| Kenya has been one of our most popular family | | | | through the plane headphones. Tight circles around a |
| destinations for a couple of years now; wonderful | | | | small herd of elephant elicited more 'ooing and ahing'. |
| game, small owner run lodges and great beach | | | | Colin and Rocky Francombe run Ol Malo delightfully |
| properties make it hard to beat for all round variety. | | | | and we felt very much part of their family during our |
| Though we have previously spent Christmas in South | | | | stay. With an infinity pool to die for and wonderfully |
| Africa, this year we decided to escape the winter chill | | | | comfortable rooms it was a great place to relax for |
| in Kenya. Though I could write pages on the truly | | | | a bit after all the activity at Rekero. There is game in |
| fantastic two weeks we had as a family, here are | | | | the area, and though it is more widely dispersed than |
| just the highlights. | | | | in the Mara we did sight leopard - a thrill for all. |
| Our first stop was Rekero Tented Camp in a quiet | | | | We also rode camels here, and ours might have been |
| corner of the Masai Mara, where many of our clients | | | | about the slowest form of conveyance there is, but |
| stay and the feedback is excellent. | | | | great fun none the less. The horses were faster, but |
| Since Rekero is unfenced and the camp is open to | | | | there were mounts for both beginners and experts |
| any animal that feels like wandering past, I had | | | | so this was a fun way to explore the bush. The Ol |
| assumed the children (10 and 12) would each share a | | | | Malo highlight was the day we, and the other family |
| tent with either Peter or me. Masai host and head | | | | staying at the lodge, spent by the Ewaso Ng'iro river. |
| guide Jackson Looseyia had other ideas and insisted | | | | The camels carried a wonderful picnic down to the |
| that they were warriors and must have a tent of | | | | riverbank and by the time we arrived all was |
| their own. Despite my initial worries he was, of | | | | beautifully set up. There were even inner tyre tubes |
| course, absolutely right. They loved the cocoon-like | | | | to use as floats down the little rapids (no crocodiles |
| atmosphere of the tent complete with bucket | | | | or bilharzia here). After swimming and mud slinging we |
| shower, loo and solar lanterns and slept right through | | | | had a great lunch, followed by a very competitive |
| all the nocturnal activity outside. It also made them | | | | boys v girls fishing competition. It was touch and go |
| completely responsible: they obeyed the instructions | | | | for a while but the boys eventually won 15 to 12. |
| not to open the zip until they were fetched in the | | | | Our Samburu guide, Hussain, understood the boys |
| morning so completely they didn't even stretch out | | | | well and added to the weapon collection with a |
| an arm to collect their morning hot chocolate and | | | | knobkerrie (Samburu fighting stick) for each child. |
| biscuits left on their veranda. | | | | These beautifully made but lethal weapons were just |
| Our eagle-eyed guide James was a wonderfully | | | | a start for our two boys, who added a complement |
| entertaining companion on game drives and managed | | | | of miscellaneous sticks for good measure. |
| to find plenty to keep us all interested. One of his | | | | An overnight stop in Nairobi was spent at Giraffe |
| more unusual finds was a zebra that had somehow | | | | Manor, where the next morning a giraffe came so |
| got itself wedged in rocks in a river bank. He decided | | | | close we could feed her cattle nuts from our |
| it was worth seeing if we could release it, and the | | | | first-floor bedroom window. Highly entertaining, and it |
| boys got stuck in trying to help. Unfortunately after | | | | was great to see these fabulously elegant creatures |
| 20 minutes or so it was apparent that the zebra was | | | | up close. |
| exhausted and we were going to have to leave it to | | | | Our final four nights were on the beach at Manda |
| its fate. | | | | Bay near Lamu, where I promptly lost my husband |
| We spent one morning looking for rhino but had | | | | to the temptations of salt water fishing and the boys |
| drawn a blank until we decided to stop for breakfast. | | | | to an assortment of water sports. |
| By this time the boys had been armed with Masai | | | | I hardly missed them. Twelve luxurious thatched |
| bow and arrows and were shooting off the top of | | | | cottages spread along a glorious expanse of sandy |
| the hill where we were parked. When we were | | | | white beach proved the perfect setting to wind |
| searching for a misfired arrow we stumbled across | | | | down after all the excitement of the previous ten |
| the elusive rhino - perhaps not a conventional way to | | | | days. We were served some of the best seafood I |
| track game, but very effective. | | | | have ever eaten and divided our time between dhow |
| After three great days, we flew to Ol Malo in Laikipia. | | | | trips (a must), fishing and watching the boys windsurf |
| Our plane buzzed the flamingoes on Lake Nakuru, | | | | and wakeboard. Our four nights sped past. |
| accompanied by yells of 'cool' from my children | | | | |