Evans Mwangi, our guide, picked us up at our hotel in Nairobi. A car ride from downtown Nairobi to the foot of Mount Kenya may not seem like much fun, but it was. The driver was a character – clever with words, opinionated, outrageous, incredibly funny, and deadly serious about serious issues. He even flirted…
Continue ReadingMt Kenia climbing Day 2.
The next morning there was spoor around the site from the night visitors – buck, eland and buffalo mainly. We had heard them in the night but were not brave enough to go out. The mist was still there which gave the whole place a shrouded look and the monkeys screeching in the trees made…
Continue ReadingMt Kenya climbing to point Lenana
At 3am next morning Evans woke us up. I was in a deep sleep and sitting up quickly, I knocked the frozen perspiration from the roof of the tent on to us – a sort of frozen shower! We dressed, had a cup of tea and packed our gear. The three of us started out…
Continue ReadingMt Kenya climbing Last day
Normally the day would have ended with the drive back to Nairobi. However, we chose to spend our last day, after a very comfortable walk, at a local hotel where we arrived before lunch-time. We had a glorious shower, a couple of beers, a great lunch and we crashed for the afternoon. The next day…
Continue ReadingLake Nakuru National park
Lake Nakuru is a very shallow strongly alkaline lake 62 sqaure KMs in extent. It is set in a picturesque landscape of surrounding woodland and grassland next to Nakuru town. The landscape includes areas of marsh and grasslands alternating with rocky cliffs and outcrops, stretches of acacia woodland and rocky hillsides covered with a Euphorbia…
Continue ReadingTsavo east and west a Birdwatcher’s Paradise
The twin National Parks of Tsavo East and West together form one of Africa’s largest wilderness reserves. Tsavo as a whole consists of 10 million acres of pure wilderness, incorporating savannah, ranges and hills, acacia and montane forest, and an extensive river system. This single National Park is larger than the island of Jamaica. The…
Continue ReadingWhere Water Means Life
The waters of the great Ewaso Nyiro river draw wildlife in great numbers to its banks, creating an oasis of green. This river flows through three great northern reserves, Samburu, Buffalo Springs and Shaba. This is spectacular country, set against a backdrop of the mighty Mountain Ol Olokwe. The verdant riverine forest is a stark…
Continue ReadingMasai Mara the Kingdom of Lions
South Western Kenya is the heartland of the Masai. The Maasai are a strongly independent people who still value tradition and ritual as an integral part of their everyday lives. They regard themselves not just as residents of this area but that they are as much a part of the life of the land as…
Continue ReadingAmboseli is a Land of Giants.
This is a place of wide dry plains, where the horizons stretch into the furthest distance and become one with the sky. Amboseli is renowned for its elephant populations and large herds, including some impressively tusked bulls are drawn to a series of large, lush swamplands. But the most impressive giant of all is Mt…
Continue ReadingThe Aberdares
The Aberdares are an isolated volcanic range that forms the eastern wall of the rift valley, running roughly 100km north south between Nairobi and Thomsons Falls. Soils are red and of volcanic origin, but rich in organic matter. There are two main peaks, Ol Donyo Lesatima (3,999m) and Kinangop (3,906m) separated by a long saddle…
Continue Reading