Off to Kenya in 2 Weeks!!!

~ by Aireen Navarro ~
(Photos lifted from Cheli & Peacock Website)

Fourteen days to go and I’m off to Kenya for 10 days!!! That's March 17-27, 2009 folks and I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful! I have been putting off my excitement to focus on my job. Otherwise, I’d end up browsing websites to get more information on the country and my usual ‘what to bring’ list. That’s trouble indeed!!! Best to focus on the job at hand, then enjoy every minute of the trip.

Looking at my itinerary, I’d be visiting 3 top safari areas in Kenya and end it with a bang at the coast :) Now that’s what I call a ‘dream itinerary.’ Get all down (and dirty???) and have a blast first, keeping eyes out for wildlife and hoping for the best to get at least one good photo out of what? ---- a hundred clicks?

First stop is at Elsa’s Kopje, located in the Meru National Park, made famous by the ‘Born Free’ film as well as George Adamson’s lions. I’m very much looking forward to staying at Kenya’s safari lodge offering a room ‘with the ultimate view.’

Second stop is off to Joy’s Camp, located within the borders of Shaba National Reserve, part of the lands of the Samburu. The camp’s built on the same spot where Joy Adamson’s tented home once stood. Ever heard of ‘Forever Free’?

From Joy’s Camp to Saruni Samburu - located just 7kms north of the Samburu National Reserve. I’m particularly keen on visiting this safari lodge, newly opened in July 2008 but have been receiving positive gameviewing reviews. After 3 nights in the northern parts of Kenya, I’ll head down to the Northern Laikipia Frontier where I’ll spend 1 night at Sabuk Lodge, perched on a cliff that overlooks the Ewaso Nyiro River – you can just imagine the pristine beauty of the wilderness spread out before you!! Hopefully I’d have a chance to go trekking with a Laikipiak Maasai as guide.

Then it’s off to the Masai Mara for me! Now, Masai Mara is a different class on its own. Known for its annual wildebeest migration which brings with it tons of predators with higher chances of seeing a ‘kill’ between end July-early October, its resident game’s also legendary. Unfortunately for me, the migration’s still in the Serengeti in Tanzania, so I’ll just have to focus on the ‘residents.’ First safari camp in the Masai Mara area is the Elephant Pepper Camp located right on the northern edge of the Masai Mara Reserve, gameviewing’s definitely going to be exciting!!!

From Elephant Pepper Camp – down to Saruni Masai Mara for more game activities and checking out its surrounding areas if it's indeed a good safari destination!

I’ll spend 2 nights in the coast with a daytrip to Manda Bay, one of the islands of Kenya’s Lamu Archipelago. Sorry folks, I won’t be staying on this island. I’ll be based at Kinondo Kwetu and Kiwayu instead, located along Kenya’s coastal waters, south of Diani. Then back to Nairobi for a quick look-see and meet up fellow Travel Consultants before departing Kenya.

Have you watched the movie ‘Out of Africa’? It was a mid-1980s movie set in Kenya, with Meryl Streep playing the role of Karen Blixen. She was so good at it she bagged a Best Actress Academy award. It romanticized and propelled Kenya as one of the most popular (if not the top -- hehehe, Botswana is its toughest competitor!!!) safari destination in Africa. I'm so lucky to be heading there in 2 weeks!!!