23rd–24th - Departure to Kenya

Leaving Copenhagen at around 1700 with only a couple of hours in Amsterdam meant that I arrived in Nairobi at 0700 the following day (2 hours time difference). Getting through immigration this time was a breeze compared to last time; fill out forms and only queue a few minutes before being taken care of which was quickly done. Nothing like last time’s almost half an hours’ wait and tedious handling of my papers.

Waiting for your luggage you always get that nervous twitch when you see several bags 5-7 times without having seen your own – but finally mine showed up and I left for the waiting G Adventures coordinator waiting for me at the pick-up area.

The traffic was normal for a weekday which meant that even when leaving the airport at around 0800 we didn’t arrive at the hotel until almost 0930, even if the trip could have been done in less than half an hour without much traffic. A lot of standstill. It had been raining the last couple of days which had brought the temperatures down a bit; barely 20 degrees when arriving and just above the rest of the day. Far from as hot as what I had prepared myself for, but it was actually very comfortable. This also meant that even without A/C the car drive to the hotel was quite pleasant.

When arriving at the hotel I quickly checked in before we left again – this time to go to a local elephant sanctuary which is only open to the public at 1100-1200. Despite a small detour to pick up some water we arrived a bit early and after a short wait we were herded to a roped enclosure. During the one hour we were presented for two different groups of elephants; one with 8-20 months olds and the second they were between 20 months and 3½ years old. They take animals that have been abandoned by the family for any reason (rejection, poaching, etc.) and let them grow up here where they are taught elephant-stuff before releasing them when they have become adults. They said if an animal has been released and afterwards gets injured or has a calf that is sick they remember the place and return to be taken care of, after which they leave again.  Because of this they have a very high survival rate of released animals.

On the way back to the vehicle the G coordinator (who had joined me in) pointed out an enclosure several high fences in; there was one of “their” rhinos. Apparently they have two; one is completely blind and therefore can’t survive in the wild (which was the one I saw) and another that comes and goes as it pleases (which wasn’t there at the time).

So basically within 5 hours of arriving I have already seen 2 of the big 5 – though some might call it cheating due to the circumstances, which I might be inclined to agree with.

Back at the hotel I had lunch and the afternoon was spent of having a much needed shower from the flight and otherwise coping with me not sleeping on the plane. Luckily they have decent wireless so time was relatively easy killed.

At 1800 there was the usual meet-and-great with the guide and the rest of the group. One would be arriving on a later flight which left me alone with the guide, Patsie. Yup – the first part of the trip, in Kenya, will be a small group. It’s off-season so we shouldn’t expect to see many other tourists in the park. Suddenly it feels a bit more exclusive.

The trip consists of two separate trips; one for the part in Kenya and a second for the part where we go to and drive around in Tanzania. Coming back to Nairobi from Masai Mara we will be picked up by our next guide and meet with the rest of the group when we arrive in Tanzania. On arrival we will also have a meeting there similar to the one here – it will be interesting to see how big that group turns out to be.

Anyway; departure tomorrow morning at 0730 and a long drive to the park; with the recent showers and heavy traffic there is no knowing the state of the roads where we are going.

On my previous trip was, as I mentioned, the purchase of my buff. This trip was something a bit different; I had considered it for some time due to the many long flights but never gotten around to it due to the relatively high price. But making the decision a couple of days before departure I went and bought a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. Sitting in the plane and listening to the constant engine noise it was amazing turning on the headphones and turning the noise into a faint hum. Voices were greatly muffled and a baby crying behind me sounded as if it was far away. What an amazing product.

The young elephants learn how to cover themselves in dust.

Being fed is the best time of the day!

Small fella just enjoying himself.

Their rhino trying to sneak a peak.