African Safari Diaries: An incredible honeymoon in Kenya and Zanzibar

Andy and his wife visited Kenya for the first time in October 2018 for their honeymoon. Going on a safari is something that Andy always wanted to do, and he particularly wanted to go to Kenya, ever since he did a case study for his Geography GCSE. When the opportunity arose for their honeymoon, they couldn’t say no and they combined their safari with a relaxing beach break in Zanzibar.

He shared his memories from his incredible trip as well as some superb photos with us. Enjoy reading all about it as much as we did!

The Itinerary

We left London Heathrow on Monday 15th October in the evening and arrived in Nairobi, Kenya on the Tuesday morning. We then met our rep and guide and made our way to the Somak lounge.

From there we set off and had lunch at the Outspan Hotel, after enjoying the sights we headed off to our first accommodation, which was Treetops in the Aberdare National Park. We stayed here for the night and saw Elephants, Buffalo and Hyenas amongst others animals. We left on Wednesday morning and made our way to Lake Nakuru, where we went on a safari and stopped for lunch.

We enjoyed the sights and sounds as we made our way to our next accommodation and to Lake Naivasha, where we were staying in the Kiboko Luxury Camp.

On Thursday morning we started our 6 hour journey to the Masai Mara Nature Reserve, where we stayed at Keekorok Lodge. After a number of game drives and a hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara, we sadly left on Saturday morning and began our journey to Zanzibar where we stayed at the Ocean Paradise Resort. Eventually we finished off with a short trip back to Nairobi where we started our journey back to London Heathrow on 27th October.

Accommodation

We stayed at: Treetops in the Aberdare National Park,  Kiboko Luxury Camp in Lake Naivasha, Keekorok Lodge, in the Masai Mara and Ocean Paradise Resort in Zanzibar.

When asked which was our favourite, it is a hard question to answer as all had great qualities and memories, but personally I would say that Keekorok was the best. We were really amongst the wildlife where we stayed, people and hospitality were fantastic and warming. The food was incredible and facilities were very good. The staff were amazing and they truly were lovely people. We got to see the big five, but more importantly the Lions!

Highlights

The highlights from our trip were sitting up until the late hours watching the elephants at Treetops and observing the way that they interacted with a buffalo.

We also loved waking up at 4 o’clock in the morning to see the sunrise whilst in a hot air balloon, elegantly floating above the Masai Mara and taking in the vast beauty of Kenya.

Seeing all the wonderful wildlife throughout the holiday especially the lions, and watching a leopard devour a gnu up a tree and the power it possessed.

Laying in a hammock surrounded by monkeys and African Fishing eagles at Lake Naivasha was also a highlight.

Another highlight was when we were driving back to Keekorok Lodge on Thursday evening and our driver said that there was a pride of lions up ahead. As we made our way a family of elephants, including a little baby, walked across out path, carried on walking and all of a sudden they were gone.

But the best part was when Sharif our guide turned off the engine, and we sat and watched two lionesses playing, eating, watching Zebra and standing brave in front of a Hyena….being free.

Tips and advice

We went in October and the evenings were slightly chilly so trousers and a jumper are recommended. Get your Visa’s before you get out there, at the embassy, as it is so much easier.

I took a number of cameras lenses and batteries which served me well as I didn’t miss a picture I wanted by having to change lenses or through running out of battery.

Take water sprays or wet wipes to freshen up from the bumpy dusty journeys.

Enjoy it, take the time to stop and look at what is in front of you and take it all in. Listen to the calmness. If you are doing a two part holiday with safari followed by beach, take 2 bags, one kitted and ready for safari and the other will be secured and ready for your beach holiday. We didn’t know this and had to carry our big suitcases everywhere, which was not much fun in a jeep, but didn’t take anything away from our wonderful experience.

A must must must do, if I can recommend anything is to do the hot air balloon ride, worth every penny!

If after reading Andy’s experience you would like to book a similar itinerary, you can read about our Thorn Tree Safari.

We would love to work with you to plan the safari holiday of a lifetime. For more information on how our safari experts can help you, call Somak Holidays today on 020 8423 3000 or enquire here.

Please note all photos featured are credited to Andrew Fewtrell.