African Safari Diaries : Steve and Sandra’s fourth celebratory safari in Kenya!

In this edition of “African Safari Diaries” we speak to Steve Daly, who recently visited Kenya with his wife Sandra for the fourth time, to celebrate Sandra’s 60th birthday.

1. What made you choose to go on an African Safari? Was this your first time visiting Kenya and going on a safari?

This was our FOURTH Safari trip to Kenya in the last 10 years! Each one has been to celebrate a special occasion: No.1 in 2008 was to celebrate Sandra’s 50th birthday; No.2 in 2011 was to celebrate our Silver Wedding Anniversary; No.3 in 2016 was to celebrate our 30th Wedding Anniversary; and this one in 2018 was to celebrate Sandra’s 60th birthday!

For her 50th birthday, back in 2008, Sandra wanted a “Zoo Keeper Experience”at our local zoo, and I thought, we can do better than mucking out the meerkats! I walked into the travel agents, picked up some brochures and the rest, as they say, is history! Our first two safaris were driving itineraries, while our more recent two have been flying safaris. There are pros and cons to both – with a driving safari you see more of Kenya as you drive from location to location, but it can be tiring on some of Kenya’s roads. With a flying safari, the transit time between locations is obviously quicker, giving more time on the ground seeing the wildlife, but you miss that “connection” that a driving safari gives you. Mind you, the transit flights are at fairly low altitude and seeing Kenya from the air at low-level is amazing!

We instantly fell in love with Kenya, a country that is so diverse in its wild habitats; its people, who are so warm, welcoming and friendly; and of course its wildlife. I am a keen wildlife photographer, and Kenya is just a dream destination for someone with my interests; with such a diversity of habitats, and wildlife, we have never been disappointed.

Kenya gets under your skin and into your blood. It is an addiction for which, fortunately, there is no known cure, other than to keep returning!

2. How did you hear about Somak Holidays and what did your itinerary involve on this trip?

Our first two safaris were with a rival operator, however, we visit Birdfair at Rutland Water every August. At Birdfair in 2015, we met Somak’s Business Development Manager, Justin Coles, on the Kenya Birding stand. Justin talked to us about how Somak could tailor our safari to our requirements. We left with a brochure and liked the sample itinerary based on three centres: Meru, Samburu and the Masai Mara, especially as we had never been to Meru previously. Two years later, and in 2018 we have just returned home after our fourth safari, visiting the same three areas again, but with a change of properties in two of them.

3. Where did you stay whilst on your Safari and what was your favourite property?

In Meru we returned to Elsa’s Kopje. The park is not as busy as others further south and you can go all day without seeing another vehicle. The staff are fabulous – unfortunately, Sandra suffered a reaction to her malaria tablets while we were here, George and Theresa, the managers, and their staff could not have been more caring and attentive.

This time, in Samburu, we moved to the opposite side of the Ewaso Nyiro River than on previous visits, staying at Elephant Bedroom Camp. This saved the long drive along the river, across the bridge, and back along the other bank to get to the areas frequented by leopards. The added ingredient here was the daily visits by wild elephants that wander through the camp!

Again in the Masai Mara we had a change of property, staying at Mara Explorer Camp. What a fabulous location on the Talek River, with the bar/restaurant area overlooking the river. If you are flying in, as we were, the camp is literally 5 minutes drive from Olekiombo airstrip. We had tent 4 (thank you Meeta at Somak for requesting that for us) which is right on the bend in the river. Just below us was a large “beach” area used by the hippos – they must be the noisiest neighbours in the world, but who cares when you are in Kenya.

Favourite property? That’s a tough one, but on balance it has to be Mara Explorer; with Elsa’s coming a very, very close second!

4. What were your highlights from the trip?

Undoubtedly one of the highlights has to be the SEVEN leopards we saw on this trip, with the last one being before breakfast on our final morning in the Mara, before we flew back to Nairobi. We have seen leopards on every safari we have had in Kenya, but that last one in the Mara was the closest and the best yet! Add to that, being charged by a baby elephant in Samburu – he had all the right movements, but just lacked the might and presence. All we could do was laugh at him! However, every trip has been full of amazing highlights from beginning to end.

Finally, let us not forget the birthday celebrations! Each camp we stayed at, AND the Ole Sereni hotel in Nairobi, made Sandra a birthday cake! In addition when we arrived at the Ole Sereni on our return from the Mara, which was actually on Sandra’s birthday, they had spelled out “Happy 60” in red flower petals on the white duvet in our room! Kenyans certainly know how to make a special occasion very special indeed!

5. Any advice or tips for anyone thinking of going on a Safari?

By all means go with a wish list of the animals you want to see, but be prepared for the fact that you may not see them all. They don’t come to order, and while the guides are excellent and will do their very, very best to find the animals; if the animals aren’t around then you won’t see them. So please, do go with an open mind on that aspect.

Take a camera, and if you can the longest lens you can afford, so that you can capture the stunning memories that a Kenyan safari will give you. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to get any closer to an animal, but still being too far away to be more than a small object somewhere in your picture. Make sure that you have enough memory cards for the thousands (yes, I did say thousands) of shots that you will take in a typical 10-day safari!

Build a number of safari locations into your itinerary. That way you will experience Kenya in all her wonder and see a wide variety of wildlife. Too many people think “Kenya Safari” and then think “Masai Mara”. Yes, the Mara is a hot spot for wildlife, especially during the migration, but build in one or two others if you can. That way you will get to experience a far wider range of wildlife encounters.

Talk to your guides while on safari. They know the area and where the best spots are for each of the wildlife encounters that you would like to have. Many of them are drawn from the local tribe, so this is their land and they can read all the signs that tell them what animal has passed that way and how recently.

All the Kenyans that you encounter while on safari will speak English, but if you can try and learn a few basic phrases in Swahili before you embark on your Kenyan adventure, then they will appreciate it and you will find that you will learn some more as the safari progresses. To us that is all part and parcel of the fun – absorbing just a little bit of the local language and culture.

If after reading Steve and Sandra’s experience you would like to book a similar itinerary, you can read more about Elsa’s Kopje here, Elephant Bedroom Camp in Samburu here, and Mara Explorer Camp here. They also stayed at Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi.

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.

Please note all photos featured are credited to Steve Daly.