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Gorillas & The Great Migration

No matter how many times I travel to Africa, every time provides me with a new experience and this adventure has proven to be no different. Where this time? Kenya and Rwanda – at the stunningly beautiful Ol Malo in the Laikipia Plateau, the lovely remote Naboisho camp in the Masai Mara and the luxurious Sabyinyo Lodge in Rwanda.

It started with Fred, my Abercrombie & Kent driver guide in Nairobi. It was a full day of hotel inspections, negotiating the notoriously bad Nairobi traffic, being given a hard hat at a construction site of what appeared to be a future hotel - all of which might really have proven to be the last straw, but Fred took it all in his stride. Game viewing in Nairobi National Park from the Emakoko Lodge to my next hotel inspection must have been the most unusual transfers that I have ever done. Who could imagine seeing game so close to a major city such as Nairobi?

With 5 traveling companions our adventure began in the stunningly beautiful Laikipia Plateau. Ol Malo, a privately owned game sanctuary set on 5,000 acres, is in a spectacular location on a rocky escarpment with views of Mount Kenya - overlooking a salt lick and watering hole full of zebra (including Grevys), impala, oryx, giraffe and the odd elephant or two.

The ranch is owned by the Francombe family and their passion for this beautiful area is infectious. Although the game viewing can be limited (we were pleasantly surprised by the diversity and abundance), Ol Malo’s attraction is its varied activities. Walking, camelback riding, fly camping, sleeping under the stars and swimming in the river are some of the many options available.

There are not too many places in Africa where you can game view from the swimming pool.

Andrew & Chyulu were wonderful hosts enjoying dinner with us each night, recounting stories of their lives in Kenya, the Congo and Ol Malo.

As one of our party, Sandie, had never been to Africa before it was truly wonderful to see Africa through her fresh eyes. Every animal sighting was exciting; her first glimpses of giraffe and elephant on our transfer/game drive from the Loisaba to Ol Malo almost caused hysterics. It was wonderful to see.

Hussein, our guide for our stay, was amusing and incredibly knowledgeable. He came from his local village every morning on his “picky picky” motorbike dressed in his traditional Samburu clothing – quite a sight.

Our school visit was one of the most authentic cultural experiences that I’ve ever had and was extremely touching. The school is based on the Waldorf system, music and crafts being a fundamental part of their learning philosophy. Being an avid knitter I could not help but notice the needles and wool so I immediately picked them up and started to show the children not only how to knit the way I do, but also how to purl too – they were captivated.

But the most distinctive feature about Ol Malo are the charming handcrafted rooms, each one unique and quirky with incredible attention to detail - with every room having stunning views.

On our last night we were treated to a barbecue under the stars; deliciously grilled lamb and wonderfully succulent beef, both of which came from the ranch. We were all wondering how we could leave this special place in the morning.

Our next stop was a camp in the Naboisho conservancy adjacent to the Masai Mara, far away from the plethora of minibuses full of tourists which are normally found in the Mara at this time of year. This lovely small tented camp, run by a husband and wife team Roeloff & Helen, has a beautiful location and wonderful ambiance. The 8 tents are well spaced offering lots of privacy. Open canvas tents with bucket showers, 2 outside under the stars and one inside for chilly nights - real camping African style.

During our stay a pride of lions were encamped on the rocky ridge close to the camp. Each night their roaring could be heard throughout the camp.

Although we had just missed the full migration (some 40,000 wildebeest having crossed into the Serengeti the week prior), there was still plenty of excellent game viewing to be had.

Most of it seemed to be in the Naboisho conservancy, with a herd of over 500 wildebeest wandering past our camp at breakfast on the day that we departed. Benjamin, our guide, was enthusiastic and flexible, in one instance encouraging us to be late for dinner in order to watch an exciting interaction between 2 lionesses and a pack of hyenas’ intent on stealing their recent kill. This amazing interaction kept us riveted for over an hour. None of us wanted to leave until the lionesses themselves called it a day, leaving the kill to the hyenas.

Highlights of our stay here were the excellent walking safaris offered with Roeloff. We came across large groups of impala, giraffe, wildebeest and Cape buffalo plus more unusual animals such as dwarf mongooses. Seeing these animals on foot is a completely different and stimulating experience than viewing them from a vehicle.

Even without the full migration we did have some wonderful animal sightings, including a zebra herd crossing - with hungry crocodiles claiming a few unfortunate victims. We also saw mating lions and a very large bull elephant estimated to be at least 40 years old as well as a rare sighting of a serval cat on one of our morning walks.

Even a drive to the airstrip can be an exciting event. On our departure drive we came across a very large group of impala.

Sandie added to the ambiance by playing the “Out of Africa” music on her iPad. Listening to Mozart in the middle of the Mara certainly made for a lovely ending to our time in Kenya. Benjamin probably thought that we were a little crazy but just smiled in his usual charming way.

The final stop on our safari included two treks to the mountain gorillas in Virunga National Park in Rwanda. Sabyinyo Lodge was our choice of lodging, a wonderful property of 8 cottages complete with fireplaces in each lovely room. The communal dining room, lounge and bar area reminded me of a colonial home – warm and relaxing with plenty of cozy spots to read and discuss the day’s events. Our gorilla experience was all that we had imagined and so much more - two very different experiences. Our first group with Emmanuelle and Francis was with the Umubano (Unity) group, a small group with 13 members. It took us 1 ½ hours of steep climbing through large nettles and dense vegetation to reach the large silverback, several females and babies.

It was fascinating to see them so at ease with our presence, the babies playing and the silverback resting on his back seemingly without a care in the world. Our time was over too quickly - an hour flies by in a heartbeat.

Our second day was a little different, finding our gorillas, the 26 member Agashya group, in a stand of bamboo and then following them into a clearing. This group was very active, playing, eating and participating in “Jiggy Jiggy”, Emmanuelle’s amusing term for mating.

Today our head guide was Francois. He is the most experienced guide in the Virungas and somewhat of a legend, having been a porter for Diane Fossey. His uncanny ability to mimic the gorillas made our trek and visit with this troop very entertaining. At one point he tore his way through a stand of bamboo, copying the way a gorilla can become intoxicated by consuming vast amounts of bamboo. His favorite phrase was “OH MY GOD” and it became an endearing catch phrase for us.

The arrangements made by A&K in Nairobi and Thousand Hills in Kigali were faultless, our guides and ground staff were helpful, efficient and incredibly friendly.

Thank you to Dave, Mac, Matt, Nancy and Sandie for being such good sports and for filling our days with conversation and laughter. It really was a treat to travel with you all. A special thanks to Mac for bringing Bananagrams (our evenings at Sabyinyo would not have been the same without it!) Thanks to everyone for sharing your photos, especially Sandie!

Books to Read

Out of Africa – Karen Blixen
Green Hills of Africa – Ernest Hemingway
Too Close To The Sun – Sarah Wheeler
West With The Night – Beryl Markham
White Mischief – James Fox
We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families – Peter Gourevitch
Baking Cakes In Kigali – Gaile Parkin
An Ordinary Man – Paul Rusesagina

Movies

Out Of Africa
Gorillas In The Mist
Hotel Rwanda

This trip was quite wonderful and we were all reluctant to leave - but are already planning another adventure.

Let me help you create truly memorable travel experiences.

Val

tel: 720.283.4179
email: vsewell@travelsquareone.com

Valerie Sewell
Travel Counselor