Christmas in Samburu

View from inside the vehicle

View from outside the vehicle

  From meeting African Santa Clause, to our first lion encounter, to settling into the safari spirit, Christmas in Kenya was a huge success. This is my second Christmas with the Dillon family and I couldn't be happier to be sharing it with a family that wasn't my own.

It seemed like animal encounter after animal encounter accompanied our movements here in Samburu national reserve in Northern Kenya. We usual set up for a morning game drive then a break in the afternoon, before setting out on a late afternoon game drive in our two pop-up safari vehicles. It is like a big treasure hunt where a big sighting could come at any moment. Everyone has their binoculars out and eye fixed around each corner.

Holiday hijink at Larsens Tent Camp, Samburu, Kenya

   After getting the Samburu 5, with our Christmas sighting of a Somali Ostrich, the next big thing to find here was a lion. And not too long after our ostrich sighting, Erin pointed out something moving a little differently than the antelope we were used to seeing up until this point. I took one look and knew that this was going to be a big sighting.

Close encounters of the lion kind

First lion of the trip

  Little did I know that the Dillon's wildlife luck would be that the lion that we were now watching would end up walking right next to their safari vehicle. One adult lioness cruised in and out of the small shrubs, not caring at all that we were parked nearby.  I could sense some of the family...Mary, get a little tense as the big cat strolled near the car (and near her children.) But the wild animals here are used to vehicles and as long as you don't get out of the car tend to see it as one big object.

Large family of elephants

Conner and Maggie riding high

   Celebrating the Christmas holiday on safari is definitely a special way for any family to do it. And I always think that if you bring the right attitude to a wildlife destination then that destination will provide in return. That is exactly how I felt as we were on our final drive in Samburu and we came across a large family of 25 African elephants.

Calm before the storm

Elephant crossing

   The family was all spread out across the shrub lands and was slowly heading out way. Big ones and small ones crossed the road in front of us. But one big one in particular seemed to hang out on the road a little longer than the others. This old bull seemed a bit cranky, and even started to a car as it tried to squeeze by the huge animal. Finally it moved off into the bushes next to the road, which is when we decided it was safe enough to make a pass. We were wrong. Just as we came level to the big bull it turned towards us and started charging. All I heard from the back was, 'Oh S!&t", and "Go Go Go!". Our driver, Peter, gunned it, almost running into a waiting car, but luckily outrunning the charging elephant. This narrow escape was just one of the memories created on the first stop of our East Africa safari.

For all the best African photos over the years check out my photo page here: Daimar'sPhotos