Extraordinary Family Experience

June / July 2022 | Laura Griffin

The personal attention shown to our group allowed us to fully enjoy the experience without the burden of constantly being on edge with the details. Wayne Hammond, who helped organize/plan our trip and hung in there with me through 2 cancellations due to Covid. We were hand carried at each point to make sure our trip was as stress-free as possible; enabling us to sit back, relax and absorb this amazing place.

We went to 3 camps. I am so glad we began at the Nairobi Tented Camp. We were skeptical about this one. But since 7 of our group had never been on a safari, we thought it might be a good introduction without too much stress for them. We were right about that, but also surprised at how much we enjoyed and appreciated it. I would encourage anyone wanting to go on safari for the first time to start here.

We saw the Big 5 and Ugly 5. Witnessed so many interactions between animals I can’t put them all down here. And had a few interactions ourselves. Thank God for our Maasai guides who carefully guarded us and made sure our experiences were only the good ones.

We came upon two lions and the fresh kill of a baby giraffe with the mother standing over it in the bushes growling at the lions. As they tried repeatedly to grab the dead baby, the mother would kick at them and stomp to scare them away. All the while, jackals and hyenas were crowding closer, waiting for their turn. It was getting dark and our guides turned off the lights and we sat and listened to the sounds of this scene. Chilling!

Found an 8 month old lion cub separated from the pride and sat and waited for the mother to come looking for her. Our guides spotted the mother in the distance and we drove over to her and listened as she called for the cub. Her baby came running and we were able to watch as the two reunited.

Saw a leopard being chased by jackals and hyenas who were hungry and must have decided the leopard was being lazy and needed to hunt. Taught to listen for the sounds and subtle cues of the savannah to tell where the cats were.

Up close we saw two white rhinos snuggling and rubbing horns. Maybe Nairobi National Park will have yet another baby to celebrate. At a distance, we were able to see black rhinos with their baby. Even more up close were our cat & elephant experiences in both Amboseli & Maasai Mara.

Did I forget to mention the beauty and abundance of birds? WOW! We also saw an Egyptian cobra!

All this wonder and amazing animals around us was almost overwhelming. And all the while, in every camp, we felt like we were visiting gracious family. Every need, every concern addressed and taken care of. We especially loved the hot water bottles at night.

Sundowners and tea/coffee brought every morning. The food was so delicious, even our two picky 11 year old boys gobbled it up.

Thank you to Wayne and everyone at the Nairobi, Amboseli & Porini Camps! Memories for a lifetime!