safarisense – Safari Sense

23Aug 2020 by safarisense

Lost Notes: The Slave Trade at the East African Coast

Hot dry monsoon winds catch the boat’s sail as our captain’s gaze across the Indian Ocean turns glossy. The ocean simmers and ripples in bright orange as it reflects the late evening sun. He squints his eye in a thoughtful mood, searching deep into his memories. He’s narrating to us one of the most important, controversial, hotly contested and silently dealt with topics  in African history, the East African slave trade. We’re on a traditional Arab dhow, having just left Shimoni caves on an excursion to Wasini Island for snorkeling and sight seeing. Close to the border of Tanzania, you can sail  to it from Diani Beach or Shimoni , or like Omani Arabs, to the Islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. But who were the Omani? What’s the Portuguese connection to…

01Aug 2020 by safarisense

Travel Tips: Any Time Game Drive at Nairobi National Park

Bird_watching, City Tour, Game drive, Nairobi Area, Wildlife Safari

The Nairobi National Park has always been reserved a page or two in our travel diaries here at Safari Sense. Over the years, we’ve had varied experiences in this unforgettable slice of paradise within Kenya’s capital city.Some days are lucky. Especially when the traffic is low on an early weekday morning game drive. Chances of seeing a lion hunt are high. Animals and birds are most active when the air is still cool and crisp.Other times you can really have a rough time. Bad weather and no predator sightings can distract someone from the otherwise uncertain and beautiful nature of the park itself.The unique ecosystem continues to fascinate, and is often the first taste to a real Kenyan safari. There are very real prospects of seeing four of the big…

13Jul 2020 by safarisense

Off The Beaten Path: Caving and Off-roading – Gatune Hills

City Tour, Excursion, Extreme, Nairobi Area

Its always the dream of any 4x4 car owner to test the limits of their machines in harsh and extreme terrains. Most 4x4 fans never get a chance to experience this thrill, and when such an opportunity cropped up, I couldn’t resist. Having limited activities due to the COVID-19 restrictions gave me time to slowly service the old Suzuki Vitara. I’d driven the four-wheel drive car for years, but I rarely take it through grit and dirt roads. Looking for spare parts online led me to join a unique group of Suzuki enthusiasts. Apart from mechanical and technical advise members help each other in sourcing spare parts and other gadgets necessary for the ultimate off-roading vehicle. I had never heard of Gatune Hills, or Nachu Caves before, but owing to…

16Feb 2019 by safarisense

Essential Destination: Amboseli

Wildlife Safari

The snows of Kilimanjaro, white and crystalline, form a majestic backdrop to one of Kenya's most spectacular displays of wildlife - lion, elephant, leopard, rhino, cheetah, buffalo and hosts of plains' game, creating Kenya's most sought after photographer's paradise This is Maasai country, a proud nomadic people, who have lived in harmony with nature for centuries. Game viewing is an adventure in this park, with lion, cheetah and buffalo almost an assured sight and hosts of antelope, zebra and other small creatures of the wild. Bird life is also abundant. But the most impressive inhabitants of this arid landscape are the elephants, moving in large columns in their daily peregrination to the water. 1-night Safari Itinerary Day 1 Depart Nairobi at 0800 Hrs and arrive at the park with a short…

26Mar 2018 by safarisense

Ahoy Matey! The Thrills of Big Game Fishing – Kenya

Excursion, Fishing, Mombasa, Wildlife Safari

Watamu. The small dhow bounces on the waves during the early morning one-minute ride to the fishing boat, its sails full of wind; the sailor deftly adjusting the ropes. The twin-engine 25-foot craft we are headed to is designed for a crew of two and specially designed for 2 more passengers. As we climb aboard, I feel the excitement building for the task ahead. This is my first time on a professional fishing boat, and I’m impressed. I also pray to the gods of the sea to keep my stomach steady, especially after the earlier full English breakfast. On the boat, I’m introduced to Captain Majid and his assistant Abdul, who casually asks me if I had taken seasickness tablets. I reply in the affirmative, and then we head into…

15Nov 2017 by safarisense

Birdnificent©: Mombasa

Bird_watching, Excursion, Mombasa

When? All year round Experience the less well-known habitats of coastal birds between the vast Tsavo East & West National Parks, and the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and Mida Creek in Malindi. Mombasa Island Haller Park Nguuni Animal Sanctuary Beach Mombasa Island We visit the area around the famous Fort Jesus in search of a wealth of fascinating species – Golden Palm Weavers nesting in the Cycads near the gate; Red Cheeked Cordon Bleus hop around the Fort and Brown Breasted Barbets seem to have adopted the old trees for their breeding site.From the walls overlooking the sea, various Terns, Sooty Gulls and a variety of migrant waders can be seen and at the right time of year on English Point, opposite the Fort, Crab Plovers congregate.The large Baobab Trees on Mama…

29Apr 2017 by safarisense

Birdnificent©: Ngong Forest

Bird_watching, City Tour, Excursion, Hiking, Nairobi Area, Wildlife Safari

When? All year round Just 10 km from the Kenyan capital, adjacent to Nairobi Racecourse, Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary – the isolated remnant of a once vast upland forest elsewhere almost wholly supplanted by suburbia – still boasts a surprisingly rich avifauna. Activities Where to go... Look out for... Activities Discover birds in the wild while exploring the forest trailsTake a break with a picnic and immerse yourself in nature. Where to go... A network of tracks crisscrosses what is left of the indigenous Ngong Forest, between broad avenues used by local equestrians. There is an active African Crowned Eagle nest, to which a forest guide should be able to escort you. Pairs of Narina Trogon and Hartlaub’s Turaco can usually be found within patches of dense woodland, and after rain the…

06Feb 2017 by safarisense

Hiking Up Kirinyaga! [Jan – Feb]

Bird_watching, Camping, Extreme, Hiking, Mountain_climbing, Wildlife Safari

Mount Kenya, with its snow‑capped peaks 5,199 m. high, is Kenya’s highest mountain and certainly one of the most beautiful mountains anywhere. Its slopes are covered with rich deciduous and bamboo forests and open high altitude moorland just below the glaciers and snowfields. Wildlife resident within the forest includes elephant, buffalo and even lion, with several species of antelope and other smaller animals. Mount Kenya rises to the twin snow-covered peaks of Batian (5199 meters or 17058 feet) and Nelion (5188 meters or 17022 feet), the second and third highest peaks in Africa (topped only by Kilimanjaro's Uhuru peak in Tanzania, which rises to 5895 meters or 19340 feet).Both of Mount Kenya's peaks are named after Maasai laibon (ritual leaders) of the nineteenth century. According to legends of the Kikuyu people,…

05Jan 2017 by safarisense

Discover Nairobi: Full Day City Tour

City Tour, Excursion, Game drive

The attraction of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, lies in its unpredictable pace and enchanting contrasts, which are often missed in favor of safari game trips. However, to overlook ‘the green city in the sun’ is to skip the thriving heartbeat of East Africa. The bustling city is an established hub where a variety of cultures co-exist, hustle, and more often than not, harmonize. So if you have some time with you, let’s go! 8:00 AM-11:00 AM - Nairobi National Park Only a “lion’s roar” from the city Centre, wildlife in the Nairobi National Park share the city with the human population.A few Black Rhino can be seen, while the main attraction is Cheetah, Lion and Buffalo as well as a great variety of plains game. There is also a large selection of bird life.…

07Oct 2016 by safarisense

Off the Beaten Path: Camping at Thomson’s Falls [Sep – Dec]

Bird_watching, Camping, Excursion, Game drive, Hiking, Wildlife Safari

Camping, birding, nature trails... Thomson’s Falls, named after Joseph Thomson, a Scottish geologist and naturalist who was the first European to see the falls in 1883, is a 73-meter sheer drop of the Ewaso Narok River over a ledge of volcanic rock. Thomson's Lodge was built in the 1930s by settlers as a private residence, and became a hotel in the 1960s. The nearby Lake Ol Bollosat is the source of River Ewaso Narok that is a key tributary to the Ewaso Nyiro River and has been designated as an IBA (Important Bird Area) since 2007. What To Do What To See Where To Sleep What To Do Reconnect with nature in a beautiful and serene setting while birdwatching. Spend a night at the campsite and visit Lake Ol Bollosat…