Tag: Safari
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The sights of Tsavo West
Last month I wrote a feature on the excellent Kilaguni Serena Safari Lodge. I’ve been back to Tsavo West since, and I wanted to focus this piece on the park’s incredible geology. The view to the north-west in the ‘developed area’ – a 1,000 square kilometre section of the park that receives the most visitors…
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The magic of the Mara Triangle
Along a steep stretch of the Mara River, a cluster of still wildebeest and zebras gaze down at the shallow water below. Beneath them, a bloat of hippos splash and snort, and enormous crocodiles bask on the surrounding sandbanks. As others begin to lose their nerve and turn away from the river, a brave wildebeest…
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In the land of lava and leopards
As they scouted Tsavo West in the early ‘60s, the developers of Kilaguni would have been spoilt for choice while deliberating the location of Kenya’s first park lodge. 60 years on, and the site they settled on still ranks highly among the country’s top safari destinations. The lodge’s long thatched terrace frames a spectacular panorama:…
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A Drive in the Nairobi National Park
Waking up last Saturday morning, the sun wasn’t up either. There was still a chill in the air. I pulled the duvet closer round me and began to wonder what I was going to do about Going Places. I began to wish, as I had often wished these last three lockdown months, that I could…
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Safari and Adventure in Classic Land Rovers
For those that have followed this column for years, you will no doubt have picked up on the Fox family’s fondness for Land Rovers. In fact, I believe all of us have mentioned them, such as the escapades of “Mzee” the old Range Rover or the Defender that tried to take off John, my dad’s,…
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The Secret Shamba in Kimana Sanctuary
The use of Kenya’s national parks, reserves and other wild spaces for recreational purposes, particularly for music festivals and sporting events, has been a contentious issue over the last few months. Conservationists were understandably appalled by the decision to allow the 29th edition of the Koroga Festival to take place in Hell’s Gate National Park…
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Christmas with the animals in Meru
It was Christmas Day and we had decided to spend it at the Rhino River Camp and with the animals in Meru National Park. Early morning on Christmas Eve we had driven out from Nairobi – a longish drive but well worth it. On the way we listened to the hilarious impeachment version of the…
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Suspended Over the Mara
As sundowners go, this one was pretty spectacular. We sat, dawas in hand, 300m above the Mara Triangle, on the edge of the Oloololo Escarpment. A group of Masai performed their traditional Adamu dance against a crimson sky, their chequered shukas lit by a stream of lanterns. Silhouetted behind them was the kopje where Meryl…
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Last Minute Mara: Luxury For Less
It’s that time of year again. Lanky, bearded herbivores in their hundreds of thousands are grunting, grazing, plunging and leaping their way across the Greater Masai Mara, consumed by the lure of greener pastures. For a few more months, these frenzied herds of wildebeest will mow down what’s left of the Mara’s rich red oat…
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