As I thought about sharing more memories from a 2019 safari experience, I wondered if I would appear to be unfeeling and not duly cognizant or respectful of the fact that our world is experiencing a pandemic crisis that has changed everything. I also wondered, to the contrary, if remembering and sharing happier, busier, freer times might provide a few moments of diversion, of dreaming and forgetting, of escaping this dread Covid-19 disease. It is in that hope and with that spirit that I offer some memories.
Our adventure began in Nairobi, Kenya, on July 26, 2019, where my Jackson roommate and I met our guide and ten fellow travelers from three states. From the beginning, we were a congenial group, sharing a common purpose: to experience Africa in an authentic way and, if the forces of nature allowed, to see the Great Migration. We had chosen Micato Safaris to help us make our dreams come true.
Our two days in Nairobi were filled with seeing the sights in that busy capital city. We met Felix and Jane Pinto, whose family own Micato, and ate lunch in their beautiful home. We visited the Giraffe Center, and I smile with every memory of touching and feeding an endangered Rothschild giraffe—of looking into eyes, so gentle and so trusting, that seemed to penetrate my soul. We toured the home and grounds of Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen), author of OUT OF AFRICA. I felt awe and wonder knowing that she had lived there and her presence had filled the now empty spaces. We also visited the National Museum, shopped, and explored the legendary Fairmont Hotel.
We left Nairobi in the early morning and flew Kenya Airlines south to Tortilis Camp, located in Kenya`s Amboseli National Park and situated at the foothills of Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa`s tallest mountain. We saw myriad animals during our two days and nights at Tortilis. From open air Jeeps, we watched them up close in their native habitat. It was an uncommon privilege to see God`s creatures living together peacefully and naturally.
On the day of our departure from Tortilis, I lingered on the steps of the lodge, staring at Mount Kilimanjaro, a magnificent site in the distance— standing tall and basking in the cool, sun-filled early morning—its cone shape reminding the world that once it was an active volcano. I wanted to remember that moment.
From Tortilis we flew back to Nairobi where we boarded a small plane to Lewa Camp, located to the north in Kenya`s Lewa Wildlife Conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. During our stay at Lewa, we saw many more animals and another of Africa`s wonders: Mount Kenya, the highest mountain in Kenya and second highest in Africa. Wherever we travelled in search of animals at Lewa, it seemed as if Mount Kenya was watching from a distance.
The routine established at Tortilis was the pattern for Lewa and the three campsites that followed: an early morning breakfast in the lodge followed by a game drive; a return to camp for lunch; an afternoon game drive; a sundowner happy hour; and dinner at the lodge. At every camp, we saw an abundance of animals at home in their surroundings, behaving naturally—eating, resting, sleeping, watching each other, playing together, walking, climbing, running, and bathing in ponds and lakes. Sometimes, they seemed to react to stimuli unnoticed by us; and they abruptly changed whatever they were doing, becoming more alert and on guard. I always wondered what they had seen, heard, or felt that we missed.
During our visit to five very different camps, my camera captured images of memorable, singular moments: baby elephants and their mothers always near to each other in an unspoken maternal bond; a solitary leopard standing on a limb in the distance, its graceful silhouette outlined by the setting sun; an open expanse of bush where far distant creatures of the wild quietly moved toward their night places; a trio of zebras that seemed pleased to pose for a photo; giraffes whose quizzical gazes always made me wonder what they were thinking; a lion, almost invisible, asleep a few feet away in tall grass the color of his coat; a hyena checking on her cubs in the underground den she made for them; five lion cubs sleeping peacefully on their backs with their legs extending skyward beneath the shade of a large tree. Later, when they were awake, those cubs gave us some rare moments of entertainment when a member of our group lost his safari hat in a gust of wind. One of the cubs began chasing the hat flying about in the wind and managed to capture it. The other cubs tried to take the hat. There were tugs of war; a time of hiding out under a large dead limb with many protective branches; and, finally, the accepted winner who wandered off in the tall grass, cap in mouth.
I often thought of God`s creation of the animal kingdom, and I wondered if I were glimpsing a momentary image of how life was intended to be—in the Garden—peaceful and serenely quiet. Pervading the entire experience was the human African spirit of authentic kindness and humility. My encounters with local people were symbolized by an eagerness to please, a trusting spirit, and a childlike innocence—all seemingly unsullied by the world.
Our evening game drives always ended in a sundowner happy hour somewhere in the wild, watching the pinks and golds of sunset merge into a majestic God-given landscape painting. It seemed as if our guide and the drivers knew the exact spots to stop—near a river where hippopotami were soaking at day`s end and peacefully sharing the water with nearby alligators or an open terrain with mountains partially framing the fading sun. It was in those last moments of day that we celebrated and toasted each other for our good fortune, and we thanked God for the privilege of it all.
Most of the time, our camp drivers spoke to each other in their native language but, without hesitation, switched to English to answer our questions or point out an animal hidden in the bushes, a native tree or flower, an unusual terrain, or an imperceptible change in the weather. Our Micato guide was perceptive and all-knowing, ever-present but never intrusive. He was the first to arrive at the morning meeting sites. On travel days, he checked our luggage, made sure everyone was present, guided us through customs and immigrations at five different airports in Kenya and Tanzania, and assisted anyone needing extra help. His steady, quiet presence gave us the assurance that all was well in a land where everything was different.
We were sharing an incomparable journey with strangers who were becoming friends. We were immersed in nature; living in a quiet world; seeing more animals than humans on most days; and experiencing a portion of God`s earth with a basic, uncomplicated view.
Edrie Royals in a Northsider.
