A Magical Christmas Safari
Photos by Ehab B.
For this family’s first safari, we focused on a classic adventure featuring some of Kenya’s most spectacular destinations.
After a couple nights in Nairobi, the journey starts with big elephant families and grand views of Mount Kilimanjaro from the wild marshes of Amboseli. The next stop was the remarkable Ol Pejeta Conservancy known for one of the largest populations of protected black and white rhino.
For the last stop, they had a classic British Christmas feast on the plains of the Mara North Conservancy.
What are some of the most striking things you remember from your safari?
The kindness of Kenyans, how smoothly and stress-free everything went, the expansiveness of the places we visited, and the first time seeing our favorite animals in the wild, up close.
What elements of the accommodations (food, service, amenities, setting, etc.) stood out?
All the accommodations had wonderful and unique aspects. What stood out is the quality of the food, morning coffee/tea service, Indian food influence, hospitality, cleanliness, and the wonderful guides through the whole trip.
Tawi Lodge in Amboseli was really memorable, possibly because it was our first real safari destination, but most likely because of all the elephants and the beautiful backdrop of Mt Kilimanjaro.
The next stop, Ol Pejeta Bush Camp was a highlightThe staff were welcoming without being too involved. The accommodations and the communal dining aspect was very cozy and created a homey environment. Of course, seeing herds of elephants walk by in the background on a consistent basis was just wonderful.
In the Mara, Serian Original had absolutely stunning tent accommodations, and amazing staff. It was run by a family and definitely felt that way. There was some serendipity with the wonderful generosity and hospitality shown on our first night with small gifts and a traditional British/Kenyan Christmas feast with their whole family at the table. We’d highly recommend it to anyone staying over the Christmas period and wants a warm and fuzzy festive feel.
What was it like to plan your safari with Next Adventure?
Like planning with a friend :) The communication and expectation setting was spot on. We were super impressed by the responsiveness and the support from the team on the ground. We can’t thank you all enough for making it happen; we had an amazing time, really.
Was there anything that we could have done to better prepare you for your safari?
In terms of preparation, the digital itinerary and printed dossier were great resources. We referenced them a ton. A few things we noticed that could be useful for our next trip:
- Additional insight into the different accommodation options before booking may have been helpful or at least set expectations a bit better.
- Google Fi cell service was available through our whole trip. We know it’s uncommon to have it, but three of us are Google Fi subscribers and we had full connectivity all the time.
- After 5-6 days of two game drives a day, we did need a bit of a break. In hindsight we would have considered going to the coast to rest a few days at the beach before heading back. We totally understand that this was an option that we didn’t take advantage of, but we would on our next trip :)
- There’s very little opportunity to move your body during safari days, and we jumped on any opportunity for bush walks and hikes (Serian provided a wonderful 3-hour hike) when available.
- We probably would consider better photography equipment next time, but what we had was simple and easy to work with and got us some lovely shots. We didn’t take battery packs and we definitely should have :)
How would you describe to a friend what it's like to be on a safari?
It's what you would imagine, and more. We don’t think we’d ever consider going to a zoo again. The trip was also great for all ages, and it was super easy to plan with Next Adventure.
We felt well prepared for tipping, and while packing light was a challenge, it felt perfect for the trip. Again, the local support team was great when prompted.
You definitely felt supported and taken care of through the whole trip. Thank you!
