There are many different safari companies all throughout Africa. It is very hard to decide which one to use as well it is difficult to figure out what countries to go to. There are safaris in just about every African country. After lots of research we decided to go to Kenya and we decided to use a tour group called Custom Safaris. Custom Safaris, which is run by Linda Friedman, had trips that were the right mix of adventure and luxury. We were very happy with their service, they have employees in Kenya that did everything starting with meeting us at the Nairobi airport and taking care of every step and request. https://www.customsafaris.com or info@customsafaris.com
Custom Safaris set us up to travel by bush plane to three different camps in Kenya. They were all spectacular but they were also all different. Each camp was about an hour to an hour and a half flight away from each other. We spent three days in Amboseli then three days in Loisoba and four days in Little Govenors camp. The Kenyans at all the camps were wonderful. We were spoiled by good food, fully stocked bars and elegant dinning. Each day we would take two trips out into the African bush. Every morning our waiter would bring us hot coffee and rolls to our tent so we could get a bite before we went out in the morning. We would go out from 2 to 3 hours and come back and rest and have a big lunch. Then go back out in the afternoon for 2 to 3 hours come back and have dinner. They were very long days but you didn't want to miss a minute of being out on the African plains. Also this was "glamping" at it's finest we were in a tented structure but we had a porch, wooden floors with rugs, a king size bed and a large bathroom.
Amboseli is mostly a large flat valley with lots of lakes and streams where many of the animals gather to eat and drink. There are an abundance of elephants and zebras. But you can find just about every animal out on the dry planes or around the lakes and rivers. Being there in late August early September the weather is beautiful. The temperatures were always between 65 and 80 degrees. Ali was our guide, a 25 year veteran of the safari industry and he really knew his stuff.
The camp grounds there were at the base of a hill. All of the tents/cabins are very comfortable and just a short walk up the hill to the dining room and large bar. The dining area had a beautiful look out over the watering hole where many different animals would come in and help themselves to water. You never know what you might see out at the water hole. Our tents were also visited every morning by a small deer like animal called a dik dik. Cute as can be and not too skittish or afraid of people. We were greeted every morning by several of them. While we were at this camp Tara got a massage and we hung out by the large pool.
Loisoba has a very hilly terrain. Thick brush and tons of cactus. We were surprized to see so much Cactus and later learned that it was not indigenous to the area. It was brought in 60 years ago by the British settlers to use as a natural fence. Unfortunately prickly pear cactus grows like crazy and has taken over a lot of the natural grass and brush in the grasslands of Laikipia County Kenya. There is a 20 year plan to try to remove as much of the cactus is possible. We drove up and down many hillsides and through narrow valleys too search for wild life. The camp was high on top of a hill. The views were spectacular. There was also a watering hole at the foot of the hill where we watched many types of animals quench their thirst.
Little Govenors Camp was a little more rustic but still very nice and comfortable. All the tents were positioned next to a river bed that was the watering hole for many elephants, zebra, hippos, and giraffe. The African plains here near govenors camp was much more like you would expect to see in Africa. The grass would just go on for as far as your eye can see. The Mara river runs all through this part of the Serengeti. here is where we saw the most migrating animals. Massive herds of wildebeest, zebras, elephants, giraffe, all moving across the plains.
To get to the Little Governors camp you have to take a small boat across the river. We saw hippos in the river everyday as we came and left to go out on safari. The same guide was there all day for 10 hours to take us back and forth. The tents were permanent structures with heavy wood frames and 2 layers of canvas. This was the only camp we visited that was not fenced and there was family of warthogs that ran around the camp and one night we heard some noise outside our tent and there was a mother elephant and a baby elephant about 20 feet from the entrance of our tent. We also heard hippos walking through the camp at night, they are very noisy.
The guides, waiters and helpers at all the camps were wonderful, so helpful and so happy to have tourists back since many of them had no work during covid at all.
If you are interested in talking to Linda about a safari her number is 301-530-1982.
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