A
few quick turns down a dirt road through scrubby African savanna, less than an
hour after our bush plane touched down, we came upon a large, fresh buffalo
carcass, curled antlers still attached.
But
we weren't there for the carcass. We had come to see the pride of seven
lethargic lions, bellies distended from gorging, lounging in the midday sun,
too full to even wander off at the sound of our safari vehicle. I couldn't help
thinking about Thanksgiving dinners and wondered whether the lions' pronounced
yawns were actually that or just an easy way of making sure I saw their sharp,
powerful teeth. The sound of teeth gnawing on bone hung in the air.
This
photo-op with the lions was the most remarkable of the stops during my first
ride in a safari vehicle in Africa. And we weren't even technically on a game
drive. Our group of four was being ferried with our luggage to our home for the
next few days, Elsa's Kopje, of "Born Free" fame, the only lodge
inside Meru. The first animals we had seen earlier during the ride were seven
giraffes, making me swoon at the sight of the odd and gentle creatures that had
captured my heart as a child. When we had gorged enough on lion photos, we
moved on.
But
there was another delay: more giraffes and baboons around the next bend,
minding their business amid the dried grassland and acacia trees. A few more
turns, and our guide and driver, Phillip Ndungu Mukuhi, shouted
"Ellie," and stopped the car.
There,
just beyond the roadside, was a parade of elephants, about 50 of them. And,
yes, parade is the correct term for a group of elephants. How perfect! There
were babies and full-grown ones in this crowd, and, after we arrived, they
slowly turned, showed us their rear ends and walked off through the trees.
Lions,
giraffes, elephants and baboons. All before lunch.
Exhausted
from jet lag but bursting with excitement from the morning's animal encounters,
we made our way to Elsa's ready to rest. But the place was so magical, it was a
few hours before our exuberance calmed. Stone cottages carved from the hill
seemed like little Hobbit houses filled with natural woods and local fabrics,
each having an elaborate stone bathroom with views over the park. Pathways
throughout the camp led visitors up and down hills to individual cottages,
arranged for privacy and quiet. Central to the cottages was the open-air dining
room and bar, furnished with overstuffed sofas and chairs and overlooking a
granite infinity pool with seemingly limitless views of Meru and a sky that
never ends.
It's
difficult to contain the hyperbole, but the sky in Kenya really does seem
bigger than in other places. Maybe it's a function of being fully immersed in a
natural setting with only organic sensations; the giraffes munching treetops or
neon-blue lizards resting a few feet from your chair, the throaty grunts of a
leopard as you doze off at night or the feel of the equatorial sun and a
mountain breeze on wet skin as you stand in the pool, gazing farther than you
can imagine.
We
had arrived at Meru at the end of the dry season, and a few brief showers on
the first day made the next morning one to remember. With the first rains and
the first hints of green came the insects. And with those tasty morsels on
display, birds and monkeys and lizards turned the camp into a Disney movie of
animals chirping and squawking and darting around the grounds, almost as if
there were songs playing in the background. The humans all stopped to watch.
Meru
had the lock on first-day wonders, but my African safari's last day was no less
memorable.
We
had traveled south and west to the Maasai Mara National Park and Cottars 1920s
Safari Camp, where owner Calvin Cottar carries on the family business of one of
the original safari companies in Kenya. Six white canvas luxury tented bedrooms
and four larger family tents surrounded the main dining and recreation tent.
The individual tents were furnished with antiques and had natural stone
bathrooms and sitting areas that open to sky and bush and mountains. Guests
used walkie-talkies to reach their personal butlers, who cheerily supplied gin
and tonics — or any other drink — to be savored in privacy by guests. In fact,
instead of supplying alarm clocks, butlers brought coffee or tea and cookies to
wake guests before dawn for the morning safari drives.
The
tents could be closed up tight at night, or you could do as I did and ask the
butler to leave the canvas window flaps open to the night air and animal
sounds. Strong screens keep out the bugs and any stray wild animals (there are
no fences to keep animals out of the camp). But it actually was the
spear-carrying Maasai warriors on staff who made me feel safe in my king-sized
bed. In traditional garb, they escorted guests to and from their tents in the
dark of early morning or late night and kept watch on the property through the
night. Cottar, a tall, slender white Kenyan who is an award-winning safari
guide, grew up with the Maasai and has a relationship with them that benefits
his guests.
As
the first day of my African safari was outstanding, so was the last, remarkable
not only for wildlife viewing but for the chance to visit a Maasai village and
go inside one family's house.
We
visited the village in late afternoon as the men were returning livestock to
the wood-fenced pens and children were coming home from school. The village
elder, Kelian Mbirikani (who has six wives and sometimes visits Cottars for
afternoon naps on the sofas there) greeted us with a wide smile and friendly
handshake. But another kind of welcome was more poignant and came to mind often
when I recall my visit with the Maasai: Children returning from school
approached us slowly with shy smiles and offered their bowed heads for us to
touch, a sign of welcome and respect. For me, that was the sweetest greeting of
all.
As
for Ebola
The
Ebola outbreak in West Africa is hitting the safari industry hard, despite the
fact that the outbreak area is about 500 miles closer to Paris than it is to
Meru National Park in Kenya. Even London is almost exactly the same distance
from the outbreak area as the western border of Kenya.
If
you go
Airfare
from the U.S. will be one of the biggest expenses. Book as early as possible to
get the best rates. We flew into Nairobi, and air and land transport from there
was included in the camp package prices.
Safari
packages are pricey. At Elsa's, the midseason nightly rate is $570 per person,
based on double occupancy; at Cottars, that rate is $740. Included at both
places are all meals, guided bush walks, day and night game drives, and meals
in the bush along with sundowners, the delightfully civilized safari tradition
of cocktails in the bush at sunset. At each place, discounts are offered for
booking in concert with stays at other camps in the Cheli and Peacock portfolio
of safari properties. For details go to elsakopje.com, cottars.com or chelipeacock.com.
To view the full slideshow, click here.
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