Pam Geller, a freelance marketing consultant, traveled to Nairobi, Kenya with her three kids, Kayla | 7 yrs, Drew | 6 yrs, and Jenna | 3 yrs, who just happened to be wearing Tea on their trip.
When we were planning our trip to Nairobi, Kenya, to visit by brother and sister in-law, everyone wanted to “do” an African Safari in the Masai Mara. I was thinking, okay…I guess I am okay with sleeping in a tent in the Savannah with guards who carry guns, with somewhat “pampered” kids who have never gone camping. But, where would we shower and clean up? Do we have to mark our territory? I had also heard various scary stories – for example, a friend of mine said that an elephant, who was “protecting” her baby elephant, charged their vehicle. Hmmmm…I am okay with this…right? You see my sister-in-law who is a very intelligent, had been putting together this amazing 2-week tour of Nairobi. So when my sister-in-law suggested an African Safari in the Masai Mara, I said “okay, that sounds good.”
But as it turned out, what I imagined an African Safari would entail was a WHOLE LOT different than what I thought.
Savannah – The “prime time” to visit the African Savannah is during Migration season (July and September). Apparently the Savannah is packed with thousands, even millions of herbivores: “some 1,300,000 wildebeest, 360,000 Thomson’s gazelle, and 191,000 zebra.” We did not visit during the Migration, but we were still able to see a lot of wild animals!
Africa’s “Big 5” – The “Big 5” includes the African: lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo. Why not the hippo or giraffe? Are they not large as well? Apparently, game hunters came up with the term “Big 5” (not safari tour operators). The African lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and Cape buffalo are labeled as the “Big 5” not because of how large or dangerous they are; but for how difficult it is for hunters to bag them up, mostly due to their ferocity when cornered and shot at. Who knew??!!
- Lions sleep 20 hours a day. That means a lion is only awake for about 3 years. Isn’t that crazy?
- This was my favorite animal! They are so graceful and beautiful. “Leopards are strong tree climbers—they can even climb a tree while carrying a prey their own weight. Leopards often carry their prey up trees to prevent other animals, such as hyenas, from sharing their kill. They also store their food in trees (though sometimes they store their food on ground under leaves or brush)”. They are solitary animals (not like lions that are pack animals).
- African elephants are the largest land mammals on the planet, and the females of this species undergo the longest pregnancy—22 months.
- Buffalo are reported to kill more hunters in Africa than any other animal.
Personally, I find a running Giraffe much more interesting that a Cape buffalo. A giraffe is one of the few animals that use mostly its front legs when it runs. They only sleep for a few minutes at a time (in comparison to Lions who sleep all day!). Of course, the giraffes’ biggest enemy is the lion. Giraffe have 4 stomachs just like cows (their cud needs to travel all the way up their neck!). Watch the video below to see the giraffe we spotted during the safari.