East Africa - June/July 2012
Nairobi to Victoria Falls June/July 2012:
My camping adventure through Africa was one of the most wonderful and memorable experiences of my life. We drove through the Greater Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru where we saw 4 of the big 5 on our very first day. We quickly saw baboon, buffalo, zebra and giraffe. Our first lions were so amazing but then we got word of a leopard. It was so exciting when we had to go off road to get to this magnificent creature perched up high on a dead log overlooking the beautiful surroundings of Lake Nakuru.
In Uganda (my favourite) the gorilla trek was an amazing experience. Trackers had already started a couple of hours before we did. Just before we saw the gorillas we could hear them and the adrenaline was really pumping. We could even hear the silverback beating his chest. It was so exciting and scary to be so close to this beautiful family. We were allowed to follow them for 1 hour only. They seemed quite happy for us to be there and kept going about their day not worrying about us at all. While we stumbled through thick jungle following our trackers they used machetes to make tracks for us. It was a wonderful but exhausting day which I could not have completed without my local porter who carried my bag and held my hand to help me.
Back in Kenya we spent a couple of nights at Lake Naivasha where our camp site was right on the lake with only a small electric fence separating us from the local hippo population. We were also able to walk through a private game reserve nearby where we walked along side zebra, giraffe, impala and warthog. The Masai Mara was just beautiful with amazing green plains for as far as the eye can see. We came very close to Lions stalking impala in the long grass, elephants, hippos, a crocodile and cheetah. We then spent 2 nights in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. We had a wonderful time following huge male, gorgeous females and the cutest little lion cubs. One family we saw had 3 females and 10 cubs. We were lucky enough to see more leopards, plenty of elephant, thousands of zebra and giraffe amongst a million other animals. One of my favourite memories is watching a lion hold up traffic as she drank out of a puddle in the middle of a one lane road and held up about 10 game vehicles. Sunrise at the Ngorongoro Crater was breathtaking and filled with the most beautiful creatures. Highlights of Zanzibar was a spice tour and the beautiful crystal clear beaches.
My last border crossing was into Zimbabwe. The people were so friendly (not just Zimbabwe but everywhere) and the township of Victoria Falls was small but nice and easy to get around. The only thing at night you had to beware of was wild animals are known to wander down the main street! Our campsite was in a great location right in the middle of town and had Vervet Monkeys and Warthogs wandering around. We were able to walk from here to Victoria Falls and get soaking wet. I was also able to fly in a helicopter over the falls which was a wonderful way to see it from a different angle. One of my highlights from the whole trip was here at Vic Falls and that was walking with Lions. We visited a Lion Conservation Project just out of town where lions are being prepared for release back into the wild. It was the most amazing experience to get so close to this magnificent creature.