Tag Archives: Kenya Safari

And She Floated Like A Bird – 2

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5 am Thursday in November

Standing in a field of darkness in Kenya, great experiences await those who arise at dawn in the bush. We climbed aboard our comfy Range Rover, Lepeta wrapped us in woolly red plaid blankets and gave us warm muffins and steaming coffee. We briskly made our way through the savannah to a flat hot balloon attached to an upturned oversize wicker basket. A small crowd gathered on the dewy short grass, people stretching and beginning to wake up.Men hovered around the flat stretched out orange and yellow balloon, checking tethers and then the flame bursts with a brilliance in the dim dawn light. The silky balloon begins to billow with each blast of heat and red hot flame. It doesn’t take long as the chamber rises and opens to reveal a colorful bright cavernous tunnel large enough to walk through, not that anyone does.

I’ve done this once before in the bush, but wasn’t rewarded with much game life on the ground.  We climb into the wicker basket and stake out a corner for our gentle ascent. It’s a magical experience to float in the sky, the quiet and calm punctuated by blasts of hot flames, keeping the delicate balloon aloft.It’s a dream, gentle gliding, weightless – the drivers and tire trails begin to disappear and we spot herds of giraffes, zebras and a few stray hyenas. I tell Susan, look for watering holes for hippos; or a kill, as lions will be about. We spot both!Drifting quietly above the busy wildlife scene below on the flat open plain. The sun begins to rise up from a line on the horizon. Earth edge kissed by a pale pink glow.Captain calls out, we will soon brace for a gentle landing, the basket will bounce and slide a bit across the wet grass and we will come to a stop on the dirt road you see ahead – as predicted, we slide to a gentle stop.Kenyan Magic!

Safari First Class – How do you know?

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From a recent conversation discussing differences in Safari firms; just what are the differences? It is dismaying to read itineraries for reported five star outfitters and see the three or four star lodges included in the program for an extremely expensive safari. If you have never been to Africa, most travelers trust a big name firm and assume they are staying in a luxurious five star lodge.

Guides – all guides in Africa have various levels of training and years of experience. An uninitiated traveler might not know the difference between an exceptional guide. An example from my recent Kenyan Safari…we came upon the dangling legs of a wildebeest in a tree – sadly, for  Mr. Wildebeest, he was Mr. Cheetah’s lunch. Several safari vehicles sat directly under the tree waiting for Mr. Cheetah to return…we sat at a distance, out waited the other vehicles and as soon as they departed, Mr. Cheetah leaped on the limb to his lavish lunch…our guide and tracker knew distance was important for the skittish cat to return. We pulled closer to observe the cheetah banquet. Sadly the two other vehicles didn’t view a cheetah that day. Calculating wise guides are as wily as the wild animals.

One of our favorite Safari vehicles

Another important point…look at the vehicles at bottom of post. I snapped these while we rolled through the Masai Mara in a custom stretch Land Rover Defender with luxurious comfy leather seats. Side sheets rolled up for viewing, a very comfortable six passenger vehicle. Racks on top for sitting above or holding on for photos. Built in chargers between the seats to charge camera batteries, the amenity list is long.

Our Safari by Appointment Camp Land Rover

The photos below have vehicles with three seats across – the middle person will be viewing/photographing over the arms of his mates on each side, the windows don’t fully open, and you can be certain there isn’t air conditioning!

You don’t want to be in the middle seat here with windows that don’t open completely on a hot muggy day.

Again- Cramped quarters, small windows, no fresh air, your photos are shot through a window.

There are differences! Our Safari by Appointment team lives in Kenya, they visit the lodges, know the managers, know the terrain.

Experts, Of Course!