KENYA (MAASAI MARA/NAIROBI/DIANI BEACH)

OVERVIEW

• When: 19 December – 26 December, 2023
• Where (accommodations): Maasai Mara: Mara Intrepids Tented Camp (3 nights); Nairobi: Vila Rosa Kempinski(1 night); Diani Beach: Swahili Beach Resort (3 nights)
• Transportation: Kigali to Nairobi (KGL-NBO) on Kenya Airways flight; Ground transportation to and from Maasai Mara with Zachary Whatsaap: +254 759 946768; Nairobi to Ukunda (WIL-UKA) on Skyward Express flight
• Sights/attractions:  Maasai Mara– safaris and hot air balloon arranged by the camp; Nairobi: Kenyatta International Convention Center, Sarova Stanley Hotel, August 7th Memorial Park & Museum
• Food/drinks: Nairobi: Cultiva Farm, Embark Restaurant; Diani Beach: The Salty Squid

Our short visit to Rwanda/Uganda has ended and we are off to a new country- Kenya! Spoiler alert- it was our favorite country from this trip. Everything from the service to the sights was magical. Unfortunately, we were not able to see our friends because they were on a holiday out of country, but we kept in touch throughout the trip and they were super helpful while planning this leg of the journey. We split Kenya trip in two parts- Maasai Mara for the safaris/animal sightings and Diani Beach for a relaxing Christmas on the ocean. In between the two destinations, we spent one night in the capital Nairobi to get a little bit of a city experience.

MAASAI MARA

Our flight from Kigali to Nairobi was about an hour delayed, but the driver Zach (recommended by our friends) was waiting and ready to drive the 5 hours to Maasai Mara.

Mara Intrepids Tented Camp is inside the Maasai Mara National Reserve and no outside drivers are permitted past 6pm. The main reason is that animals hunt at night, also there are no night safaris, so a car could be mistaken for poachers and nobody wants to be in that type of situation…

Zach communicated with the camp about the flight delay, figured out the logistics and had a local driver waiting for us before the entrance to the reserve. There we switched cars and made it safely just after 7pm.

It was for the best because our driver’s car was not 4×4 and the last part of the trip was through unpaved bumpy road. We were glad to have a safari vehicle instead of a small sedan that might get stuck in the dark surrounded by wild animals.

Mara Intrepids Tented Camp

There are a lot of lodging options in the area, so it was a bit hard to decide on what to choose. Ultimately it comes down to the reviews, location, and the cost you want to spend. This was not the most expensive, but definitely not an accommodation on a tight budget. And we can’t recommend it enough!

Location of this camp is unbeatable – on the river bank (we chose a tent with the river view), in the middle of the four game viewing areas . From our tent we could see elephants by the river and near the massage room hippos were playing in the water every day!

The air strip is 5 min away if you choose to fly into Maasai Mara from Nairobi. The main reason why we went with a 5hr car ride was the fact that only small suitcases are allowed on these little planes. We had one big checked bag, which we had nowhere to leave. The cost for the short flight would’ve been over $800 USD while the drive was $260 each way. Plus we also got to see a bit more of the country while driving, so we didn’t mind it.

The camp has a pool (perfect for mid day relaxation and cooling off), big comfortable tents, amazing masseuse Ann (I got two massages, Sean got one and we both wished we had more time for another one). We booked the package with full board – breakfast, lunch and dinner. Each dinner was a multi course meal, so it was almost too much food!

Every morning we had a wake up with hot coffee and cookies brought to our tent. Every night for the turndown service they would put a hot water bottle under the covers, so that when we get in we’d be warm right away (I so miss that!).

Overall the staff was going above and beyond. I bought this Maasai bracelet that was too big for me and one of the girls working at the camp found a woman to basically re-do it for me to fit it perfectly on my wrist! Pretty incredible when you think about it!

Game drives

Three game drives per day were included in the accommodations package and it was up to us if we wanted to go on all of them or skip it to sleep in (that of course never happened 🙂 ) . The first drive was at 6.30 am and we got our coffee and cookies for a 6am wake up. On the first day we combined the morning/early afternoon drives into one longer one and had a breakfast packed to eat in the bush. We shared the car with a family of four from Malta- two teenage boys and their parents.

Our driver Silas was great and we started seeing the wildlife as soon as we started the drive.

One of the first stops was a very sad, but also very powerful sight- a dead baby elephant surrounded by lions, hyenas and other predators – all trying to get a bite. While mama elephant was standing by and defending her baby’s body 😦 . We don’t know the reason why the baby died- whether it was a stillborn or died from sickness, but we knew that mama elephant was grieving (just like humans do) and standing over baby’s body for two full days.

It was sad to witness a mother elephant grieve, but also fascinating to see nature and so many lions up close.

As expected, female lions were the ones doing the work, while the male was circling around and chasing away a lioness that was not from his family.

We spent quite some time observing the scene, and then continued with the drive. We found out later that after two days of mourning mama elephant left and rejoined her herd. There was not a bone left where the baby elephant’s body was spotted- predators cleaned up the scene with nothing gone to waste.

This was the only sad sight we spotted during our game drives. The rest was a lot of happy, free roaming animals. We stopped to have breakfast near the river full of hippos and close by a family of elephants were bathing and playing in the water!

Even though the grass is taller this time of year, we had no problem spotting animals.

This time of the year is also good for seeing the babies- we saw lion cubs playing in the tree waiting for their mama who was presumably hunting around.

Witnessing a cheetah and a leopard (three times!) was probably the most exciting part of the safari. I love giraffes and zebras too- we had no lack of seeing those.

Out of Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) we tracked down all but the rhino. But because we saw it in South Africa, we were not sad about it. The fact that we managed to see the leopard three times and super close to the car was definitely not usual and very exciting.

On the first full day we did the combined morning/early afternoon drive, then relaxed by the pool and had lunch and then went on a 3pm drive which combined the visit to Maasai village that was close to the camp.

Maasai village

We were very excited to meet the local tribe because we saw Maasai walking around while driving- they are wearing distinct bright colored clothes and usually are herding animals.

To enter the village we had to pay 3500 Kenyan shillings per person (an equivalent to about $20 USD). We were then surrounded by the men of the village that did a little dance, jumped up and down (jumping competition included some of the visitors too).

They showed how to start the fire with no matches, talked a bit about their mud houses (which are built by the women by the way) and overall it was a decent performance. But that’s exactly how it felt. Not an authentic life, but an act for tourists. Women came out and also did a dance and took some pictures together, then we were allowed to visit one of the traditional houses- very basic and dark.

But what disturbed us the most was the children. They were running around dirty, some with no bottoms on, one small kid carrying the baby, covered in animal feces, smiling with flies getting into their eyes. The adults looked clean, some even wore fancy watches and had iPhones. The amount of money they collect from tourists also seem like a pretty significant sum per day. But the level of care for the kids looked like a total neglect. We talked to some people about it later on and they said the same thing- Maasai is very male oriented culture, where the money is mostly controlled by the men of the tribe and women are there to do all the labor. Kids seem to raise themselves. Even though it was an experience, I would not go back to any other Maasai villages if we returned to Kenya.

Also, the souvenirs- they tried to sell us a bunch of junk, clearly not made there, looked like mass production from China. Yet all Maasai tribe members had these amazing intricate bracelets. Not one in this village was willing to part with theirs and did not have anything similar to sell. Fortunately on one of the other game drives our different driver stopped by these women selling hand made stuff and I was able to get some authentic bead bracelets. Bottom line- unless you have nothing better to do, skip the Maasai village.

Hot air balloon over Mara!

We’ve done one hot air balloon ride in 2020 and it was over the sand dunes in Dubai. We loved the experience, so when I read that you can fly over the Maasai Mara it was one of the ‘musts’ for this trip.

There are several companies, but to simplify the process we booked it directly through the camp ahead of time. It is pricey, but it included the transportation (about an hour drive from the camp) and the “Champagne breakfast in the bush”.

It was a VERY early morning – our coffee and cookies wake up arrived at 4.30am, and we left the camp at 5am sharp. As we were driving still in the dark, our driver spotted a leopard near by! Totally unexpected bonus safari.

There were a few other people waiting already and we all watched the sky turn pink and the balloons getting inflated. It’s always chilly in the morning, so just like for morning safaris- dress in layers. My puffer vest over a long sleeves shirt was perfect.

Balloon Safaris Ltd established in 1976 has great reviews online, we had two pilots- one from Turkey and one from Spain. Both very experienced, which is always the goal when you trust your life to their hands while floating in the basket under a big flame 🙂 .

Floating over the Maasai Mara was simply magical. We mostly saw elephants and hippos and some people were disappointed they did not see the lions or leopards from the sky. We LOVED it. The flight path is not over the game drives, which actually helps to not disturb the animals. It’s nature- you see what you see, no way to predict anything. It was peaceful and gorgeous – we would do it again in a heartbeat.

After the smooth landing our drivers took us to have breakfast in the bush. Not too far away, we spotted the sleeping lion- how is this even real?!

Not only were we greeted with champagne (or juice for those that don’t drink), but we had a full breakfast spread. Even hot eggs were made fresh right there in the middle of nowhere!

Afterwards we were taken back to the camp (with animal sightings along the way) and still made it for the late morning game drive as well as the late afternoon one. Absolutely magical three nights in Maasai Mara. We didn’t want to leave, even knowing that we are about to be on the beach!

NAIROBI

The drive back to Nairobi was long, there was some traffic, but we still made it to our lunch reservation at Cultiva Farm Restaurant for 2:30pm. This was recommended to us by our friends, Nava and Allen, and what a great choice!

Not only is this a farm-to-table restaurant, but the meals were delicious and beautifully presented. It was a great reward after a long drive!

We had limited daylight left in the capital of Kenya, so we asked our driver to give us a mini tour of the city. He took us to Kenyatta International Convention Center, we passed by the Sarova Stanley Hotel and we just made it to August 7th Memorial Park & Museum as it was closing for the day. The person actually stayed past his hours and even gave us a quick tour!

The 360 view of Nairobi from the top of Kenyatta International Convention Center was definitely spectacular! Very windy as it’s an open platform, but if in Nairobi I’d say it’s worth a visit.

Stanley Hotel (now Sarova Stanley) is the oldest hotel in the city, established in 1902 and in the early 1900s has been known as a traditional meeting place for those going on a Kenyan safari.

The legendary  Thorn Tree Café is an open air cafe in the hotel. According to the Wikipedia: Travellers used to pin notes to others onto the thorns of the tree. The current tree is the third of the same variety. The first was planted in 1961, and when it was ailing a new one was planted in its place. This new tree began to droop, and in 1997 was replaced with the current tree. During the planting ceremony, a time capsule was buried beneath it, to be opened in 2038!

We arrived to the August 7th Memorial Park & Museum just as it was closing, but the gentleman was so kind that he kept it open for us and gave us a tour/went over the events of the tragic day.

This memorial and the park has been built to honor 1998 United States embassy bombings that killed over 220 people between the simultaneous attacks that happened in Nairobi as well as Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. As an American, Sean really wanted to visit and I am glad we were able to make it in time.

For our one night stay in Nairobi we chose Vila Rosa Kempinski hotel. Our friends generously offered their house, but since they were not there, we decided to book this hotel. It actually worked out well, because our local flight to Ukunda (Diani Beach) was from Wilson airport (not the Jomo Kenyatta, the main international one). It was a short drive from the hotel and the flight being in the morning made it super convenient.

Hotel was very nice and comfortable, looks like all the presidents visiting Nairobi have stayed there, so it has to amount to something, right 🙂 ?

For dinner, we were super lucky to get a table at a charming and in a way ‘secret’ restaurant called Embark. We heard about it from our safari companions back in Maasai Mara. Their Kenyan friends took them here and the family raved about it! They said restaurant only serves 15 people per night and they don’t really advertise – the word of mouth is how they prefer to go about it.

Our driver was able to find this fairly hidden gem and if you are in Nairobi, make every effort to visit!

Young chef and his fiancé were taking turns talking to the guests, each meal (there were 7 courses) was a piece of art and extremely delicious. I chose wine and tea pairing and at the end for both of us it was $120 USD. Something this incredible would be at least twice more, maybe 3 times anywhere in the USA. I don’t know a place that even would have the attention to detail that Embark delivered. We felt like at home with a private chef and a super attentive staff.

I really liked one of the teas they served and asked if they have any for sale. The chef did not have it at the restaurant and we were flying out in the morning to Diani Beach. He took our hotel info and two days later, on Christmas Eve we got a gift wrapped package delivered to our next resort!

Three boxes of this amazing tea. Just wow, I can’t describe this place in any other way!

DIANI BEACH

Our last but not least part of the Kenyan adventure- Christmas on the white sand beach! We took a short Skyward Express flight from Nairobi to Ukunda and were actually worried our big suitcase wouldn’t be allowed to fly. Reading the policy it said that larger bags cost extra and are taken based on space availability. Our driver waited until we checked in, just in case he would need to ship us the bag, but we got lucky- they had plenty of space on the plane.

From not that hot Nairobi we landed in the scorching heat of Diani Beach. Luckily Swahili Beach Resort is on the water and there was some breeze, because it was HOT! We booked an Executive Suite, but I think we got upgraded to something even more elaborate, because the place was huge and gorgeous. No doubt bigger sq footage than our apartment in Boston.

Absolutely beautiful hotel grounds- multiple pools, spa, several restaurants and of course the beach with blue and hot like tea Indian Ocean.

We immediately went to the spa and booked a few massages/facial for the next days that we are here. After a lot of drives and flights and sitting in the safaris it was really nice to be able to walk around, swim and move the body. I think up to this part it was the most sedatary vacation thus far.

Diani Beach is truly a paradise. However, all the walks we did were pretty early in the morning. During the day we were hiding under one of the hotel umbrellas and reapplying sunscreen. It is very very hot here in December.

One more thing to mention about the beach. They are public and every time you start walking, don’t be surprised if a ‘beach boy’ will come trying to sell you something. I am not sure why they are called ‘beach boys’, because those are usually fully grown men (there were a few women too), but they could be a bit annoying at times. They had a stall set up right near the hotel, so after ending our walk we bought some scarves from them. After a good negotiation session, the price was actually pretty good!

We did not do any wild excursions (or any excursions) during the stay here. Our bodies needed to recover from the lack of sleep and the ‘go, go, go’ schedule. We definitely ate a lot! Indian restaurant at the hotel was amazing.

And what a feast they put up for the Christmas Eve! I don’t remember any hotel from our travels (and we always go away for Christmas and New Year) having put this much effort into decorations and the food!

There was a live band, beautifully set tables under the string lights and SO MUCH food. From fish, to meats to desserts- we were blown away. We definitely had no idea Christmas is this big of a deal in Kenya!

On our last morning I woke up early enough to catch a magical sunrise. Sean slept through it of course.

Since we have been at the resort for two days, we finally had the urge to explore just a little. So we took a short drive to The Salty Squid for lunch. Some of the hotel guests recommended it and even though they said they are fully booked when we called, we took a chance.

They found us a table and the food was excellent! Especially their lobster and espresso martini.

But the best part was the beach and the color of the water right in front of this restaurant! Even though it’s Diani Beach, it was such a prettier shade of blue than the water that was in front of our hotel. Maybe because we had some rocks around our area. We were very glad we came!

For our last dinner we had hibachi grill at our resort and it was as entertaining as it was delicious.

What a great Christmas in Kenya!

CONCLUSION

Just as I started with the spoiler alert, now I can just confirm it- Kenya stole our hearts. We loved everything about it- the people, the animals, the food, and the atmosphere. I would not go back to Nairobi unless we went there to eat, otherwise as a city it was not my favorite. But Maasai Mara and the beach were magical. We also met some wonderful people- a couple from the Netherlands, we still chat with them periodically. It was a perfect mix of active and relaxing, a lot of early mornings, but also all worth to wake up to. Africa trip is not over- Tanzania/Zanzibar is next!