I had a wonderful trip to Kenya with my family this December. Here I am going to tell you all the things I did to have fun and give you some tips on some things I wish I had done to make it even more fun! If you want our full itinerary then please contact me. See below.
When we landed in Kenya very early in the morning we went straight to our hotel. Our hotel was very nice and we had connecting rooms with my mum and dad.
Before we left my brother, sister and I had all adopted animals at an animal shelter. The first afternoon we got there we went on a visit to visit this shelter. It was amazing! We got to pet and feed lots of elephants. Some of them were babies. We also met the rhino my sister adopted called Maxwell.
After that we went to a bead factory. The factory was established to help women who have troubles and employs about 350 women. Here we visited the workshop and the ladies gave us demonstrations on all the steps to make the beads. There was also a shop where they sold beautiful handmade jewelry. I bought myself this bracelet. My dad bought a very colorful necklace for my abuelita.
We also went to a factory where they upcycle washed up flip-flops found along the beaches and waterways in Kenya to make cool toys. I had learned about this company in my science class so I was excited to go to the factory. The toys they make here are really cool. They also do projects making signs and other items for big companies like Google and Microsoft. I bought a small animal for my teacher at this shop.
The final highlight of this day was going to the Giraffe Center. This a sanctuary where you can get very close to the giraffes and feed them by hand. The animals are really gentle, and I loved their long eyelashes. Here I learned that for a long time people believed that giraffes did not make sounds. Recent research proven that they actually hum. The sound is very low so most humans can’t hear it.
For dinner we went to a Brazilian-style restaurant to try a lot of different kinds of meat. My brother tried ostrich and my parents tried crocodile, but I just had beef and chicken. I like seeing exotic animals but eating them is just too much! In terms of food my parents also went to some really good Indian restaurants in Nairobi. The Indian food is really good here!
The next day we took a small plane and flew North. Our Maasai guide picked us up and we saw a lot of impala (kind of deer), zebras and elephants on the way to the hotel. The hotel is set up as houses so we got our own house. When it was time to eat we ate either at our own house or by the pool. I didn’t love the food at this place.
We did one game drive while we were there, but because the bushes are high and the trees are big it is hard to see a lot of animals here. Some other activities you can do are walking on the paths with a guide, rock climbing and hiking.
However, the best part of staying at this place was that we got to spend a lot of time with the Maasai people and learn about their culture. We visited a Maasai village and visited a Maasai house and milked goats. We also went on a camel ride and to a big Maasai market. At the market we learned all about the importance of goats and cows and how to buy and sell them. Goats and cows are very, very important to the Maasai. Little kids, some younger than me sometimes take care of the animals far away from their homes all day. Counting the goat and cows when they come home to make sure they all came back is a special treat for the kids.
I also really liked the Maasai bracelets. Our guide George’s mum made these bracelets so I was able to buy a few from her. Can you tell I like bracelets?
After three days at this location it was finally time to go to Masai Mara. We took another small flight to get to Masai Mara. One thing you should know is to be careful about which small plane you get on. It is easy to make a mistake since all the planes land and take off one football-sized field. There is no terminal or boarding passes so you need to be sure!
The Masai Mara was amazing! When we landed we met with our guide who took us from the airport to have lunch by a river. On that short drive we saw loads of animals. When we got to the river it was full of hippos. We even saw a baby hippo. We picnicked beside the river.
Our lodge in the Masai Mara was incredible! We had our own cottage and the food was really good. Our schedule here was the same every day. We would wake up about 6am to leave on a Game Drive and eat breakfast out in the wild. Then we would come home to hang out and eat lunch. After that we would leave on another drive in the evening. One of the awesome things about this lodge was the pet eland named Jackie (Jackie-Chan!). He followed us everywhere and even tried to come into the house. While we were here we also got to learn about Maasai warrior skills. We learned to throw spears and jump and sing Maasai songs.
We saw loads of animals during our time at Masai Mara. One day we were surrounded by a herd of elephants that were so close that one reached out to touch me with its trunk. Every day we saw at least three or four lions, and once we even saw a cow killed by a pride of lions. We also saw a lot of pumbas (warthog) and hyenas. Our guide was funny and would play the sound of the hyenas on his phone which would make the hyenas run and run. It was the only time he ever interfered with the animals. I guess he didn’t like hyenas! We saw big herds of water buffalo, wildebeest, ostrich and so many zebras and impalas that after a while we got a little tired of seeing them. The one thing we kept missing were leopards and cheetahs. Then, on our very last day as we were packed up and leaving for the airport, our guide drove us to a field where we saw three beautiful cheetahs. They had just killed and eaten an impala. It was a thrilling way to end our trip to the Masai Mara!
There are a few other things I wish I had brought along to make my trip fun and help me connect more with the Maasai people. For example, I wish I had brought along a few tennis balls to play with the Maasai kids. Even though my mum doesn’t approve, I wish I had brought hard candies to give to the kids. My mum gave out a lot of cereal bars, but I think the kids would have liked candy. Next time I will also carry a pocket size notebook with me so that I can use it draw things so that I can communicate better with the local people. I will also use it to keep notes. Finally, I will make sure that I will charge all my electronics and download books and movies onto my iPad ahead of time. We had very little wifi when we were traveling. My mum was glad!
Some Swahili words you should know to help you get around and make friends:
Jumbo = Hello
Mumbo = Hey, dude (it’s the cooler way to say hello!)
Asante Sana = Thank you very much
Caribou = You are welcome
Habari Gani = How are you?
Nzuri = Fine
Pole Pole = Slowly slowly
Oh, and if they say get ready for an “African massage” it means the road is going to be very, very bumpy.
Finally, get ready for “African time”. Usually:
“Now” = 5-10 minutes
“In a moment” = 30 minutes
“Quickly” = could be up to ½ day
“As soon as possible” = could be today or…tomorrow… or next week.
“Maybe” = very likely means never!
It was all great though because everyone is really friendly and kind!
Now the packing. Since you will be taking a lot of small planes make sure to take as little as possible and pack it into squishy bags. The airlines will not let you take hard suitcases. Also check the weight limit of your luggage for each person. We did laundry at the hotels. I packed all my things into a medium size backpack and also took my school back with me as carry on luggage. Contact me if you want my full packing list. See below.
We didn’t take malaria pills but we took lots of bug spray. We got bitten a few times so we had anti-itch cream too. I thought the bug spray and anti-bug lotion we found in the hotel was better than what we brought along.
In terms of food:
If you are a bit of a picky eater like me tell your mum to ask the hotel to have pasta or rice with every meal. And, ask for the sauce on the side. Tomato sauce is so different in every hotel. The fruit is amazing! If you like mangoes, you are in luck. The fruit juice is great too. In terms of meat, the beef is a lot better than the chicken. Maybe it is because the Maasai have a lot of cows? Goat meat is greasy unless it is in a stew, which I don’t like. And, bring along a lot of your favorite snacks for the long game drives and car rides. Our guides always had snacks, but sometimes I would have liked to have my own favorites. Oh, and we used bottled water everywhere even to brush our teeth.
I am trying to save up for a computer and trying to raise as much money as possible. In addition to birthday and Christmas money I am also doing a lot of chores like washing dishes, walking the dog and cleaning the garden. I have all the details of our trip including all the places we stayed at, the places we visited and my packing list in a separate document. I am charging £2 (about $2.75) for the document. If you send me an email at randevsdiary@gmail.com I can send you a PayPal link for payment and I will send the document to you. My family and I are also available to answer questions if you need.
This was my first visit to Africa. I can’t wait to come back!