safari life. kenya. part 3.

while glamping in the mara, we spent our early mornings and evenings riding around in land rovers trying to spot the amazing wildlife of this region.

truthfully, we didn't have any idea what the big 5 were in kenya or what animals we might see.

we did end up spotting lions, elephants, and the buffalo off that list, but the leopard and rhino proved more elusive.

i especially enjoyed watching the hippos because it was fun to try and count how many were actually hiding under the water.

we saw this mama lion napping while four cubs played nearby. two belong to her and two to another mama.

we saw this sextet every day we went out on safari. the size of their group and the gash on mom's nose made them easier to identify.

these cubs clearly enjoyed playing and rough housing with each other!

and mama let us get pretty close.

you can see their series of antics below.

we quickly spotted three elephants our first morning out, but it took almost two full days before we came across another herd. 

here is the same set of lions from our first day. but just look at that belly!

nap time. bloodied paws and faces and full stomachs.

we also came across another female lion having her fill.

and this little scavenger was cautiously trying to determine if it was safe to grab this leg that had been left behind.

apparently, the king had already had his share. in person, i thought the male lions looked a lot less regal and powerful than they are generally portrayed.

this hyena is hoping for a turn.

on to some much less gruesome parts of the circle of life---- babies!

adorable little vervet monkeys.

this little guy stood so still for awhile. then i realized it was because he was peeing.  : P

the water buck and it's adorable heart-shaped nose!

thanks google for this amazing animation of my photos!

our guide found these cubs hidden in the bushes before they came out from their hiding place. the camouflage is real legit.

more cute little monkeys sitting in a tree! (can you find them?)

the dik dik.

this ostrich provided quite a bit of entertainment, as he ran around like crazy, flapping his wings and dancing about. the guide said he must have been bit by something.

another baby.

that wingspan tho.

we finally found more elephants.

again, the babies!

me and cait. after our breakfast out in the savanna.

glamping in the mara. kenya. part 2.

our first stop in kenya was in the masai mara, a national reserve adjacent to tanzania's serengeti.

we chose to spend three nights with basecamp explorer at wilderness camp.

wilderness camp in the masai mara is the ultimate version of glamping.

out there, it's just you and nature. no wifi, no distractions.

there are five tents total, each with a flushable toilet and bucket shower.

and each tent has a personal security guard throughout the night- to protect you from any animals that come wandering too close.

the tents were really nice, complete with running water and electricity.

don't try to drive here with your rental car!

our own twin beds with a storage area built behind with hooks and a rack for your luggage

running water...with a view

just pull on that chain for your shower...
but there are no lights in the shower, so daytime showers are probably best

i've had worse toilets in more developed countries

each tent has a couple of chairs on the "veranda" 

there's no wifi, but we downloaded some things, including this documentary about the masai mara before leaving

that glorious bucket shower, as seen from the outside

each night we found a hot water bottle in our bed

you can dine at this table outside or inside the larger tent that is set up for everyone to enjoy.

we really didn't photograph the food, except for this one, the very first salad that was brought our way

looking back at the main dining tent as we walked away from camp

you can read more about the costs of this trip here. while this was the most expensive portion of our trip i would certainly stay here again if i were headed back to the mara. the guides and staff were all super friendly and eager to accommodate any need you may have.

have you been on safari in africa? what other places would you recommend?

kenya. on a medium sized budget. part 1.

i had a dream of going to kenya.

and with a lot of time and little chunk of my bank account, i made it happen.

this past february caitlin and i spent a week in kenya visiting the masai mara, lake naivasha, and nairobi.

organizing a trip within in europe is really easy.

you can trust that wandering on your own is generally fine and you can figure things out along the way.

in a developing or third world nation, i'm much more comfortable having a plan.

so with the help of my friend sheila and her niece, anna, we started planning our trip. anna lives in kenya and sheila had recently visited so we used much of their travel itinerary to assist us.

without those ideas for starting points, i'm not sure how this trip would have happened.

but now i can share those same recommendations with you!

we flew overnight from milan, through amsterdam, to nairobi. there we were met by a driver we had pre-arranged with the company we booked our first three nights with in the masai mara.

the driver took us to the domestic airport across town where we boarded a ten-seater plane to the mara.

once there we were again picked up by a guide from our company and taken to our home for the next three nights.

we stayed at a place called wilderness camp. included in their pricing is three meals and day and all your safaris.

they also have a camp called eagle view and a basecamp lodge in the area. you can split your time over these different accommodations if you wish. (the prices at these places are slightly higher, fyi.)

after our time in the mara, we were driven back to the local airstrip and returned to nairobi.

again, we had a driver waiting for us. we were headed to lake naivasha and had booked an airbnb on a sanctuary farm.

we had a recommended place in mind, but when i finally received a quote from them for our stay, we decided it was too expensive.

airbnb had plenty of options, but we knew that we wouldn't have a car, and we wanted to make sure that someone would be able to advise us on how to get around or hire a driver.

fortunately, we found this little airbnb cottage and the host was super willing to help us out. she arranged the driver for us and let us know that he could help us arrange transportation at other times during our stay as well.

we hired someone to take us to hell's gate national park and return us to nairobi three days later.

our final two nights were spent in nairobi. we stayed at this hotel recommended to us and it was fine. during the daytime it was safe to walk around, but definitely felt a little less so at night, especially on the weekend, when all the business people were not in the area.

i'll be doing more detailed posts of each of our stops, but for now here's a rundown of our expenses for 8 nights plus airfare in kenya.

i think overall this is a medium sized budget for 8 nights in kenya. we absolutely could have spent more, especially if we had stayed at more full board places for more nights. could we have spent less? honestly, i'm not sure. i'm not sure how or where you safari for less than what we paid.

booking our own domestic flights or arranging our own taxi from one airport to another might have saved us a few bucks, but it was nice to know these things were just taken care of.

thoughts on budget travel in developing countries? i'd love to hear them!