Ken/Tanz. trip report - Part III
Nov 10th, 2004, 05:06 PM
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Ken/Tanz. trip report - Part III
(These paragraphs are for you, Sandi!)
Prior to our Oct. 29 departure from Arusha, I received an email from our Kenya tour operator that there was going to have to be a change in our itinerary.
We were supposed to have spent Oct. 30 & 31 at Lewa Downs, Nov. 1 & 2 at Samburu Intrepids and Nove. 3 & 4 at Elsa's Kopje in Meru. But because of two days of rain, Lewa Downs had closed. Confirmed bookings were being advised to go elsewhere. Yikes!
A couple of options were presented to us and we decided to do Samburu for 3 nights and Meru for 3 nights. Our hectic itinerary in Tanzania made the three & three sound deliciously relaxed.
We flew Oct. 29 to JKIA in Nairobi. We checked into the Intercontinental, showered and changed our clothes and met a friend for lunch at Tamambo Bar and Grill, which I highly recommend. After lunch, we went back to the hotel, relaxed a bit (by writing out postcards) and before we knew it, it was time to meet another friend, this time for dinner. We ate at Trattoria, which is just a short walk from the Intercontinental. I would highly recommend this lively Italian restaurant.
After good food and good company, it was time to go back to our hotel and prepare for our time in the bush.
The flight from Wilson Airport to Samburu was smooth and we had a picture perfect view of the glorious Mt. Kenya. Our flight was uneventful and when we landed at the airstrip, our guide was waiting for us.
Samburu had received some rain as well, so I stepped off the plane expecting parched and brown vegetation, but there was plenty of green and flowers were beginning to bloom here and there. Lovely.
Enroute to Samburu Intrepids, we saw numerous giraffe, impala, gazelle, dik-dik, oryx, buffalo, etc. Located on the bank of the Uaso Nyiro River, Intrepids is a tented camp and was to be our home for the next three nights.
Even though it had rained a few days before our arrival, many of the roads throughout the park were still covered by water or were extremely thick with mud. This did not impede our game-viewing, however. It just made it all the more of an adventure!
Our game-viewing in Samburu was good, albeit a bit difficult because the rains resulted in many trees and shrubs blooming, making the game sometimes difficult to find. I cannot complain, however ... we saw numerous lion, three glorious male cheetahs (one of which tried to jump on a fallen tree for better viewing, but slipped. Poor fellow! He actually looked embarassed!), a female lion stalking gazelle, large herds of giraffe, gerenuk, buffalo, and my beloved elephants, who were a glorious shade of red from their mud baths!
Because it was so warm during the day, Michael and I opted to sit by the pool until it was time for an afternoon game drive. This leisurely pace went on for three days and it was heaven. Pure heaven.
We left Samburu Nov. 1 and made our way to Meru National Park. What should have taken about 4 hours took nearly six, as much of the road from Meru Town to the park gate had been washed away from heavy rains. As a matter of fact, there were times I did not think we would even make it to the park gate. Michael and I had our heads out of the vehicle window, talking the guide through a maze of muddy ruts, huge gullies, etc. Yikes!!!
But we finally made it to the Meru National Park gate. Many of you know how fond I am of Selous in southern Tanzania. Meru is much like Selous in that it is very remote and one of the least visited parks in Kenya. It is for that reason it is such a good place to visit.
In addition, a visit is a pilgrimage of sorts, since Meru is where the famed lioness "Elsa" was released back into the wild after being raised by George and Joy Adamson. Visiting Elsa's grave, especially on this trip, was extremely important to me.
Our guide was supposed to have stayed with us during our stay at Elsa's Kopje, but due to a death in the family, he asked if he could return to Nairobi. Of course, and arrangements were made for us to use a camp vehicle and guide.
How does one begin to describe Elsa's Kopje? "Heaven on earth" is appropriate. "An architectural achievement" is another. What a place!
It is built on top of Mughwango Hill, which was George Adamson's first camp, then known as Elsa's Camp. Even driving up to the accommodation, you cannot see it until you pull up into the parking area. The entrance is dotted with wonderful pictures of George and Joy Adamson and, of course, Elsa.
There are only cottages and they are spread apart for the ultimate in privacy. In fact, two of the cottages - including ours - are completely separated from the rest of the property by a suspended rope bridge. How would one describe our cottage? The Flintstones meet Shabby Chic may be appropriate. In order to ensure the ecosystem, the cottages were all built around boulders. Some of the boulders are still in the rooms, and are in fact used as tables for lamps. The "hallway" between the bedroom and bathroom is lined by giant boulders. The bathroom has flush toilet, bidet and shower. But some of the rooms, including ours, has an outdoor tub built into the deck, just a few steps down from the bathroom area.
The view from our patio took my breath away. As far as the eye could see and not another vehicle or building anywhere in site. Meru is definitely my kind of place.
The pool is amazing. Again, the natural boulders were incorporated into the design of the pool and when in the pool, you have an unsurpassed view of the park. In fact, anywhere you are is an phenomenal view of the park.
Like Klein's and the Crater Lodge, Elsa's has a personal butler for its clients. Rooms are equipped with walkie talkies.
The lounge/bar area is stunning, with numerous chairs and couches to fall into and every book that George or Joy Adamson ever wrote is available for perusal.
What a place! I used to say that Sand Rivers is my favorite, I now have to rank Elsa's right up there.
Luxurious accommodations aside, the game viewing in Meru was very, very good. Like Selous, there is a lot of shrubbery and you have to work to see your animals. Unlike other locations, there are not a lot of vehicles driving around with guides sharing information. During three days worth of game drives, we only saw one other vehicle and that belonged to the KWS.
Even though Meru is the driest national park in the country, there are numerous rivers and streams that run through it. Subsequently, there are numerous oasis. Fantastic! While most of the park is covered by bush, there are areas of open grassland, acacia woods and pockets of rain forest in the far northern area of the park, which is 700 square miles.
Did we see the number of animals we had elsewhere? No. But we did see a herd of magnificent elephants (They are being brought to the park from Sweetwaters, which has too many for that area), crocodiles, large herds of buffalo, large herds of giraffe and rhino. There is a rhino sanctuary in the park. We saw a glorious pair of white rhino from about 40 feet away. Eventually the rhino in the sanctuary will be released, but poaching is still very much a threat to their existance, despite all the valiant efforts of the KWS.
One morning we came upon a pride of lions consisting of four females and one juvenile male. Imagine our surprise when it took us several minutes before discovering the male was 15 feet up into a tree. We though his tale hanging down was a sausage, considering it was a sausage tree he was in! Good stuff!
My visit to Meru would not have been complete without a visit to Elsa's grave, which is appropriately alongside a river at the edge of the park boundary. Although she does not know it, Elsa paid a huge role in my life. From the moment I saw "Born Free" when I was four years old, I was obsessed with Africa.
I asked Michael and our guide to leave me alone for a while and they obliged. I sat on Elsa's grave and talked with her and told her of my journey thus far. I told her about all the lions I saw in the Serengeti and that perhaps one was related to her. (When Elsa died she had three cubs, which were later taken to the Serengeti for release by George and Joy Adamson.)
I told Elsa how important she was to me and how it was my mother who introduced me to her - "Born Free" was the first movie my Mom ever took me to see.
I cried my heart out at Elsa'a grave, but, you know what? It felt good. I just wish my Mom had been there with me to pay homage to Elsa. My Mom would have known that my tears were those of joy not sadness.
All in all a very emotional and sometimes bittersweet trip, but one that I would do all over again.
Prior to our Oct. 29 departure from Arusha, I received an email from our Kenya tour operator that there was going to have to be a change in our itinerary.
We were supposed to have spent Oct. 30 & 31 at Lewa Downs, Nov. 1 & 2 at Samburu Intrepids and Nove. 3 & 4 at Elsa's Kopje in Meru. But because of two days of rain, Lewa Downs had closed. Confirmed bookings were being advised to go elsewhere. Yikes!
A couple of options were presented to us and we decided to do Samburu for 3 nights and Meru for 3 nights. Our hectic itinerary in Tanzania made the three & three sound deliciously relaxed.
We flew Oct. 29 to JKIA in Nairobi. We checked into the Intercontinental, showered and changed our clothes and met a friend for lunch at Tamambo Bar and Grill, which I highly recommend. After lunch, we went back to the hotel, relaxed a bit (by writing out postcards) and before we knew it, it was time to meet another friend, this time for dinner. We ate at Trattoria, which is just a short walk from the Intercontinental. I would highly recommend this lively Italian restaurant.
After good food and good company, it was time to go back to our hotel and prepare for our time in the bush.
The flight from Wilson Airport to Samburu was smooth and we had a picture perfect view of the glorious Mt. Kenya. Our flight was uneventful and when we landed at the airstrip, our guide was waiting for us.
Samburu had received some rain as well, so I stepped off the plane expecting parched and brown vegetation, but there was plenty of green and flowers were beginning to bloom here and there. Lovely.
Enroute to Samburu Intrepids, we saw numerous giraffe, impala, gazelle, dik-dik, oryx, buffalo, etc. Located on the bank of the Uaso Nyiro River, Intrepids is a tented camp and was to be our home for the next three nights.
Even though it had rained a few days before our arrival, many of the roads throughout the park were still covered by water or were extremely thick with mud. This did not impede our game-viewing, however. It just made it all the more of an adventure!
Our game-viewing in Samburu was good, albeit a bit difficult because the rains resulted in many trees and shrubs blooming, making the game sometimes difficult to find. I cannot complain, however ... we saw numerous lion, three glorious male cheetahs (one of which tried to jump on a fallen tree for better viewing, but slipped. Poor fellow! He actually looked embarassed!), a female lion stalking gazelle, large herds of giraffe, gerenuk, buffalo, and my beloved elephants, who were a glorious shade of red from their mud baths!
Because it was so warm during the day, Michael and I opted to sit by the pool until it was time for an afternoon game drive. This leisurely pace went on for three days and it was heaven. Pure heaven.
We left Samburu Nov. 1 and made our way to Meru National Park. What should have taken about 4 hours took nearly six, as much of the road from Meru Town to the park gate had been washed away from heavy rains. As a matter of fact, there were times I did not think we would even make it to the park gate. Michael and I had our heads out of the vehicle window, talking the guide through a maze of muddy ruts, huge gullies, etc. Yikes!!!
But we finally made it to the Meru National Park gate. Many of you know how fond I am of Selous in southern Tanzania. Meru is much like Selous in that it is very remote and one of the least visited parks in Kenya. It is for that reason it is such a good place to visit.
In addition, a visit is a pilgrimage of sorts, since Meru is where the famed lioness "Elsa" was released back into the wild after being raised by George and Joy Adamson. Visiting Elsa's grave, especially on this trip, was extremely important to me.
Our guide was supposed to have stayed with us during our stay at Elsa's Kopje, but due to a death in the family, he asked if he could return to Nairobi. Of course, and arrangements were made for us to use a camp vehicle and guide.
How does one begin to describe Elsa's Kopje? "Heaven on earth" is appropriate. "An architectural achievement" is another. What a place!
It is built on top of Mughwango Hill, which was George Adamson's first camp, then known as Elsa's Camp. Even driving up to the accommodation, you cannot see it until you pull up into the parking area. The entrance is dotted with wonderful pictures of George and Joy Adamson and, of course, Elsa.
There are only cottages and they are spread apart for the ultimate in privacy. In fact, two of the cottages - including ours - are completely separated from the rest of the property by a suspended rope bridge. How would one describe our cottage? The Flintstones meet Shabby Chic may be appropriate. In order to ensure the ecosystem, the cottages were all built around boulders. Some of the boulders are still in the rooms, and are in fact used as tables for lamps. The "hallway" between the bedroom and bathroom is lined by giant boulders. The bathroom has flush toilet, bidet and shower. But some of the rooms, including ours, has an outdoor tub built into the deck, just a few steps down from the bathroom area.
The view from our patio took my breath away. As far as the eye could see and not another vehicle or building anywhere in site. Meru is definitely my kind of place.
The pool is amazing. Again, the natural boulders were incorporated into the design of the pool and when in the pool, you have an unsurpassed view of the park. In fact, anywhere you are is an phenomenal view of the park.
Like Klein's and the Crater Lodge, Elsa's has a personal butler for its clients. Rooms are equipped with walkie talkies.
The lounge/bar area is stunning, with numerous chairs and couches to fall into and every book that George or Joy Adamson ever wrote is available for perusal.
What a place! I used to say that Sand Rivers is my favorite, I now have to rank Elsa's right up there.
Luxurious accommodations aside, the game viewing in Meru was very, very good. Like Selous, there is a lot of shrubbery and you have to work to see your animals. Unlike other locations, there are not a lot of vehicles driving around with guides sharing information. During three days worth of game drives, we only saw one other vehicle and that belonged to the KWS.
Even though Meru is the driest national park in the country, there are numerous rivers and streams that run through it. Subsequently, there are numerous oasis. Fantastic! While most of the park is covered by bush, there are areas of open grassland, acacia woods and pockets of rain forest in the far northern area of the park, which is 700 square miles.
Did we see the number of animals we had elsewhere? No. But we did see a herd of magnificent elephants (They are being brought to the park from Sweetwaters, which has too many for that area), crocodiles, large herds of buffalo, large herds of giraffe and rhino. There is a rhino sanctuary in the park. We saw a glorious pair of white rhino from about 40 feet away. Eventually the rhino in the sanctuary will be released, but poaching is still very much a threat to their existance, despite all the valiant efforts of the KWS.
One morning we came upon a pride of lions consisting of four females and one juvenile male. Imagine our surprise when it took us several minutes before discovering the male was 15 feet up into a tree. We though his tale hanging down was a sausage, considering it was a sausage tree he was in! Good stuff!
My visit to Meru would not have been complete without a visit to Elsa's grave, which is appropriately alongside a river at the edge of the park boundary. Although she does not know it, Elsa paid a huge role in my life. From the moment I saw "Born Free" when I was four years old, I was obsessed with Africa.
I asked Michael and our guide to leave me alone for a while and they obliged. I sat on Elsa's grave and talked with her and told her of my journey thus far. I told her about all the lions I saw in the Serengeti and that perhaps one was related to her. (When Elsa died she had three cubs, which were later taken to the Serengeti for release by George and Joy Adamson.)
I told Elsa how important she was to me and how it was my mother who introduced me to her - "Born Free" was the first movie my Mom ever took me to see.
I cried my heart out at Elsa'a grave, but, you know what? It felt good. I just wish my Mom had been there with me to pay homage to Elsa. My Mom would have known that my tears were those of joy not sadness.
All in all a very emotional and sometimes bittersweet trip, but one that I would do all over again.
Nov 10th, 2004, 06:45 PM
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Wow! That's all I can say. Incredible report. One that I will have to read a few more times. This really turned into a trip of a lifetime and has so many attachments to your life that I can't believe it all happened in one trip. What an emotional journey. Thank you for sharing the details with us. Liz
Nov 11th, 2004, 04:26 AM
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Elsa's Kopje is truly very special, Kavey. An ideal place for you and Pete to renew your vows - again!!!The service is impeccable, yet not overbearing.
Our second night at Elsa's it was just Michael and I there. The staff moved a dining table from the dining area to the pool and we had a lovely candlelight dinner by the pool.
The next night we came back late (as our guide was instructed to delay us as much as possible) to discover that they had put a dining table, chairs, etc. on our cottage patio. They carried all the furniture, wine glasses, plates, food, etc. over the suspended rope bridge! Talk about a romantic evening though! Off in the distance we could see lightening, but above us were those twinkling stars! And then there were the occasional animal calls ... Heaven, pure heaven.
Word of warning, however. Because the rooms at Elsa's are open-air, "things" do get inside such as little lizzards and the moths are especially attracted at night by the lights. No big deal, but some people who have not been to Afria before may not be able to cope. But the beds do have nets around them, so nothing gets near you while sleeping.
Our second night at Elsa's it was just Michael and I there. The staff moved a dining table from the dining area to the pool and we had a lovely candlelight dinner by the pool.
The next night we came back late (as our guide was instructed to delay us as much as possible) to discover that they had put a dining table, chairs, etc. on our cottage patio. They carried all the furniture, wine glasses, plates, food, etc. over the suspended rope bridge! Talk about a romantic evening though! Off in the distance we could see lightening, but above us were those twinkling stars! And then there were the occasional animal calls ... Heaven, pure heaven.
Word of warning, however. Because the rooms at Elsa's are open-air, "things" do get inside such as little lizzards and the moths are especially attracted at night by the lights. No big deal, but some people who have not been to Afria before may not be able to cope. But the beds do have nets around them, so nothing gets near you while sleeping.
Nov 11th, 2004, 07:51 AM
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SusanLynne,
What can I say? Kindred spirits w/ the Elsa/Born Free movie. That is my most favorite movie of all time too. And when I saw it as a young child, I also became obsessed with Africa, the wilderness and the animals.
I made my mother buy me bed sheets appropriately named "Serengeti" which had lions all over them.
I've got the DVD now and as many times as I watch it or hear the theme song, it still brings tears to my eyes. So imagine me reading your story about visiting Elsa's grave. *Sigh*
So very touching...Thank you!
What can I say? Kindred spirits w/ the Elsa/Born Free movie. That is my most favorite movie of all time too. And when I saw it as a young child, I also became obsessed with Africa, the wilderness and the animals.
I made my mother buy me bed sheets appropriately named "Serengeti" which had lions all over them.
I've got the DVD now and as many times as I watch it or hear the theme song, it still brings tears to my eyes. So imagine me reading your story about visiting Elsa's grave. *Sigh*
So very touching...Thank you!
Nov 11th, 2004, 08:21 AM
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Divewop: Make sure you get the "trilogy" if you will on DVD. The original "Born Free," but also "Living Free" and then "To Walk With Lions" which touches on the deaths of George and Joy Adamson. Elsa's grave is in a lovely location in Meru alongside a river. Throughout Elsa's Kopje are some of Joy Adamson's photos of that magnificent lioness. If you can, I beg of you to go to Meru and pay homage to Elsa. She was a special girl, wasn't she? I am forever in that lioness' debt!
Nov 11th, 2004, 08:51 AM
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Thanks for the heads up on the trilogy. I have seen them all but did not know they had a "trilogy" so to speak.
I'll just make sure I have a couple of boxes of tissues near me if watching any or all of them. Just thinking about them has tears welling up in my eyes.
And I may have the opportunity to get back to Kenya next year. If I do, I'll definitely get to Meru. I wanted to last time, but as you know, so many places to visit, so little time.
They may have to drag me away from Elsa's grave kicking and screaming. I may never want to leave. It's amazing the imprint that lion and the story has forever made on my soul.
As you said, she was quite the special girl.
I'll just make sure I have a couple of boxes of tissues near me if watching any or all of them. Just thinking about them has tears welling up in my eyes.
And I may have the opportunity to get back to Kenya next year. If I do, I'll definitely get to Meru. I wanted to last time, but as you know, so many places to visit, so little time.
They may have to drag me away from Elsa's grave kicking and screaming. I may never want to leave. It's amazing the imprint that lion and the story has forever made on my soul.
As you said, she was quite the special girl.
Nov 11th, 2004, 10:41 AM
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Thank you Thank you Thank you! I was just re-watching Born Free last night and as usual managed a good weep so reading about Elsa's grave brought a lump to my throat! I would love to get there. Not this upcoming trip but will definately look into it for future adventures!
Thanks again
J
Thanks again
J
Nov 12th, 2004, 04:55 PM
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SusanLynne- I cried when I read your story!I always admired George , Joy & Elsa.
Last April i visited Joy's home in Naivasha Lake. After reading your words I will certainly visit Elsa's Grave soon !
Last April i visited Joy's home in Naivasha Lake. After reading your words I will certainly visit Elsa's Grave soon !
Mar 18th, 2005, 04:27 AM
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Reading about Elsa's grave made me cry buckets here at my city work desk...the story of Elsa, and the film, touched my heart in a profound way from when I was a 5 or 6 year old girl. I long to go to Meru and visit Elsa's grave - it sounds beautiful and place of peace in this mixed up world...
Jan 31st, 2011, 11:52 AM
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I have been looking for something like this about Meru and Elsa. It was a trip of a lifetime and heaven on earth. That is amazing. You saw lions too. Can you tell me the Kenya tour operator you received an email from? Thank you.
Feb 3rd, 2011, 12:19 AM
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Hi PamPam, just check the dates of the posts, and you'll see when they were made, these ones from 2004!
I have since been to Elsa's Kopje as well, in 2008, there are definitely many more recent threads of experiences.
I have since been to Elsa's Kopje as well, in 2008, there are definitely many more recent threads of experiences.
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