Safari
July 4, 2018

Day 2 in the Maasai Mara …4th of July USA Independence Day

Patricia Awori

“This morning i actually managed to get out of bed soon after 0500 in order to get ready for the day…..the sunrise was spectacular and we enjoyed the colors for a while before setting off on horrifyingly bumpy roads…this county has surely decided that roads are not a priority!!! after bumping along for about 40 minutes we finally arrived in the Maasai Mara Game Reserve Musiara Gate….th

Cheetah successfully killing and eating an Impala, powerful young male Leopard made an appearance and after our bush breakfast eaten a short distance away the mother of this leopard who had since gone on to have another litter of cubs arrived on the scene and then disappeared into the brush…judging by the numbers of Impala a short distance away we felt sure that there purpose was to get some breakfast and so we left them to it!! We came upon a very injured male lion who clearly had been in the wars with other lions over territory…although his general health looked good he was very scarred and one eye completely shut and judging by the way he moved i suspect a pelvic or lower back injury! Managed to get the number of a vet and an alert was sent out so hopefully help will be at hand for  him soon. Our afternoon was spent in the Conservancy with the most wonderful herd of elephants that had a baby that was possibly no more than 6 months old…..a huge Bull ambled over and checked out the females to see if any of them were in oestrus , thereafter he wandered off to join some other bulls who were in the swamp.  4th of July is Independence Day for the USA and so it was quite a day to remember and it was rounded off with champagne and singing and cake . We tottered off to our cabins tired, fully satiated and happy….a wonderful day”
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Safari
July 3, 2018

Tuesday 3rd July, Mt. Kenya to Mara….

Patricia Awori
The remainder of our sojourn passed uneventfully….in the early morning as the sun rose it revealed Mt Kenya in all of her glory and what a sight she was , from my window peacocks frolicked and Maribou Stork strutted and the beautiful gardens of the Club relatively unscathed with all the changes and “modernisation”..it was good to be back after two years to see changes and some iimprovements….prayerful that more are on the way!! After some sustenance it was time to head to the Nanyuki “Airport”  and board our flight to the Maasai Mara and what a flight it was …our route took us over the majestic Aberdares and into the Great Rift Valley ..onward between Lake Elementaita and Lake Nakuru ..over the Mau Escarpment and then descending into the endless plains that is the Maasai Mara…finally we landed at Kichwa Tembo Airstrip after a couple of stops and found a much changed airstrip because of the Great Rains that fell this year. Nelson our driver guide was waiting and off we went towards Olonana which is to be our home for the next 4 days.
Our Afternoon Game drive was about Lions in the long grass, giraffe who were keeping a careful eye on them and then Black Rhino…5 OF THEM …astonishing to see that many together , by then the skies and darkened and as we headed back to the camp the heavens opened and blessed us with some rain!!! What an amazing day!!! Olonana our home away from home was completely transformed….tents removed and levelled and new cabins built in their stead …completely transformed…i have to think about this for a bit …but what a joy to be reunited with old friends at the Camp…..
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Safari
July 2, 2018

Mon. 2nd July Meru National Park onto Mt Kenya Safari Club

Patricia Awori
Daybreak the colors changed in the sky once again not as vividly as the previous mornings but enough so that i felt compelled to break into the song “Morning Has Broken” We were going to have one more game drive in this magical place and it did not disappoint…drinking in the beautifully lush scenery we came upon the honeymooning lions a wonderful herd of Elephants , Giraffe and beautiful birdlife….we even came upon a mobile vet unit who were preparing to take samples from Giraffe (not to sure why) Back for breakfast and it was time to pack up say our goodbyes and head for the airstrip ….what a wonderful stay with warm hospitality and i survived all the stairs…!!!!!
As we climbed out of Meru NP and flew of Meru farmland very lush and Green …the Mountain was completely covered in shroud and no time at all we were landing ! Stepping out of the aircraft we were greeted by a chilly stiff breeze reminding us that we were in the mountains!!! A short drive past the wildlife sanctuary brought us to the Mt Kenya Safari Club….what memories it brings from days gone by and how it looks currently…i had alot of memorable moments here …now it has been taken of by ACCOR Hotels under Fairmont and there is a French GM who has been brought in to improve standards. I must say the culinary cuisine was wonderful
In the morning we head to the Maasai Mara
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Safari
July 1, 2018

Day 4 in Meru National Park with the Rooney/Kapples Family expedition

Patricia Awori

As always it seems the day dawns far too quicly and all too soon it is time to wake up!!!!! The singing of the birds signify the need to move faster or risk being late. Soon the sun like a fireball rose in the sky  and then it was time to get ready after a spot of herbal tea brought by Martin!! Its Sunday and it is the 1st of the month and being surrounded by nature we feel that we are in Church!

We drove in a different direction today heading to the Mulika River and its swamp but before we got there we encountered to young male lions looking quite interested in eating although judging by their lack of actual efforts and the fullness of their bellies…perhaps they were looking for something for dessert!! Hippos played and honked in the pond beyond and waterbuck blissfully oblivious wandered about ..when a bull elephant emerged from the palm trees the lions were lying lower than the proverbial envelope,, the morning produced more lioness and a mother who clearly was nursing her cubs!! what a glorious morning it was …after lunch we sallied forth and lovely bull elephants in the river practising challenging one another and quenching their thirst after the heat of the day .what a magnificent park this is and its ecology is splendid

As the sun goes down on another day we feel happy and fortunate to be in Meru National Park and Elsa’s Kopje’s

Elewana who own Elsas’s Kopje have started a wonderful foundation….it involves participation from the guests….they support a school and health centre and they also create pods that contain seeds so guests can acquire these and scatter them about …not needing to dig holes!! Now imagine if all hoteliers were socially and environmentally conscious!!!

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Safari
June 30, 2018

Day 3 in Meru National Park

Patricia Awori
Meru was a special place when I came here as a child to stay at Meru Mulika and it is still a special place now with its 14 rivers rising out of the Nyambene’s and criss crossing the park  and the raw wilderness and dense vegetation that supports quite a diverse amount of wildlife!!
This morning i was able to drag myself out of bed before 530 and watching the changes of the colors in the sky was liking watching a Master Artist swooshing a paintbrush accross the sky from dark to light and various colors of pink and orange and red , by the time the sun was up the drama of the colors had finished and Martin my trusty room steward arrived with my hot water for my herbal tea to get me going and it was time to head out while air was still cool and pleasant. Our mission today was to find rhinos so we headed northwards to the Rhino Sanctuary that is well fortified but otherwise looks very much like the rest of the park, lush and bushy and lots of gorgeous flowering trees….finally we encountered a mother and her calf and soon after that another two and then another two interspersed with sightings of a wide array of other animals and a school bus of young children who looked very excited to be here!!!! Today probably should be called “ LOVE IN THE AFRICAN BUSH” as we encountered two lions mating and not too long later giraffes trying to do the same thing!! In no time at all it was time to have breakfast and we rounded a corner and found a bush breakfast beautifully set up for us which we enjoyed with an Australian family !! Good food, wonderful atmosphere under the trees and convivial company …reluctantly we “saddled up” and start our drive back to the lodge, feeling hot but happily replete
After a siesta and lunch not necessarily in that order we headed out for our afternoon game drive!! It was a scenic drive complete with a herd of elephants that ran accross the road in front of us and some Bulls that checked us out thoroughly before running after the herd!! Every evening we have enjoyed sundowners at different locations and this evening the lodge set up sundowners in a lovely location close to a herd of Buffalo and that afforded us a great opportunity to watch the sun descend behind the Nyambene Mountains ….it was indeed another great day in Meru National Park and as we retire for the night tired but content , we look forward to exploring more of Meru NP in the morning
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Safari
June 29, 2018

Day 2 in Meru National Park & Day 3 of our Expedition

Patricia Awori
Time to wake up came far to early, it felt like i had just put my head on my pillow and it was time to wake up….the process of getting up is always tough but once i am up and about I am so glad that i did!!! A beautiful sunrise precipitated our early morning game drive and after tracking footprints for a while we came upon a lioness who was calling to members of her pride who seemed not to here her…after staying with her as she called and called to the others we set off to see what else we could find…presently we came upon a lovely spot on the Rujewero River …one of the 14th Rivers that Bisect this beautiful wilderness and we decided to have our breakfast here!! After story telling , much laughter and eating we packed up the remains of our breakfast and set off …lo and behold a huge herd of over 200 elephants!!!!! Bulls fighting each other for the chance to mate with a female  and when mating happened the noise was stupendous!!! They all looked to be in excellent health and a good amount of babies were everywhere. I was delighted to see that after a year they are a little less skittish and perhaps with time they will be completely relaxed around GameDriving Vehicles. What a magical morning …the afternoon produced our lioness and other members of her pride known as Elsas pride!! They too looked robust and sleepy!! As the sun set on us the silhouette of the elephant passing by made us appreciate just what a wonderful day it has been!!! 
Goodnight from Magical Meru and Elsa’s Kopje
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Elephants Safari
June 29, 2018

Day 1 in Meru National Park

Patricia Awori
Our morning started before the sun rose this morning as we prepared to tackle traffic to Wilson Airport . Happily we were able to reach Air Kenya in plenty of time and it was reaaaaally busy..it seems tourism has started early in the season and there were also many runners who were flying to Lewa in preparation for the Marathon that takes place there on Saturday!! Our flight was called and we were travelling on a Twin Otter de Havilland…a plane that is built for short landing and take off…In no time we were soaring upwards over Nairobi National Park where a lion looked up at us passing over him and some Giraffes wandered away….The Metropolis of Nairobi lay below us and until you fly over it you dont appreciate how big it has become !! Our flight took us East of the Mountain where dams looked to be full and greenery slowly starting to dry after the long rains….50 minutes later and we were landing in Meru National Park that was a good 10 degrees warmer than Nairobi…first time in a while that there was no need for a sweater…! Ahhh the joy to be in a National Park …the sounds of the birds happily singing …George received us warmly and directed us to his Landcruiser …our transport for the next 4 days!!!
Elsa’s Kopje is indeed that, a massive outcropping of granite on which this camp is built so there is a fair bit of climbing to be done to access rooms, restaurants  and then back down again to go out on game drives but the joy of looking out over the plains and watching the hyrax running after each other on the lawns
As it happened i was give Room No 1 …the honeymoon suite…someone’s sense of humour ….!!!! Okay off we went to find it…and we climbed and we climbed and we climbed…puffing , sweating…knees nearly giving way we finally reached it…and the view from it was breathtaking …but was i going to be going up and down 3/4 times a day for the next 4 days…….I dont think my knees could handle it….happily no 2 which was one flight of stairs below was available  and so i am comfortable ensconced in that one!!
Wonderful evening game viewing brought us elephants and buffalo…oh joy …a magical sunset and then the moon rose…as we enjoyed dinner on the terrace. We have retired to bed tired but happy with a lovely warm day  in Meru!
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