That’s enough lounging around.We are on our way to the Aberdare mountains with a brief coffee break at Thompson’s Falls before arriving at the Aberdare Country Club for lunch.Another wonderful place.We have views of the Aberdares to the left and Mount Kenya to the right.There’s even a 9-hole golf course.But if you decide to play a round, watch out for the warthogs and baboons because they have right of way.They’re not interested in your handicap but might like to play hide and seek at the tee.
We’re on a game walk.It’s amazing to just saunter down to the plain and be withinmetres of giraffe, eland, zebra and antelope.Mount Kenya provides the perfect backdrop.We share a beer (I bet you’re saying “not again”!) with a very nice Australian couple currently living in Dubai.By coincidence, the gentleman is an engineer for an airline so Agy enjoys catching up on the latest gossip in the aviation industry.
Thomson Falls
Aberdare Country Club
Aberdare Mountains
Fever tree,Aberdare mountains
23rd May
We’re not quite sure what’s happening today.This afternoon we’ll be taken to the Aberdare mountains to stay at a lodge called “The Ark”.Yesterday we passed a place called Solio Ranch, specialising in rhino, both black and white.So let’s go there for a couple of hours.We arrive and are given a map.It’s a pretty big place so I hope we won’t get lost.There’s woodland consisting of yellow-bark acacia. They used to be known as fever trees because the settlers who slept beneath them mistakenly thought they caused malaria.
Anyway, it isn’t long before we find the rhino.This is one of the few places where you’re guaranteed sightings of these animals, particularly black rhino.Incidentally, the black are really “hook-lipped” and white “square-lipped”.The term white rhino is derived from the Afrikaans word for wide, indicating wide-mouthed.All of that rhino spotting has made us ravenous.After a delicious curry lunch we head for the Ark, and it is literally that.On the inside it’s like being on boat with cabins rather than rooms.It overlooks a waterhole where elephant and buffalo hang out.Each cabin has a bell, which rings each time something exciting turns up for a drink.It could be a long night. Again we share dinner and a few laughs with a lovely Polish couple.Part of the joy of travelling is meeting people from all over the world.
No bells went off in the night so I guess the animals weren’t that thirsty.Do you fancy a trip to Scotland? Well, come with us for a game drive in the Aberdares.They were so named by a Scottish explorer called Joseph Thompson (hence Thompson Falls) who, as soon as he saw them, was reminded of home.The Aberdares are not like other national park in Kenya.Here you can sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery.The higher you go the more the landscape changes from lush, green trees and bushes, to bamboo, to wild scrubland moors.It’s uncannily Scottish but with elephants and buffalo roaming around, a bit surreal.
Our guide, Charles, takes us to some beautiful waterfalls and we have lunch by one known as Queen’s Falls because that’s where Queen Elizabeth comes when she’s in town, don’t you know.We’re driving back now after a lovely day and would you believe it, these creatures are everywhere, typical. Anyway, Agy has just spotted a Chanler’s mountain reedbuck (no, I’d never heard of it either and apparently it’s a very rare sight).As soon as it spots us it does a runner but, undeterred, we get out of the vehicle and trek across the moor.After a few minutes we stop and have a look around.Suddenly we hear a clicking from behind a bush and the reedbuck scampers out.Luckily it hesitates just long enough for Agy to take a couple of photos, so he’s a very happy chappy and has a message for his mate Roddy “Eat your heart out and I bet you don’t have a shot of one of these” – I suspect a bit of friendly rivalry there.
Mount Kenya
Us in the Aberdares
Queens Falls,Aberdares
Chandlers Mountain Reedbuck
25th May
We’re starting to wend our way gently back towards the coast.It’s a 3-hour drive to Nairobi, passing through Nyeri, where Lord Baden Powell, founder of the scout movement, spent his last few years.It’s lunchtime and we’re at Safari Park hotel, Nairobi, where our dream began nearly 2 months ago.We’re fantasising now that the 6 months is just starting over again, are we never satisfied!The trusty wagon is going in for a well-deserved service.We’ve covered over 3000 kms in 3 weeks so she needs a little TLC – good old bus. 26th May I didn’t sleep too well last night, once again dreading the thought of crossing Nairobi only this time from a different direction.Don’t know why I worried though because we again clear the city in 30 minutes, brilliant.We’re going to have one more safari stop before heading back for Watamu tomorrow.We’re going to a camp called “Lion Rock”, a community concern just outside Tsavo West National Park (www.tsavoparkhotels.com). Oops, there’s a knocking sound just over the wheel where I’m sitting.To be honest, it’s been doing this on and off since Nairobi.Agy thinks it’s something technical like a ball joint, whatever that is.This noise is getting worse.I jokingly say that perhaps the wheel’s falling off.“That’s a point” say Agy,“have a look out of the window”.Anyway, I wind it down and even to me that wheel looks a bit wobbly.He stops the car, tightens it up and miraculously the noise stops.That explains why oncoming traffic had been flashing their lights at us.We just thought they were being friendly. Lion Rock at last.It was quite an effort to get here but very much worth it.
Lion Rock,Tsavo West conservancy
Big skies at Lion Rock looking to Kilimanjaro
By the way, can you cast your mind back to our safari in Tsavo East on 7 May (page 6 if you want to check) when we heard those human voices in the middle of nowhere?Well, we’ve just been told that the park is being combed for poachers who shot and killed two rhino recently.I’m not saying that we heard them but we were both uneasy about it at the time.Poaching is far less common than it used to be but still a headache for the KWS.There’s more to come on this story.
27th May We heard the lions roaring below us during the night and before we set off home we’ll do one last game drive.It’s a beautiful morning, with Kilimanjaro in the background.Off we go.There are lots of birds so I’m busy making a note of them.The whole place is still one great beautiful meadow and not the greatest for game viewing, but when you have scenery like this and the Taita Hills around you, it really doesn’t matter. We’re back on that dreaded road just outside Mombasa.Once again Agy asks me to check the wheels.I can’t see anything but do spot the guys in the matatu behind us pointing at us.Guess what, another puncture and this time the tyre cannot be saved.Some local guys are soon on hand to help us to change the wheel so we can continue.It’s 5.00 pm and we’re just pulling into Ocean Sports where we’ll spend the night before Turtle Bay opens tomorrow.It’s wonderful to be back at the seaside.Ok, I’ll admit it, we’re having a beer.
