From our blog
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More Travel Insurance Stuff
I can’t explain why travel insurance was more vexing than just about anything else during the planning of this trip. When we booked our flights, we ended up changing our dates, and added an extra charge for switching to The Emakoko. I wanted to update our travel insurance policy to reflect our new dates. We…
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Itinerary Change
As I was booking the flights, I was having a problem finding departing flights to match our itinerary. There was also quite a difference in pricing, depending on the departure date. I ended up with a flight leaving June 10th. This gave us an extra night in Nairobi. I had been reading about a cool…
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One More Step
It has been some months since we have posted on this planning journal. Both Catherine and I were obsessing over the trip, and found it necessary to “put it aside.” The trip was still over a year away, and we had other aspects of life needing attention. It is now late October, and the trip…
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What is a Conservancy?
When you first start researching safaris in Kenya, you will see many recommendations to stay in a conservancy instead of the reserve. The reserve most often means the Maasai Mara or Amboseli National Reserve (also called National Parks). The reserve is a large area where wildlife is protected and many people can visit. While there…
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Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
“Born from one family’s passion for Kenya and its wilderness, Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is today the most successful orphan-elephant rescue and rehabilitation program in the world and one of the pioneering conservation organisations for wildlife and habitat protection in East Africa.” (photo credit – the featured image is from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s Instagram) We want…
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The Big Five
You will see references to the Big Five when reading about African Safaris. Making up the big five are lion, leopard, elephant, cape buffalo, and the rhinoceros. These wild animals were the most difficult to hunt on foot, so they were the most prized trophies. Fortunately, most people hunting the big five are now doing…
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Travel Insurance
We needed to buy travel insurance within 14 days of paying our deposit. This seems like a pretty straightforward assignment. Look at the company the travel agent recommended, check a few others, then pick one and pay for it. If purchased within 14 days, all pre-existing conditions are covered and you don’t even supply any…
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The Deposit is Down
We did a bank transfer for the deposit last week. The required deposit is 30% of the cost of the trip. Seems steep, but this is apparently the going rate for an African Safari. Gulp – this trip is happening! The deposit confirms our accommodations. We still have two important tasks to complete; 1) obtain…
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Getting to Kenya
We will be flying to Nairobi, but won’t be able to make our flight arrangements for another few months. We are 456 days out as I write this, and I believe most airlines start new reservations at 300 days. We think our preferred airline is Qatar, flying from LAX to NBO. The best flight is…
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Giraffe Manor
Giraffe Manor is very popular, if the difficulty in getting a reservation is any indication. It has been featured on National Geographic TV shows, and is a bucket list item for many. I had never heard of it, but Catherine’s friends were adamant that it needed to be included in our itinerary. Fortunately, we were…
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Naboisho Camp
Our final 3 days on safari will be at Naboisho Camp in the Mara Naboisho Conservancy. This area is north of Enaidura. Because it is a Conservancy, it should be less crowded than the Masai Mara region. From our informational package … “Mara Naboisho Conservancy covers 123 550 acres of wildlands in Kenya’s Greater Mara…
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Enaidura Luxury Camp
Enaidura is well known for its expert guiding staff. The co-owners of the camp are gold level guides and considered among the best in Kenya. We will be matched with “Ping,” and have booked private game drives, meaning it will just be Catherine and I with Ping, and possibly a spotter. I chose to add…
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Lewa Wilderness Lodge
We will be picked up at Four Points on the morning of March 14th for a 30 minute drive to local Wilson Airport. Here, we will take a small plane to the Lewa Conservancy. Upon arrival, we will be greeted by our guide for the next 4 days. Lewa Wildlife Conservancy is a 45,000 acre…
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Four Points at Nairobi Airport
We anticipate a late arrival into Nairobi on 06/13/25. We will spend the night at the Four Points Sheraton which is five minutes from the airport and has a free hotel shuttle. This stop will be long enough to shower and hopefully catch a few hours of sleep before our true safari experience begins in…
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Wild Kenya Safari Overview
Summary Detailed Itinerary from The Wild Source June 13 – 14 Welcome to Kenya! (flight not included) On arrival, make your way through immigration, customs and baggage claim. Upon exiting the airport look for a courtesy shuttle driver from the Four Points Sheraton and take a 5 min. ride to the nearby hotel located within…
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Wild Kenya – The Beginning
Origins of this trip A note about photos in the planning posts for the Kenya Safari – photos have been sourced from a stock photo site, from the tour operator’s communications, and from the websites of the sites we will be visiting. I have tried to avoid stealing anyone’s personal photos. A wildlife safari has…
Check out a few of our favorite trips. These are reports on trips we have taken over the years. We may add more of our older trips as time goes on.
NOTE – this section is under construction
Alaska – Bears
Our most popular Alaska story is about Bear Viewing in Lake Clarke NP. Click above to go to a link for bears. Click on the dropdown menu on the top of this page to go to our other Alaska trips.
Alaska – UnCruise
Go Here to start reading about our first UnCruise Adventure – 3 weeks of Cruising on a small ship and a land tour to Denali.
Galápagos Islands
Start out in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, then experience the amazing wildlife and scenery in the Galápagos Islands
Svalbard
An early trip, but one of our favorites. Cruising through the Arctic on a basic ice breaker, searching for polar bears.
