Lots of the comments and questions I received were about the animals. In terms of the success we had on our game drives, I truly believe this can be attributed to both luck (being in the right place at the right time) and skill (our guides and our spotters were highly knowledgeable about location and timing)! However, patience played a large role as well...we spent a lot of time quietly waiting (for example, the leopards are pretty elusive, the lionesses hunted for about 90 minutes, etc.). We had no preconceived notions about what we wanted to see and told each of our guides that we'd be thrilled with whatever they wanted to show us. I think this made a HUGE difference in our experience as compared to some of the other guests we encountered; some of them were very demanding and frankly, I thought that was such absurd behavior because these are animals out in the wild who have zero concern for you and your unrealistic expectations! We saw so many different animals because we took a very go-with-the-flow approach and trusted our guides, and the only notable animal we didn't see was the pangolin, which is apparently not easy to spot when the grasses are tall!
Here are the animals we did see and looking at this list, I'm speechless:
- elephant
- Reticulated giraffe
- Maasai giraffe
- Rothschild's giraffe
- baboon
- lion
- cheetah
- leopard
- serval
- eland
- gazelle
- water buck
- topi
- impala
- wildebeest
- buffalo
- zebra
- black rhino
- southern white rhino
- crocodile
- hippo
- jackal
- hyena
- vulture
- eagle
- oryx
- mongoose
- vervet monkey
- warthog
- dik-dik
- hornbill
- hyrax
- owl (not sure what kind)
- about a zillion species of birds
Another common question I got was about the cost. This was, hands down, the most expensive trip we've ever taken, but we would do it again in a heartbeat. There are undoubtedly less expensive ways to go on a safari, including using a different company, staying in other accommodations, going for fewer days, choosing a less private experience, or opting for something not all-inclusive. We experienced the most elite service every single day, ate the most amazing food at every meal, and saw the most incredible things on every game drive. If you know us, you know we are not fancy in the least and this is certainly not the type of travel we are accustomed to! But it was seriously a life-changing trip and worth every cent! The memories are priceless!
What was included with the cost:
- our hotel the night before safari
- transportation from our hotel to the airport before safari and then back to airport after the safari
- luggage storage during the safari
- four flights between properties
- assistance with bags at all times - we never managed our bags!
- assistance with all of the transitions between properties
- all meals (freshly prepared by chefs who came came to our tables to discuss the menus)
- all drinks (water, coffee, tea, soda, alcohol)
- three incredible breakfasts out in nature
- evening snacks and drinks during game drives
- a welcome back from each game drive with a drink and a cool face towel
- seven nights at four amazing properties
- day room at The Retreat at Giraffe Manor
- around the clock service
- multiple room refreshes a day
- turn down service that included hot water bottles in our bed at Solio and Sala's because it gets cold overnight
- pretty much any toiletries you can think of - our rooms were beyond well stocked with everything we could have possibly needed
- rooms stocked with rain boots, rain ponchos, and umbrellas
- four-wheel drive vehicles specially designed for safari drives (two of them were open air; one was not open air, but there was seating on the roof!)
- game drive vehicles stocked with water, sunscreen, hand sanitizer, tissues, blankets, and fleece ponchos for our use
- laundry service (which we took advantage of twice during our safari, at Solio and at Giraffe Manor)
- security escorts to and from our rooms between dusk and dawn
- all logistics taken care of - we didn't have to figure out a single thing!
 |
| how our laundry was returned so cute! |
 |
| at Giraffe Manor, it was even wrapped in giraffe material! |
A couple of people asked if there was anything we didn't care for and honestly, I had to think a bit because the following things are nothing more than minor inconveniences!
- Each day, we were on a tight schedule with not a lot of down time. We had a game drive before sunrise that typically lasted until lunch time, then lunch, which took at least an hour and sometimes two, followed by a few hours to rest in the afternoon. We then had an evening game drive starting between 4:00 and 5:00 and lasting until about 8:00, before returning for dinner. We often didn't get back to our room until about 9:30 or so! On Day 2, we opted not to do a drive or anything in the evening and it was so great to have that time just to relax! Our rooms were beautiful and it didn't feel like we really got to enjoy them as much as we would have liked!
- The wifi was not great at any of the properties. Obviously we're not on a safari to be on our devices, but uploading photos/videos, sharing pictures/videos, and writing blog posts takes time under regular circumstances. To put things in perspective, I have deleted over 12,000 photos and C has deleted over 4,000 photos since we arrived in Nairobi on July 6, so managing all of that took tons of time and the slow wifi was not our friend! LOL!
- There was no wandering around or exploring on our own allowed due to safety concerns; there were wild animals at each of the properties, and even in broad daylight, being aware and alert at all times was critical!
- During our game drives at the first property, Sasaab, we shared a vehicle and our guide and spotter with another couple (thankfully, they were completely delightful); we absolutely preferred having a private guide, spotter, and vehicle at the two subsequent properties, Soilo and Sala's!
- Knowing what we know now, we would have packed FAR LESS stuff! Even though I think we did a really great job of packing light (we each only had a backpack and a small duffel bag for the safari), we could have done with so much less because of everything that was provided!
Finally, some people asked me what my favorite thing was about the safari and obviously, there are countless things to love, not the least of which getting to share this incredible adventure with C. However, one moment truly stands out for me.
I could visit zoos and sanctuaries and see these animals in other confined settings.
Would it be the same as having seen them in the wild?
Of course not.
But I COULD see them.
One thing I would never be able to see at a zoo or a sanctuary is a cheetah running effortlessly at full speed across the savanna. That moment, as the cheetah chased a gazelle and covered a mind-boggling and indescribable distance in mere seconds, is forever seared into my mind and my heart. It was absolutely glorious. What a magnificent creature!
Happy Tails to you!
No comments:
Post a Comment