In June 2019 I went to Kenya on an Elewana Sky Safari. It was my first ever trip to Kenya so I was extremely excited.
ELEWANA noun. ‘harmony’ ~ Swahili
Combining Southern and East Africa has been quite tricky in the past but with the recent Kenya Airways flight via Victoria Falls to Nairobi and the South African Airways flights to Nairobi, it is now very simple.
On my first night in Nairobi, I stayed at Hemingways Hotel. What a beautiful oasis in such a busy city.
The following morning we flew out to the Amboseli National Park. The Amboseli is best known for its large herds of elephants as well as the view of Mount Kilimanjaro (on a good day). Thankfully we happened to be there for 2 extremely clear days and we had incredible views of the mountain. While in the Amboseli we stayed at Elewana Tortilis Camp which is situated on a private concession in the park.
From the Amboseli we flew to the Loisaba Conservancy. Loisaba is a wildlife conservancy located in Laikipia, Northern Kenya. We didn’t stay here but visited the Elewana Loisaba Tented Camp and Elewana Lodo Springs (which was still under construction).
I love including Loisaba into my clients’ itineraries. The activities on offer here are completely different from what you will experience in any of the larger national parks. They offer camel rides, horseback safaris, mountain biking and you can also learn about their dedicated anti-poaching team of 4 sniffer dogs.
From Loisaba we flew to the Meru National Park where we stayed at Elewana Elsa’s Kopje is sculpted into Mughwango Hill, above the site of George Adamson’s original camp where he and his wife, Joy, raised and released orphan lions – the most famous being Elsa, after whom the camp was named.
Most people will appreciate Meru National Park for its northern specials, which are animals that are specially adapted to arid conditions. Of these species, we were lucky enough to see the gerenuk, the reticulated giraffe and endangered Grevy’s zebra.
We then flew to the Masai Mara where we stayed at Elewana Sand River Camp. This camp is situated on the banks of the Sand River. The Masai Mara was everything and more than I had expected.
On arrival, we had a delicious lunch while watching an elephant hiding from the midday sun across the river. And the following morning we woke up to the sound of lions roaring. We only spent 2 days in the Mara due to time constraints, I can’t wait to go back one day.
We returned to Nairobi where I spent an extra night so that I could visit the Giraffe Center and the David Sheldrick Elephant Center. Both experiences were so much fun. My son can’t wait to kiss a giraffe and my daughter has been begging me to adopt an elephant.
