16th - Lake Naivasha – Masai Mara

Today was a relatively uneventful day. We had a late departure from the lodge at 0900 which gave us a chance for a little extra sleep in the morning. I timed it so I had half an hour to have a walk around on the premises trying to get some shots of the local wildlife. The result was birds, zebras and a couple of waterbucks. But just walking around with the camera on my own shooting stuff was great in itself.

The drive was not as long as when leaving Samburu, but there was still quite a distance we had to travel. What made it worse was that at least the last third of the distance took most of the time as it was on gravel and poorly maintained roads. At 1630 we arrived at a Maasai village where we spent a couple of hours seeing them dance and being introduced to their daily village life. Their houses are very small (especially compared to Western standards) and apparently they move the village every nine years due to termites. It was timed in a way that when we visited we were able to see a few houses maybe 100m away starting being built as part of the new location of the village. We finished the visit with seeing the nearby school. It had 8 grades, 8 classrooms (with the size of one seen at home, if so large) and 650 students. Luckily we were there when they had left on vacation so we had more or less free reign at the school to see how it was.

After the visit we continued on to our lodge. No real roads, just tracks where other people had driven before. It took us almost half an hour to go not very far, but at 1830 we arrived safely at our new lodge.

Full day of game drive tomorrow, start at 0730!

Waterbuck.

Rueppell's glossy starling.

The lodges at Lake Naivasha.

Jumping Masai.

The inside of a Masai house. This is for a family of four. Just to the left from where I am taking this photo there is a room similar to what you can see in front to the left (bed room) and ahead to the right there is a small 1x1,5m room used for storage,

One of the class rooms. They were all this size.

15th - Samburu NP – Lake Naivasha

An early departure at 0700 was to take us from Samburu and down to Lake Naivasha. It was going to be quite a long drive (we wouldn’t arrive until in the afternoon) and at 1230 we arrived at Thompson Falls for lunch.

Our lunch was had at the lodge located at the falls, but to actually get to the falls and see them fully you had to pay admittance. I was disappointed to say the least – it was a worse tourist trap than anything else I have seen on the trip, or on any other trip I have been on here in Africa. The other group that was travelling the same way as I chose to pay to get to see it, but the moment they stepped past the entrance they were aggressively approached by two people who were dressed in traditional garbs who tried getting them to take photos with them followed by demanding payment which was double the entrance fee. Per photo. They even tried sneaking into the picture when they were trying to take photos of the fall so that they could demand even more money. The group took some quick shots and then left in a hurry, obviously not having the best time on the trip, and I am very glad I stayed on my side of the fence where you could see the upper half of the falls. It wasn’t even that impressive which was also confirmed by the others.

We soon departed and kept going to Naivasha. We arrived at around 1630 where we went on a boat safari for a couple of hours before going to the lodge. While on the water we saw mainly hippos, a few giraffes, water bucks and plenty of birdlife. The drive to the lodge was a short half an hour one. My room was huge, and because of the location close to the lake it would be possible to see hippos come up during the night and graze on the lawn, clearly viewable from the room. This also meant that if we had to go out during the night, like when going to have dinner in the restaurant, we would have to call reception for security to escort us. Under no circumstances were we allowed to go outside during the night without being escorted. On the walk to dinner we actually saw a quite large hippo walking around, the there was a reason why we needed the extra security.

Pelicans.

Marabou stork.

African jacana.

African spoonbill.

Hippo being sneaky.

Pied kingfisher.

Hippo getting caught being out of the water.

Great egret.

Hadada ibis.

From here on there is not much said about the trip itself but rather about the groups and social interaction on this trip. If you can’t stand reading a (very) long rant, feel free to skip it, you will not miss anything regarding the trip itself.

We are three groups travelling with the travel company on two different routes. We all arrived in Nairobi with the same flight and had the day in the city together, and we will all also depart on the same day. The first group is a group of 6 almost-retirees, a card club travelling on their 40^th anniversary. They were also the people I went to the bar with on the first night, and they are all very nice people. They go their separate way after Nairobi, but will meet up with us (the two other groups) again when we reach Masai Mara.

The second group is going the same way as I. They are two boys (14-ish and 17-ish), their parents and the mother’s father. The kids are… kids. The father doesn’t understand English at all so he needs everything translated, and the grandfather understands basic English but replies in Danish (if at all) followed by a “how silly they don’t understand what I am saying”-laughter/snicker. He is also very loud. Awkwardly loud. None of them seem to be used to travelling and some of them are more verbal about how they prefer things to be like at home. The grandfather was shocked – almost offended – when he found out that there was no TV at the Samburu lodge. The oldest kid prefers buns and rice and is annoyed there isn’t more ketchup in his life, and the youngest will aim for the fried/breadcrumbed fish at the buffets (buffets for all meals (with only a few exceptions). Training for the trip to India just got a bit harder) and not much else if he can get away with it. The discussions at the meals don’t seem too bright, and they are from Lolland. Say hello to family Redneck. And the kids brought iPads to use as cameras. For a safari. I am rolling in my grave in advance.

The third group is me. This means I have my own rooms and the only passenger in the vehicle. Some of the rooms hold up to 4 people and the vehicle is a modified Toyota Hiace so despite it feels a little weird being alone under these circumstances it gives me a lot of room to move around on.

Because the second and third groups are going the same way we have had the same table at Samburu. I wasn’t able to sit anywhere else; when I came down for breakfast and tried to get my own table to have a meal in peace I was quickly stopped by the staff and referred to the “correct” table. It wasn’t until today my driver realized that I didn’t actually know these people before and that we were just separate groups who happened to be travelling the same way. I don’t know if that has something to do with me getting my own table here at Naivasha. In any case it is a pleasant change.

The reason why this suddenly is bursting out is because of the minute long (short) walk to the restaurant tonight. Security had picked up a group of 4 before reaching my lodge and they were chatting away like they had known each other forever, just like it feels after a couple of days in a group when travelling with G Adventures. On this trip we get picked up in the morning at departure or for a game drive and at the end of the drive we get unloaded and informed when we will be picked up the following day, and from then on we are on our own. That in itself is fine, though if having the choice between dining with group 2 or alone, if there is any doubt, I would prefer the latter. On these kinds of trips I very much prefer equal-minded people. People who love travelling, meeting new people and cultures despite those are different and have different traditions that we have at home. People who don’t make me cringe and wanting to apologize to the staff and the locals.

The reason why I decided to travel with this company was because it was the only one who had a safari in Kenya during the Easter holiday. I love travelling with G Adventures and Kipling Travel (the latter for the summits and technical treks (with the exception of Kili)), because they all start the trip with a briefing with the entire group where the guide(s) go through the itinerary and get people to present themselves to each other. On almost every trip every day is concluded by a briefing where we go through the day’s activities and what the following day will bring. That in itself strengthens the social bonds much more than this (the combination of group 2 & 3) ever will.

It is important to mention that this trip is not a disaster despite I might be making it sound like one. Locations, game drives, weather, living conditions, sightings, food, etc. is still not bad. The only thing really dragging it down is the groups of the trip (saying this taking into consideration I haven’t had much interaction with group 1 due to our different routes). I don’t think it is until now I full understand the true meaning of “The trip would not have been the same without you”. The social level and interaction in the groups one (I) travel in is so much more important that I believe I have ever been aware of. With that I need to give a shout-out to Stephan & Jaco, Ina, Mira & Thomas, Elaine, Veronica, Matt, Bo, Monica & Maja, Tashi, Keri, Jules & Melina, Jack, Choloe, Gary & Anne, Rob & Laura and everyone else not mentioned. The trips I have been on with you would not have been the same without you. I miss you all. 

14th - Samburu NP

Today was spent on game driving in the national park. We left the lodge in the early morning at 0730, came back around 1200 for lunch and relaxation, went out again at 1600 with a final return around 3 hours later. Dinner and readying to leave for Lake Naivasha at 0700 tomorrow morning.

So despite the itinerary saying it would be a full day worth of game drive it fails to mention the 4 hour break we had in the middle of the day back at the lodge.

There was obviously stuff to see on the drives but the density of the wildlife doesn’t seem as high as I had hoped. Most of the sightings today were of animals we already had seen yesterday, but today we managed to see the 5 lion cubs we were chasing yesterday while still being parked on the road. That’s at least an improvement. And there are plenty of elephants and giraffes.

Kori bustard.

Abyssinian Roller.

Red-and-yellow barbet.

Vervet monkey.

Guenther's dik-dik.

Rueppell's glossy starling.

Superb starling.

Gerenuk (waller's gazelle).

Vulturine guineafowl.

Young baboon grabbing on to a older family member.

Elephant.

Grevy's zebra

13th - Nairobi – Samburu NP

Getting up at 0600 was surprisingly easy considering the little sleep I had had on the flight down. Also, apparently the entire bar tab issue had rustled my vacation calm more than I was aware of as I hadn’t fallen asleep until after 0100. I went down for breakfast and informed my bar company of what had happened which resulted in a lot of surprised and offended reactions. Luckily the reactions weren’t pointed at me so the matter was quickly settled.

We left at 0730 and drove north towards Samburu NP. The drive was quite uneventful except when crossing the equator. Here we were presented with the Coriolis Effect; they had a bucket with a small hole in the bottom and a couple of matchsticks which were laid on the water’s surface. 10m north of the equator the matches and water streaming from the hole twisted clockwise, south they would go counter-clockwise, and right on the equator the water would drain straight out resulting in the matches not moving. I was surprised that the difference was so obvious despite the three testing spots were so close to each other. I suspected foul play, but even when trying to stop the matches with your finger they would automatically start twisting again the correct direction when letting them go.

We arrive at the lodge in Samburu at 1430 where we had our lunch before departing on our first game drive in the afternoon at 1600. Being an afternoon game drive it was only 3 hours, but in that time we managed to see giraffes, impalas, onyx, elephants, dik diks, lions, a caracal (my first sighting!) and several other. Quite a successful start on the trip!

We returned at 1900, and the rest of the evening was spent on dinner and relaxation. Breakfast tomorrow at 0645 and departure for the morning game drive at 0730.

We are using the same drivers and vehicles for both transport and game drives. The vehicles are Toyota Hiaces which have been refitted with a raisable roof so you can stand up and look out without having to look through windows, strengthened suspension, reinforced bottom and sturdy tires. Unfortunately the roof is just 5 cm too low for me when it’s raised so I’m not able to stand straight. It makes it easier when alone in the vehicle so that I can lean up against a seat decreasing my height enough to make it more comfortable. The drivers/guides are local so they drive like any other Kenyan. None of this came as a surprise, but what did come as a surprise was that they were willing to drive off the road in the NP even though they are fully aware they are not allowed to do so. My shots of the lions in the park could only be done because the driver went 20-30m off the road, within 5 meters from the lions. But I honestly don’t really care; all my previous safaris the drivers and guides have been very strict about staying on the roads and not disturbing the animals so this new behavior surprised me a little. I have asked him not to do this again and I think he fully understood my intention. I know that they do it to give their customers a better service, but I hope that he will stop doing it. 

Equator.

Dragonfly minding it's own business on the lodge's pathway.

Common agama.

Reticulated giraffe.

Yellow-necked Spurfowl. A couple of these were crossing the road when we were looking for the lions.

Caracal.

The lion family with two large females and several young of different sizes.

11th – 12th - Arriving in Nairobi

Going to Nairobi from Copenhagen required a layover in Amsterdam, in my case a 1½ hour one. Therefore, knowing Schiphol is a large airport, I began getting slightly nervous when we hadn’t moved half an hour after the planned departure time. After having solved the technical problems of the plane (which required a full restart – that sounded familiar!) we were on our way. They managed to cut off half an hour of the 1½ hour flight so we arrived in Amsterdam only half an hour late.

I quickly got myself to the net gate where they already had started boarding. Getting through the gate’s security was swift, maybe a little too fast. When everyone had been seated they asked over the plane’s speakers if anyone where missing a Samsung tablet found in the security check. Ah, funny, someone’s got the same as me. It even looks the same! … wait a minute…. Yeah, that was mine. Woops.

The flight to Nairobi was otherwise uneventful. Immigration at the airport was annoyingly slow but after almost 2 hours after arriving I finally came out on the other side and was picked up and driven to the hotel.

I had a 2 hours break before continuing with the trip’s schedule where a needed shower was had. Amazing standard of the hotel room (especially considering my usual camping), but unfortunately they did not have a room available which I was supposed to have. This meant that they had to upgrade me to a larger room. Oh well, I’d just have to live with that.

At 1030 we departed to go to the giraffe center. We got to stand on a balcony to feed giraffes eye to eye, saw a presentation on giraffes (“this is how you see the difference between the three types, they have as many vertebras as humans but bigger, here are some bones, any questions?”), and that was it. It was quite a disappointment, to be honest.

After this we went to Karen Blixen’s coffee farm to have lunch, great food. This was followed by a visit to Karen Blixen’s museum where we were guided around. Our guide had a thick accent, spoke fast and mumbled so it was quite difficult hearing and understanding everything he said.

After a couple of hours at the museum and a couple of hours break at the hotel we went to the restaurant Carnivore for dinner. Plenty of meat was mounted on an enormous grill in the middle of the building. We were given a flag and as long as it was standing up the waiters would regularly show up with more meat. Most of the meat was relatively ordinary (beef, lamb, pork etc.) but we were also served bulls’ testicles (the smelled stable-ish but tasted like something towards liver, with a firm but soft structure).

This was finished by a visit at the bar in the hotel where incomprehensible bills, confusing bartenders made it seem like they managed to cheat us (me) of 1700KSh. Nice.

Close encounter!

Never underestimate a good scratch on the nose.

Back to Africa!

We have high intensity most of the year at work due to a large project so it’s limited when I can go travelling this year. With the summer vacation filled up by my trip to India, Easter is probably the only other time I can plan ahead to get out of the country. And already having one climb planned I was hoping to find a safari/wildlife trip instead.

Looking around I realized that finding a safari in Africa during the exact days I have off during Easter is actually harder than expected, and they are mostly not cheap (sorry: budget-friendly) camping trips like the ones I am mostly used to. I was looking for another trip to Kruger, but looking around I realized I could get a few extra days for the same price in Kenya instead, and adding to that I have never been there before, the decision ended up being quite easy.

11^th of April

Departure in the evening to Nairobi via Amsterdam. Being the Friday before the vacation departing in the evening means I still get to have a workday. Got to keep the boss happy!

12^th of April

Pick up at arrival (early morning) and getting checked in at the hotel in Nairobi. Go and visit The Giraffe Centre where close encounters with giraffes are to be expected. Lunch at Karen Coffee Garden, the old administration building of Karen Blixen’s coffee plantation, followed by a visit to her museum. Depending on the time we might see some local workshops or visit David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. I believe it won’t be necessary to tell where I would prefer going.

We’ll have dinner at Restaurant Carnivore which apparently is a very famous restaurant. I believe the name is enough to explain what their focus is.

13^th of April

Drive to Samburu National Park which brings us north and across the equator. The beginning of the game drives!

14^th of April

A full day of game drives in Samburu NP. The goal is to spend as much time looking at wildlife so lunch (and maybe breakfast) will be brought with us.

15^th of April

After breakfast we drive down into the East African Rift, the large continental rift that passes through East Africa (hence the name, duh). We’ll have lunch at Thompson Falls before taking a boat trip on Lake Naivasha, at an altitude of 1890m.

16^th of April

Leaving the lodge at Lake Naivasha we drive to Masai Mara. Not much more is needed I believe, as most people know what Masai Mara entails.

17^th – 18^th of April

Masai Mara. Not much else it needed to be said. Game drives, game drives, game drives. We'll also have the chance to fly a hot air balloon to see things from above, but considering the price I will probably skip it. Visiting a Masai village during these days is also an option.

19^th – 20^th of April

We will have a short drive to finish the visit in Masai Mara before leaving and heading back to Nairobi. Getting on a plane in the evening and return back to Denmark on the Sunday in the morning.

For those of you who are wondering what kind of accommodation there will be on the trip now that I mentioned that it’s difficult to find a cheap camping trip during Easter (which in a way makes sense as it is in the beginning of the rainy season, so camping for a week during potential heavy rains with camera equipment would be pretty bad) here are some links for you to enjoy:

Samburu Sopa Lodge (13^th – 15^th)

Lake Naivasha Sopa Lodge (15^th – 16^th)

Masai Mara Sopa Lodge (16^th – 19^th)

This year’s climb

So, arrangements are being made and deposit has been paid – a vacation has been planned! This time it is a climb, and I’m going back to the Himalayas. But now the goal lays in India, a small mountain high up north in the Ladakh province, called Stok Kangri. Well, small is relative. Personally it is an attempt to break my previous altitude record (Kilimanjaro, 2010, 5895m) – the summit of Stok Kangri is 6153m, so it will be very interesting.

9^th – 11^th of July

Departure from Copenhagen, arrival in Delhi the 10^th before taking a plane to Leh (at app. 3500m) on the 11^th.

12^th of July

A relaxing day of acclimatisation so that we have time to getting used to the high altitude.

13^th of July

Today we will be driving up to the mountain pass Khardung La at app. 5600m. From here we will be riding mountain bikes down back to the town. Of course, there will be the option of taking the car back down again. But turning down the chance of biking in the Himalayas at high altitude? Psh!

Fun fact: It’s only the third day in the country, second day in the mountains, and I am already higher than I have been since 2012 when I reached the summit of Elbrus (5642m).

14^th of July

Transfer – by car – to Spituk, south-west from Leh. A short drive of 4-5 hours that brings us to 3200m.

15^th of July

Today will be the first day of trekking. We will walk into Hemis National Park where we will continue through and end up at 3750m in the village Rumbak. It’s a half day’s walk, so we are starting gentle.

Another fun fact; if we are to see snow leopards, this is the area to do so. Unfortunately they are very rarely seen, though a couple of Kipling’s (the company I am travelling with) expeditions have seen a glimpse of one once or twice. Pay attention!

16^th of July

Acclimatisation day. We will try to push on up to 4800m if possible before returning to camp. This is expected to be a long day.

17^th of July

From the village we will continue on and ascend to Stok La at 4900m. In this pass we will be able to see Stok Kangri itself and parts of the path towards the top. After taking in the view we will descend again to 4400m to the Stok Chu River and the village Mankarmo.

18^th of July

Today will be a short day, moving in to Stok Kangri Base Camp at 4900m. Mental and material preparations are made. There will probably be an attempted acclimatisation to advanced base camp.

19^th of July

Another relative short day; today the focus will be relaxing and getting ready. We will be pushing to ABC at 5300m, and if possible we will try to push a little further to optimize our acclimatisation.

20^th of July

As any other normal summit day we get up just after midnight. Starting higher than BC makes the ascent easier but at this altitude it will still be a challenge. The beginning of the climb might start off with some scrambling, but it will never be really steep. And then it just goes up and up and up until we (hopefully) reach the summit.

After celebrating we descend the same way down until we end up at BC.

21^st of July

We walk down to the town Stok before we catch a ride back to Leh.

22^nd – 24^th of July

Flight back to Delhi from Leh where we will have a free day (a full day trip to Taj Mahal is an option) before we the last day get a flight back home.

This trip will without a doubt be the hardest trip I have been on yet. It’s going to be horrible. And fun. And beautiful. And the Danish guide joining us is the same as the one I had in Turkey last year. And that is definitely a good thing.