I've already written about a lot of very special and memorable moments during our safari adventure but here are a few more. First, we got to see Mt. Kenya. On our way from Nairobi to Samburu, our guide Zachary pointed to the horizon and told us that if it wasn't for the bad weather and the dark clouds, we would normally be able to see Mt. Kenya. However, on our way from Samburu to Lake Nakuru, we passed that road again and we finally got to see it. Zachary actually managed to find a spot on the side of the road where he could stop for a very short while, giving me enough time to get out of the jeep and take photos of this tallest mountain in Kenya.
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| Mt. Kenya |
On that same drive from Samburu to Lake Nakuru, we stopped at the equator marker at Nanyuki. (We actually ate our packed breakfast here.) The equator passes through only 13 countries in the world and 7 in Africa, including Kenya.
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| The equator marker at Nanyuki |
In Samburu, we got to see ostrich eggs. While on the road, I told Zachary that I spotted a female ostrich sitting on the ground. Once Zachary saw her, he decided to drive off-road towards her. He said that she must be incubating her eggs. The next thing that happened stressed me and my family out: Zachary decided to drive really close to the ostrich, scaring her enough that she was forced to move away from her nest, exposing nine eggs. I guess Zachary really wanted to take a photo of the eggs. Since he had already scared her away - although she was just sitting a couple of meters away - I decided to take a photo myself.
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| A mother ostrich with its eggs |
We also got to see a couple of predation moments. The first was of a black-backed jackal hunting and eating a superb starling in Samburu. When Zachary spotted a jackal on the road, he decided to follow it, saying that sometimes, jackals are around to eat the scraps of lion kills. While following it on the road, it stopped in its tracks...
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| A black-backed jackal hunting |
...before jumping into the tall grass on the side of the ride. When it emerged, it had a superb starling in its mouth. It ate pretty much the whole bird, leaving only some feathers behind.
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| A black-backed jackal eating a superb starling |
In Lake Nakuru, we also saw a crested eagle gulp down its kill, which looked like some kind of rodent. We were really lucky with this on so many levels. I still don't know how Zachary spotted this eagle up in the branches, way above eye-level, while he was driving. He stopped to give us an opportunity to take photos and as we did, the eagle suddenly started eating something that it had in its talon. I can't believe we were lucky enough to catch it on camera just as it was eating!
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| A crested eagle eating its catch |
Finally, I almost lost my wallet in Samburu. We had just left Samburu Sopa Lodge and were heading to Lake Nakuru when I spotted a Grevy's zebra. Since we weren't on a game drive and our travel time to Lake Nakuru was about 6 hours, the roof of our jeep wasn't raised. Since I wanted to take a photo of the Grevy's zebra, Zachary stopped the car to give me a chance to open the door (so as not to be obstructed by the window). After I took my photo, I told Zachary we could go. But even as I said that, I had this sinking feeling that maybe something had fallen out of the jeep when I opened the door. I can't recall if I rolled the window down to see if I dopped anything but I did see something black on the ground behind us. I immediately knew it was my wallet and asked Zachary to stop. I have no idea why I felt I might have dropped something - maybe I spotted some movement out of the corner of my eye when my wallet fell out or maybe I sort of felt it fall out - but I'm just really happy I did because losing my wallet there would have been an absolute disaster. (This is the photo I took when I dropped my wallet; I love that I got the Grevy's zebra and in the moon in the same shot and that the moon was still visible after sunrise.)
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| A Grevy's zebra under the moon |
Next: Samburu Sopa Lodge
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