Wednesday morning dawned and we had one last breakfast with our giraffe friends. One of the giants even decided to stick her head in through the window and steal a rose from off our table! Shortly after breakfast, we were driven to a small airport on the outskirts of Nairobi. After about an hour wait, we boarded our 12 passenger plane and headed north to the deserts of Samburu. Our plane landed on a red dirt strip, with nothing more to greet us than two Land Cruisers and a few women at makeshift tables, selling beads. Our driver, Gabriel, joked that it was the duty free shop. We loaded our belongings and headed off with Gabriel and his assistant, Charles. Charles was an incredible - and stoic - spotter. While barreling along the dirt road, Charles could spot an animal over a half mile away with his bare eye. On the way to the Sasaab lodge, we were able to spot camels, antelope, and donkeys. The lodge itself is situated along the Ewaso Nyiro River and felt like something straight from Morocco. We were greeted by Nikki, the owner of the lodge and then taken to our separate tents (on opposite sides of the camp, might I add). Apart from the giant wasps that occasionally frequented us, our tent was incredible. Each one of the grass-roofed tents was situated at intervals on a ledge along the river. Not only was there a beautiful common pool that looked out over the river, but there were also private plunge pools at each tent, too. We stowed our belongings before heading back to the main lodge for a refreshing lunch. Of the locations we visited, Sasaab was my least favorite in terms of cuisine. That being said, the food was still rather delicious. Since we had time before our evening game drive, we decided to take a dip in the common pool. The water felt amazing! That evening, Gabriel and Charles took us on an incredible adventure where we found a pack of roaming elephants. We also visited the den of three African Wild Dogs, which is a rare find - even for natives. We finished the drive by visiting a Samburu tribe and learning about their culture and customs. The Samburu are a nomadic people who mainly herd goats and cattle. They live entirely off the land and move with the seasons. The women adorn themselves with beautiful beadwork and are well known for their thick, beaded necklaces. We were fortunate enough to be invited into one of the homes within the village. The homes are small and have just enough room for a small bench, a tiny cooking fire, and two rooms - one for the children and the other for the woman of the house. The men are polygamous and alternate sleeping arrangements. I love the animals, but THIS is where my heart lies. This is why my degree was in geography.We ate a late dinner when we returned back to camp and were taken to our tents by the nightly guards. Apparently, a leopard roams the area... This was the location where I learned to face major anxiety about the dark; the mesh windows remained uncovered throughout the night and even the low glow of a phone's screen would attract dozens of little bugs. It was lights out in screen tent!
Our next morning started with breakfast at a reasonable hour before meeting with our helicopter pilot, Kieran. Kieran is a 4th generation white Kenyan who grew up in the bush and is a wealth of knowledge. As we flew above the land, he told us about the tribes, the animals, and the vegetation below. It is incredible to learn just how interconnected everything is. We flew from the desert to the base of a mountain range, where the Retiti Elephant Sanctuary sits. Because of its remote location, it does not receive many visitors. Despite this, we were surprised to learn that three zoologists from the San Diego Zoo were there, helping the director, Dorothy, with sustainability. We learned how and why the young elephants arrive at Reteti as well as how each individual elephant has a very unique diet. The sanctuary relies on the donation of baby formula to feed the elephants until they are old enough to be released back into the wild. After about an hour or so at the sanctuary, it was time to fly off to our next adventure. Kieran brought us in the opposite direction to Samburu National Reserve, where Gabriel and Charles were waiting for us. They cooked up a delicious breakfast next to a river before starting our game drive. After we had eaten our fill, we were off! Right away, we found baboons, hornbills, and elephants. We found an assortment of antelopes, such as gerenuk, impalas, and oryx. Then, we rounded a corner and nearly ran INTO a giraffe. While we had seen Rothschild giraffes at Giraffe Manor, the giraffes of Samburu are Reticulated giraffes. While following the tracks of a lion, we found an African chanting goshawk and a Somali ostrich. Just when we were about to call it a morning, we happened upon a herd of elephants about 40 strong, near the river. I will never get over the enormity of these creatures. Unbeknownst to the elephant, a bull came walking out of a bush next to our Land Cruiser and nearly ran into me and my cousin! Back at the lodge, we enjoyed lunch and another visit to the pool before our evening game drive. While there were hopes for lions or maybe an alligator, we only found more elephants. Charles taught us a few customs throughout the evening, such as how toothbrushes are made from sticks of the Salvadora plant. We then stopped atop a large, flat hill and enjoyed a sundowner. Charles cooked up fresh sausage while Gabriel poured each of us drinks. It was the perfect refresher before returning back to camp for dinner and then retiring for the evening.
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