Faber Family on Safari in Kenya
4/30/2024
Earlier this month, Margaret and Pierre took their sons William (16) and Edward (12) to Kenya, the birthplace of safari, for 9 days of fun and adventure. It was the family's second safari, following Cape Town and Botswana last April.
After an overnight near the airport and a morning spent touring some of Nairobi's highlights, including the Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (elephant orphanage), it was off to the Maasai Mara for the first four nights on safari. The Mara is Kenya's must-see destination, and one of the most beautiful and wildlife-rich ecosystems in Africa. Highlights here included regular sightings of lion, hyena, cheetah, elephants, and a wide diversity of plains game species.
The boys also witnessed their first kill, watching a cheetah take down a Thomson's gazelle. A sunrise balloon excursion over the plains of the Mara was another highly memorable experience. Accommodation at Mara Plains Camp was superlative, with exquisite food and incredible service. Edward loved spending time with the camp's Maasai askari, as part of the Young Explorers Program, and when it was time to go, the parting was near-tearful.
All sadness evaporated, however, when we arrived at Lodo Springs Camp on the Loisaba Conservancy, in the Laikipia region. Being north of the equator, Loisaba is home to various "northern specials", including the very beautiful reticulated giraffe, as well as Grevy's zebra, beisa oryx, and gerenuk. It is also renowned for leopard sightings, and did not disappoint (including mating leopards); along with regular elephant, lion, and buffalo viewing, a black rhino sighting completed the "Big Five".
One of the highlights at Loisaba, especially for families, is the wide range of activities to complement game-viewing by vehicle. Camel rides provide a uniquely elevated perspective on the surrounding bush, while the equestrian stable boasts a wide range of horses catering to all ability levels; Margaret's horseback encounter with a black rhino is one that she won't soon forget! Other memorable excursions included a visit to the neighboring Samburu village, and meeting (and trying, unsuccessfully, to evade) the Conservancy's remarkable anti-poaching sniffer dogs.
After a final morning game drive (delivering more leopards and lions!), it was back to Nairobi for a visit to the lovely Karen Blixen museum, followed by some gift shopping, and dinner at Talisman. After freshening up at the Four Points Airport Hotel, it was time to bid Kenya farewell and start the long journey home.
While conventional wisdom dictates that one should never travel to East Africa in April and May due to the "long rains", this was not borne out by Pierre and Margaret's experience: "Yes, we did encounter some heavy rain, especially in the Mara, but it was never persistent, and really didn't impact our safari experience. As evidenced by the incredible sightings that we enjoyed". Any regrets? "Only that we didn't have more time to include other highlights like Amboseli, Meru, and Samburu - next time, for sure!".
To see more images from the Faber family safari, please click here.
To see images from Alex's March 2024 safari to Tanzania and Kenya, please click here.