28th November

We all met at the airport in readiness for our departure and boarded our overnight flight to Nairobi.

29th November

We arrived in Nairobi very early in the morning, whereupon we met our driver who was to take us on our adventure in Kenya. We set off on our long road journey to the hotel in Amboseli, and as we were tired from our flight, we all managed to sleep on the bus.

Once unpacked and settled in, we had lunch and afterwards rested until it was time to go on our first game drive. Wow! We saw large herds of elephants and at one point our vehicle was surrounded by as many as 100. We also saw giraffe, zebra, hyena, gazelle, buffalo, bison, caribou, crown crane and a lion.

We arrived back at our hotel, and after dinner, fell into our bed exhausted but happy we had seen so many animals on our first outing.

30th November

We all awoke very early for another game drive. We had only just left the hotel complex when we spotted monkeys and giraffe. As we had spotted such a variety of animals yesterday, our guide thought he would try and find the elusive cheetah, but this proved unfruitful. However, we did see more elephants, a sleeping hyena and many more of the animals spotted the day before.

We returned back at the hotel for breakfast which we had all built up an appetite for, and during which, a thieving monkey stole some bread! We decided to relax by the pool and some of us went for a swim whilst others dipped their toes. It was so quiet and peaceful that one or two of us fell asleep.

In the afternoon and after lunch, we went on another game drive in search of the “Big 5” – so far we had spotted 3.

1st December

We set off early for a long drive to Lake Naivasha. En-route, we stopped a couple of times and it was fascinating to see the small towns and villages and we drove through. We arrived at the hotel and after a late lunch, went on a boat trip where we saw hippo, a fish eagle, pelican and a giant kingfisher. Some very brave men were fishing, as pointed out by Ian. For our evening meal, we had to be escorted to the dining room as hippos were present right outside our bedrooms. They were huge, including the baby!

2nd December

Today, we had another long drive to the Masai Mara. We arrived just in time for lunch and checked in. Our hotel was located in the reserve and we could see impala, Thompson gazelle and warthogs (Pumba, from the Lion King). We also saw a cheetah with a recent kill and a lioness with 2 cubs with the male lion taking shade in a bush. We also saw buffalo having a mud bath. By comparison, we saw fewer elephants here than in the Ambosli. However, monkeys were in abundance and took a great interest in Wayne’s wheelchair with one even trying to taste it. During the late afternoon, we went on our first visit to the Masai. Here we saw wilderbeast, mongoose and a few zebras. We arrived back at our hotel tired and ready for our evening meal.

3rd December

This morning, after breakfast, we had a later game drive allowing us to spend more time in the reserve. It was amazing as we saw a pride of lions some of which were feasting on a buffalo. A little farther away, we saw yet more lions; 2 males, one of which was sleeping and the other eating the remains of a zebra. A jackal was nearby concealed in the bushes and an eagle patiently waiting for the lions to leave so they could have the leftovers. We then saw a lioness with 6 cubs who were playing on rocks and were so curious, they came very close to our vehicle. Sadly, we saw neither rhino nor leopard.

When we arrived back at our hotel, we relaxed either in our rooms or by the pool until it suddenly started to rain heavily – thankfully it hadn’t rained earlier when we were on our morning game drive!

During our afternoon, we saw a journey (group) of giraffe with two males fighting each other – this resulted in them both slamming their heads against each other, which can continue for a day until the loser becomes tired with the victor then jumping over him in a show of dominance.

4th December

Today we had a very long day! After breakfast we drove back to Nairobi where we had a lovely lunch before making our way to the airport to take our flight to Zanzibar in a small propellered plane! When we arrived, it was lovely and warm but dark as it was 8pm. We took transport to our hotel passing old mango trees, finally arriving both tired and hungry so went straight to our rooms and the hotel staff kindly brought dinner to us.

5th December

We awoke to glorious sunshine and the temperature being hotter than in Kenya! It was approx. 31 degrees today. After a lie in and late breakfast – no more early starts for our game drive – we relaxed on our room terraces in the tropical sun and peaceful atmosphere. After lunch by the pool, everyone opted to return to relaxing on our terraces in the shade and to sort out their luggage. In the evening, after dinner, we watched an acrobatic show which was excellent.

6th December

This morning, we went our excursion to Stone Town – the main town in Zanzibar. Firstly, we visited the old slave market where slaves were bought and sold. A church now stands on the former slave market site. We descending down to the holding chambers and these were very small and cramped. Next, we visited the market where fish, meat and vegetables were sold. It was very busy and smelly! We had a guided tour around the Sultan’s Museum before finally visiting the house where Freddie Mercury of the rock group Queen was born.

We returned to our hotel, and after dinner, we were entertained by a live band.

7th December

Today was another hot day and after breakfast, some of us went to the sea for a paddle. On the way, we could see fish in the clear waters. In the afternoon, some of us went for a swim in the hotel seawater pool which was warm and inviting. In the evening we had dinner at the Masai village in our hotel and were entertained by Masai dancers.

8th December

Today, we visited a spice farm and to see how they grow and produce various spices and fruits such as pepper, cloves, garlic, ginger, Jack fruit, vanilla and many more. Following our tour of the farm, we all sampled some local fruits and watched a man climb a coconut tree to retrieve a coconut for us to taste. We returned to our hotel for a late lunch then went swimming before retiring to our rooms to pack for our journey home.

9th December

Today, we flew home. We all agreed we had a fabulous time both on safari and in Zanzibar, with the latter being a bit for most of us! We relaxed for the remainder of the day before being collected for our trip back to the airport and flight back to the UK.