We had a great experience doing the Kenya Safari with 89 other alumni + family members from IIT Kanpur 1990 graduating class. Anu and I had been on the Kenya safari in Jan 2001, but doing it again with a group of 89 people was an opportunity that we did not want to miss. It turned out to be a fantastic experience.

Day 0: Fri, July 28: Kilimanjaro to Nairobi

The safari was scheduled immediately after our Kilimanjaro trek. We had a bus full of 21 trekkers going from Kilimanjaro to Nairobi. Some trekkers had gone to Nairobi a day earlier and others had skipped the safari and flown out directly from Kilimanjaro.

We left at 9.30 am from Panama Garden Resort in Moshi. Our bus was loaded with suitcases for 21 people.

We went past Arusha and stopped for lunch near the Namanga border at around 12.30 pm. The waiter promised us 30 mins for pizza, but as is usual in Tanzania, it took us 1.30 hours to get our pizza.

We then proceeded to the border. Technically, each of our 40 bags would have been inspected, but then after a little discussion (and $50 :)), the customs guy waved us through. All of us still had to get down and go through Kenya immigration. For people who had not taken yellow fever vaccination, they charge $50 for the vaccine.

As soon as we crossed the border from Tanzania to Kenya, hordes of sellers tried to sell us Kenyan trinkets. We spent about 1.30 hours at the border and finally were on our way to Nairobi.

We had to drop Atharv and Vidit Goel at Nairobi airport first before we headed to the hotel. We reached the Concord hotel in Nairobi around 8 pm.

We said our initial hellos and immediately headed out to Shayona, a vegetarian Jain restaurant, run by Swaminarayan devotees. We arrived there at 8.30 pm and by 9.25 pm, we were done eating, a miracle compared to the long serving times in Tanzania. The food was awesome, chola bhatura, dosa, chaat etc.

We slept at around 11 pm. Not having to trek the next day felt like a luxury.

Day 1: Sat, July 29: Nairobi Tour

We woke up around 7 am and went for breakfast at 8 am. The breakfast at the Concord hotel seemed like a luxury compared to what we had on the trek. We ate to our heart’s content.

Our buses left around 10 am and we visited the Giraffe Center in Nairobi. It is about 40 mins from the city center. It was a center to protect endangered wildlife in Kenya. They had 10 giraffes that would eat out of our palm. There was a baby giraffe called Mpopi.

We got a customary photo of Amit Baranwal with all the girls.

We then proceeded to have lunch at a restaurant called “Under the Swahili Tree”. It was a set menu. The food was ok, but not great. Maybe the African cuisine did not go well with us.

After lunch, we proceeded to see a Masai village. They showed how Masai practiced polygamy and huts were designed for the wives and children.

From the village, we went to the cultural center where we saw some African dances from 3.30 pm to 5.15 pm. A lot of school kids had come to see the dances. They also participated and there was a lot of general enthusiasm.

We returned to the hotel around 6.30 pm. Then we did a presentation about Kilimanjaro trek. There was also some Karaoke music.

There was a group picture of all attendees with the beautiful black sweatshirts prepared by Amit Baranwal and CS Reddy.

We slept in our comfortable beds, feeling good after our 8 day trek.

Day 2: Sun, July 30: Keekorok Resort, Masai Mara

We started around 9.30 am from Concord Hotel to proceed to Masai Mara. We arrived at the Masai gate where we had to wait for about 45 mins. We had 17 jeeps carrying 89 people. So there was a lot of inertia in starting and stopping.

We stopped at a gift shop along the way. There was a lot of shopping under way.

We also had to stop at the entrance of Masai Mara reserve.

We reached the Keekorok resort in Masai at 2.30 pm. It was a part of MGM hotels (MG Muthu was the owner).

We ate lunch and immediately proceeded to a game drive at 3.30 pm. Game drives are typically done early morning or late afternoon.

We saw many animals including a lion who walked across the road in front of the jeeps. In a safari, the goal is to see the “Big 5” – lion, elephant, African buffalo, rhino and Leopard. The reason they are called the Big 5 is because when hunting was permitted, these animals were the hardest to hunt.

Kenya safari is like an open air zoo. Hundreds of animals in the open. You see a combination of predators and herbivores, and the delicate ecological balance between them.

We finished the safari around 6.30 pm and checked into our rooms.

The rooms were very cosy. They had mosquito netting, but not many mosquitos.

Dinner was quite good, big food spread. Plus lots of chatting with friends and families. Got to know people better.

Slept at around 10 pm.

Day 3: Mon, July 31: Masai Mara

56 people had signed up for a Balloon Ride in Masai Mara. They had a balloon safari and a champagne breakfast

Anu, Sahil and I had not gone on the balloon safari and instead decided to do another game drive. In the morning, we saw the customary zebras and a lone tree. We also saw some elephants.

We saw a kill by a lioness.

Towards the end of the game drive, we saw very interesting sights including two cheetahs walking amongst zebras and wildebeest.

At lunch, we saw the hippo bar in Keekorok lodge. Lots of hippos lounging in the water.

After lunch, we proceeded on another game drive.

After the game drive, we checked into Sopa Mara, another resort.

This resort was similar to Keekorok. We could see zebras grazing in front of our room.

There was an African dance in the evening and some Karaoke music.

Some chitchat as well.

Slept at 10.30 pm.

Day 4: Tue, Aug 1: Mara River Crossing

We started the day with another game drive, this time to the Mara river.

We saw the local airport.

The large scale migration of the wildebeest and zebras between Serengeti plains in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya is a yearly spectacle. Animals cross the Mara River and some get eaten by crocodiles.

We proceeded to the Mara River, where we saw lots of hippos and crocodiles lying in the river. There was not too much water. We also did not see an actual migration.

We visited the boundary between Kenya and Tanzania.

All the jeeps gathered where we ate our boxed lunch around 1 pm.

On the way back, we saw many animals along the way. We did see a pride of lions, one lion and 4 lionesses.

We also visited a Masai village.

We came back to Mara Sopa lodge. In the evening, the singer started singing Hindi songs and all of us got on to the dance floor. Lot of fun and frolic.

Slept at around 10 pm.

Day 5: Wed, Aug 2: Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha

We started the day early, leaving by 6.45 am for Lake Nakuru, a lake known for its birds, especially flamingoes. It was nearly a 4.5 hour drive from Sopa resort to Lak Nakuru.

We left Masai Mara game reserve.

The entire terrain became very green.

We were not disappointed at Lake Nakuru. We saw the elusive rhino, thus completing our Big 5.

Amazing pink flamingoes on Lake Nakuru.

We saw some amazing birds and lots of wildlife. There was a scene of a lioness eating a recent buffalo kill. Totally worth the trip.

We proceeded to Sopa Resort, Lake Naivasha. It was a really lavish resort, large rooms, amazingly landscaped. Lots of animals on the property, zebras, waterbucks, hippos etc.

After lunch, we went to Lake Naivasha for boating to complete our experience. Lots of interesting birds in the marshlands.

We had 17 jeeps. We took a picture of all our jeeps with their drivers.

A farewell party was planned in the evening. Prizes given by Amit Baranwal for the quiz questions prior to the trip, a trivia quiz conducted by Rajeev, talk by Pravin about the format of future reunions, karaoke singing and lot of chatter among the participants. The evening was fun.

We slept by 11 pm.

Day 6: Thu, Aug 3: Return from Nairobi

Sahil had a 9.20 am flight, so he left Sopa Naivasha resort at 3.30 am and flew on Delta back to Dallas.

Maneesh, Meenu Jhawar, Pravin, Aparna Bhagwat, Anu and I were in the same jeep. We started at 9.45 am and reached Nairobi at 12 noon.

We bought some coffee in the supermarket and then ate again at Shayona vegetarian restaurant.

The driver dropped us off at the airport at around 2 pm.

We caught our Kenya Airways flight at 4.45 pm, landing in Mumbai after 6 hours at 1.30 am the next morning.

Summary

It was great to be able to interact with  so many alumni and family members. It was a rare opportunity to get to know them better. Thanks to Amit and Bhavna Baranwal’s persistence and effort, this trip happened and we enjoyed a truly memorable experience.