Camping on the equator

Kenya's capital. Today's Nairobi, with over four million inhabitants, is an administrative, cultural and commercial center unlike any other in Africa. Somalis, Arabs, Nubians, Indians, Pakistanis, Japanese and Westerners coexist seamlessly with the African majority.

Nairobi's cosmopolitan character is evident in the presence of mosques, temples, synagogues and churches

Accommodation in nairobi

The day after we arrived, we began our excursion. In about four hours, we headed for Mount Kenya, the sacred mountain of the Kikuyu, the home of their god Ngei, which also preserves the mysterious white - the eternal snow. When the first travelers returned from this region around 1890, they were laughed at when they spoke of the eternal snow at the equator. The summit of Mount Kenya was not reached until around 1930.

The area around Mount Kenya is made up of several mountain ridges, snowfields, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls and gigantic rock slopes. At the foot of the mountains lie dense tropical forests, home to many species of game and birds. If you like, you can go on a hike with a guide. The guide will tell you about the flora and fauna and point out the dassies, colobus monkeys and birds. He or she can also provide information on the medicinal effects of various plants.

We see the green hills gradually give way to a drier landscape, with the characteristic umbrella-shaped thorny acacias, termite mounds and colorfully dressed Samburu.

Samburu herding its goats and cows. The drive continues to the Samburu Game Reserve, which is located north of Isiolo. The last part of the journey is on a gravel road. This park is best known for Grevy's zebra, gerenuks, reticulated giraffes and Somali ostriches. There is also a good chance of seeing elephants and crocodiles. The landscape is dominated by lava plains, deep ravines and rounded hills. The vegetation consists mainly of thorn bushes and acacia trees with gallery forests along the Ewaso Nyiro River.

The Samburu, who live mainly from their goats and cattle, are closely related to the Masai; they speak the same language, Maa, and also wear red and purple clothing. We take a game drive in Samburu National Park and have the opportunity to visit a Samburu village. We spend the night in a beautiful lodge in the middle of the park.

Today we drive south to Nyahururu Falls, where we can walk down to the falls with a local guide.

We descend from the highlands into the Rift Valley. On the way to Nakuru, we pass several tea plantations and then take a game drive in Nakuru National Park. This park

This park owes its fame to the soda lake of the same name, which is home to thousands of flamingos and countless other species of birds. On the shore of the lake, you can smell the strange odor of the brackish water, which contains minerals. During the dry season, the water level can sometimes drop so low that salt deposits can be seen on the shores.

Since 1986, Lake Nakuru National Park has had the “Rhino Rescue” program, an area specifically created to protect rhinos from extinction. The likelihood of encountering rhinos is therefore very high in this national park. In addition, many leopards, buffaloes and giraffes live here. From the Baboon Cliff, there is a beautiful view of the lake.

In the afternoon, we head to Lake Baringo. This lake is a highlight for bird lovers. It is the center for birdwatchers from all over the world to catch a glimpse of the more than 450 species of birds that occur around the lake.

You can also (optionally) take a boat out to pay homage to the lake's crocodiles and hippos with a visit.

The hippos come out of the water at night to graze their 60 kilos of grass a day.

By the way, they can reach speeds of around 40 kilometers per hour. Of course, we'll also be looking for the impressive ospreys that are common here.

Another day with activities at Lake Baringo

From Lake Baringo we head to the highest lake in the Rift Valley, Lake Naivasha. Weather permitting, you can take part in an optional boat trip on the lake in the afternoon, where you are sure to meet the lake's many hippos. In addition, the lake has a great diversity of birds.

On the shores of the lake is Elsamere Villa, the residence of the Adamson family, known for the book “Born Free”. If we're welcome, we can pay a visit here.

In the garden, there are several black and white colobus monkeys, which are easy to photograph.

From Naivasha, we head to the Masai Mara game reserve, where we move to a beautiful tented lodge, where staying in a luxury tent guarantees the feeling of “Out of Africa”. During our stay, you'll have time to study the various species of game and birds up close.

During a trip to Kenya, almost everyone visits this vast area on the border with Tanzania. It's not without reason, because the number of game species is huge. You'll often see lions hunting.

The great migration of the wildebeest from the south in July/August and from the north in October is a great experience.

The “Mara” is characterized by rolling grasslands, in which acacia trees provide a typical African image. This is also the habitat of the Masai. The Masai Mara has the status of a National Reserve, which means that, unlike national parks, human habitation is possible. The Masai are allowed to graze their cattle in the reserve. When they feel mortally threatened by hunting, they have the right to kill the animal.

With our truck, we do beautiful “safaris” in the park.

From the Masai Mara we headed south towards Tanzania, where we spent the night in a simple but charming hotel in the border town of Kisii

Today, we cross the border into Tanzania and head for the Serengeti, where we spend the night in a 'tented camp', a comfortable 'wilderness' experience. From here, we will explore this beautiful park and, due to its enormous size, take a longer drive during the day.

This park, Tanzania's largest and most famous, covers an area of 14,500 km² and has a spectacular game density. Birdwatchers can also delight in the Serengeti. Most of the Serengeti is made up of vast open grasslands with characteristic rock formations here and there, called “kopjes”. But there are also acacia forests and savannahs, wooded areas along the rivers and, here and there, a lake and even swampy areas. In addition to the well-known herds of wildebeest, zebras and gazelles, the Serengeti is also known for its lion population. It's not uncommon to see lions several times a day, including old males with black manes. Leopard are also relatively common here and can be found resting in the trees during the day.

The spectacular annual migration of the wildebeest and zebra takes place in a great circle, which also involves the Masai Mara in Kenya. From December to January, the great herd is found in the far south of the Serengeti.

From March onwards, the animals begin to move north.

Between May and July, most of the animals are found in the north and west of the park.

During the August-September period, the herds meet in the Masai Mara, after which they move south again from October. Of course, the animals don't follow this line of direction.

The amount of rain that falls and, above all, where that rain falls are decisive. It is therefore very possible that the herd will find itself in the middle of the Serengeti in September.

Drive from the Serengeti National Park to the town of Karatu where we will spend the night.

From the town of Karatu we set off in the morning for the spectacular Ngorongoro Crater. We will explore it throughout the day in all-terrain vehicles. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is one of Africa's most spectacular nature reserves, not only because it is one of the largest craters in the world, but certainly also because of the great diversity and density of game. At the bottom of the crater are all the members of the so-called “big five” (elephant, lion, black rhino, leopard and buffalo). The Ngorongoro Crater also has a lot to offer bird lovers. At midday, we'll have a picnic lunch in a beautiful spot under the yellow velvet trees in the middle of the park.

The next day, we'll take a beautiful drive towards Mto wa Mbu, where we'll visit a Masai market. The strangely shaped baobabs and the view of Lake Manyara make for photogenic images.

In lively Arusha, we are back in the civilized world.

Today we travel through the border town of Namanga back to Nairobi.