On our first night there, we did our first game run. I had no idea what that meant, but now I know that it’s when you drive out to see the animals. Tonight we did a short one which meant we were driving around for about two hours.
If you’re wondering what a safari is like, the safari ride at Animal Kingdom in Orlando is surprisingly accurate. Static and occasional Swahili banter between guides over the walker talkie provide background noise throughout the game drive. The vehicle bounced over each and every bump (I would highly suggest against a safari if you’re prone to car sickness). The occasional smells of animal dung drifted through the windows and the sights were breathtaking. We drove around with the roof raised so we could take pictures out of the top of the vehicle. I stood for a lot of the ride and the wind tousled my hair into a look I was definitely not going for, but I didn’t care because I was too busy soaking in the landscape.
When I pictured safari lands, I thought it would be miles of desert with those stereotypical African trees like in the Lion King. However they call this area the bush for a reason... there are bushes, trees, and tall grasses everywhere. The terrain was generally flat, but the mountains could be clearly seen in the distance. In this way it reminds me of Colorado. There were a surprising number of vehicles driving around and I had to be careful not to let them interfere with my shots.
In case you were wondering, the giraffes were my favorite.
Per usual, I had an interesting selection of songs playing in my head while we drove around: Don’t Rain on My Parade, All Creatures of Our God and King, I Just Can’t Wait to be King, Africa by Toto, and several Kikuyu melodies I don’t actually know the lyrics to. When we got back to the hotel we listened to a nature talk given by a Masai about his cultural traditions, the wildebeest migration, and the big 5. It was very informative and I’m glad we had the opportunity to listen.
We spent Tuesday doing an all day game run. We left at 8am and were out until nearly 5pm. Since we had more time we went further into the reserve. This showed me that safari land isn’t all bush and I saw the miles upon miles of plains that I had anticipated. We actually so far that crossed the border into Tanzania and explored part of the Serengeti. That was a fun surprise! We saw many of the same animals we had the night before with a few additional new ones too. I’ll outline all of our furry and feathery friends in another post. When we arrived at a river, we got out of the vehicle and took a walking tour with a park ranger who showed us hippos and crocodiles. Then we had a picnic lunch in the shade. At one point the monkeys tried to steal our picnic!
On our way back to the lodge, we stopped to help some fellow adventurers who’s vehicle had broken down. There of the passengers joined in on our safari and we got along very well. It turns out they are Methodist missionaries from the US (one of whom was from Atlanta) so we had lots to chat about as we rode through the reserve.
That evening we had a buffet style dinner in the dining room and some evening entertainment from some local Masai dancers. They did some of their ceremonial dances that would be performed at graduation or marriage celebrations. There music could be described as rhythmic grunting and their dancing incorporated a lot of bouncing. At one point they had a competition to see who could jump the highest. Apparently this is how they demonstrate strength and the person who jumps the highest typically gets the most wives and becomes the strongest leader in the clan. It was a good cultural experience for me.
This morning, our driver took us on a surprise 2-hour game drive as we began our journey home. The only new friend we made was the national bird of Kenya but it was still a good ride. I stood up and poked my head out of the top the whole time just taking it all in. This safari is the literal breath of fresh air I needed to restore my energy for my last 3 weeks here. ~ Nell who is safely back in Nairobi
PS: here’s me looking for the leopards we never saw.
