Kenia 'once in a lifetime'!

What a richness of wildlife and culture this eastern African country has to offer. With its national parks, each unique in its own form, spotting the big 5 is almost guaranteed. If that alone isn’t reason enough to visit Kenya, I’ll give you another one. The culture of the Masai and Samburu people! These traditional indigenous people still live by their own laws. And they withstand. The government tries to have them integrate in modern society, however without success. I’ll tell you more about my adventures with these people later in this blog. Just like the rare moments I had with wildlife in open nature. Do you want to experience a unique trip like this yourself and go home with spectacular photos? Than you’re very welcome to join!

Alright, let’s start at the beginning. Together with Julius I went on a 17 day trip. And we had a mission. Turning Kenya inside out, searching for the most special places for photography. Julius is, like many other Kenyans, a wildlife specialist and knows every park from corner to corner. With his wildlife expertise and my photography knowledge, we complement each other, which makes unique images that even surprised Julius with his 25 years of experience. And above all, we had lots of fun!

I spent some time with the Samburu people to better understand their lifestyle and habits. They live in small huts build by the women, that withstand up to 6 years. By then, the entire village moves to a new location to start all over again. They only possess their homes, colorful clothing and jewellery, nothing else. They mainly live of milk and meat from their cattle and ingredients found in nature. The men patrol and protect their village and cattle. The women take care of the children and do the cooking. Life can be so simple! They love traditional song and dance, which is their way of welcoming and thanking you. Before marriage the men get the role of ‘warrior’. They learn to survive in the wild nature and learn how to protect their village. They are stars at throwing their spears and traditional orugume! Not so long ago every warrior had to prove his masculinity by overpowering and killing a lion. Luckily, they don’t practice this habit any longer. It were warriors that I joined during my trip. It turned out I’m bad at throwing spears, but then again they’re bad in photography. But together, we managed to use the magical lighting of the sunset and their beautiful land to catch some gorgeous pictures.

National Park Samburu

The Samburu National Park is a true gem. Gorgeous landscapes that only get more gorgeous when the animals get in sight. Gigantic herds of elephants parade through the grass and you don’t know where to look. It is this time of year when you can see these big herds. There’s enough to eat for everyone. Once it gets dry and arid, they split up because there is a shortage of food. The lions make their rounds like tough rulers and giraffes gracefully stride from tree to tree. It’s a true delight to watch these beautiful animals in their own habitat. A big recommendation it is!

National Park Lake Nakuru

Lake Nakuru, in the famous Great Rift Valley, is another gem. There are several lakes in this area, like Baringo and Bogoria. Once, all of them were a real haven for millions of flamingos. However, the changed water quality caused a decrease in number and now there are only a couple thousand left. But it’s still an amazing sight. You can only hope that nature recovers so this pink phenomenon returns. Luckily Lake Nakuru has more to offer than flamingos and that’s worth a visit too. The rising water in this time of year gives you amazing views on the east side of the lake. Large areas of dead forest are submerged, a feast for the eye. Besides all the wildlife you can find here, you’ll also have breathtaking views from the hilltops.

National Park Masai Mara

The showpiece of Kenya, better known as Masai Mara, has everything. The Masai culture, the gorgeous landscapes and the Big Five. What else do you want? I stayed a few days in the national park and an entire week with the Masai people. As soon as you enter the park you can keep your camera ready for action. Even though it’s a vast area, you’ll find lots of wildlife in a relative small area. Like the lions and leopards that I found, living next to each other like neighbors. Or the leopard couple that I spent two days with. They only spend one week a year together to mate, than they go their separate ways again. It’s an astonishing spectacle. Having nothing but respect and admiration for these athletic predators, they let us come close. But of course the Masai Mara has lots more to offer. Regularly we rushed off to admire the spotted lions and cheetahs. This park is also the place to be for the great migration. Between July and October, the wildebeests try to cross the Masai Mara river. Without being cought by waiting crocodiles. It’s obvious why the Masai Mara is Kenya’s showpiece.

The Nairoshi Foundation

Alright, Masai culture. I spent a week at Nairoshi Foundation in the heart of the surrounding Masai villages. Not only did I learn about the way the Masai people live, I also was touched by the living conditions. Don’t get me wrong, they choose how they live and their happy with it. Their lives are similar to the Samburu people, as you could read earlier. Their clothing is different and their huts are more solid so they hold up for a longer period of time. The government tries to persuade the Masai to send their kids to school. Families consist of multiple children and some of them go to school now, but most of them don’t. There’s a lack of support and after they finished school most of them go back to living the Masai life. Even if they want to, there’s not enough money to go to college. At a young age, a lot of girls are forced in an arranged marriage. Early pregnancy, I’m talking about ages between 14 and 18, forces them to stay at home. The Nairoshi Foundation supports these kids after school, which is often rewarded with kids graduating high school. Sponsors around the world support the students financially, giving them a chance to find good jobs. This week I’ve seen lots of kids passing by. No matter where you are in the world, kids are the same everywhere. Naughty, with twinkling eyes… They play with footballs, made out of paper and tape. Shoes that have holes in them and raggedy clothes. They don’t have a private place, they share rooms that are made out of clay, and sleep on goat’s skin.

Touched by the conditions I’m determined to support some of these kids. And maybe you would like to support too. Please send me a message if you do, I’m happy to think about options.

So, once in a lifetime Kenya! An experience I’ll never forget. I’ve chosen the best locations for you and you’re more than welcome to join on this trip!

Check here photography trip 'once in a lifetime' Kenia, or here for the gallery. For the combi tour with Tanzania you can check here the photography trip 'Wildest' Tanzania or here the gallery

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