KENYA

Not a year goes by for us without a Kenya trip as we use Nairobi as a stopover en route to South Africa.

Here’s what has impressed us most on our last couple of visits:

• One of the best things we ever did in Kenya (twice) was to visit two of the reintegration units where the Sheldrick elephant orphans are released back into the Wilderness. First at Ithumba and then Galdessa. Ithumba is the best choice for anyone wanting a complete ‘morning, noon and night’ orphan elephant immersion. Galdessa has an inspired location right on the Galana River, at the base of the Yatta Plateau. Spend a few days there, including a day trip to visit the Voi reintegration unit and interacting with the large group of orphan elephants there – and you may never want to leave.

• We pretty much fell in love with the Peponi Hotel in Shela at first sight. The location, the people, the food! We could have had the stuffed crab every day. Come to think of it, we did… Using the Peponi as a base for a couple of days or so, you can immerse yourself into the Swahili culture and customs, among others with a cooking lesson in a private home. Take a guided walk in the quaint village of Shela, have some kikoi pants tailored just for you, go on a sundowner dhow cruise, and take a dip in the Indian Ocean. It is the perfect area to kick back a little bit, take in what is happening right around you and soak in the atmosphere of this very different area, a world away from the Mara or Samburu. Relaxing yet fascinating, with some new (and something really, really old) around every corner.

• Many people want to see rhinos on their African safari and understandably so, as these prehistoric-looking behemoths are one of the ‘Big Five’ mammals and several rhino species – including the African black rhino – are critically endangered. Contrary to the situation in some other African countries – where rhinos are routinely de-horned in order to make them less attractive to poachers – this is not prevalent in Kenya. You can visit private conservancies like Lewa or Ol Pejeta and observe dozens of black and white rhinos – there’s lots of them – all with their beautiful horns perfectly intact.

• On every visit to Kenya, we discover something new or special; some facet of the wilderness experience which elevates it from interesting to extraordinary. Going off-road in Tsavo East with researchers from the Tsavo Trust, looking for and finding a super tusker elephant (one with more than 100 pounds of ivory on each side) was such an experience. Another was sleeping on a raised platform inside a black rhino sanctuary in Tsavo West and watching their ghostly white shapes – generated by a thermal camera – move into and out of a waterhole at night. Together with several other mammals including elephants and the occasional predator. Witnessing a black leopard kill in Laikipia was our most recent addition to our personal Kenyan ‘hall of fame’ safari experiences. With more surely to come.