Camping in Kenya
Lynn Erickson

May 2006

I’m Lynn Erickson, a travel agent from Madison, Wisconsin.  I have been a leisure and corporate travel agent since 1994.  In that time, I have had the opportunity to visit many places throughout the world, although my dream has always been a safari in Kenya.  That dream finally came true for me this past May.  My husband and I went on a fabulous safari with Gamewatchers Safaris based out of Nairobi Kenya.

Gamewatchers Safaris offers a very personal experience by placing emphasis on smaller lodges and safari camps; 4x4 vehicles instead of minivans; and many other important touches to ensure your experience is personalized.  Gamewatchers Safaris also runs three of their own private, exclusive safari camps in private wilderness reserves.  These camps focus on preserving Africa’s unique wildlife, its landscapes, and supporting the people of the local Maasai communities.

Our journey started in Kenya’s largest city, Nairobi.  We spent our first night at the Norfolk Hotel, which is one of the oldest, most luxurious hotels in the city.  The next morning we met with our guide, Henrietta.  Henrietta has almost 30 years of experience in the Kenya tourism industry.  We started our adventure by going to the airstrip to board a 12-passenger plane for our flight to the Kilaguni Lodge airstrip.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking:  elephants, eland, giraffes and a variety of large animals could be seen from the air as well as Mt. Kilimanjaro. 

As the Kilaguni Lodge’s private airstrip, I wasn’t sure what to expect, and for good reason - this was definitely not your typical airstrip.  It was a red dirt clearing in the trees covered with a large herd of zebra and impala.  After 2 attempts, they still wouldn’t allow us to pass, forcing us to land on a nearby road.  The roads in Kenya are a story of their own - just picture endless miles of dirt, ruts, bumps and holes.

Upon arriving at the rustic yet luxurious Kilaguni Lodge (located at the edge of Tsavo East National Park), and making our way through the lobby and dining room, I saw the magic of it all in one clear view.  The lodge has the most incredible view of a natural watering hole that is often surrounded by elephants, zebra, giraffes, warthogs, Eland, Dik Diks, Impala, Giant Marabou Storks, and a variety of gorgeous birds in hues of black, yellow, and blue backed by lush green mountains. 

It was fun to come back periodically to check to see what new animals had wandered into the watering hole.  Our stay at the lodge consisted of some nice meals overlooking the ever-changing view and 3 game drives in Land Cruisers with very knowledgeable guides.  Each time we went out, it was a totally different experience.  The one thing that was always guaranteed was that we saw more animals and birds than we could count. 

The feeling of standing up in the vehicle with the sun on your shoulders just waiting to see what species of animal will appear next is indescribable.  The only description I have is the cliché that you truly feel one with nature and the world.  It’s simply amazing to watch elephants busting through the thorny acacia trees; giraffes batting their big eyelashes at you; a tribe of yellow baboons bouncing through the tall grass; herds of every imaginable type of antelope; and hippos along with crocodiles wading in the clear waters coming from the glaciers of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Our best sighting was a leopard in the twisty branches of a dead tree stalking its prey. This was our first 24 hours in Kenya.  In one day it is not uncommon to see 10 – 20 different animal species and over 100 bird species.

The next four nights were split between Porini Camp, Amboseli and Mara Porini Camp.  In Kiswahili Porini means “in the bush” or “in the wild.”  These luxury-tented camps are set up like traditional hunting safari bush camps.  Some companies refer to this type of accommodation as “Ernest Hemmingway Style.”  You really do feel like it may have felt to be on safari 100 years ago.  The vision of these particular Gamewatcher-owned Porini camps integrates the interests of the local people, the wildlife and the land – a true ecotourism approach. 

The multi-acre land is leased for 15 years from local Maasai tribes; it is set aside as a conservancy adjacent to the neighboring national parks of Amboseli and the Maasai Mara Reserve.  The camps are staffed by a camp manager, game drive guides, a chef, and several local Maasai men who perform various duties from guarding the conservancy and camp to serving meals.  One of the special features was the evening sundowners - located in a remote area of the conservancies -offering gorgeous sunsets, drinks, snacks, and conversation and a magnificent view of Mt. Kilimanjaro near the Amboseli camp.  This is a unique perk of staying at one of these camps and  isn’t something that can be experienced when staying in one of the national parks. 

The camps offer tents with running water in the sinks and toilets but the showers are camp-style bucket showers.  They also offer solar powered lighting.  The tents are enormous and consist of:  a porch; a main room with 2 beds and a desk; and a separate bathroom area.  The tents are completely bug-proof - but not sound proof.  At night, you can hear the trumpeting of elephants; roaring of lions; laughing of hyenas; and screeching of the bush babies.  Each camp consists of 6 guest tents and a main tent for meals. 

As with many other eco-vacations, the service and attention is very personalized.  The manager and guides join guests for all meals and know each guest by name.  Unlike the roads of the national parks that look like a mass minivan exodus, the Porini camps all use open-sided 4-wheel drive vehicles, mostly Land Rovers.  After experiencing safari like this, I can’t imagine it any other way. 

Our time at the Amboseli and Mara Porini camps was full of nature walks; short game drives; all day game drives with picnic lunches; scrumptious meals; sundowners and drinks by the campfire back at camp after dinner.  One special experience at the Amboseli camp was a walk to a local Maasai village led by junior Maasai warriors - what a drastically different culture. 

The Maasai live in circular villages comprised of an outer fence made of thorny bushes; 6 – 10 huts constructed by the Maasai women made of sticks, cow dung, and mud; and an inner thorn fence to house the cows, sheep, and goats through the night.  The Maasai wear vivid light wool garments of reds, purples, and blues along with intricately made beaded necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. They taught us about several different cultural rituals and beliefs.  Overall, they were a very intriguing people.  Witnessing them dance and sing in their low hums in the darkness was mesmerizing.

A typical stay at the camps and lodges in Kenya lasts 2 or 3 nights.  Transportation in Kenya can be quite challenging by road, as a large majority of the roads are unpaved.  Even the roads that are paved are still bumpy and slow; you continuously find yourself behind large trucks coming from the port of Mombassa averaging 15 miles per hour and giving off the foul smell of diesel fuel.  I would highly recommend transportation on the small aircraft to get from place to place; you’ll be doing enough driving on the bumpy roads on the game drives each day.

Our last day was spent visiting some of the attractions around Nairobi including Daphne Sheldrick’s elephant and rhino orphanage and the Giraffe Center.  The orphanage was filled with babies that lost their mothers from reasons such as poaching, old age, etc.  They were so cute to watch flopping around in the mud. 

At the giraffe center, they are working to breed and increase the population of the Rothschild giraffes.  Of the 3 types of giraffes in Kenya, they are the most endangered.  There are buckets of pellets that you can take a handful of and feed to the giraffes one pellet at a time as they grab for them with their long purple tongues.  We also had some time to sneak in some shopping.  Common merchandise included Maasai swords, Maasai beaded jewelry, wood-carved animals, Kenya coffee as well as coffee table books.

One thing that seemed to surprise everyone was the diversity of terrain across the different areas we visited and just how green it was during our visit in the rainy season.  Now I know why Ernest Hemingway wrote a book entitled “The Green Hills of Africa.”  Generally, we seem to view Kenya as being fairly flat and dry with sparse trees here and there.  A big reason for this may be that the nature shows we see only expose us to the Maasai Mara which is very much like that most of the year.  In our short journey, we found many areas to be very heavily wooded. Some areas were quite mountainous; we even were able to see down into dormant volcanoes from the air.

I, of course, was very sad to leave this magical place that was everything I had hoped it would be and more.  Being the nature and animal lover that I am, this is the ultimate destination.  It’s even more special having had the opportunity to enjoy it with a small group in an ecotourism travel style and with such personal service.  Gamewatchers made sure we not only saw Kenya but experienced the fullness of all it had to offer.

My top 3 things to do in Kenya:

1. Experience Kenya by staying in a tented camp.

2. Stand up in an open roofed 4x4 safari vehicle searching for wildlife.

3. Check off as many species of birds as you can from a birds of Kenya checklist.

My top 3 Kenya travel tips:

1. Book your safari with a reputable company that offers a personalized experience like Gamewatchers Safaris.

2. Don’t be afraid to go during the rainy season, seeing Kenya green is absolutely beautiful!

3. Invest in a camera with a good zoom lens and also bring a high quality pair of binoculars.

3 things I’d do differently next time:

1. Fly between each destination.

2. Stay much longer!

3. Purchase a good bird and wildlife book for Kenya.

To learn more about Gamewatchers Safaris and Porini Camps please visit www.porini.com

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