3 places to experience on your first safari

Petra’s work trip to Kenya gave her the perfect opportunity to spend a few extra days on safari. Her friend had lived in Kenya, so she asked for a recommendation: it was us! We plan a six day safari to the Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha with a final lunch at the serene Kiambehu Tea Farm. Among its highlights were the extraordinary wildlife and a hippo’s start on a walking safari.

Voted Africa’s Leading National Park for the sixth time at the 2018 World Travel Awards, the Maasai Mara National Reserve is a must on a safari itinerary for the first time. It was Petra’s first destination and being the end of July, it did not disappoint. He stayed at the lovely Aruba Camp near Talek Gate, right on the banks of the Talek River. This time of year is when the migratory herds of wildebeest arrive in the Maasai Mara from the Serengeti, so wildlife is abundant, not only wildebeest, zebra and gazelle, but also the predators that follow such a bountiful plate. .

rift valley lakes

Lake Nakuru National Park was next, home to the Rothschild giraffe and the endangered black rhinos. He spent the night at Punda Milias Camp, just a few miles from the park, allowing early entry the next morning for optimal game viewing. He spent most of the day in the park, getting impressive sightings of those Rothschild’s giraffes and climbing to the overlook that overlooks all of Lake Nakuru and the surrounding national park. In the afternoon, he made the short trip to another Rift Valley lake: Naivasha.

Lake Naivasha is the largest of the Rift Valley lakes in Kenya. Most of the lodging is lined up along the shore of the lake and this is where Petra found her band by the lake at Camp Carnelley’s. She in the morning she embarked on a walking safari in the Wileli Conservancy. More giraffes! This time it was Maasai giraffes and there was even a couple walking down the runway in front of her for a while. While she was walking along the lake (with a guide and ranger), they found a hippopotamus that had unusually been grazing out of the water, unusual as hippos normally graze at night and stay in the water during the day. Fortunately, when the humans got closer, the hippo ran straight into the lake with a mighty splash.

After that excitement, Petra went with the guide on a different walking safari, this time in the village to witness rural life in Kenya. The hustle and bustle by the lake lessened as they climbed up and away from the shore. Eventually, after some difficulty, they reached flat terrain and a magnificent view over the lake, flower farms, several conservation areas, and the geothermal plant in Hells Gate National Park.