One of our guests, Linda, shares her safari experience in her own words.
The Art of Waiting: A Safari Begins in the Wild and Ends Within Us.
You don’t realise just how vast the world is until you’re in the midst of it.
It’s a feeling that creeps up on you as you leave Nairobi behind. The noise of the city fades away, the landscape changes and, almost without realising it, you find yourself surrounded by endless horizons, small villages and a way of life very different from our own.
Sitting in our 4x4 with Rafael, our guide for the entire safari, we soon realise that a safari isn’t simply about seeing animals.
It means learning to observe.
Whilst we scan the savannah, surrounded by the Maasai Mara National Reserve, trying to work out where to look, Rafael has already spotted something hidden amongst the grass. His experience allows him to read this environment in a way we haven’t yet learnt to do.
And this is perhaps the first great lesson Kenya teaches us: nature moves at its own pace.
Pole pole. Slowly, slowly.
In a world where we’re used to rushing about constantly, the savannah invites us to wait. To listen. To accept that the most beautiful moments cannot be planned.
MAASAI MARA
The Maasai Mara offers us the Africa we had imagined: vast plains, acacia trees on the horizon and the feeling of standing before a world that existed long before we did.
But the most vivid memories are not just of the animals we encounter.
They are the moments that surround them: the silence in the jeep, the anticipation before a sighting, the feeling that something extraordinary could happen at any moment.
As we continue our journey, the landscape changes once again.
LAKE NAKURU
At Lake Nakuru, the vast expanses give way to a different environment, shaped by the water and the life that surrounds it. The lake has changed over the years and the large flocks of flamingos that once coloured its shores have moved elsewhere, but this place continues to be home to an extraordinary wealth of nature.
Amidst the acacia trees and along the lake’s shores, we encounter giraffes, buffalo, numerous species of birds and, above all, rhinos, magnificent animals and among Kenya’s most precious.
Then, just when we least expect it, comes the surprise.
A leopard appears amongst the trees.
For a few seconds it remains motionless, almost as if it were watching us, before disappearing silently into the vegetation.
We are the only ones to witness the scene.
Rafael smiles and says to us, "You bring good luck."
Perhaps this is precisely what makes a safari so special: you cannot decide what you will see. You can only be present, ready to embrace whatever nature chooses to show you.
AMBOSELI
The final stop on our journey is Amboseli, where Mount Kilimanjaro dominates the horizon and the elephants take centre stage in the landscape.
Large herds move slowly, following routes that have existed for generations. After several days spent immersed in nature, something curious happens: animals that would initially have held us up for hours almost become part of the scenery.
Then, in a single moment, everything becomes extraordinary once more.
A female elephant crosses our path with her newborn calf. The little one is still moving uncertainly and stays close to its mother at all times.
It is not a spectacular scene straight out of a documentary. It is something much simpler and much more powerful. A moment in life.
And this is perhaps Kenya’s greatest gift: teaching us to recognise wonder even in moments we weren’t looking for.
A safari often stems from a desire to see Africa’s wildlife, but the most important journey is the one that takes place within us.
Kenya leaves us with thousands of photographs, but above all it reminds us that the world is much bigger than our everyday lives and that, sometimes, we need to remind ourselves that we are not the centre of everything.
We are merely guests.
Guests of nature.
Guests of a world that will continue to exist even after we have passed.
You can find the full account of the trip at www.notanordinarytour.com and more photos on the Instagram page @lindas_eye.