We stayed in a farm in Africa, on the foot of the Ngong Hills. But that isn’t actually the beginning of our journey. It actually began in Mombasa and getting picked up by our information/driver Sammy. He will probably be with us for the subsequent 6 days from Mombasa to Tsavo to Amboseli National Park after which onto Nairobi. Sammy is pleasant, straightforward to speak to and educated about not simply mammals however about all of the birds that we’re seeing. This was particularly essential to Kati who likes to {photograph} all of the birds in Africa. It took us a few hours to get to our lodge in Tsavo East and the time glided by rapidly.
We stayed at Satao Camp and have been fortunate sufficient to get the tent closest and going through a highly regarded water gap. Like watching “Animal TV”, over the subsequent couple of days and nights we noticed herds of elephants, antelope, giraffes, hippos and warthogs stroll out of the bush and are available to this waterhole. This was the beginning of our journey, and we have been glad to be again in Africa.
One of the numerous lions we stumbled on watching, ready and having fun with the sundown.
Why Tsavo?
Tsavo is the place the place there have been two man-eating lions roamed and ate over 100 individuals in 1898 as depicted within the film The Ghost and the Darkness starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Tsavo East is the biggest sport park in Kenya, and it was a selection we needed to make: Tsavo East or Tsavo West. We selected Tsavo East primarily due to Satao Camp, and we’re glad we did. Over the subsequent 4 days we noticed lions after a kill, the purple elephants of Tsavo, hippos, giraffes, and a leopard in a tree with its kill. The panorama was surreal. Dusty and dry, Tsavo wanted the rains. But they by no means got here whereas we have been there. We additionally discovered The Real Africa, just like the one described by Isak Dinesen’s e book Out of Africa.
Set out in the course of the bush, our camp and the water gap have been completely located for the sport drives and to see a mess of animals coming and going from miles away to drink. We might expertise the enjoyment of the elephants coming over a ridge and seeing the water gap. Herds of zebra and antelope. We even had a genet within the eating room that got here one evening in search of meals. With the fireplace roaring, we ate scrumptious meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner and had sport drives most mornings and evenings. We had an entire day sport drive on one of many days and it proved spectacular as we noticed 5 lions on a hunt, after which they got here and sat down. We have been so shut as they relaxed, slept and saved vigil. This was an unimaginable expertise and we actually felt that we discovered The Real Africa.
This was why we got here again to Africa. It didn’t have the multitude of animals like Masai Mara, however it had the appear and feel of an actual African journey. Don’t get me fallacious, if there was one place, I’d advocate seeing the Big 5 it could be the Masai Mara or to expertise the Great Migration. But we have been in search of one thing totally different. Something that I had not skilled since I lived in Africa. Something that was completely sudden. And Tsavo delivered.
A herd of Zebras trying to lastly get a drink within the dry and dusty savannah.
An Incredible Adventure
This was the fourth time Kati and I’ve been to Kenya. We have additionally explored Uganda and Egypt, and I’ve lived for over 4 years in Zimbabwe and virtually a 12 months in South Africa. We have additionally traveled to Cape Verde, Botswana, and Morocco, so we’re not strangers to the African continent. But this time we needed one thing totally different. We needed an “Out of Africa” journey full of animals, tented camps and nice surroundings. And we bought simply that.
With our tent, fantastically adorned with previous Africa furnishings and overlooking the water gap, we have been capable of view animals from a few kilometers away touring by way of the dusty bush. The apparent pleasure that elephants expertise when lastly viewing the water maintain was unimaginable. They would begin to trot, flapping their ears virtually with smiles on their faces. Big Tuskers, moms with their younger, and single bulls all got here and went. We by no means uninterested in it.
In the evenings, Impala crammed the camp whereas jackals have been on the prowl. Hippos left the water gap and went to graze all evening returning within the morning and elephants took over. Zebra, water buck and giraffe all visited. And there was a genet who would come into the eating room in search of one thing to eat earlier than heading again into the bush.
From our tent and across the camp we additionally noticed owls, eagles and oryx.
This all occurred earlier than we even left for a sport drive. This was a nightly prevalence as we lie in mattress watching the animals come and go in entrance of us. It was wonderful.
There have been many camps to select from in Tsavo, however we selected Satao Camp. It gave us that nice journey and “Out of Africa” feeling, and the fee was good. We discovered the Real Africa and can return right here sooner or later.
The view from our tent overlooking the water gap.
Game Drives
We had two personal sport drives a day arrange. Both within the morning and night. Sammy our information advised we take someday and go additional into the park and spend the day. Satao Camp ready a lunch field for us and we set out on our journey. Tsavo was extremely dry and dusty. The purple earth full of air as we regarded for the long-lasting African animals. Sammy was excellent and educated about all of the animals, the park, birds and the place to go for the perfect views. One of the perfect points of Tsavo is that it’s uncrowded, and we have been nearly alone more often than not we have been there.
The remaining day, as we have been virtually out of the park, in search of a cheetah, we heard that there was a leopard in a tree with its kill. Sammy requested if we needed to return. Of course we did! A leopard in a tree? That was on my need listing for a very long time. Having seen 4 leopards beforehand, they have been all on the bottom I actually needed to see a leopard with a kill up in a tree.
We raced to the place it was and by the point we bought there, the leopard left the tree. But as we bought discouraged, Sammy mentioned he noticed it in one other tree. It had climbed as much as control his kill, and there he was. Sammy noticed it and we have been overjoyed as we snapped pictures. Sammy was an excellent information full of data and prepared to share. We liked spending our time with him and have been unhappy after we left him in Nairobi.
Finally we discovered the Leopard in a tree. He had his kill in a close-by tree and saved watch.
Our Final Word
After 4 unimaginable days, we needed to say goodbye to Tsavo. It was full of iconic African wildlife together with leopards, lions, elephants, giraffe, kudu, waterbuck, impala, zebra, oryx, owls, eagles and an entire lot extra. We continued our journey to Amboseli National Park which is legendary for its massive herds of elephants and spectacular views of Mount Kilimanjaro. We will cowl that a part of the journey in one other put up.
We needed to search out the Real Africa and we did. We needed that true Out of Africa expertise, and we bought it in Tsavo. We ate scrumptious meals underneath the African moon, watched animals on the water gap, had unimaginable sport drives with Sammy our information day-after-day and nonetheless had time to learn, write and chill out. This journey checked off all of the bins for us and we look ahead to returning sometime.
If you’re in search of a real, genuine African journey that’s not overrun by vacationers then look to Tsavo and Satao Camp. We simply would possibly see you there.
Dennis would love that.