‘t Was een enorm succes, onze trip naar Kenia. Vooral de safari is bijgebleven – vier dagen Tsavo East & West in een busje met open dak. Perfect om dieren te spotten. De volledige Big Five hebben we niet gezien, wel buffels, twee leeuwen (helaas onder een struik), olifanten en een cheetah. Als je die laatste bij de Big Five rekent, tenminste. Eerder hebben we al een safari gedaan in Zuid-Afrika, in het Krugerpark, maar dit was anders. Je rijdt om te beginnen niet zelf. Er zit een gids achter het stuur, die de dieren veel sneller spot dan je dat zelf kan. ‘t Is ook ruwer, wilder en ‘gevaarlijker’ allemaal. Als je safaribusje zich vast rijdt of een platte band krijgt, dan moet je uitstappen en in ‘t eerste geval ook duwen. Of er misschien iemand op de uitkijk kon staan?
We hebben in elk geval ontdekt dat safari echt ons ding is. Onverwacht en vlakbij een groot dier zien, da’s geweldig. Als je er dan nog een goeie foto van kunt maken, is ‘t helemaal super.
Sommige vier- en zeker vijfsterrenlodges in de wildparken zijn grandioos. Hieronder een overzicht van waar wij geslapen hebben en wat we er zelf van vonden (in het Engels):
1. Aruba Ashnil Lodge
Brand new lodge (2008) close to the Aruba Dam in Tsavo East. 40 Rooms, located in small houses in the garden. Rooms are comfortable, clean and quite spacious. All of them are equipped with mosquitonets and fans. Most of the rooms have 1 double bed and 1 single. Bathrooms are standard.
Meals are served buffet-style and are ok, staff is very helpful and friendly. Free wifi is available in the restaurant. The property is fenced, so no wild animals strolling around.
Dangers & Annoyances:
Depending the season and only after sunset, large, flying ‘kamikazi’-bugs can be annoying. While flying, they suddenly drop, sometimes in people’s food or hair.
They’re completely harmless, but unfortunately, there’s a lot of them.
2. Severin Safari Camp
A fantastic complex of luxury tents with baffling wildlife-views and nighly hippo and giraffe visitations. Animals come very close, since the Camp has no fence and there’s a pool closeby. At night, it’s not allowed to walk by yourself. When you want to leave your tent, you have to call a masai-warrior (which is quite an experience). Tents are equipped with running cold and hot water, shower, separate toilet (with bidet), very soft and comfortable beds (double or 2 singles) with mosquito nets. There’s a private terrace. Each tent also has 220V electricity, a hairdryer and a safe. Meals are à la carte and excellent (try the ‘hot stone’ arragement).
Dangers & Annoyances:
Animals do come close sometimes. And the masai warrior is only equipped with a spear. Accidents never occur, most animals are shy and harmless. But it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Electricity is restricted to daytime-hours. Between 11 pm and 5 am, they shut it down. All tents do have flashlights. Guards are on duty 24 hours a day, you can alert them by blowing a whistle (provided in the tents). The guards seem to arrive in a split second.
There’s not much privacy, since the tents are standing quite close to each other. When your neighbours cough, take a shower or whatever, you hear it.
3. Finch Hatton’s Lodge
Finch Hatton’s is named by the character played by Robert Redford in Out Of Africa. This is the most upmarket property in Tsavo West, it’s fantastic. Tents are designed in colonial style (golden shower taps!) and very luxurious. They’re situated around a pool, with hippo’s and crocodiles. Each tent has its own terrace with two lounge beds. But the main reason to come here is the food. Meals are à la carte and truly superb. Lunch is a three-course meal, dinner an eight-course meal, albeit not excessive. There’s a fine wine list. The restaurant looks classy and very chic. Guests are requested to dress up for dinner but somewhat less formal clothing is tolerated.
Dangers & Annoyances:
Compared to Severin Safari Camp, this is more “dangerous”, however since its opening in 1992, no accidents have occurred. Tents are set on wooden stilts in pools, inhabited by hippo’s and crocodiles. Those animals are neither shy, nor harmless. Crocodiles can come very close to the tents (a few meters), they’re very quick and will attack when they get the chance. Best is to stay on your terrace (a few meters above ground level), where they can’t reach you. Hippo’s are dangerous when they get out of the water at dawn, and back in at dusk. They won’t attack you in your tent, but you certainly don’t want to be too close.
Guards are around, but you can’t alert them as easily as in Severin. They don’t carry modern weapons, only bows and arrows.
Mobile phones don’t work, there’s no network-coverage.
Electricity is restricted. It’s shut down at night, but also in the afternoon between 2pm and 5pm.
However, all this enhances the real “Safari experience”.
Praktisch:
Wij hebben de trip geboekt bij Sunset Kenya Tours and Safaris, gerund door Jacob Nzuma (+254 733 549 832). Voor vier dagen hebben we 420 euro betaald, alles inbegrepen behalve softdrinks en alcoholische dranken. Over de prijs/kwaliteit waren we heel erg tevreden, alles was perfect in orde.
Jaaaah, er komt nog ‘s een tripje – naar Kenia nog wel! Zondagnacht vertrekken we naar Mombasa, voor een week. Plan is natuurlijk om daar een safari te doen, al weten we nog niet welke. Masai Mara is wat iedereen ons aanraadt, maar dan moeten we vliegen. En zijn de Kenianen wel helemaal te vertrouwen op dat gebied?Een veiliger optie is misschien een combinatie van Tsavo East/Tsavo West/Amboseli. Maar we zien wel.
le tour du monde 