Kenya 2006

[Ross]

Hello all, for few days now I have been reading the game Warden's posts and thought it's time to share my own African safari with you all so here goes...

As a child and then as a teenager, i was very captivated by Africa and it's beauty. Then as a grown man and through watching wildlife documentaries I got to know quite a bit about the wildlife/people/cultures and the more I watched them more I wanted to visit this beautiful country but at the same time I had a million excuses for not doing it. Two and a half years ago I visited India where I experienced the poverty and my heart went out to those people. Their hopspitality, their beautiful smiles made me want to go back for a longer visit then I got thinking about Africa. It was time for an African safari!!

At the same time I did not want to visit this country just to see the wildlife but instead I wanted to contribute towards something more meaningful so I decided to go as a volunteer and hopefully do the safari thing while helping the local people so last September my bags were packed plus 17kgs of extra goodies to give to the children of Africa.

Excitement was everywhere for I knew that I would cry once the plane landed.

Flying from Dubai towards Africa, I could see vast valleys with dried up river beds. Truly stunning!!

I was on my way "home"!!

I was met in Nairobi by the local volunteer coordinator and was taken to my host family for the next three days.

I was actually in Africa and I was going to stay with a local family and what an experience that was!

From Nairobi I would go on my first safari which took me to Masai Mara then to Nakuru park and from there I would be taken to Kirengero where the Orphanage is. It was too good to be true!

Finally we left Nairobi and finally Nairobi was way behind us and the Rift Valley right in front of us then I saw my first Zebra then a gazelle then Masai People by the side of the road. I was not dreaming, the zebra was really there, by the side of the road. the Masai were really there. A grown man crying for seeing a zebra in the wild! well...

Finally we arrived at the camping ground and to cut a long story short we left for the Mara!!!!

The gate, the Masai selling goods, the sign "Masai Mara" we drove through and all of the sudden wildebeest, antelope, bufalo more zebras and then in the distance we saw a lone cheetah. The camera was kept very busy indeed and through the binoculars I could see even more

Then on a rocky out crop we saw a lone lioness with her almost grown daughter. They just sat there looking back at us. This is the moment I was looking forward to.....I was home....could I get out of the bus and go for a walk???

At six pm and on our way back out of the park we stopped to catch out breath. the sun was setting over the Mara and those glorious coulours that I have seen on tv were right in fron of me.

During the night I sat up listening to the lions roar, the hyenas laughing, the elephants playing in the creek near by.

After the Mara we went to Nakuru. saw the flamingoes, lots of rhino but still no male lions. Oh well....

Then I was on my way to the Orphanage which would be my home for the nest 4 weeks. I arrived only to be greeted by the children singing in swahilli and of course dancing. again, a grown man crying....

During my four weeks there, children became my friends, they taught me about water conservation, they taught me about friendship, they accepted me, a mzungu all the way from Australia..

In return I gave them books, pens, bubbles, balloons, 12 chickens and a rooster(the chickens have since bred and now there are 30 of them) boiled egg for everybody!!!!

The local people were even more grateful of my stay and I have a thousand stories to tell

The African people are so much more than I ever expected them to be!!

One weekend I decided to visit Amboselli National Park and that in it self was truly an experience.

The many elephants, Mt Kilimanjaro, the bull elephant that decided that at 4am he would tower over my tiny one man tent and pull branches off the acasia tree I was camping under. Again, the lions were roaring, the hyenas were laughing, it just could not get any better....

 

Kenya 2006, an African safari and words alone just can not describe how I feel but I will say that I am planning on going back next year and can not wait!!!!!!

 

Ross

[Atravelynn]

So that’s how you happened to be in Nakuru and booked a trip with a shady operator to Amboseli. How wonderful you were able to spend time volunteering in Africa. Your good deeds were rewarded with your sightings.

 

It appears you are returning to Amboseli in July-Sept of 2008 from your other post. This report was from 2006. Did you go in 2007 or was 2007 the year of saving for 2008?

[Ross]

Hello,

It is amazing how some people ask me how much I get paid when I am volunteering. Of course my response is "I volunteer" which means I don't get paid and instead I pay a fee for staying at the orphanage.

 

It appears you are returning to Amboseli in July-Sept of 2008 from your other post. This report was from 2006. Did you go in 2007 or was 2007 the year of saving for 2008?

 

Spot on!!!

 

Next trip will be for two months in Africa and one week at Nepal so it's a case of save save save!!

I am looking forward to returing to the orphanage though and visiting Namibia and Tanzania.

 

Ross