Kenya

Tuesday 25 July
After arriving in Nairobi, what hits you is the development (or perhaps it's arriving from the lesser-developed Uganda) and the friendliness of the people. The airport staff are magnificent and the staff from Somak, the tour operator, are highly professional. We were transferred to the Serena Hotel in Nairobi, one of the group of ‘Leading luxury hotels of the world’.

Wednesday 26 July
Breakfast is top notch, as are the facilities at the hotel, which is located close to all the city’s main art and cultural attractions, as well as shopping, nightlife and entertainment. Shaded by bougainvillaea, acacia and jacaranda trees, the 183 rooms and 7 suites are decorated in Pan-African style, and offer air-conditioned comfort. There is a health club and a fantastic outdoor pool, and the cuisine on offer ranges from Kenyan, Indian, Italian and Creole.

We set off for our safari by private taxi bus, a journey of five hours north east of the capital. As in every African city, and especially in Nairobi, the modern and impressive buildings give way to more informal living conditions and countryside. Whilst you hear of drought and lack of water, it is surprisingly green. The infrastructure is much better and there are more tourists around, even though there are sufficient potholes to give you the traditional African massage. Reassuringly, although primarily targeted at road traffic offences, there is more of a police presence around.

The views of the Great Rift Valley are wonderful, especially if you have any geographical interest. The bottom of the valley ranges from some very fertile land, to vast expanses where you begin to see the Masai tribe herding their animals. It is a long journey to your destination and unfortunately the roads deteriorate fast and become some of the worst I have ever experienced. I hear later of the recent ‘el nina’ which meant the roads cracked up and have yet to be repaired. The influx of tourists to the park also increases significantly.

We called in to a Masai tribe kraal or village homestead. It should be noted that general photography of the tribespeople is not permitted. Always ask for their permission first, and not without good reason, they ask for some money in return. A visit to the village was priced at around £14 a head, which although not cheap, was very informative and worth the undertaking. We went into one of the houses and listened to the explanation of its construction, being made of sticks and cow dung, and hierarchical living, along with their goats and chickens, which seem perfectly content just inside the front door. The distinctly red Masai tribesmen and their jumping (as seen regularly between BBC TV programmes) is something really special. On talking to one of the guys, Tom Nkuito, he explained how any money raised helps to go to a local school projects.

We stayed at Mara Simba Lodge, located in the park, which is remote, self-contained and self-sufficient. A good lodge, with 84 rooms, all with ensuite showers, tiled bathrooms and verandahs, and situated in an ideal location. The public areas overlook the Talek River, and are shaded by makuti (palm thatch) roofs. There is a shop, outside swimming pool to cool down in after a day’s game drive, a comfortable bar and dining room, offering meat and vegetarian menus.

The hotel can offer trips to Crescent Island by boat, the location for the filming of ‘Out of Africa’ and where you will see impala, waterbuck and warthog. They can also organise a visit to Hell’s Gate, another film location, this time for Tomb Raider II, where you will find giant red cliffs outlining an interior cauldron of a bubbling underground stream.

The game drives are excellent, with more cats than many other parks I have been to. It is the wildebeest migration season and the numbers are fantastic, with literally tens of thousands of animals all around, the animals make their way into the Mara Plains from the Serengeti. Note: The Great Migration season is usually from August to November.

Thursday 27 July
Up again at 06.00 for a departure at 06.30, for game viewing. The migration continues unabated, in pre-ordained fashion. We see more cats, and one group witnesses a cheetah kill. There are options for taking balloon excursions, but at a cost of US$390 per person we decided not to participate, however it does come highly recommended.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing by the pool.

Friday 28 July
Another journey on these terrible roads, although it should be noted that new roads are being built as part of the EU aid budget, and this will make a significant difference in a year or so.

We moved on to the Sopa Lodge in Naivasha where the food was excellent, especially lunch and dinner. The design is appealing and the feeling relaxed. The accommodation is in the form of individually-designed houses, with four rooms in each house.

There is an excellent pool and gym, and the manager, Nigel Arensen, has plans to further develop the activities available at the resort. His influence on the staff has been very good and all the guests are very well looked after. In the evening we were always escorted back to our rooms by one of the night porters. It was not until, on a gentle stroll around, when we almost walked into a hippo that you realise it is not only the paying guest who take advantage of the wonderful facilities!

Saturday 29 July
We went on a boat trip of Lake Naivasha this morning and you certainly do see lots of hippos and the bird life is excellent, and the yellow-barked Acacia trees are beautiful. On Crescent Island the scenery is absolutely stunning.

We then went on to Lake Nakuru, which was another hour away and yet another picturesque park, famous for its bird life. The level of the lake is prone to change, not least due to the huge flower industry that has grown up around the area (there are hectares of greenhouses!), but you think that the lake itself is almost fringed pink. This is because of the huge numbers ~ tens of thousands at this time of year ~ of pink flamingos that migrate here to feed on the algae in the water. Driving around is leisurely, and there are sufficient animals, including the very rare and endangered species of black and white Colobus monkeys. Lunch is taken at Lake Nakuru Lodge which was buffet style, and plenty of it!

Sunday 30 July
Travelling another 3½ hrs into the Central Highlands, we arrived at the Aberdare Country Club in the foothills of Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in the country. The service and food were first rate, however the accommodation here may be closing down as the club has been taken over by Fairmont Hotels.

The Aberdare Country Club acted as a base, and storing our luggage for overnight keeping (you are only allowed an overnight bag), we then transferred the ½ hour drive to The Ark. This is modelled around its more famous but older sister, ‘Treetops’, where Queen Elizabeth was staying when she was informed she had acceded to the throne in England. The Ark is set high up in the Aberdares, and unsurprisingly, themed around a boat resembling Noah’s Ark. Offering 60 ‘cabin-style’ rooms, all with private bathrooms with shower, and all enjoying a view of the waterhole. Located on one of the viewing decks is the lounge and bar, and there are four game viewing areas from which to view the wildlife. There is also a hide at ground-level, where you could almost come face-to-face with the animals, as well as a bunker which provides you with excellent photographic opportunities.

The food and service was excellent, with dinner and breakfast being served in the main dining room. There was a good deal of activity around the floodlight waterhole in front of the Ark, around which you could quite happily while away several hours.

Monday 30 July & Tuesday 1 August
The drive back to Nairobi was fine, except for the many police check-points that snare up the country and get more acute as you get closer to the busier city traffic. It was suggested that the roads between Nairobi and Mombasa on the coast are like the worst of what we had experienced earlier on our holiday!

I liked Nairobi and our stay at the Sarova Stanley, which is a city centre orientated hotel, and I felt well looked-after and catered for. It was not in the same league as The Serena, but then few are. The restaurants in the Stanley are excellent, with fine dining, pool deck and bistro options. It was nice just to have a B&B stay, as just round the corner are some excellent coffee shops, which are popular amongst the locals and it is easy to understand why, with their excellent service and food. There is also an Italian restaurant that comes well recommended.

One of the highlights of any visit to Nairobi is to go to Carnivore’s, the famous meat-eating restaurant extravaganza, or as they put it, ‘Africa’s Greatest Eating Experience’. More than a few animals were used to provide for my dinner alone! An absolute must for all visitors (except vegetarians, of course!!) and it was certainly busy, even on a Tuesday night. However, the restaurant is located away from the city centre so transport there and back needs to be organised in advance.

To follow Andrew's experiences on the final leg of his trip to Tanzania, click here