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As we’ve been home for nearly two weeks as I begin, I’ve been thinking a lot about how to begin this travelogue. Pete and I took well over 2,000 photos each, not to mention several videos. The task of sorting trough that many photos is going to be daunting. I’ve procrastinated long enough though and it’s time to dive in.

We left home at around 10 AM on Sunday morning of September 22nd. Our British Airways flight to London took off at around 2 PM, arriving at 7 AM Monday morning. After a three hour layover and we were off to Nairobi, Kenya, arriving at 9 PM Monday night. We were met by some folks from Tradewinds Aviation Services who helped us through immigration and customs, and then handed us over to our driver/guides from Ololo Lodge, who piled our luggage in two Land Rovers and we began the 45 minute journey to our first lodge, the Ololo Lodge. The highway from the airport was like any other modern highway, but we soon turned off the highway, and we headed for the entrance to the Nairobi National Park. This road was without question the most pothole ridden, miserable road I think I had ever experienced. The driver said that when we enter the park the roads get better. They did, but only marginally.

It was late when we arrived at the lodge. We were given a refreshing drink, and Christine took care of the paperwork to register us.

We then enjoyed a welcome meal, which began with a wonderful soup. L to R, Pete, Phyllis, Charlie, Christine, Paula, Celia and Van. Of course I’m taking the photo. I rarely say ‘ok everybody, look this way’. I prefer candid shots.

After dinner we were shown to our rooms. Ours was quite nice, and I was glad to see the mosquito netting, even though we are both taking antimalarial drugs.

After so many hours on a plane, this bed was heaven. We had a short nights sleep though and we were up for an early breakfast. Pete took a few photos of the lodge. The suspension bridge connected the lodge to the parking area.

We had to tread lightly as we crossed the bridge because it moved freely, and keeping your balance was a challenge.

On our very first morning game drive we came across a secretary bird, a male ostrich, some giraffes, a herd of cape buffalo, a couple of warthogs with some impalas in the background. I couldn’t get over how big the male ostrich was, standing at what looked to be 8 feet tall.

We also saw a couple of crocodiles, a black crowned crane and a white rhinoceros, some more cape buffalo and an eland.

We had a picnic lunch half way through the game drive, and returned to the lodge for dinner. Christine had our activities well planned out. There was very little down time. This approach was going to pay big dividends in animal sightings of all varieties.

We return to Ololo Lodge after being on an animal drive most of the day, and our little bungalow looked so inviting, and a hot bath would have made it perfect. However, dinner was about to be served, and we couldn’t miss that.

To say that Kenya is teaming with animals is definitely an understatement. This safari adventure is starting off in high gear.

Tomorrow we will be leaving Ololo Lodge and after another game drive on the way to the airport, we will fly to our next camp in the Samburu National Reserve. On the way we stopped at the Giraffe Center where we were able to feed the giraffe, and feel first hand how soft and agile their long tongues were.

The bag of food we were given consisted of extruded pellets about the size of ones little finger. If you put one loosely in your lips, the giraffe would lick it out of your mouth with its tongue. They were very gentle and precise in the use of their tongue. This may sound weird or perhaps gross, but it was actually very cool.

At the Nairobi domestic airport we waited for our 40 minute flight to Samburu National Reserve. Small planes are always a white-knuckle experience for me. We flew on this Twin Otter which is made by de Havilland in Canada. No snacks or beverages were served. Christine and Charlie, as well as Celia seemed to be enjoying it. Van, however, if I’m reading his facial expression correctly, seemed to share my apprehension.

We fly from Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve. On the map it doesn’t look like all that far, but forty minutes in this small plane made it seem much longer to me.

As we take off we get an areal view of Nairobi. It looks just like any other major city. What you see here are the suburbs.

The terrain was mostly arid, and since we were flying at only 7,000 feet, we could periodically see animals on the ground. We landed on a dirt runway out in the middle of nowhere, and were met by a couple of Land Rovers with driver/guides.

We loaded our luggage into the vehicles from the lodge, passed through one of the entrances to the Nairobi-Samburu National Reserve and began an animal drive on the way to the Samburu Intrepids Camp.

The first thing we came across was this HUGE herd of zebras (frames 3 & 4 below). They are sort of off in the distance, but they went on for maybe a kilometer as we drove by them on the road. Both the guide and Christine said they had NEVER seen a herd of zebras this large, It was very unusual. Next we saw a lone elephant foraging on a tree, and then a lone giraffe crossed the road in front of our vehicle. I thought the giraffe would have been better off, and safer, in a crowd of them.

This pride of lions was enjoying the shade. The sun on the equator at noon can be brutal. In the last frame the leopard relaxing in this dead tree is very difficult to see, but here’s a close-up. You can’t get much more relaxed than this.

I thought it strange how this leopard could care less about all the photographic attention he was getting, enough to make any Hollywood starlet insanely jealous. Although I suppose it is a daily occurrence for him. Show your face, and if just one Land Rover passenger or guide sees you, before you know it, he radios your location to every other Land Rover in the neighborhood, and you are soon surrounded by them. "Ho Hum! Just don’t make too much noise folks. I’m trying to nap."

We arrive at the Samburu Intrepids Camp. While having lunch a native gentleman plays soothing music on his flute

Samburu Intrepids camp was quite open. The log wood construction was very beautiful, and the staff were warm and welcoming.

After lunch we head out for an afternoon animal drive. This lioness spots something off in the distance, and she crouches, preparing to stalk her prey.

We come across this pack of wild dogs, a rarity, as they seek the shade and take a rest from their trek. A mother cheetah also seeks the shade for herself and her three cubs. Only one is visible behind her. The other two have already reached the shade. We know there are three cubs because as we watched them for over an hour, the three cubs came out to play.

We came across some more Eland, and a Waterbuck. Grazing and rest seemed the rule, with survival as the primary instinct.

The pride of lions seems to be on the move. There were several Land Rovers maneuvering to get the best photo op, and was probably quite annoying to them. They certainly do look well fed. Poor impalas!

A troop of baboons canter across the arid terrain, heading I know not where, unless it is to the river to join this elephant for a drink of water. Water is one thing every animal needs to survive.

These Dic Dic are quite a small animal, and they are known as the Romeo and Juliet members of the animal kingdom, because they mate for life, and if one dies, the other soon follows. You always see them in pairs, and they are quite timid little creatures.

A small group of impala (a.k.a. lion food) are browsing, but are on high alert. There are lions in the area, and they are on the prowl.

Check out the hind quarter on this poor impala. He made a narrow escape from the "jaws of death”, and becoming a meal.

Eland, giraffe, impala and grouse. Kenya is teaming with animals. These herbivore are the prey.

Can you guess who the predator is.

You guessed it, the African lion, the “King of beasts”. They are also an integral part of this ecosystem.

They may look harmless and gentle. But actually the average African female lion is approximately 285 pounds of pure muscle, with attached claws and fangs designed for shredding its prey.

Being in the cat family, they do tend to sleep a lot, but when they are awake and hunting, they are quite formidable.

For this small group of five, it’s nap time. The impalas can rest easy for now.

We continue our drive along the river, and spot a few elephants, and a giraffe, but the giraffe is like finding Waldo. He’s in the distance between the pair of elephants in frame 2 (see box).

We stop our vehicles on the equator. I thought the last statistic was the most interesting, that only 20% of the worlds population lives below the equator. That puts Pete and I in the minority, living in Argentina.

Just to give you an idea of how crazy it gets out here in the bush, at the left of the first two frames you see the dust being kicked up by the vehicles racing after a pack of wild dogs, not visible in either photo unless you blow it up a lot. The pack has been running for a while in the heat of the day, and they are seeking shade.

They finally stop in the shade of this huge rock, and within a few minutes they are surrounded by safari vehicles.

The wild dogs are clearly very tired and in need of rest. We observed them here for nearly an hour before moving on.

And move on we do. I am amazed by the variety of animals that share the same space together in harmony. I recognize that “the law of the jungle, the survival of the fittest” rules here. The specimens we see here are a perfect example of this law functioning as it was intended, to guarantee that each species evolves into its role in the natural order of things, continuing life on our planet, in perfect balance.

We spend only one night at the Samburu Intrepids Camp. The next day we drive to Nanyuki, a town in the foothills of Mt. Kenya.

After a long day we arrive at Klcheche Lalklpla Camp and relax with a refreshing drink before being assigned to our tents. Our tent was humongous and could sleep four. We enjoyed a campfire before dinner. It was a cool evening so it felt great.

Our first dinner at this camp was excellent, and the table was set like this for every meal we ate in camp.

After dinner we go on a night drive, but as you can see, it is not an opportunity to get great photos. I tried, but gave up after several failed attempts. You really need the sunshine to take decent photos. A hyena and a lion is all I got on this drive.

The next morning we go for an early morning drive. At dawn we get a fairly decent view of Mt. Kenya, Africa’s second tallest mountain. By the time it is light enough to take good photos, we come across this pair of lions.

We come across a group of impala. In frame 2 you can see the nests of the weaver birds in the acacia trees.

Zebras graze in thick grass and the cape buffalo stand their ground as we drive slowly past them.

We cross the bridge passing into the Ol Pejeta Private Conservacy. The bridge is restricted to only two elephants at a time.

The next day during our morning game drive we happen upon this group of lions feeding on their kill.

A jackal is quite interested in watching them feast, wishing they would get their fill so he could dine on the scraps.

Our next encounter was this group of elephants. We parked our vehicles directly in their path. It was a little unnerving when we were surrounded by them, although they didn’t seem to think twice about our presence in their domain.

Back at camp, just before lunch we saw another group of elephants across the river from our camp. Elephants are great!

Our lunch was superb, as were every meal at the camps. Besides our group of eight, there were two other couples at this camp. An older couple were quite charming, and they had either a British or Australian accent. Sorry, but I’ve forgotten where they were from. We thoroughly enjoyed the conversations and experiences of the other guests at meal time.

As you can see, we were certainly well fed. The chefs at each camp were quite accomplished, making our stays so enjoyable.

Well, this is only our sixth day, and we still have five days to go. I’ll break here and send off this first part of possibly two. I hope you are enjoying the photos, and my banter along with my story of this amazing adventure. See you again in Part 2.