Hello Kenya

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Our journey begins with a sense of unease. The Cockpit Union goes on strike on our departure day.

I check my phone several times, no email from Lufthansa so far. My hope is rising.

Lucky us, everything is going according to plan.

The airplane is only half full. Apparently, many passengers have already rebooked their flights after it became clear there would be a strike. Well, totally unnecessary.

It's nice that we are now on our way to our next destination.

Kenya - a new continent, a new country, a new world.

Arriving in Nairobi at 10 PM in 24 degrees with a gentle breeze, we didn't really know what to expect. Hello, hello Kenya!

The first night was a complete disaster, not because we expected much from a 14 Euro hotel, but because the mosquitoes decided to welcome us in a very special way.

In total, we are allowed to stay here in Kenya for 18 days. This includes 8 days of safari in the bush and the rest we spend on the coast. We definitely need some relaxation after our program, as we have a lot planned.

What awaits us are 8 days through the interior of Kenya, 8 days in the bush, 8 days of wilderness, and 8 days of hopefully many animal sightings. Because what could be more beautiful in life than going out to explore the wildlife and their natural habitat.

I am excited. For the first time, we are not traveling on our own but through Elephant Tours, which has organized the tour. At least for a few days. Why? I don't know, it just felt right and so far I haven't regretted it.

I was often asked: “But what if the group doesn’t get along at all?” ..... Well, why always think negatively when it can fit well?

And bam, there we have it. It fits wonderfully. We are a nice small group of 7 people. Randomly put together but still very much in sync.

Our driver and guide Justus accompanies us throughout the days and takes care of our well-being in every way.

After everyone is picked up, we leave the big city with our 4x4 Landcruiser and head towards our first destination. 250 km separate us from the Masai Mara, which lies south/west of Nairobi. The Masai Mara is a nature reserve at 1600 meters above sea level and is also the home of the Maasai, the indigenous people of Kenya.

The nature reserve is about 1,500 km2 in size and merges into the Serengeti (Tanzania).

It is one of the parks with the highest animal density in Africa, including the Big Five.

Upon arriving in the Masai Mara, we immediately headed out for our first game drive. The planet is intense, a breeze blows, and the Masai Mara delivers what it promises.

It didn’t take a minute before we spotted the first animals. Various types of antelopes, water buffalo, jackals, zebras, and there was already the first herd of elephants. And my goodness, are they huge! Until now, I only knew the Asian elephant and that was already enormous, but an African bull, incredible! Giant tusks, huge ears, 6 tons of weight. Well, it's good that we can just watch them from a distance. I really wouldn't want to disturb them.

I quickly notice that the Masai Mara has an astonishing animal density. You can hardly stop being amazed, as there seems to be one or several animals at every meter.

The park is very green at the moment; we are at the end of the short dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. This really starts in April. However, we were lucky, as a week before our arrival, heavy rains caused flooding in the area. So the bridge to our lodge at the Talek River was completely flooded and washed away.

However, the paths are now clear again and the signs of the flooding are becoming fewer.

The land is green, the bushes are thickly overgrown, and there is enough water for the animals to drink. I find that very nice, as you often hear that this is not the case and the animals suffer greatly from water scarcity.

At the moment it seems that everything is perfectly fine. What it certainly looks like in the long dry season is another story.

The grass is high, allowing some big cats to hide easily. Sometimes even a giraffe or an elephant can hide so well that you hardly recognize them. The good thing is that they are rarely alone and thus stand out very well and are easy to observe. I could watch a giraffe or an elephant moving across the fields for hours. Slowly and relaxed. Because as the saying goes, Hakuna Matata - it means your worries will always be far from you…

How often it goes through my mind when yet another