Africa

African Safari: Glamping Across Kenya

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As I mentioned in my previous post, our two-week Kenya safari was truly wonderful.  We went to three national parks, each with a different ecosystems, and “glamped”,  staying  in comfy furnished tents or huts at four different upscale camps.

We booked through Go2Africa and chose the 15-hour direct flight from NYC to Nairobi on Kenya Air rather than risk the problems that connections can cause.  Our package included all the air or ground transportation between camps. This was our full itinerary.

Getting ready

We booked many months in advance giving us lots of time to get our immunizations (this is not a trip for anti-vaxxers), do our research, fret, and over-prepare.  There were several points of confusion.
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Nairobi Tented Camp

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Nairobi giraffesThe excitement of landing in Africa wiped out all the stress and pain of the 15-hour flight. Well, most of it. Nairobi Tented Camp was our first stay.  It is part of Nairobi National Park, in the world’s only wildlife capital city, and just minutes from the airport.

We were picked up right outside the terminal and driven through Nariobi, a large city with high-rise buildings, lots of traffic in cars, trucks, buses, on bikes and on foot. We drove through a section called “Karen” with the Karen Blixen Museum (the “Out of Africa” Karen Bixen) and past Kibera, Africa’s largest slum. There are tours available of both; neither was in our plans.
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Satao Elerai Camp in Amboseli

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Our second lodging was in Amboseli National Park, which is close to the border of Tanzania and an extension of the Serengeti. It is sandy and salty – a completely different environment – with swampy areas and Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world, looming over us.

Our flight from Wilson airport was less than 40 minutes and we were the third stop. A lot of up and down …but a good view of the landscape.  We landed in a clearing designated only by a wind sock. The driver from our camp was waiting for us, a table set up next to his vehicle with water, tea, and cookies. This standard service never failed to impress me.

Approaching Amboseli
Elephants in the swamp
Mawangi meeting us at the airport
Amboseli airport terminal

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