We knew our safari had really begun the moment the tiny plane bumped down onto the dusty airstrip. Before we had even collected our luggage our driver and guide, Fred and Kevin, (Yes, I know, not exactly African names!) were already waving us over with huge smiles. It felt unreal to step out into that warm air and realise that after months of preparation and excitement—we were finally here!
On the drive out, we were absolutely thrilled (and honestly a bit stunned!) to see giraffes, zebras, and impala right there beside us. We couldn’t believe how close they were. Every turn in the track had us pointing and grinning like little children.
The journey to our first camp was like a mini game drive of its own. We kept stopping to take photos, whispering “look at that!” over and over again. By the time we actually rolled into camp, we were beside ourselves with excitement.
And then the warm welcome at camp made everything even better. Friendly faces, drinks, and that feeling of “you’re part of the family now” set the tone for the rest of the adventure.
Rhino Camp: Ol Pejeta Conservancy
The camp is set within the 90,000 acres of the conservancy, between the foothills of the Aberdares and snow capped Mount Kenya. Hidden in a secluded valley amongst shady acacia trees.
This, our first safari camp completely blew us away, we weren’t expecting anything quite so magical. The whole campsite was beautiful, tucked into the landscape like it had always been there. Our tent wasn’t really a tent at all—it was more like a beautifully decorated hotel room wearing a canvas costume. A huge comfy bed, a full bathroom, and a deck that looked straight out onto the bush. The staff were so warm and had such a great sense of humour, we felt like we were staying with friends.
Of course, the real thrill was heading out on the game drives. Our driver Fred, had a talent for casually steering the vehicle straight through long grass and bushes like it was nothing, with us wondering where we were headed – but then we saw them – our very first pride of lions. Fred somehow got us so close that we could hear them breathing. We had absolutely no idea safaris got that close. Every drive was an experience like no other. One minute there’d be a giraffe stretching its neck above the trees, then we’d spot elephants lumbering across the plains or a rhino trotting in the distance. Other favourite moments out on the drives were the bush breakfasts and evening sundowners. A full English breakfast, fruit, pancakes and more, served in the middle of the bush while giraffes casually watched from nearby. It was surreal and brilliant. And the sundowners! There’s nothing like sipping a cold beer or a glass of wine while the sky turns gold and pink, with elephants strolling by, jackals looking for their next meal and bat-eared foxes making themselves scarce.
And then there were the nights around the campfire. Everyone gathered together, drinks in hand, swapping stories, listening to the crackle of the fire, staring up at the sky with a million stars and, amazingly, seeing the Milky Way stretched right above an acacia tree.
Walking in the camp after dark was risky due to the close proxomity of the wildlife, and not a fence in sight! There was always a member of the team standing by to escort you back to your tent after dinner, or to your truck in the morning. We did wake up the first morning to find two Cape Buffalo outside when we unzipped the tent!
A watering hole and hide were unique to this camp. The main visitors were elephants, impala, buffalo and zebra. There was a brief visit by a giraffe once, but we weren’t down in the hide at that time. Every lunchtime there was something to see at the water, and we got really excited to go down to the hide to get a close up view, so close at times, we couldn’t use our cameras. We’d use our phones to take videos and photos of the elephants and impalas that were almost within touching distance. The impalas were a bit skittish. If they were already close to the hide, they would run off when we approached it. But they would come back, and as long as we were still and quiet, they came up very close. At night, rhinos would come down to the water and the staff would shine a torch over at them. It was too dark (and probably very risky) to go down to the hide at night.
After three incredible nights, leaving the camp felt genuinely sad. It was our first safari stop, but it set the bar unbelievably high—and gave us memories we’ll never forget.
Two more camps to come. Look out for the part 2 of our superb safari adventure.
This video is of the whole safari holiday. It shows some of the amazing experiences we had on our game drives in the three conservancies we stayed in.
And have a look at more safari photos, by visiting the safari gallery (more photos will be added to the gallery with future safari posts).