Lowes Travels

Aug 8-10, 2023

Experiencing an African safari has been on our must-do list for many years, and we ticked it off a few weeks ago in Kenya and Tanzania. While doing so, we traveled through the bustling city of Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, several times. This is the connecting point for safari adventures in Kenya.

Getting here was a long haul, of course. From Arizona it was 21 hours in the air and 35 hours total, including layovers. The upside was we escaped 105+ degree weather for 3 weeks, as the elevations at our destinations ranged between 4,500′-7,200′. Daytime temps were in the 70’s, and into the mid 50’s at night. Kenya lies right at the equator and has very stable weather with little humidity that other countries on the equator experience. Nice!

We added a couple of extra days to recuperate from jet lag and get refreshed before our safari adventure. But why waste time when we’re in a new country and want to experience what Nairobi has to offer? With help from our hotel concierge we booked a private tour of the area and its iconic attractions with our driver Patrick at the wheel.

Nairobi is like most capital cities – very crowded with traffic congestion a constant. They drive on the right side of the road here, which was confusing when Patrick navigated the roundabouts. He told us that the traffic is horrendous because half of the working population of 5 million people live outside the area and drive their cars or take the hundreds of busses to work every day. Unfortunately, there is dire poverty here and most people can’t afford to live in the city.

Giraffe Center

We first went to the Giraffe Center, which I thought at first was a zoo but instead is established for the purpose of breeding the Rothschild’s giraffe, an endangered subspecies of giraffe found only in East Africa. In addition to the breeding, conservation, and release of giraffes, it also provides education to the public. The center was founded by Jock Leslie-Melville, the Kenyan grandson of a Scottish earl, to protect this endangered Rothschild giraffe.

Feeding the giraffes was a major highlight for us. We purchased pellets to feed these gentle giants. Amazing!

Karen Blixen Museum

If you’ve watched the movie Out of Africa, the name Karen Blixen might ring a bell. She was a Danish author and her former home in Nairobi is now a museum. Her memoir Out of Africa chronicles her life at the estate, and the 1985 film of the same title was based on her life in Kenya.

Photography was not allowed inside the old colonial farmhouse. It’s a simple place holding items that Karen Blixen chose and once enjoyed herself. There are also colorful gardens and grounds to explore, where several old coffee processing machines have laid untouched for decades.  After the tour we walked a nice half-mile trail behind the house.

We were happy to find that the movie Out of Africa was available on our flight back home. Starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, it’s a captivating love story and exciting adventure set in the beautiful African landscape we had just visited.

Nairobi National Museum

This was a surprising gem, except that we were there along with busloads of school children on a field trip. The parking lot was full of school busses, we could barely find a parking spot. Patrick informed us that on the last day of school, children do field trips and there were literally hundreds of them in school uniforms of various colors. They were well behaved and stuck with their groups.

This museum is home to numerous exhibits, including archaeological finds, artifacts, and an incredible collection of birds. The Birds of East Africa collection is particularly noteworthy. East Africa is one of the world’s richest regions in terms of bird specie diversity, with a record of over 1,300 species and most of them are readily identified in the exhibits. I was blown away, for a whole floor is dedicated just for birds! You could spend most of a day just to peruse them all!

A unique collection pointing to Kenya as the cradle of humankind is on display in this gallery. It traces human existence as evidenced by fossil findings across Kenya, displaying an amazing set of ancient human fossil evidence documenting almost the entire human evolutionary story. There are human skulls on display which are almost 2 million years old!

Another gallery highlights Kenya’s history in three major phases: pre-colonial Kenya, the period of colonial rule, and independent Kenya. Key historical events that have shaped the lives of Kenyans are also highlighted.

There were more displays to see, but unfortunately our time was limited 🙁

Carnivore – yum!

For dinner we went to an obvious tourist trap, the popular restaurant Carnivore which our flight attendant from Qatar Airways recommended to check out. As the name denotes, the main attraction is the various kinds of meats they serve with a twist. The concept is an all-you-can-eat feast similar to Brazilian-style restaurants we’ve been to, but this one included farm-raised exotic meats such as ostrich and crocodile, skewered and cooked on traditional Maasai swords and brought around to your table on a regular basis:

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi is known as a wildlife capital of the world, thanks to its unique national park located on the edge of the city. Nairobi National Park is not only Kenya’s oldest national park, but it is also the only one within a capital city. Fortunately we were able to book an excursion with Peter, who had done a great job picking us up at the airport at midnight and lucky for us he was available along with driver George to take us on a game drive at the park.

A game drive is an excursion through wild areas to find some of Africa’s most iconic and elusive wildlife. Unlike places in the states where you can get out of your car to take pictures whenever you want, here you must remain in the vehicle at all times during the trip.

This turned out to be one of the most amazing excursions we’ve taken in years!  Wide-open grass plains with the backdrop of city skyscrapers and scattered acacia bush hosted a wide variety of animals. Our multi-hour drive through the 45-square mile park teemed with wildlife.  We saw dozens of fantastic animals and birds, and learned hundreds of facts from Peter – who is not a professional guide but should be. 

Below is a sample of the many animals we saw. This park is home to just about every one existing in Kenya except for elephants. On this day the lion was too far away napping in the grass for me to get a decent picture, but I was in birdie heaven! All pictures taken from the comfort of the car.

Before exiting the park we stopped at The Ivory burning site, where 12 tons of ivory were burned by the president of Kenya in 1989 to show the commitment to conservation and emphasis on zero trade in ivory. More elephants and rhinos are dying from poaching than from natural causes or conflict with humans. Their body parts are traded illegally as trophies, traditional medicine, or trinkets on a lucrative black market. Poaching has declined but is still a problem.

We were glad our extra days in Nairobi were filled with discovery and excitement, and we can only hope that our 10-day safari will be as exciting and educational – stay tuned!

Next up: You ain’t seen nothing yet!