Conservation | Safari Sense

27Jun 2022 by safarisense

Fascinating Game Drive at Nairobi National Park

Conservation, Excursion, Game drive, History, Holiday, Nairobi Area, Wildlife Safari

As we approached Nairobi National Park, the sun began to cast a golden glow across the sky. We were entering through the Main Gate, located just off the Lang'ata Road. With our backs to the city, it was easy to forget we were only a few kilometers from an international airport. The bush land in front of us stretched almost as far as the eye could see; dusty, flat, and rich in flora and fauna. With our backs to the city, it was easy to forget we were only a few kilometers from an international airport It was surreal and quite beautiful to witness the harmony of man and nature in a way that few people get to see. Zebras stood shoulder to shoulder with their backs to us, watching…

04Feb 2022 by safarisense

Legendary Treetops Hotel – A Princess’s Turning Point

Bird_watching, Conservation, Excursion, Nairobi Area, Wildlife Safari

The visitor's book at Treetops Hotel, NyeriOn February 6, 1952, Princess Elizabeth’s life changed forever.Together with her husband Prince Philip, they were staying in Treetops, a game-viewing lodge built in a tree in Aberdare National Park, when her father died and she became Queen. She was just 25-years-old.It was actually the next day at Sagana Lodge, 20 miles away, that she heard the news, but it is Treetops Hotel that has become synonymous with the event. The lodge, known for its rustic design, was built in 1932, and sits right in the middle of an ancient migration route for elephants between the Aberdare Ranges and Mt Kenya National Park. Treetops sits close to a natural salt lick, allowing guests to see animals as they come to drink water and lick…

01Feb 2022 by safarisense

Fundi Chuma! Why the Hamerkop is known as the Flying Architect

Bird_watching, Conservation, Excursion, Nairobi Area, Wildlife Safari

Along the shores of Kenya’s rivers and lakes, the Hamerkop rakes the muddy banks with its short, heavy bill, searching for frogs and fish. Occasionally, It also employs other tactics such as wiggling its feet in the mud to stir up the menu, and may even fly into the wind at low level and dip at the water’s surface to pick on unsuspecting fish. Dull brown, with a pale chin and throat, the Hamerkop is named for its unusual shape – the word “Hamerkop” meaning “hammerhead” in German, and aptly describes the bird’s profile with a prominent heavy crest at the back of its head. It belongs to the heron family. Although only about 30cm high, breeding pairs use twigs, mud, and grass to build the most remarkable permanent spherical…

19Aug 2021 by safarisense

Misadventure at Lake Naivasha

Bird_watching, Conservation, Holiday, Naivasha

There’re some experiences we try to gloss over when reviewing our travels. Not that they’re embarrassing, but probably coz of the mental stress they induce once recalled. Just the other year, at a time like now, I found myself on a motorboat, looking out for cormorants, pink backed pelicans, jacanas, and fish eagles, the air punctuated by different bird songs of Lake Naivasha’s approximately 400 recorded species. The lake extends like a vast sunlit sea, with dozens of water bird above and around the sparkling sheet of water surrounded by scenic hills and mountains. Amidst the sun’s reflections bouncing off the water droplets at the wake of the boat’s motor, colourful shiny-eyed superb starlings flit between the acacia trees on the shore, the backdrop made up of translucent tents of…

07Aug 2021 by Rei Mongela

Experience Tanzania: Your Ultimate Adventure Holiday

Conservation, Extreme, Game drive, Holiday, Wildlife Safari

While on safari, every game drive is a trip into the unexpected.., a chance to encounter nature at its most raw. No wonder that for many, a trip to Kenya is firmly at the top of their wish list. What many people don't realize, however, is that while Kenya is the world's best-known safari destination, it is far from being the only one. ‘When you go on a Kenya safari, you are watching the most amazing film in the world. But when you go on a Tanzania safari, you are the lead role,’ says our driver guide with a hint of pride in his voice. A herd of elephants makes its way across the savannah. A leopard stalks through the grass. A pack of hyenas munch on a kill. Reminiscing…

13Jul 2021 by safarisense

Step-by-Step Guide to a Sustainable Kenya Holiday

Conservation, History, Holiday

The excitement of the annual Wildebeest migration after months of dreaming and planning for it has you briskly passing through Kenya’s frenetic capital for the ultimate destination. Maasai Mara. Of course, the holiday will pay off, as it usually does. If you’re into watching hundreds of wildebeest spilling over the croc-filled Mara River, or herds of elephants in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, or better still, lionesses stalking dusty savannah, then you won’t be disappointed - whether you’re looking to go on a luxury honeymoon, rough it on a camping safari or find family-friendly animal encounters. But there is more to holidays in Kenya than getting out into the bush. And if you're feeling inspired to leave a positive impact on your next trip, there are plenty of ways to…

21May 2021 by safarisense

Post COVID-19 Tourism Facing Threats from Species Decline

Conservation, History, Holiday

African Savanna Elephant | Status: Endangered | Threats: Poaching, climate change In 2019, researchers uncovered the fossils of a giant lion, which they named Simbakubwa kutokaafrika. It lived in what is modern-day Kenya around 23,000,000 BC. Its extinction probably not attributed to humans, we can only assume. However, the recent loss of three Rothschild's giraffes, one of the rare subspecies of giraffe, through electrocution by low-hanging power lines within a conservation area, shows how human activities contribute to wildlife deaths. Unfortunately, endangered animals species nearing extinction feature heavily in the latest statistics. The Rothschild's giraffe was classified as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species in 2010. Kenya’s has a population of only 609 Rothschild's giraffes. Rothschild's Giraffe | Status: Endangered | Threats:…

08May 2021 by safarisense

New eBird Checklist, Global Big Day 2021

Bird_watching, Conservation, Excursion, History, Nairobi Area

There was a slight breeze at 8 in the morning when I got out my DSLR to take part in this year’s Global Big Day. The air was unusually loud with bird songs, reminding me it was breeding season for our fine-feathered friends. Flamboyant and elaborate displays of prominent plumage colors blurred the camera lenses as different species showed off how strong and healthy they were, advertising their suitability as the best mates. And, honestly speaking, if there was ever a month to give bird watching a try, it would definitely be May. It’s arguably the best month of the year for urban birders, with Nairobi, my location of choice, boasting of about 700 bird species scattered in and around the environs. This month, breeding season is in full swing…

22Apr 2021 by safarisense

It’s Earth Day 2021

Conservation, History, Holiday

In the midst of a global pandemic, this year’s Earth Day reminds us of our collective responsibility to the environment and to our planet. And while climate change continues to pose a major threat to livelihoods, the devastation caused by the COVID-19 virus is a humbling reminder of humanity’s vulnerability The theme for 2021 is "Restore Our Earth" and focuses on restoring the world’s ecosystems through natural processes, emerging green technologies and innovative thinking. When it comes to travel, we need to start looking more closely at the ways we can minimize negative impacts and harm to the planet by adopting an eco-conscious mindset. Earth Day is an annual holiday observed on April 22, which was first invented and put into practice back in 1970 by John McConnell, a peace…

11Apr 2021 by safarisense

Book of The Month: Theodore Roosevelt’s African Game Trails

Conservation, Excursion, Game drive, History, Holiday, Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Samburu, Wildlife Safari

It was a wild sight; the ring of spearmen, intent, silent, bent on blood, and in the centre, the great man-killing beast, his thunderous wrath growing ever more dangerous. At last the tense ring was complete, and the spearmen rose and closed in. The lion looked quickly from side to side, saw where the line was thinnest, and charged at his topmost speed. The crowded moment began. With shields held steady, and quivering spears poised, the men in front braced themselves for the rush and the shock; and from either hand the warriors sprang forward to take their foe in flank. Bounding ahead of his fellows; the leader reached throwing distance, the long spear flickered and plunged; as the lion felt the wound he half turned, and then flung himself…

Category: Conservation