The Haarhuis family’s first taste of Africa

People end up experiencing the magical qualities of Kenya from a wide variety of angles. In the case of the Dominique and Rob and their four children Bruun, Ties, Diede and Saar, this came about because Dominique had been doing an English lesson with Tim Rendell and in one of those lessons expressed interest on going on safari in Africa. Well, Tim then passed on the information that he still ran a travel service called Inspiral Africa and one thing led to another and the whole family ended up going on safari in Kenya. The family also asked Tim if he would like to go along with them as their guide which he very quickly agreed to doing (after getting permission from his wife, Eefje).

Tim decided to go with Sunworld Safaris because he believes that they are one of the best safari operators in East Africa and they put together a great 10 day tour for the Haarhuis family.

On the first day we drove from Nairobi to Samburu National Reserve which is quite a long drive but takes in some beautiful diverse landscapes including highland farmland, Athi River, the high veldt around Nanyuki and then eventually the semi-arid savannah in Samburu NR. We spent two days here and I think that one of the highlights of this section of the trip for Bruun and Ties was that Tim bought them a catapult each on the way and that then they spent a lot of time using them in the Soroi Larsens Camp with one of the local Samburu guys there. And highlights for Diede and Saar were the swimming pool and their good guide Mathew Alomo spotting a leopard and lions for them.

Day three we drove up to Ol Pajeta Conservancy and were fortunate enough to see both white and black rhino and wake up in the morning to great views on Mount Kenya.

On day four we drove down to Lake Elementaita and on the way stopped on the equator and were given a nice demonstration by one of the local guys which showed how water flows in different directions north and south of the Equator. We then drove down to Sopa Lodge on Lake Naivasha and it was at this point that I said goodbye to them and return to the Netherlands.

After an afternoon relaxing by the pool and then a relaxing night here the family continued their adventure with Mathew. He drove to Amboseli National Park which is known to host the largest herds of elephants in the country as well as offering a fantastic view of Africa’s highest mountain – Mt. Kilimanjaro. They stayed here at Amboseli Serena Safari lodge and were also lucky enough to sew a cheetah. And they also went on a cultural visit to a local Masai village.

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After spending two nights here they then drove on to Lumo conservancy. Lumo Conservancy borders Tsavo West National Park and here they were able to take in some of the most stunning views in Kenya because of the beautiful landscape of the Taita Hills, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mkomazi Reserve on the Tanzanian side are just some of the features. They stayed at Soroi Cheetah Tented Camp for two nights and in addition to all the great wildlife they spotted they were also very happy to see baby lions. And they also saw a boa constrictor which is incredible!

To finish off their experiences in Kenya the family took the train from Voi up to Nairobi and then flew out that evening.