. After a refreshing cuppa, we each took a shower, finished what remained of our packing and called for someone to pick up our bags. I headed down to settle-up the hotel bill. All in all, it was a decent stay for a 1-day trip. The hotel was nice enough but a little dated. The lighting in the rooms could have used some improvement. The bathrooms were good and the Rain Shower was fabulous! The lobby restaurant was overpriced. Service was good. Overall, nothing terrible, but not great.
We waited downstairs for about 5 minutes until the car that was to take us to the airport arrived. The bellboys loaded our luggage, and we were off in the thick of Nairobi traffic – it was peak time for commuters returning from their offices. Our driver patiently navigated through the thick traffic until we finally hit a less crowded highway. As we approached the airport, he stopped at what looked like a toll plaza and asked us to step down! We were surprised. He pointed towards where all passengers were lined up to a building beside the plaza. Bewildered at this strange procedure, we stepped out and walked over to the building. A few minutes later we were inside and being searched. There was also an X-Ray machine through which we put our handbags – in my case, my wallet. After a quick pat down, we walked back to our car after having collected our belongings. I have yet to understand what the purpose of this search was, as the airport certainly had the same procedures! Anyway. A couple of minutes later, we arrived at the terminal building. While Iris procured a luggage cart, I unloaded the bags with the driver’s help. I tipped him and then loaded the bags on the cart. With that, we entered Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
Inside the airport, we first went through a government checkpoint where our paperwork was reviewed. Check-in came later and then Security. Once in the departure area, we walked over to our gate and decided to then walk back to where there was a coffee shop. We sat there till about 8pm when we decided to grab a bite. We then headed to the food court. There, we found a restaurant serving Chinese and Indian food! I opted for Indian – a dish with cottage cheese and peas along with a Naan. Iris had a rice dish. The meal was pretty good, though spicy! We washed the meal down with some cokes and then headed back to the departure gate. There, I saw the Air France Boeing 787-9 that was to take us to Paris.
About 10.15pm, boarding began. We were able to board quickly, found our seats, and stowed away our Cabin baggage. After the usual safety briefing and such, we pushed back from the gate on time and were soon in the air. It was a pleasant flight. Iris and I slept through most of it.
The Journey Home (Thursday, March 17)
Around 5am Paris time, after some fitful sleep, I woke and realized we were about a half hour away from landing. The flight landed maybe 10 minutes late and soon we were parked at our gate. We disembarked and walked through Charles De Gaulle Airport. After seeing how the terminal was laid out and realizing we had almost 7 hours to go before our flight to New York departed, we decided to find a lounge and see if we could get a shower, freshen up and get some food. We soon found the Air France Salon lounge. A lounge employee told us that it would be 60 Euros per person and that we could stay there till our flight departed, truly a steal! So, having paid for 2 Lounge passes, we found a good spot toward the back and then went to survey the breakfast buffet. The bread and cheese were fabulous, but we had been thoroughly spoilt by Kenyan fruits! Here, the fruits appeared to have come out of a can. At any rate, we made a good breakfast of it and then settled down for a bit of a rest.
A couple of hours later, I found an attendant at the bathroom to understand shower procedures! She handed me everything I could possibly need and pointed down the hallway. With a “Merci, beaucoup!” I set off down the hallway where I found a very well-equipped bathroom. After a refreshing shower, I changed and then let Iris know. She in turn went for her shower. We decided to snack some more, and I snagged another coffee.
About 2 hours before our flight to John F. Kennedy Airport in New York (JFK), we checked out of the lounge and headed to the gate. On the way, we stopped off at a Duty-Free shop to pick up some chocolates. At our gate, we found our aircraft, a Boeing 777-300 already parked.
We waited until boarding was announced. Soon, we were on the aircraft and settled in in our seats. The flight departed on-time, and we were able to see a bit of Paris and the French countryside from the air for a few minutes before clouds obscured our view.
After another pleasant and uneventful flight, punctuated by the periodic meal or snack, my screen set to display where we were on the planet (why am I fascinated by that?!), it was time to land at JFK. We touched down on time and taxied to our gate. Soon, we deplaned and headed to Passport Control. There wasn’t much of a line and, formalities complete, we walked through Customs with nothing to declare. Once out, I called for an Uber. We waited about 5 minutes before our car arrived. We loaded our luggage and off we went. This time we went over the Throgs Neck Bridge and then over the George Washington Bridge. After a ride that lasted a little over an hour, we were on Rt. 80 headed West, then in Parsippany and then back home!
Random Tidbits and Musings
- Baby Elephants are cute! For that matter, Baby animals of any species are cute!
- Shopping for souvenirs in Kenya is best done in Nairobi except for one reason: The proceeds are less likely to go to the people who make the souvenirs – the Masai, the Samburu and other tribes.
- Paying for Lounge access when you have a long stopover, assuming you are flying Coach with no other access, is a lifesaver. A shower makes a huge difference on trans-continental flights!
- All good things come to an end. Kenya was awesome but after 16 days, it was time to get home and begin another chapter, recuperate, and ponder/plot the next trip!
(Photos can be found on this Google Photos Album while videos are at this YouTube Channel.)
Closing Thoughts
I hope everyone enjoyed reading this 11-part series, or some part of it. When I set out to write this blog, my goals were to communicate with friends and family, provide some information, and to keep a permanent record of the experience for myself; something I could turn back to in later years and relive some of the experiences. Hopefully, I have succeeded to some extent, but you can be the judge of that. I have come to find that writing is hard work, and I heaved a huge sigh of relief at having completed this travelogue!
Some of you have asked “What’s next?!”. A brief (chronological) answer follows:
- In the April-June period I plan to spend some time in India with my parents.
- Somewhere during my trip to India, I plan to visit Kanha and Bandhavgarh National Parks in Central India – my sister and I have been making loose plans. (At the time of this writing, we have completed the Kanha-Bandhavgarh Safari.)
- I am meeting with my college buddies from Kharagpur (KGP) in July in Vail, Colorado for a weekend.
- Later in the year, depending on the Covid situation, we are considering a trip to Iceland and Scandinavia. If time permits, we are considering a trip to the UK.
- In late October-early November, we will try to visit Egypt, Jordan, and Israel.
- At the end of the year, I will likely visit India again.
- Sometime later this year, I will determine what’s next for me, career-wise.
Feedback is very welcome – do comment below or let me know what you think, what you’d like to see, or hear about, in some other way that works for you – emails, WhatsApp, Text work here.
Adieu!