Trip of a Lifetime to Kenya 🇰🇪

You can watch our Youtube vlogs Part 1 & Part 2 here.

We also have a dedicated vlog to our hot air balloon ride here.

Fred and I were finally able to take a trip that we have been planning for a few years now. He was born and raised in Kenya but doesn’t get many chances to go back and visit his home country. This was not only my first time to Kenya, but to the African continent. I am so excited to share the details of this trip because I know so many of you have also wanted to go on an African safari and check it off your bucket list as well.

First, I will start with our travel details. We flew on British Airways from Miami to London and then from London to Nairobi. Although the flights were long (about 8 1/2 hours each), we were fortunate to be upgraded to first class on the first leg of the trip and able to get a bit of rest.

This was Fred’s first time getting to enjoy the first class experience and he was certainly living his best life! From the champagne and nuts, to the soup & bread service and then the main dish & dessert, all of the food was very tasty! Also, the service was top notch. The entire flight crew was very hospitable & we were grateful to them for all they did to make this trip special for us.

We arrived to Nairobi late in the evening on Thursday (Thanksgiving Day in the states) and went straight to our hotel to check in. For our first 2 nights in Nairobi, we stayed at Sankara which is located in the Westlands neighborhood.

I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the room service being that it was so late at night after we checked in. I ordered a quesadilla and Fred had some wings. It was the perfect welcome to Kenya and then we got some much needed rest.

Our first full day in Nairobi was spent catching up with some of Fred’s family as well as one of his good friends from high school. It was nice that our schedule was pretty laid back because the jet lag began to creep in that afternoon. We had lunch at the rooftop restaurant (Sarabi) in our hotel and the food was delicious! Fred and I shared two orders of samosas as well as a bruschetta trio. Our favorite was definitely the samosas - which is certainly a Nairobi local favorite.

Later that evening, Fred’s younger brother took us to eat at a local restaurant that he frequents to get one of the more popular Kenyan dishes that I’ve heard Fred talk about for YEARS - nyama choma. This is the Swahili phrase that means “grilled meat”. Although it can be different types of meat, the most common (& Fred’s favorite) is goat. Yes, I said goat and don’t knock it until you try it because it was absolutely delicious!

This particular restaurant prepared it a few different ways, one of which reminded me of the equivalent of “fajitas” that you might get at a Mexican restaurant.

The nyama choma was served with 2 sides: kachumbari and ugali. Both of these sides are very common in Kenya. I would say that kachumbari is most similar to pico de Gallo. As for ugali - I’ve never had anything quite like this before but the best I can describe it would be corn meal or “maize” (as they call it in Kenya) which has been boiled in water or milk until it reaches a dough like consistency. Whereas some meals may be served with rice, others come with ugali instead.

Unfortunately, it was hard to get good photos of the nyoma choma, but if you are subscribed to my Youtube channel, you’ll see better footage from dinner on my vlog that will be posted soon.

Fred’s Dad, his younger brother, me, Fred & his older brother.

On our second day, we traveled with Fred’s dad back to the village where he lives. We took a short 30 minute flight from Nairobi to Kisumu and then hung out there for a few hours. It was quite the afternoon, let me tell you! Fred’s dad needed to run some errands and didn’t want us just waiting around for him so Fred and I hopped on the back of a motorbike with a very nice gentleman who took us around for a bit.

First, we stopped by “Hippo Point” and went on a boat ride from a man named Titus. He was extremely knowledgeable about the area and pointed out quite a few different bird species he spotted, which Fred loved because he was very excited to test out our new camera lens that we bought specifically for this trip.

After our boat ride, we hopped back on the motorbike and went to a local market, where we got to pick out a freshly caught tilapia to have prepared for lunch. They gave two options: “wet fried” or “dry fried”. We opted for the dry fried version. The tilapia was served with kachumbari & ugali.

Fred’s dad met us at the market shortly after our food arrived and then the drive to Siaya began. It’s only about a 40 mile drive between these two towns, but because of the traffic and poor roads the drive took us about 2 hours. However, we did also make a few pit stops along the way. One of which was to take a photo at the equator in Maseno. It was pretty cool to stop and have this photo op with Fred & his Dad.

Our time in Siaya was short - only 2 days, but it was nice to get to see where Fred’s parents live & also get to visit with his mom for a bit.

Masai Mara

Traveling to Masai Mara was an all day event for us, but totally worth it once we arrived. Our day began in Siaya bright and early at 8AM. Fred’s dad drove us to the airport in Kisumu and we took the short flight back to Nairobi.

We then had to take an uber from NBO airport to Wilson airport, and flew on Air Kenya from Wilson airport to Mara Ol Seki. There are many different air strips in the Masai Mara but this was the one closest to our camp.

We arrived to the Air Kenya terminal about an hour before our flight. Since each passenger is only allowed 15kg aboard the plane, we had an additional large luggage that we were able to store at the Air Kenya counter for free. Another important note is that hard-sided luggage is not permitted on the small aircraft, so duffle bags or soft sided luggage are highly recommended.

After getting checked in and receiving our boarding passes, we were told that we could hang out in their lounge upstairs until our plane arrived. To our surprise, they even had a cafe that served food, snacks & coffee!

Another pleasant surprise was that we were the only passengers aboard our plane to Ol Seki. This was the closest feeling to flying on our own private jet that we’ve ever had and I have to say, it was awesome!

Once we landed on the air strip, our guide, Agnes was there to greet us and help gather our luggage.

She walked us back to the Land Cruiser truck that, little did we know, was where we would be spending a lot of time in over the next 3 days.

The drive from the air strip to Hemingways was about 15-20 minutes and it was very cool to see some animals along the way. It was as if our first game drive had already commenced before we even made it to our camp.

Once we arrived, we were greeted by one of the managers at the camp - David - who offered us a cold towel and some delicious, fresh squeezed juice. It was the perfect welcome to the Masai Mara after a long travel day.

He took us over to our “tent” and we got settled in a bit before our first game drive with Agnes.

There are 2 times that the game drives happen each day. One early in the morning at 6:30AM and the other in the late afternoon at 4PM. Since we arrived to the camp later in the day, our first day we only had the 4PM drive.

Fred and I weren’t sure what exactly to expect, but WOW we were in for a surprise. About 20 minutes in our driver & guide, Agnes was notified from one of the park rangers of a cheetah that was hunting nearby our camp. The adrenaline rush you get driving over to see the action is certainly exciting. This particular cheetah was a mom to 5 small cubs and she was an excellent hunter.

Although it began to rain right at this time, we were so excited to see our first kill that we braved the unfortunate weather to watch the Mom and her cubs feast on their dinner and captured some awesome photos.

After our game drive concluded, we went back to camp for our first meal at Hemingways. All of the meals at camp are served in the main dining room, unless you are staying in the “Simba” family tent which actually has its own kitchen.

We began with soup as a starter and it was exactly what we needed after being out in the rain during our game drive. Our main dish followed - pork chops with fresh vegetables. Fred doesn't even care for pork, but he cleaned his plate, so that can attest to the quality of the food. For dessert, we were served tiramisu and it was equally delicious as the two previous dishes.

Although Hemingways does not provide a menu to order from for your meals, they are happy to take any requests or accommodate any dietary restrictions you may have. Our waiter, David, went above & beyond for us the entire trip, even remembering our water and wine preferences. These small touches truly made our experience at Hemingways a memorable one.

Our second day in the Mara began bright & early with a 6AM wakeup call. Each morning fresh coffee & biscuits (or cookies as we Americans say) are delivered to your tent and the first game drive begins at 6:30.

I will say I am big fan of breakfast and wasn’t sure that only coffee & cookies would hold me over, since the game drives usually last at least 3 hours, but I think because we were so excited to see what animals we would encounter each time that I didn’t even mind having to wait a few hours before having a proper meal.

The early game drives were great because the lighting was prime for photography. Each time we ventured out we saw different animals, and even when we saw some of the same ones we never minded - especially the giraffes, which are my personal favorite safari animal. 🦒 😊

One of the reasons we chose to stay at Hemingways Ol Seki was the small number of guests they allow. This meant that our experience was more intimate and personalized. They offer 9 “Nina tents” which are ideal for couples and they also have one “Simba tent” that is more suitable for families as it has two full on suite bedrooms as well as a living room, full kitchen, and dining room. They even provide a personal chef for this tent so you can eat all of your meals in the privacy of your tent.

Fred and I were assigned to “Nina 8” and we loved that it was the furthest tent, which allowed for more privacy. It is also important to note that because the camp is not fenced, when its dark outside, you will need to be escorted to and from your room because there is a chance that animals could be roaming on property. One day during the afternoon, we were hanging out on our deck and had zebras grazing right next to our tent and at night we heard several animals (lions, buffaloes, & hyenas) near our tent as well.

After the evening game drive on our second day, Agnes found a nice spot for us to stop for our first sundowner. This happens as you might have guessed - during sunset. We parked the truck and our guide - Agnes set up some drinks (soft drinks, water and wine) and also provided some light snacks. Fred and I were able to get out of the truck and stretch our legs, while enjoying the beautiful view of the savanna during golden hour. We were interrupted though, when Agnes spotted a lion in the distance that was on the prowl. For our safety, we had to pack up and get back in the truck really fast, but we were later able to follow the lion and actually found out that he was in distress because he was lost from his pride.

The third day in Masai Mara began even earlier - at 4AM. We were picked up at 4:30 and then made an hour and a half drive to go on an adventure of a lifetime. As if coming to Masai Mara and going on safari wasn’t enough to check off our bucket list, Fred and I decided to book a hot air balloon tour!

This was one of the “extras” that Hemingways offered us when booking our safari with them and we are so glad we did it. Neither Fred nor I had ever been on a hot air balloon before, and let me tell you we are so happy that we chose to take our first ride over the Masai Mara. It was incredibly picturesque to see the sunrise over the horizon and then get to see so many of the same animals we had been seeing on our game drives from the vantage point of the hot air balloon.

The ride itself lasted about 75 minutes. I had no idea just how large the basket is that carries the passengers & the balloon pilot. It was divided up into sections with the section in the middle for our awesome pilot - Mohammed. The feeling of floating over the beautiful savanna of the Masai Mara was truly incredible.

After our balloon ride was complete, we were picked up where the balloon landed & driven about an hour away to enjoy our first bush breakfast. Fred and I didn’t actually know that this was provided for us during this experience, but it was a pleasant surprise. The meal came complete with a buffet style bush breakfast, made to order eggs and even champagne/mimosas!

We were then presented with a certificate from our hot air balloon pilot before getting back in the truck and making the drive back to Hemingways.

Once we arrived back at camp, we had a little bit of downtime until the evening game drive so Fred and I both got much needed massages which were incredible! The view from the spa is very breathtaking - Fred even saw a few giraffes roaming in the distance.

Our final game drive on the 4th morning was just as special as the first. Agnes was kind enough to let Fred & I take some photos on the truck to remember our first (but certainly not our last) trip to the Masai Mara. We were also surprised to find out that our final meal would be yet another bush breakfast with other guests from Hemingways. It was the perfect way to end our time in the Mara - the views never get old!

We are so grateful to all the staff at Hemingways Ol Seki - they truly went above and beyond during our entire stay. Agnes was even kind enough to gift me a beautiful traditional Masai necklace similar to the one she wore everyday and it was the greatest souvenir I could ever receive.

I know that so many of our friends & family also want to plan a trip to Kenya for a safari and Fred and I have already starting talking about planning our next trip.

Also, don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel and check out the 3 vlogs we posted from our time in Kenya.