The Wonders of An African Safari

Curated and Led by Dai Mar Tamarack

Africa can be a hard destination for even the most seasoned traveler to wrap their head around. It is so distant and exotic, yet so hard to know what to do, how to travel, distances, and logistics for planning the trip of a lifetime. To have someone like me, with years of local knowledge, contacts, planning, and leading experience can be invaluable in setting up a trip for a destination as big and vast as Africa.

While each trip I lead is different, since they are personalized for each group, I do always plan the trip in order to maximize our time with the animals out in the wilds of Africa. There are several ways to do this. I will sometimes rent a private safari vehicle with a driver so the only time constraints we are under are up to us and the closure times of the parks. I also work with certain lodges and local guides who really prioritize the guests experience. Do you want to be the first vehicle out the gate in the morning? Perhaps we will pack a lunch and go for an all day safari? Or today we might stick to the normal game drive in the morning and then again in the afternoon so we can have some reflection time to fill in our journals with all that we've experienced so far. Switching from a private vehicle to small airplanes can also save on travel time between parks. I can often have us doing an early morning game drive in one park, the fly to a different park in time for a late lunch, and pretty soon you find yourself doing an afternoon game drive in a totally different ecosystem.

A hippo warning sign on a sunrise game drive

Speaking of different ecosystems, it isn't all vast plains and savannas here in Africa. I want to show off as many different sides of African habitat as I can. On this 'Best of Kenya' safari we traveled from the central hub of Nairobi, to the Athi plains, to the lava rocks and red soil of Tsavo, to the marshes of Amboseli, and finally to the lion king-esque savannas of the Masai Mara. The group is now finishing high in the the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda, trekking with the mountain gorillas made famous by Dian Fossey and "Gorillas in the Mist." After the first night we spent every night out in the wilds, surrounded by wonderful noises of animals, for nearly two weeks.

The team in front of the Blue Rhino

The first half of this safari was done by private safari vehicle, an extended land cruiser with a 'pop-up top.' Our six guests sat comfortably in the back, while our driver extraordinaire, James, and I sat up front. This is why I often take groups of six for these safaris if I know a private vehicle will be used. Once we enter the parks we pop the top and everyone can have a 360 degree, high vantage view, which is also perfect for photography. Our land cruiser has been dubbed the "Blue Rhino" and has served me well on previous safaris.

Utilizing the pop-top in Tsavo National Park

Black Rhino

During this first part of the safari we touched rescued baby elephants at the Sheldrick Elephant Orphange, hand-fed giraffes at the Nairobi Giraffe Center, got the 'Out of Africa' feel at a private ranch called Acacia Camp on the Athi Plains, spent three nights at the Kilaguni Lodge in Tsavo West National park, and another three nights under the shadow of Kilimanjaro at Amboseli Serena Lodge. We spotted the elusive leopard and cheetah at Tsavo, while also having a rare treat of spending time with a black rhino who came down to drink from a water hole. In Amboseli we had multiple lion encounters, found more cheetah, laughed at the antics of flocking flamingos, and survived a monkey break-in to Tom and Lori's room.

View from Kilaguni Lodge, Tsavo

The game drives were incredible, as we kept ticking off new animals with each drive. The guests kept saying, 'how will tomorrow top today', yet it did, every time. Plus I knew they had the gem of Kenya, the Masai Mara, still to come. While we weren't on game drives we could still watch animals from the luxury of our lodge. The waterhole views provided endless hours of entertainment. And it isn't so bad that someone would often check if your gin and tonic or tusker beer needed a refill while you sat and soaked in the African view.

Amboseli elephants in the setting sun

After three nights at Amboseli we loaded up into our first small plane for a scenic flight to the Masai Mara. We could see thousands of animals below in the marshes of Amboseli as we took off, and the waters looked pink, an optical illusion created by the flocks of wading flamingos. With the smoother travel came a step up in lodging as well. In the Mara we stayed at Kichwa Tembo Luxury Tent Camp. You may be fooled by the term 'tent camp', but it is anything but your normal backyard tent setup. Luxurious sheets cover your king bed inside your deluxe canvas tent. The stone walls of the attached bathroom and wooden platform out the front enhance the 'tented' experience. An armed guard escorts you to an from your tent in the dark, as you are out in the middle of the wilds. A warm water bottle provides a welcoming feel while sliding into bed at night... although it can be quite alarming when not expecting it the first night. And of course you start your day with your butler bringing you coffee to your bedside in the morning. There is a reason I saved the Masai Mara and the Kichwa Tembo experience for last.

Looking inside my tent at Kichwa Tembo

A quick refresher after our flight to the Mara

Dining area, early morning, Kichwa Tembo

Balloons fly across the savanna during sunrise in the Mara

Bush lunch during our full day game drive

Our last night's dinner up in the lookout at Kichwa Tembo

Lion cub in the beautiful grass of the Masai Mara

And the lodging experience is not the only thing that ramps up here in the Mara.... the animals! Oh my, the animals! Not only can you find just about any animal you are looking for, in the most beautiful golden grass of the savanna, but here you go beyond just ticking off sightings. Here you get interactions; mating lions, check, Cheetahs unveiling brand new cubs, check, predators covered in blood on their fresh kills, check, lions fighting, check... and of course, the spectacle of the Great Migration.

Migrating wildebeest thundering down the river bank

Cheetah mom and her recently revealed four cubs

Hyena with a very fresh kill

In the middle of the Great Migration

Another river crossing of wildebeest, as hippos look on

Successful crossing, barely

For a few months out of the year, millions of wildebeests and hundreds of thousands of zebra and antelope cross the Mara river into the Kenya section of the Serengeti/Masai Mara ecosystem. And I planned this safari so we would be here right in the thick of it. The first thing we did was drive right into the middle of a herd of ten thousand wildebeest, shut off the engine, and listen to the sounds of the animals. I love it when we can engage all the senses. My group was hoping to see the great migration, but they hadn't expected to feel like they were in it... a part of it. But know they understood. You cannot get this feeling by watching it on TV. Once you are here, in the midst of it all, you will understand what only a few in this world have been lucky enough to experience.

Chongo the lion, putting on a show

After five days in the Masai Mara it was time to say goodbye to the migration, goodbye to Kenya, goodbye to Bob's wallet (he dropped it somewhere in the Mara, probably in a hyena den by now), and goodbye to all the wonderful people we had met along the way. But the excitement continues as we jump on our hour and fifteen minute flight to Rwanda, where the mountain gorillas unknowingly await our arrival. Even though my time here in Africa is quickly coming to an end, as always, I am already excited to come back.