Part 5
As life has it, all awesome things must come to an end. Our safari would be no different. We had a departure time of 8:45AM from the Olseki airstrip to Wilson Airport, a forty five minute flight. From there we would be driven to Nairobi for our flight to ADD.
Here are some photos at the camp Encounter Mara.
Yes, very important to see
Bucket shower
General lounge area
We asked to leave to the airstrip a bit earlier so that we can take advantage of the extra time and perhaps get to see some more wildlife along the way. This worked out nicely as we got to see a lioness with her cubs, a wandering leopard and a flock of vultures consuming the carcass of a zebra.
It is safe to say that the most frightening part of this trip was flying on this aircraft whose last maintenance check is still unknown. Upon arrival at Wilson, we met our driver for the 20 minute transfer to NBO.
The airstrip terminal
I felt a bit safer with two engines
At NBO. Perhaps practicing for the president’s arrival?
When we arrived at the airport we asked if we can be placed on the earlier flight to ADD which wasn’t open at the time of booking. After speaking with a manager who allowed it, we attempted to check in. After an hour of failed attempts, they proclaimed that their computers were hacked and were shutting down. We panicked. If we weren’t going to make this flight, we were ready to purchase a ticket on any flight that would get us out of there.
They finally said they would be issuing handwritten boarding passes. When we finally got ours we headed to the lounge.
Lounge in Nairobi
And that is why I don’t fly Kenya Airways
The flight was better than expected. We didn’t have a kosher meal because we took the earlier flight. I didn’t at all mind the trade-off.
We had a long layover in ADD. We initially wanted to leave the airport. But it was dark, we were tired and we would need to purchase a visa, so we scrapped that idea.
The lounge in ADD
These were great!
A new 787 to LHR
When looking to book a safari, there are many factors which influence price, such as time of year, location, duration and level of luxury. The place we chose was all inclusive. Additionally, in Mara, there was no cell reception, Wi-Fi or swimming pool. There are those locations with more amenities but aren’t as exclusive.
I also want to point out that we never went hungry. We packed a large bag of provisions. Such as bread, peanut butter, granola bars, instant soups etc. We also had our freezer bag and had hot meals in the evenings.
Although not required to enter Kenya, we did get yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations. We also took malaria pills.
A visa for US passport holders is $50 which you can get on arrival.
I would like to thank Platinum for all his help booking this trip.
Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed!